¿Dónde está usted Jorge'?

TheTownCrier Editorial

It was raining, as usual at the Portland, Oregon airport. Christmas, 1986 and we were on our way to warm, beautiful Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. And I needed a tan!

Before long my daughter was introduced to a premed student from Mexico City , staying at the same resort. Jorge’ was charming, intelligent and curious.

At first he was curious about my 18 year old blonde, buxom daughter. But he was more curious about the United States of America. And fascinated. He yearned for Mexico to experience our freedoms and prosperity and daily life without fear. He told us about the horrific conditions after the recent earthquake in Mexico city. He and his father, a doctor went to the damaged buildings to help the injured and were turned away at gun point by Federales and told to leave or be shot.

Jorge’ taught himself English and studied everything he could of American history. There was no talk of ‘Azatlan’ or my being on his ‘people’s’ land. And he thought even less of the gypsies of his culture that leave their home and families to bleed another nation’s wealth created with sweat and tears.

He wanted to know about Viet Nam and the 50 plus thousand young Americans we sacrificed. For what?

I told him there were horrors as a country we indulged in, that we didn’t always elect good leaders, but we were always willing to give all we had to try to get it right. We didn’t always measure up, but we never gave up as a country and people, either, as varied as we are. And we continually make progress, though progress often looks bleak on the upside of the climb.

We kept in touch for a few years, but like most busy Americans, we move, change jobs, change lives and lose those we should have got to know better.

Where are you now, Jorge’?

Twenty years later, you’re 40 years old. I wonder if you have children as wonderful as you. Did you become a doctor in Mexico City?

Are you one of those brave Mexicans we don’t hear enough about, who want freedom and prosperity for your people, as is your birthright, in your own country and are willing to fight for it?

How I wish I could tell you that I would do anything I could to help you accomplish that.

And how I hate to tell you that in my country today, most of us have as few rights, and as little representation as you have in Mexico. Our bureaucrats become more like your corrupt regimes every day and our people become less educated and more complacent .

Via Con Dios, Jorge, where ever you are. If the elitists of both our countries have their way, we’ll all be in the same place, The North American Union. We didn’t see that one coming, did we? Evidently, that was part of the plan.