Imagining

It's Christmas-time (almost). Sometimes, I think the season of Advent and the hype/anticipation of Christmas often leaves us rather blinded to the Present. To reality. This time of year can almost be overly mushy gushy luvy duvy, rah-rah-ooo-and-ahh. The softly falling snow, cut-out-cookies, candy cane espresso, and Double Chocolate Mocha specials @ coffee shops, big wreathes complete with red bows hung on front doors, twinkling lights lining eaves and evergreens, bustling towns and cities, and those holiday shopping lists getting checked off while Christmas tunes pour out of radio stations are a mere pin prick to all that is truly this Holiday Season.

Trying to choose my words carefully in this post...
Lately, I've been a bit turned off by all of the "Extra Christmassy" hooplah. And while I've been looking forward to Christmas and the spiritual affirmation it brings me each year, I have been approaching the 25th with some unrest. I've struggled to free myself of this internal affliction and "immerse myself in the Christmas Spirit" because my mind knows that just 20 some miles down the road there's a small town [that is now even SMALLER] which is still reeling from what various media sources and officials boasted as “the largest single-site [raid] operation of its kind in American history.” It frusterates me that people have forgotten about the events back in May....and even more-so that people use the Christmas Season as an excuse...as a reason....a shield...to put on a Happy Face, smile really wide and ignore and justify a detachment from the Truth and Reality of NoW. (Typically, I think this behavior is because there is an exhausting, uncomfortable price one pays to truly "Live in the Now [of Postville]" )

Frankly, it sucks. It mentally, emotionally, and physically sucks for most people to think about those truths on a daily basis. Perhaps to the point where it pisses them off so much that they just choose to ignore what little news there is on the TV and radio.....because it's TIring to continually hear and read about Bad Things....Besides, too occupied with that Ho-Ho-Ho list, and getting the lights out on the roof and the driveway cleared. Ironically, it seems, the vitality of Jesus' prophetic humanity is surprisingly forgotten about.

*I'm struggling whether to use past or present tense* They were and many still are illegal immigrants (currently serving jail time somewhere in Texas/New York/Southern California/wherever there's room). They are people. They were peaceful. They are humans. About 75% of Agriprocessors’ 968 employees in May 2008 were illegal immigrants. There were 697 arrest warrants, but when 900+ U.S. Agents engulffed the town and surrounding areas, late-shift workers had not arrived to the plant, so “only” 390 were arrested: 314 men and 76 women; 290 Guatemalans, 93 Mexicans, four Ukrainians and 3 three Israelis who were never seen in court. Some were released on humanitarian grounds: 56 mostly mothers with unattended children, a few with medical reasons, and 12 juveniles were temporarily released with ankle monitors or directly turned over for deportation. 306 were held for prosecution. Only five of the 390 originally arrested had any kind of prior criminal record. There remained 307 outstanding warrants.

Over the course of this summer and fall, the Truth, the details and legalities of the event have been painted a wonderful muck of smeared fine print and dead-end-inquiries, in large part because little Press was allowed access to the Fast Track induced hearings, Sentencings, and Jailings of these people. Many were guilty of Illegal Immigration, and by law, rightfully faced deportation....the majority were Innocent of the Identity Theft charges they were coerced into pleading/signing Guilty toward.

*I suppose, if I had 2 children who were left completely unattended to, a wife and virtually all of my known friends were no-where to be found--shipped off to county jails, holding facilities, and security stations across the state, and a starving family of 8-9 relatives living in extreme poverty, malnurished and in daily fear of militant gun squads and firing lines terrorizing the hillsides of my [Guatemalen] homeland....I suppose under those circumstances I might also be trembling in absolute fear standing shackled hands, waist, and feet to 9 other people in front of a magistrate, and 2 attorneys who don't speak my language, but try to write/scribble phrases to me on a notepad via a bilingual translator (even though I can't read or write).

In this Chrsitmas season, I've been imagining and remembering. Remembering what it was like to be 12. To play baseball in the park down the street with my neighbors in the summer...and to play soccer on Saturday mornings through the Park and Recreation Program. I've been going through old family photo albums looking at all of the years of tradition and memories we've created and documented. I've been Imgaining what it must be like to watch 900 people pour out the doors from busses wearing dark sunglasses, navy coats, kevlar, and weilding hand guns, blocking off all roads, and simply swarming my town. The world seemed so big when i was 12. I've been imagining what I'd do, if I were 12 again, and did not speak the language of the country I was in, was separated from my parents and put on a plane in chains and sent to a different country (where I actually had no living family left....) I've been imagining what kind of traumatic spiritual questions must be in the hearts and minds of the victims of the Postville raids. And sadly, I know what kind of traumatic spiritual questions are in the hearts and minds of the victims of the Postville raids. Because I'm one of them. We all are victims.

That type of governing. That type of leadership...manipulative, deceptive political behavior makes everyone of us victims. It forces us into the slaughterhouse and makes us look like a bunch of uninformed zombie sheep who don't really care about citizenship, or human rights. I've been imagining families reuniting, safe plane flights, and opportunities for people to be together---just like my family is now. I've been remembering the redeeming power and justice of the REAL Christmas, the NoW of Christmas...and hoping the greater world intrinsically connected to Postville families do too.

I have to go wrap Brandon's present.