On thing i am not used to, is being vague.
But alas, i must.
Because in the eyes of some...because in the eyes of many in our government and law enforcement...i will be thought of as admitting to criminal behavior.
You betcha.
Of course, we in this community, and the vast majority of the world, don’t see it so, so please excuse and understand the vagueness.
Because i want to be able to continue such behavior as i see fit and as the opportunities arise.
After decades of serving as an aid/relief worker in locales dealing with famine, natural disasters and especially when violence has taken hold and the general populace has taken flight for their very lives….by the time we get to them, or when they get to us, the physical needs are basic.
Healing wounds and ailments (the psychological wounds often go much deeper), nutrition, medicine, keeping family together, shelter and warmth….
….but the first is water.
So i know you understand fully the shock and disgust that we all shared when we realized that our brothers and sisters that are fleeing violence and hardship, travelling hundreds of miles without even the basic necessities to get to, for them, the promised land....
... and many are dying for lack of water.
And when fellow aid workers or extraordinary fellow citizens take it upon themselves to leave water to those that will succumb without it, in certain spots that many are known to pass, that water when found is more often than not destroyed by ‘patriots’ and by the Border Patrol.
The hell you say.
Scott Warren is one such extraordinary fellow, and a volunteer for No More Deaths, who was arrested on January 17th and charged with harboring illegal aliens.
His trial is ongoing.
Four humanitarian volunteers from Arizona, Natalie Hoffman, Oona Holcomb, Madeline Huse and Zaachila Orozco- McCormick, also with No More Deaths, were arrested for leaving water for migrants and refugees in the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and sentenced to 15 months of probation.
From their spokeswoman, Justine Orlovsky-Schnitzler, “Since 1998, over 8,000 human remains (!!!) have been recovered in Southern Arizona.
Since we know bodies break down quickly in such harsh conditions, we know the true death count is much higher.”
That thought took hold in me, and in three tried and true allies….fellow relief workers that i have had the great pleasure to have served with, on and off for decades. In places of great violence and great hardship. Africa, Central and South America, the Middle East, etc.
And know, our services are needed only a few hundred miles from our homes in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado.
The opportunity presented itself.
I’ve been, and am, the caregiver to a dear friend who is dying from a particularly nasty case of secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis, and what with work, my time has been completely full...and i’m exhausted.
But members of her family wanted her to spend time with them in their different homes, and to accompany her on some of her bucket list.
Ten weeks, or the 3-4 days a week that i’m not working, would be the time frame that i would have.
I discussed this fully with her before her departure, because if i was busted, who would care for her? And for our many animals?
But though fearful, she knew that it was the right thing to do, and that i must at least try to help if i could.
So here was the plan.
I and an ally of mine based in Arizona, ‘Rachel’, would go beyond the border into the Mexican desert, via New Mexico and Arizona, much of it the Sonoran desert, the hottest and driest in Mexico, in the areas that friends and allies from Mexico indicated were often used for flight, and leave care packages that included four things:
-Gallons of water. In treated jugs that would last a decent amount of time in harsh conditions. The jugs would be the collapsible kind, so we could put dozens in a small box, and not have to explain ourselves if pulled over by border patrol.
-MRE’s. Military issued nutrient dense food that can withstand harsh conditions.
-Space blankets. A light heat-reflective plastic sheet that would keep one warm in the cold nights of the desert.
-Maps. In Spanish, that would tell one where they where, the proximity to the border, and the most likely safe entry areas to that individual location.
And each one had a drawing, in crayon, by ‘Rachel’s’ daughter, that told them that they were loved and valued.
Half the time we traveled together and half the time i did this solo.
Though truth be told, i traveled in style.
One thing that has been noticeable and telling around the world and especially here in the United States, is that those ‘patriots’, denizens that would make up these so-called militias, and many in law enforcement, are servile to an extent to those with financial means. Meaning that they would treat someone dressed well in an expensive car differently then they would otherwise. Less likely to be pulled over, searched, questioned, be suspicious of.
Sad but true.
