Death on the Rio Grande
A fifteen year old Mexican boy was shot and killed yesterday on the banks of the Rio Grande. The story reached the LA Times this morning. This lad and some of his friends were playing and fooling around down by the river on the Mexican side. Some rocks were thrown. No one knows who threw the rocks. From the American side a U.S. Border Patrolman opened fire. The boy took a round in the head. He died. That is how history will record it. Simply: The boy died.
Illegal immigration is a problem. It is estimated that there are eleven million illegal immigrants from all over the world living in the United States. It effects all of us in one way or another: negative and positive. But a boy died. He was shot an killed while playing in his country. But wait, immigration raises some pesky issues like who pays the cost of their medical treatment, social security, jobs, their schooling? It has been you and me. Who should pay? Hopefully not you and me. But the Mexican boy who died? He really paid. But why?
There are thousands of Border Patrol Agents. Add to that number the National Guard soldiers the President is sending to the Rio Grande ostensible to watch the Border Patrol Agents shoot boys. No? Think about it. How far does an Agent have to step back to avoid a thrown rock? How far can a fifteen year old throw a rock? A half a mile? How about twenty-five yards on a good day? How far does a bullet travel? A mile? Under any analysis this boy was murdered. Hopefully it wasn’t by an Agent for the United States Government. A spent cartridge was found near the boy’s body on the Mexican side of the border. What was the Agent doing there? Was he there? The agent is on admistrative leave for….what? He must have done something…like shoot a fifteen year old boy.
History will say that a fifteen year old Mexican boy died on the banks of the Rio Grande while playing. Who is to blame for that? Who had the gun? Are these pesky issues worth the life of a fifteen year old boy? Since when did that ever ring true?