Immigration

Picking up from where we left off: Immigration. In the last few months, we have seen how avalanche after avalanche of immigrants entered Ceuta and Melilla illegally. I understand the causes of immigration perfectly: we live in a civilized and relatively rich country were opportunities are abroad, and people who are less lucky and have a chance to come here, try to do so. We need immigration since right now the immigrants in Spain are the main economic engine: they have the jobs Spaniards don’t want and they’re the ones that work the hardest. The problems arise when two circumstances are given:

- Illegal immigrants are given rights which Spanish citizens pay for, free.
- Illegal immigrants which conduct illegal activities arrive

The situation created in the first of these cases is completely illogical. Take, for example, one out of the many pregnant women which cross the strait of Gibraltar and arrive successfully to Spanish coasts. Since her baby will be born in Spain, she is given:

- The right for her child to attend a nursery school for free
- Social security for her and her child for free
- The right to get financial aid from the government while she is not working (paro)

In the second case, the good name the hard working immigrants have earned themselves in Spain is shattered to pieces. Each time we hear that an illegal immigrant kills someone or one of the “Latin King” bands controls entire sections of the city or small cities in which the police won’t even dare enter, we generalize and apply that reputation to all immigrants…an unfair but very realistic policy. Not only have those who commit illegal acts shamed the rest of the immigrants. As well, many immigrants which arrive to Spain are creating serious conflicts because of their reluctance to adapt. As in every situation, balance is needed: an immigrant can maintain all of his customs and traditions as long as they don’t go against the law. Real-life example: a Muslim woman walks into a hospital in Spain about to give birth to her baby. At the entrance, facial identification is needed to fill out a record (no cost whatsoever) and the man going with her says that no one but himself will see his wife: she will not unveil her face. With all due respect to the tradition the veil involves; that woman is about to give birth to a baby which will be considered Spanish and be given full rights, she will remain in the hospital for some days (no cost, again) and she doesn’t even have the decency of allowing the receptionist to see her face??? I’m sorry but, in my opinion, illegal immigrants are given plenty of rights and privileges, and all that’s asked for in exchange is adaptation to a small degree. Not only are they not deported on the spot when they arrive to Spain, but they are allowed many rights which are like a dream come true, and this is what we have? Warnings at hospitals since the immigrants residing there temporarily are stealing valuable objects? Having a picture of a woman with a veil on an ID?

Immigration is a current and very serious issue Spain faces and is not solving. Not six months ago, the current government passed a series of laws in which during a period of several days, any illegal immigrant with any ridiculous way of being identified as a resident (bus ticket) would be completely legalized. That sounds great, but truth is that, that means more taxes to pay and can even cause further trouble. The incidents at Ceuta and Melilla have just been more noticeable than the everyday reports we see on TV about fifty immigrants arriving at the beaches of the South coast illegally.

Politics 101

I said I would talk about politics, and I think they’re a pretty good topic to begin with today.

The more I read on how Spain’s government is working, the more I get the impression it’s not. The justice system is completely inefficient, immigration floods our borders, our foreign relations are pitiful and the whole unity of the country’s falling apart…when he observes all this, our president…smiles.

I’ll start out with the legal system: obsolete and useless. To begin with, the philosophy, in my opinion, is completely erroneous: other countries believe that the law is there to punish offences committed…our philosophy is that the law should “encourage that poor soul which has simply committed a mistake (kill 25 people for example) and re-insert him into society so he can learn from his mistakes.” I don’t know what your opinion is, but personally, I don’t want to be in a society with killers and rapists. When I say the legal system doesn’t work, I don’t just say it; let me list some facts so you get an idea…

- According to the Spanish penal code:

o No Citizen can spend more than 30 years in prison, irrelevant of what he has been sentenced to.

o The provisional liberty is applied when 1/3 OF 30 YEARS (10) has passed…not when 1/3 of the time of the original sentence has.

o People in prison get time off if they work while at prison. Why?

o People in prison are allowed to attend university (public, financed with our money) and graduate with a career.

I think the best definition of the legal system’s efficiency I’ve heard yet came from a lawyer I talked to…she said (and I quote): “If you really hate someone, and are willing to lose 3 years in the worse case…kill him. You probably won’t get caught, they most certainly won’t manage to prove it was you, and if you go to prison, since you don’t have a criminal record, you’ll be out of there in 20 months or so.” Needless to say, this is scary…someone condemned to a 40-year sentence (maximum time for murder) gets out after 20 months??? The justice system simply doesn’t work.

Weird and Proud

I’m weird, and proud of it. Honestly, from what I see around me, I prefer being the weird one, call me marginated, call me what you wish. What I see is more hypocresy than ever before: people don’t say what they think and most of the times they don’t even know what they think because they’re so prone to follow someone else’s lead that they eliminate their own basis of thought in order to “match” with the group and be “one more” instead of simply being different in opinion and having different ideas. Of course, putting all your ideas behind and following someone just because he/she’s “cool” is the easy thing to do...it’s like sheep being herded to the slaughter, they feel no pain or don’t wonder why they’re going there...They blindly trust the shepard, which they follow without once doubting. What they don’t know is that the shepard will eventually have lamb chops with what’s left of them. What’s my point? Right now friendship is a word said many times and meant in very rare occasions. No one cares if they do right or wrong, fair or unfair, they just “go with the flow”, with the herd. All that matters nowadays for teens is being “in” and “cool”...no matter if they have to leave their brains at the door, no matter if that means betraying a person you’ve known all your life...why should it? You’re in, he’s not...that’s that. What’s worse is people who can manage to figure this all out and even tell you how they have ideas which they defend, yet in a 24 hour margin you see how they can play on both sides. I hate people which double-side. Why is it people feel they have an obligation to keep everyone happy? That’s virtually impossible, and making some people mad at you means siding with someone...it means taking road A or B, defending one set or ideas or another...instead of waltzing around the place smiling constantly with nothing of your own in your head, trying to make everybody like you.

Ironically, what they teach us is that having a “strong personality” is what counts, and I truly believe it does count, but it brings you more troubles and doubts than joys; it also implies doing things the hard way. As I said before, I’m proud of being “the weird one”, since I truly believe in certain ideals, and I know that no matter how cool someone is: to beggin with, I wouldn’t go with him/her because of that and, secondly, if going with him/her meant taking his ideas as mine, forget about it. Having said this, I do feel a bit impotent for all the people which I see are blindly following people which aren’t worth a minute of their time. It’s like seeing a building start to burn down and seeing that the people inside wave at you and laugh when you try to warn them. Theoretically, it shouldn’t bother me; after all, everyone does what they want with their lives, but...it does...it does because I see how all my friends, people which I’ve known for many years, which are excellent people, now decay and go completely blind following others which are basically in need of attention...amazingly enough, they manage to get it pretty easily. I guess I cling to the hope that they’ll open their eyes someday...who knows. What I can’t accept is people turning their backs on life-long friends because of fashion statements basically. If you think logically, you become the weird one, if you point out pros and cons, you’re the weird one...I wonder if someday I’ll look back and think I didn’t have an adolescence...think that I didn’t enjoy those years to the limit...however, if the limits are what people do now...I don’t want to be a teenager...as I said, I’m weird and proud of it. I honestly don't care about being “in” or not...but I do care about my ideas and defending them, rather than selling them in exchange for a “you’re cool” pass.