Yuma Territorial Prison State Historical Park

[Sparkle]

My bad...it is Mr. Bill. Hey, it was a long time ago since SNL. Somehow Elvis made the curled lip more attractive. Now you see what I can do with a tub of Spackle or Adobe. If I was to pick up a guy (Green Door, you say, Sharon?) he would go home with my Avatar and wake up with the Mug Shot.

[Bethers]

Most people think that's caused by the alcohol they were drinking - but not in your case, eh Sparkle?

[sharon]

[dcricket]

glad to see you two are still having so much fun and LOVE the mug shots....going to have to put that place on my things to see as well.
You two are a hoot for sure!

[Rufflesgurl]

We toured that prison a year ago and thought they had things pretty much together way back then! I even got pix of those neat water
towers that are painted so pretty in Yuma. When we left Yuma, we drove to San Diego and followed that very long border fence which
is something to see also.

Linda

[oregontocal]

As a native San Diegan, I absolutely hate that border fence and everything it stands for. The one thing I didn't miss in Kansas and Oklahoma was the ubiquitous Border Patrol. I understand their mission in life, but the immigration issue is so complicated and politically sensitive that people have a tendency to take sides no matter how much or little knowledge they have. And yes, I, too am taking sides. The San Diego newspaper this morning had an editorial about a 27-year-old theology student, Walt Staton, who faces jail time for leaving water jugs along desert trails traveled by thousands of illegal immigrants annually.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/opinion/editorials/

Several days ago I watched an excellent movie for the second time -- "Under the Same Moon," about a woman from Mexico who crossed the border illegally to work in Los Angeles, leaving her small son behind with his grandmother. When the grandmother died, the boy made his way across the border to find her. I recommend the movie very much, not so much for the plot but for the thoughtful commentary on the life of immigrants and the sometimes well-meaning but terrible roadblocks and violence against them.

Finally, last December, I wrote a short commentary in my blog about the fence. http://piecingalife.blogspot.com/2008/1 ... fence.html

I know something has to be done. However, there's no way in the world I can accept that building either a physical or a virtual fence, or punishing people for providing needed drinking water, is going to solve the problem.

Off my soapbox now.

[Sparkle]

This is a touchy subject. Just let me say its not so easy to be LEGAL in this country. I, a White Anglo Saxon Protestant, the original WASP, have been treated so badly by any dealings with immigration. I've had my paperwork flung in my face to fall on the floor where I had to pick it up, on two seperate occasions, in two different states. I had to go home, check on the computer, print the paragraph out, circle it, drive back 200 miles to immigration, be told again I was wrong until I produced the papagraph, from THEIR rules. What a turn around! But if I hadn't been able to speak and read English well, if I hadn't been computer literate I would have said, okay, I'll have to stay here illegaly.

[AlmostThere]

Yes, this is a very touchy subject....

Jean, I'm sorry you had such a bad experience, but thank you for becoming legal. My SIL and her family all did it, too. They were from Germany.

[Bethers]

Jean was always legal - the problem is sometimes following the bells and whistles to stay so. I had an employee who is now a US citizen who almost wasn't able to become one because the person in the office one of the days he went to complete more paperwork simply was not happy for ANYONE else to become a citizen. Luckily my employee spoke several languages and also helped a few others there - because this person with a big ego wasn't going to let any of them complete things - and this was in the final stages, when everything was supposedly done.

I have had less trouble with customs in every country I've been to than with my own. And they always like to make me feel like I've done something wrong. Coming back through from Alaska this summer, at the final customs for the lower 48, the first person I saw asked me rediculous questions and was obviously a young person who was enjoying being the "big kahuna" for lack of a better term. Then after I pulled over, the lady, who was nicer, did exactly what we had been informed the previous day on the phone wouldn't be a problem. I was at a friends in Canada my last couple days and they called the border to see if there was any problem with certain items - specifying dog foods - because they sometimes are a problem. We got told that as long as it was a "major brand sold in both countries" there was no problem and they wouldn't care. This lady didn't follow that rule at all - and went through every dog item I had - and said if it didn't, somewhere on the label say "MADE in the US" she could take it. She followed that by saying she'd make an exception if I had the receipt proving where I purchased each item. Yeah, right. Let me tell you - most of the products do NOT say Made in the US - and everything I had was purchased in the US. After much hemming and hawing, and I was sweet as pie the whole time, she let me keep everything. All were major brands, nothing out of the ordinary. But this dog food discussion took a long, long time - the border crossing back into the US took me about 1 1/2 total. Pain in the butt. And, no, don't tell me they are doing this to protect me. This was just "cuz they can."

Oh, how about when I went to Campobello for a day with a friend, in her car. We came back later in the day, back into the US - and they were sure that we'd bought lots of meat, etc that we couldn't bring back in. Yeah, of course we did - we always want to pay twice the price. We were sightseeing for goodness sake. I was so glad I hadn't crossed in my rv that trip.

[oregontocal]

Up to last year, I had never had any problem crossing the border either into or out of Canada. Just needed to answer a couple of questions and that was it. However, last year I drove up to see a friend in B.C. and got the third degree from Canadian officers. Needed to answer all kinds of questions there in line. Then they decided that wasn't enough, so I had to go park the car and go inside to answer the same questions again. Things like "where are you going, how long will you be there, where will you be staying, where does your friend work, etc., etc." Finally got to cross the border.

Coming back was the same thing with American officers. Took a long time, had to answer so many questions. At least didn't have to go inside this time. I can't figure out what the problem was as I was driving the same car I'd always driven up there, same license plates, same driver's license, etc.

Don't get me started on all the Border Patrol checkpoints here - too many.

[Cedar518]

I can only guess how nasty it is to cross back and forth into Canada (or anywhere else) now since 9-11. I have been north of the border many times but have had no reason to in the past few years. Up until then it was just a "howdy-do"... look at your license and ask where you were going and when were you coming back and then a "have a nice trip..."...

I think the line you typed... "because they CAN"... is at the bottom of it. Flexing their ego muscles. Uniform-itis.

Jean, can't imagine how upset I would have been in your situation to have totally legal papers thrown in my face. Makes me very ashamed that those people work for my country. Of course it's not the first time I've felt that way. I am certainly glad you are here, my friend!

[Sparkle]

Oh me too! I emigrated to Canada with a Scottish husband, and if he had said then, "Weer gaun back tae Scooohtland" I probably would have gone. But we re-emigrated into America and I liked what I saw, so when he said "Weer gaun blah blah blah." I said, Well, ahm nut goin!" He said, "Weel ahm goin and ye'll come crrrrawlin' after me." So he went and I"M STILL here!!!! Yay!!!
On edit. That actually was the start of my legal problems, because he took my Green Card and Passport. I scrambled and got another Green Card. So I was legal again, but they kept updating it and at times I couldn't afford the 125.00 it cost to get it updated, and I was also afraid to rock the boat so I let it slide. When I tried to renew it they said they had never seen such an old one. Still, they didn't need to throw it at me.

[oregontocal]

Anyone see any boundary lines or borders here?

[Nasoosie]

Now THAT'S a beautiful planet, and there are no boundary lines anywhere. I wonder if that will become a reality in my/our lifetime. I may have to become a mummy in order to see it happen!

[Cedar518]

love the "no borders" thought.