What’s up?
Warning: rant ahead. A town in Nebraska, with “enviably low unemployment,” is mulling passing an anti-illegal immigrant statute in the books, according to the Associated Press. The reason? There are too many Hispanics working at the local meat-packing plant. This quote by one of the, er activists, drove me crazy: “Walraven said the measure is necessary because workers send their salaries to family in Mexico instead of spending it in the city.
“‘I understand supporting your family,’” he said, “‘But it’s very much at our expense. We’re footing the bill.’”
Actually, no Mr. Walraven. You are eating steak at Mexican workers’ expense. /Rant.
In related news, a friend, Tyche Hendricks, wrote a timely book about the border called The Wind Doesn’t Need a Passport: Stories from the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. She will be at a joint author appearance with Peter Schrag, author of the new book, Not Fit for Society: Immigration and Nativism in America, at Mrs. Dalloway’s Books at 7:30 p.m. this Friday. The book store is located at 2904 College Avenue in Berkeley. I hope to see you there!
In other MT meet-up opportunities: pat of butter in a sea of salt, Arden, myself and our families will meet at the Sacramento River Cats game on Friday, July 2 at 7:05 p.m.. If you’d like to join us, just purchase the $7 “lawn” tickets for that day. Should be fun!
I don’t envy fathers for feeling conflicted about juggling work with parenthood. But I hope this article in the New York Times places paid family and medical leave for women and men in the national consciousness.
What else is in the news? What’s up with you?
