POGO:
Proven As Potent
Political Prognosticator

Mood, Manner, Methods Across Nation Reflect Profound Lesson.

Photo Courtesy: electro-comicsonline.com and comic-art.com

(SALEM) - `We have met the enemy -- and he is us". So states Pogo, simple but satisfying and solid resident of `the Swamp", often exchanging striking common-sense with other characters there.

Walt Kelly, working with pen and brush, was the reporter who introduced the public to political satire, recording what became widely-known, even profound predictions about how political reality would play out.

His `comic strip" often dealt devastatingly with political and social issues, winning the ultimate strip-award --the Reuben-- in 1951.

Americans all, on Monday, definitely including multitudes of Hispanic origin, joined `in the streets" by millions of others unafraid of their own broad-brush ancestries, gave the nation a profound lesson.

What we all learned is that First Amendment rights --and all other Constitutionally-characterized `human" attributes-- truly apply to all-here, in this nation made from-and-by former immigrants, no matter how meaningfully-described then-or-now.

Our only other choice is truly UN-democratic: Drive millions back across the border, by any means-possible, using cavalry, coercion and with potential bloodshed.

Who among us is willing to open homes, apartments, police stations, jails, hospitals, and retirement facilities -- surely demanded for any Constitutional consignment of would-be working citizens forced into involuntary retreat, rather than pursuit here of that American Dream about which we boast so pompously ??

Then, too, there is the considerable costs-involved, not only for such notorious anti-democratic means for moving them, but also for the many mean and non-American-manned work-assignments well-managed -- even at sub-standard wages ?

Finally -- who will then get hurt the most ? IF we must move, why not RE-move that motivating low-wage, less-than-safe/and/secure `working opportunity" so prevalently-provided by poor-paying, but potent-"campaign"/contributing, corporate and small-business `entrepreneurs" ???

The main part-of-Pogo/principle demonstrated yesterday states, very simply: `...and he is us".

Somehow these millions out in the streets everywhere seemed to sense that it is our own lack of caring concern (and full-funding by our elected representatives) for considerable years that created yesterday`s `public-issue crisis" widely described as `splitting the nation" -- before the solidly democracy-respecting demonstrations.

But that crisis was not, and will NEVER be, in foreseeable days, `in the streets" of this still-democratic nation.

`It" has been and remains embedded in Neanderthal-notions still near the surface in some seeming-Senators; and even a few Representatives; the latter the more enlightened since somewhat nearer to `the people" living the realities which shape our world today.

Not many of them have cared enough --since the cabal-arrived in Reagan days to distort and pervert American democratic ideals-- to consider carefully, and then actually ACT and VOTE judiciously, on long-obvious and always-threatening `immigration problems."

Thus, Congress has failed to make sure about border-crossing protocol and provisions --poorly preserved, UN-strengthened and thus-weakened over the years-- now found at the first level of causation for this continuing problem ostensibly `splitting the population".

Still another Pogo-potent prognostication proves up this entire reflection of reality.

Here is is: `We are surrounded by insurmountable opportunity."