We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - Thomas Jefferson (America's Declaration of Independence)
Yesterday, police in Mexico stopped two tractor-trailers filled with human cargo destined for the United States. A combined five hundred and thirteen would-be immigrants were packed like sardines inside two tractor-trailers, with little water and insufficient air to sustain them during the arduous journey. According to the statement released by Mexican police, the would-be immigrants paid $7,000 apiece to make the journey, and given the conditions in their mode of transportation, some of the travelers were destined to pay the ultimate price – death, had they not been discovered when they were.
Think about it. Five hundred and thirteen people were willing to pay seven thousand dollars apiece for the opportunity to pursue life, liberty and happiness in America, while a vast number of our own citizens cry foul when the government levies a single dollar in taxes for the same privilege. It makes me question whether we really value the rights and the life we have in this country.
Some people view that group of would-be immigrants as a pack of criminals, intent on illegally violating our border, but I can't help appreciating the fact that these individuals found life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness so valuable that they would pay such a hefty price, and even risk death, in an attempt to experience what we claim are inalienable rights endowed by God, our creator!
Those people deserve our cheers, not our jeers!
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