“The trail where they cried.” That’s one translation of the Cherokee Trail of Tears. Will Texans rejoice in our border with the rest of the world as the “place where alien minors cried?” No doubt, some are rejoicing, their celebration of someone doing something about illegal immigration come at last.

One early summer morning, probably around 1:30AM on the weekend, I received a complaint tweet. It went something along the lines of the following:

I really like all the education resources you share but not the politics.

The complaining tweet, from another education professional, took a moment to read. It came in response to an article I had bookmarked for later reading. It dealt with a topic that might be summarized by this cartoon:

Image Source

The tweet, nicely worded, immediately ticked me off. When I created my twitter account, I did not say I would keep my political views to myself. I often do keep them to myself because arguing politics is boring. Advocating on behalf of children who do find themselves in public/private/charter schools, or may find themselves attacked by the government for actions their parents have taken, well, that’s another matter altogether.

Before we go into that, allow me to share a few points about my social media policy and my politics.

My Social Media Policy

A voracious reader, I consume all sorts of news (digital print is my preferred option), often looking for education related content. When I see something of interest, worthy of using in the future or just worth sharing with others, whether I endorse it or not, I add it to my Twitter favorites. Anything that I add to my Twitter favorites gets saved to Read It Later’s Pocket. In turn, Pocket, which allows me to keep track of all the content I find online, lets me add tags so I can better find it when I want to read it. I have entire encyclopedias of content waiting to be re-visited for reflection, curation and sharing.

After adding content to Pocket, it is automatically shared via IFTTT.com to all my social media. So, when I “heart” something on Twitter or share anything to Pocket (like from Inoreader RSS), it is auto-shared by IFTTT to all my social media instantly (e.g. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook). Isn’t that cool? I share once, and these tools take over to share content with the world.

In fact, once this blog entry is published, it will be auto-shared with the world via all my social media outlets. If you choose to follow me on social media, then you will see what I share. But then, that is your choice, right? You chose to follow me.

This is quite simple setup compared to what I’ve used in the past. The sharing process is designed to begin on any device, then sharing becomes automatic.

My Politics

When asked what my politics are, I often defer. When politics and spirituality conflict, spirituality wins out. As a Christian who enjoys both a Catholic education and Baptist experience, I eschew fundamentalist views that prefer a worldview that is willfully ignorant of scriptural history (a little ignorance is a precious thing), narrow, bigoted, and hard-hearted. Gee, that covers quite a bit of ground, no matter what your denomination or persuasion. It is a matter of opinion. I own a King James Bible but prefer the simple language of a Good News Bible.

When I consider politics, I ask myself, “Would that behavior be acceptable if God were to take a look at it?” When I reflect on my own actions (alas, mea culpa), I am grateful for After all, I can’t imagine Jesus, whose feet were washed and dried by a prostitute, acting in ways others, as well as I, have been.

A quick inventory:

• I wouldn’t have voted for anyone who put top secret emails on a server, UNLESS, it was the lesser of two evils (e.g. known womanizer, white supremacy advocate).
• I won’t vote pro-choice unless pro-life candidate is set on legislating their morality and beliefs, imposing them on others.
• I vote to support individual’s right to bear arms so long as the opposition doesn’t try to restrict strong encryption and/or include backdoors.
• I support separation of church and state, even if that means I have to support respect of all belief systems, including those I would never choose for myself or family.
• I endorse free speech and transparency.
• Any country can police its borders, but illegal immigration does not justify tearing children away from their parents.

If any of those approaches are problematic, get your dander up, tick you off, then have a cold beverage. Relax. The next one is the one worth getting mad about.

An Issue Worth an Educator

If you haven’t been following the news, let me acquaint you with some information. Separating (is that a non-judgmental way to say it?) or physically isolating children from their parent(s)/guardian(s) must be strenuously objected to (albeit, in a peaceful manner appropriate for the United States democracy).

Willie Nelson on immigrant separation at the border: ‘Christians everywhere should be up in arms’
June 14, 2018
By Jake Harris

Willie Nelson has something to say about the separation of immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.   

“What’s going on at our southern border is outrageous,” Nelson said in a statement Thursday, first reported by Rolling Stone Country. “Christians everywhere should be up in arms….” (Source: Austin-American Statesman)

Yeah, I agree. This was the tweet that caught my eye. So did this headline of Jeff Sessions citing the Bible regarding “illegal alien minors.” Yes, they may very well be illegal, but separating them from their parents transcends the bounds of human decency:

“Illegal entry into the United States is a crime,” Sessions said at an event in Fort Wayne, Ind. “I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained them for the purpose of order.”
“Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and lawful,” Sessions maintained.

It’s MY opinion that this is wrong. Children should not be isolated from their parents. I’d like to see a soccer mom, baseball dad, allowing their children to be torn from their clutching hands, made to do anything in a strange country. Even if the care of the children is humane, it is all moot…separating children from their parents is inhumane.

As in, “confining children (no respect or care given as to their country of origin) is inhumane.” We are first human being, granted inalienable rights by our creator. While governments may strip away our inalienable rights, they remain in some form. The very fabric of what makes us human is torn and shredded.

Image Source “…as well as being obviously unconstitutional, the internment was overall harmful t o America’s strategic interests and resulted from an unattractive blend of racism, incompetence, and political expediency.” – Buck Shlegeris

I don’t care whether you voted for President Donald Trump. What I care about, as an educator certified in the State of Texas and advocate, is that the policies his administration have put into place damage children.

And, once you begin to threaten children, emotionally and psychologically, you are no longer worthy of support, trust.

Although Willie Nelson may have smoked pot, releasing his own strain of it (which I do not support or advocate for, and have never done), taken a little longer to pay his Internal Revenue Service (IRS) taxes (what anti-government advocate couldn’t appreciate that? Sorry agents, you chose your employer), he does make the right point when it comes to children.

Texas, rise up against people who care so little for their humanity, who parrot the words of the Christ, that do their best to be unworthy of Calvary, that they break families asunder, who seek shelter in the arms of the mighty, the powerful, the brave, the home of the free.

Alas, the promise has grown blurry, no longer sharp or clear