60 Minutes tells a heart breaking story of a Hispanic 18 year old

[Erika]

The 18 year old boy was quiet and serious and wanted to come here to earn the $ for a new needed roof for his parents in Mexico. It wasn't to be.

He, sadly, died of dehydration hours before he was found. What kind of government do we have that would allow this?

[amitten]

1. I saw that. In their defense, they did search for days trying to find

him and save his life.

They got to him too late...

[babylonsister]

2. Correlate that to the many stories we don't hear about. But

not many people care, because they are not worthy. :grr:

[pitohui]

3. mexico has free elections

the question is, what kind of gov't does mexico have that they have more billionaires that any other nation except russia, and most let's be honest are almost certainly narco-dollars, yet the majority of the people live in poverty and have no safety net?

i think it's up to the mexican people to stand up and demand changes in their own country

breaking the law to enter another country is not going to change anything in their own country, it just perpetuates the system and gives mexico more excuses not to provide any social safety net, since their safety net is dumping people in the usa

our gov't should do a better job of defending our borders so that people are caught and turned aside immediately and not left to die in the desert, agreed, but, it is a long border and i have seen w. my own eyes people crossing openly without being stopped at many places in south texas

we can't tell mexico how to run their own country, all we can do is have better border security

[RagingInMiami]

5. "we can't tell mexico how to run their own country"

Have you heard of NAFTA?

[RagingInMiami]

4. I didn't see it

But that story is all too familiar. They die by the hundreds every year.

Any American who feels the Mexicans do not respect this country or want to assimilate in this country, should pay a little more attention to the struggles they go through to get into this country. It's not an air-conditioned ride. They sacrifice as much -- if not more -- than our country's European ancestors who came over here on rat-infested ships.

And the first person who responds to this post with the usual, "But the Europeans came in here LEGALLY", can go fuck themselves. There was no immigration law back then.

[Erika]

8. Agreed. Yet to add insult to injury, Hispanics founded our SW

Now we are treating them as criminals. NAFTA is against this discrimination.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

6. the bush border already serving amerika

[The Revolution]

7. I don't think we do allow it.

We don't want people walking through the desert...they're not supposed to do it, but they do anyway. So what exactly are we supposed to do?

[Erika]

9. Allow them in.

Check them for National Security purposes and then allow them in. Let them join the American dream.

We have NO moral right to allow those seeking a better life to die trying to do so.

[RagingInMiami]

10. When I was working as a reporter in Arizona

There was a group of humanitarians who started placing water tanks throughout the Sonora Desert for the Mexicans.

You should have seen the opposition towards that group.

[Tansy_Gold]

11. I believe there are groups who still do it

Put out the water, that is. There was an outcry, but believe it or not, the humanitarians won, for a change. Most are, I think, Catholics, and as much as I despise the Catholic Church as an organization, there are many good folks who do good things.

edited to add--

From Tucson Channel 4 news

http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4974910

<snip>
Someone vandalized two water stations set up by a humanitarian group that is trying to prevent deaths among illegal immigrants crossing the desert, a group volunteer said.

Two 55-gallon water tanks east of Naco were poked full of holes during the holiday weekend and thrown over a border fence into Mexico, said Humane Borders volunteer Marilyn Jones.

The tanks' spigots were stolen, as was the station's 30-foot flagpole, which is topped with a blue flag to alert migrants to the location.

<end snip>

<snip>

"It makes me feel like somebody wants people to die before they want them to have a drink of water," she said.

<end snip>

[Erika]

13. I admire the Catholics for this

Christians without borders.

[Erika]

12. For the Christians, what would Christ say?

How very very sad. Would Christ draw lines as boundaries to help and hope for a better life?

[Heidi]

14. Here's the link to the 60 Minutes piece, "Dying to Get In":

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/08/60minutes/main1108476.shtml

[Erika]

15. Thanks. I should have included the link. n/t

[Heidi]

16. Hi, Erika!

No worries, and thank you for the tip. Excellent, excellent piece of work. :thumbsup:

[Erika]

17. Thank you.

We need to help the less fortunate, not aid in killing them. Regardless of their country of origin.

[Heidi]

18. .

:thumbsup:

[RagingInMiami]

19. But you know what gets me about this article?

Is that they wait until the bottom of page three to tell you the following:



Meanwhile, back in the Arizona desert, Border Patrol Agent Neubauer gets word 18-year-old Abran Gonzales, who had been wandering in the desert for seven days, has been found.

Abran Gonzales had died of thirst just a few hours earlier.

"It’s hard to know that maybe you could have been out there to help this person, and just weren’t able. That’s something you have to deal with and move on," says Neubauer.

Gonzalez came from a small town in southern Mexico. He had gone to the U.S. to earn enough money to buy a new tin roof for his parents’ house. The parents had borrowed $300 for Abran to make the trip, money the parents still owe.

His cousin, Casimira Manuel, was the first to be told:

"The man from the consulate called and told me they found Abran in the Arizona desert and he was dead. He was a quiet kid. He never hurt anybody. He just wanted to work and come back home," Casimira recalls.


There were 516 bodies discovered in the desert last year - a new record. Including bodies yet to be discovered, the total of migrant deaths is likely to exceed one thousand.

[Heidi]

20. Common device to keep the readers/watchers

reading and watching. I don't like it, either.

[RagingInMiami]

21. As a journalist

I call that "burying the lead".

[Heidi]

22. Exactly.

In my estimation, it makes the story about 60 Minutes' desire to keep people watching/reading, rather than about the plight of immigrants. Poor reporting followed by editing.