A friend from Austin, Texas, whom i first served with in El Salvador in the 80’s and since from Thailand to Haiti to Sudan now owns a sizable spread, and with that, a newer tricked-out Mercedes Sprinter Camper Edition, with a 150 gallon water tank and 4-wheel drive. And though it could be impounded and taken by the government, she insisted that I use it. We have both discovered decomposing bodies in too many countries over the years, and the thought of just one more for lack of water was one way to many.
She also would transport and care for all my animals, if need be, and would help bail me out, if need be.
A friend and comrade.
Indeed, we have fought in a lot of trenches together.
So, on Thursday nights, i would drive down south, in the guise of some solitary R&R, unless accompanied by ‘Rachel’, then i would first pick her up at her home in Sedona before heading south.
Now I must tell you.... i think of Border Patrol now as the enemy.
As nazis.
As gestapo.
And those Border Patrol of hispanic descent... i think of them as akin to a kapo.
Sacrificing their own, for thirty shekels.
But under my yarmulke, and driving the Sprinter, I was all smiles.
And those that call themselves ‘patriots’, well, the less said about them, the better. The ones that i/we came across...Darwin award winners, each and every one.
Watery eyes and in need of shaves, showers and dental work.
Forgive me for that.
But for right here and for right now...they are the enemy.
They want to harm….if not kill, our brothers and sisters, adults and children.
This is who they are, and l sincerely hope that they have a moment of introspection that will change their lives, but until then, may they have nightmares every night of their miserable lives.
I have seen the enemy on this soil and this is who they are….
Grrrrrrrrrr.
In 1941, a Polish couple, he being a postmaster and his wife a seamstress, were neighbors to my distant cousins and their two families.
They tried to hide them, and were successful in doing so for four months…
...until another neighbor discovered this and turned them in.
My ancestors, and this couple that tried to do the right thing, were sent to the camps and disappeared in the horrors of the Shoah.
They are among the 26,973 brothers and sisters from 51 nations that sacrificed their own lives to try and save others, when most did not, and are inscribed in the Garden Of The Righteous Among The Nations at Yad Vashem in Israel.
They sacrificed everything.
I can’t leave water for those thirsty to drink?
The hell you say.
In that time, my rig was never truly searched.
340 gallons carried 5 at a time, hundreds upon hundreds of MRE’s, 136 space blankets, at 68 different spots along the routes, that i regard as yet other ‘Trail of Tears.’
If but one person could have their thirst quenched, belly satiated and had but a moment of less fear and loneliness…. then mission accomplished.
There are other things that transpired on these missions, but none that i can relay at the present time.
When this fascist regime is no more….then we will talk.
One thing i can and will relate, and that is vital for all of you to know…
...i am not alone.
I made contact with well over a dozen brothers and sisters that are currently doing what needs to be done….and have no plans to cease.
Five of them are Catholic priests and nuns, three of whom that also saw action in El Salvador, and are performing “Christ’s mission”, explained one priest to me, through his Campbell’s Soup smile.
My friend is back home and will be for the duration.
So for now, i will concentrate on easing her suffering.
For every service worker that i have joined in the trenches…
For every refugee fleeing horror for a better life for themselves and their children…
For everything i have learned from Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, secular humanism, etc…
For God, whom i believe that we are the arms and legs here on earth….
For you, in this, our community, that would be there helping those that need our aid and love, if only you could...and through spirit, are with me in a very tangible way….
For my ancestors, especially those that died in fear in the Shoah…
For Rachel Corrie and her family, whom i know would be leading the way if she were here to do it, and whom i often act after thinking, ‘What would Rachel do now’...
For Francisco, Joe, Erica, Alberto and those in my kitchen at work that call me 'Chef' or 'Tevy' and were fortunate enough to get through...and are the best workers with the best work ethic, and the best people i have had the good fortune to be around and learn from…
For the couple who died trying to help my family, and the 26,973 that died doing likewise.
For them…..
I dedicate this to you.
A sip of water.
And hope.
Remembrance.
Solidarity.
Resistance.
Come what may.