WHO'S ILLEGAL? NOT ME, GRINGO!

While Mutt and Jeff Congressmen go back to their home districts to try to sniff the winds and cross-currents buffeting the illegal immigration issue, Mexicans are marching in the streets demanding the right to stay in the United States.

Unfortunately, our Congressmen are operating under a tremendous handicap. Like most Americans, they are historical morons. (Future Congresspersons will be even worse, since most surveys find that the average high school student thinks Abraham Lincoln was the first President of the United States.)

With no knowledge of American history, we cannot be expected to understand Mexican history, even if a course or two were taught somewhere.

And that's what causing all the trouble.

While we have no clue about the immigration issue, the grunt-working Mexicans understand things perfectly.

Because even the lowliest Mexican has a long historical memory -- a memory that stretches all the way back to the Mexican-American War fought in 1846-1848.

With General Zachary Scott invading Mexico from the North and General Winfield Scott conducting a 12,000-troop amphibious landing at Veracruz, the United States executed its manifest destiny urge by defeating less competent Mexican generals and seizing half of that nation's territory. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California left Mexico and became a part of the United States.

Except for movies made about the Alamo, the average American has no memory of the war that won so much territory from Mexico. But the average Mexican remembers that war and its consequences only too well.

The war's names should give us some clue about the current disagreement that exists between the two governments, as well as the gulf between the two peoples. The United States refers to the conflict as "The Mexican War" -- a description that carries no more emotional impact for us than do terms like "World War I," “World War II,” the “Korean War,” etc.

But Mexicans see the war differently. The use terms like "The U.S. Intervention," "The U.S. Invasion of Mexico" and "The U.S. War Against Mexico." All are highly emotionally charged with the view that Mexico was the innocent victim of the USA, which was a predator and robber.

This view means that Mexicans look at Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California as stolen goods ... illegally seized territory which still belongs to Mexico.

A 2003 survey in Mexico found 57 percent of the respondents agreeing that the four states were stolen by the USA and still belonged to Mexico.

This is why the Mexican Government feels it can produce maps and directions to aid citizens planning to cross the border into the USA via California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. If you believe those states legitimately belong to Mexico, there is no border.

This practice drives the U.S. government crazy because we have no understanding of the historical memory that tells Mexicans that four of our states still belong to them.

A few years ago, a small town in Texas voted to declare Spanish its official town language. While it caused fury and consternation in the USA, it was perfectly understandable to those who had long historical memories.

The "stolen from us attitude" has produced several extremist groups agitating in the USA. Many small groups pledge allegiance to La Raza, which proclaims hatred for "white America." The Mexican group urges reconquista -- the taking back of the continent from "racist, thieving" Europeans and placing it back in the hands of "indigenous people." A little less ambitious is the Aztlan movement, which demands only the western half of the USA for La Raza de Bronce.

Congress proposes the building of a 700-mile wall on the border to keep the illegals out. But many Mexicans feel the wall would be built on Mexican territory since there is actually no border, what with Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California belonging to Mexico. (The astute Jay Leno points out the futility of the proposed wall, saying, "Did you see the guy that jumped the White House fence and ran up the lawn toward the White House? If we can't even keep people from jumping the White House fence, how can we keep Mexicans from jumping a 700-mile wall?")

And then there is the money. Always the money. The World Bank estimates that illegals working in this country remit something like $23 billion back to their cities, towns and villages. These "remittances" are the third largest contributor to Mexico's economy. Naturally, President Fox would see it in his best interests to aid and abet his bounteous illegals.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and economic globalization have helped to weaken the political border separating our two countries. With Mexico being income-challenged and the USA being labor-challenged, the pressure for Mexican immigration is simply too strong. There is really no way to stop it.

No matter what Congress does, we are all going to live with an increasing Mexican population. Just as we did with the earlier tidal invasions of the Irish, Italians and Chinese. When we stopped calling them "Micks," "Wops" and "Chinks," America settled down and prospered.

The Mexicans are well on their way to helping us prosper.

So, let's all settle down while they settle in.

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