Madsplaining: Cats, ducks and geese
Every state a border state, every town a sanctuary?
It’s been hard to ignore the crazy story going around – Haitian migrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio! And oh boy, the memes! The claim had been circulating around the internet a few days before Donald Trump’s debate with V.P. Kamala Harris. Imperial media quickly slammed the claims as “false”, “racist” and “dangerous”. Religion News Service opinion especially scolded Christians: no-one is eating cats, that’s slander and Christians shouldn’t lie. Arguments ranged from “because I’ve met nice Haitians, it can’t be true” to “If you speak ill of one, you speak ill of all and you’re just breeding hate.” Bomb threats to schools in the town were enough evidence that Republicans’ hateful rhetoric was placing lives in danger. (It was discovered later that all the calls came from overseas.)
What was largely missing was any curiosity on the part of the media to go to Springfield and investigate for themselves. "We made a call and the town manager said it’s bunk,” was all the inquiry there was. There are “no credible reports” of pets being harmed. But author and general rabble rouser Chris Rufo, was not the only one to post evidence that immigrants in the area are helping themselves to stray animals and wildlife. Commentator Eric Bolling said he had lived with folks from abroad who shared similar culinary habits and had no trouble believing the reports. So, sure, no “credible” reports. Social media posts and word of mouth can be misleading. But given the way the card-carrying members of corporate media have come to see themselves as the arbiters of truth, you can be sure it will only be credible if it originated in the pages of their publications or was broadcast from their newsrooms.
It is a wild way to bring attention to the consequences of uncontrolled immigration. But if it helps turn issues around mass immigration and open borders – and the plight of immigrants themselves – into a national conversation, that could be a good thing. Certainly, as much as Americans love their pets, the cat-eating stories are a distraction from bigger issues. Springfield was already struggling with decline – loss of jobs, addiction and a dwindling population. Reports I read said the immigrants came to Springfield because jobs were plentiful - “we needed a workforce” said one employment agent and there were “supportive services available”. Some say the town has been revived by new workers. Mayor Rob Rue says Springfield just needs more help for overstretched services – schools, housing, health care and translation services – to get through this rocky patch. Republican governor of Ohio, Mike De Wine said all is well, but sent state troopers to Springfield anyway.
It seems most of the migrants in Springfield have been given temporary protection status, while their cases are processed (which can take years). Vice President Kamala Harris took credit for bringing over 150,000 Haitians to the U.S under “a policy that allowed those arrested after crossing the border illegally to be paroled into the country” (i.e. left to their own devices). It seems most of Springfield’s immigrants have chosen to settle there after being released into the country. However, Ohio’s Republican Attorney-General Dave Yost said he is looking into “legal avenues to stop the federal government from sending an unlimited number of migrants to Ohio communities.”
For now, there are conflicting stories about hard-working, law-abiding Haitians as well as long-time Springfield residents saying they will leave town unless they get help because they feel unsafe. Speaking with locals, Federalist reporter Tristan Justice heard recounts of Haitian drivers endangering others as they fail to observe road rules, groups of men stalking women, one wielding a machete and other harrowing tales. But he also heard from food bank workers and others who downplayed the situation.
It makes sense that accounts would vary wildly. Immigrants are not a homogeneous bloc, and their reasons for coming to America also vary wildly. Most Americans are happy to welcome newcomers, as long as it’s thoughtfully, gradually and over time. What is foiling any sensible process is the prevailing ideology among the powerful that America made itself great by oppressing the world’s poor and therefore owes it to them to let everyone in. Or at least, that narrative makes it easier to brand you as a racist if you prefer your way of living over another.
In the mean time, other small towns are starting to make news, with claims that they face similar issues from large groups of arrivals. Of course, Donald Trump said he’ll empty Springfield of migrants.
Pray that our leaders would put down their own agendas and bickering to listen to Americans. Pray against those who care nothing for humans, but only for things that entrench their own power – Psalm 109 is great for praying against the wicked! Meanwhile, you may have new mission fields on your doorstep, as Rev Fisk has reminded us before. Our job to preach the Gospel and love our neighbors may have gotten a little harder, but it has not changed.
