Wednesday, June 20, 2018

A parable for those that need a little help understanding

It's been a while since I've submitted anything. Life and all that. However, there’s something I've been wanting to share, and now feels like the appropriate time to share it. A while ago, I bought a wine bar. I know, "What does this have to do with CogDis?" Let me share the story with you and I think you'll understand.


For a long time, I was a regular at a long established wine bar. Probably the oldest, if not the top wine bar in the state. It was well run, and grew quickly. I became a regular. I got to know the other patrons there. Most were from the neighborhood. After a while, I noticed more and more clientele from outside of the area coming in. Now, this bothered a lot of the regular patrons. They were coming from areas that weren’t as nice as this. What if they were criminals? Would these new patrons rob the place? Steal from the regulars? These outside areas weren’t sending their best. Many of the regular patrons were afraid. Additionally, these new patrons never had any money to spend and only wanted to freeload off of the existing clientele. They would beg and mooch, use the bathrooms for free, eat the complimentary cheese, etc. Impossibly though, the other patrons said that these new people would also always take the best wines so there wasn’t any for them to drink. I don’t know how that worked actually, being that they also didn’t have money and would freeload but they said it, so it must be true. Now, even more than this though, they intimated to me that they were uncomfortable with these new patrons. These new patrons sounded different, they dressed differently, they acted strange, and looked different than us. A lot of the regular patrons were beginning to worry that the wine bar would change what it was that they loved about it; that they’d lose their wine bar. The wine bar we loved was changing, and we didn't think in a positive way. We wanted our wine bar back!


So, I made a decision. I would make the wine bar great again! I bought the place. Now, a change of ownership alone wouldn’t fix the perceived issues. So, I made a few terrific, beautiful changes. I made it into a private club. The people that lived in the community, they automatically became members. For everyone else though, there was an application process. It was a $1000 application fee with no guarantee of membership, an intensive vetting process including a credit and background check, and a two year waiting period to prove that prospective members were serious. This may seem extensive, but you have to understand; this is the premier wine club in all of the state. Everyone wanted to be a member so we had to have stringent criteria for membership. We do everything right, and want to make sure our members are committed to maintaining that level of quality. How else could we make sure prospective members were worthy? So far, it’s been an amazing success!


Well, you may not realize this, but the weather has been kind of crappy here lately, and getting worse. There was an F4 tornado that touched down right near our club. Don’t worry, we were all fine. As I mentioned, this club is the best! Steel and concrete construction that can withstand any force of nature. Outside though, well, that was another story. Dangerous would be an understatement. Anyway, during that tornado, a family that was driving by got caught up in it. They were from one of those crappy neighborhoods outside the area. They tried to get away from the danger of the tornado by coming into our club! Can you imagine the audacity? A husband and wife with their two kids. All of them in soaked, dripping clothing and wind blown hair. They looked absolutely appalling in our beautiful club! Worse yet, NONE of them were members, they just strolled right in thinking that they could take shelter in our private club that we’d worked so hard to build into this sanctuary!


Well, needless to say I wasn’t having it. I told them that they aren’t members and they don’t belong; they had to leave immediately. The father started trying to argue about how there was an F4 tornado outside and his family could die. The wife chimed in too. They were resisting my very polite, and reasonable instructions to leave. So, my hand was forced. They broke the rules. I kicked the shit out of him and his wife. How could I not? This made their children cry. I realized then, that they too were breaking the rules. This infuriated me. Why would their parents be so selfish? Why would they be so irresponsible? Why wouldn't they make better choices? Why would they put me in this position? I had no choice. I had to slap the children around a bit too. Now, of course I reassured the children that everything was going to be okay as I did it. It was a very careful, humane, (but strong, always strong) beating. I even gave them coloring books and candy as I threw them out the door into the waiting gale.


Now, I’m not a monster. I didn’t want to do this you see. I hated having to. It was their parents who were so irresponsible for bringing them along while they broke rules. Why didn’t they just apply for membership like everyone else? How would it have been fair to everyone that followed the rules and applied like they were supposed to if I just let this family in? It obviously wouldn’t. No, my hands were clean of any wrongdoing. The parents are the ones at fault, they made me have to do it. I hated having to.


Also, if I'm being totally honest here, it really is the city that tied my hands on this. I mean, they’re the ones that made the ordinance saying that private establishments have the right to refuse to let non-members in. I had to kick the shit out of them as a result of that law. I mean, it is the law, and we’re a law abiding establishment in a community that always follows the laws. The city could stop this at any time by changing that law. I really wish they would so I don't have to do this in the future. So, while this may have seemed harsh, it really was compassionate. We have to look out for our members that follow the rules or we will lose our club and what makes it great.
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For the Trump supporters out there... No, I don’t really own a wine club. Yes, your justifications for tearing children from their parents arms sound exactly that fucking hollow and stupid. Be better human beings. If you're even capable at this point.

3 comments:

  1. So why didn't you write this in 2014 when these pictures were taken? http://dailycaller.com/2018/06/19/photos-obama-immigration-detention-facilities/

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    1. Where are the girls? Do we have to go to Boko Haram to find out?

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    2. Probably because in 2014 there wasn't a policy of tearing children from their parents arms. Families were kept together and prosecuted civilly, not criminally. Furthermore, in 2014 (and again in 2016), there was a massive influx of unaccompanied minors arriving at the border, fleeing Central American violence. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2014/07/02/the-surge-in-unaccompanied-children-from-central-america-a-humanitarian-crisis-at-our-border/
      Pursuant to the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) https://immigrationforum.org/article/trafficking-victims-protection-reauthorization-act-safeguards-children/
      Unaccompanied minors were turned over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement. ORR was responsible for lodging and feeding the child for up to 45 days. But existing HHS centers were already filled as a result of the overwhelming numbers of kids arriving at the border. Temporary housing was set up in existing detention centers. So, the children in those pictures weren't separated from their families, they arrived there alone. I'm shocked... SHOCKED that the Daily KKKaller didn't mention that. Oh, and there was outrage about the treatment in 2014. I'm surprised YOU didn't know about it given your concern 4 years after the fact. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2014/06/18/arizona-immigrant-children-holding-area-tour/10780449/

      I think the real question here isn't about the 4 year old pictures, it's why is it that you don't care about families being separated right now? Why are you trying to deflect by focusing on events that had very different circumstances instead of addressing the horrific policies that are taking place right now?

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