Charles Gee

Friend to bad art.

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@faceyouhate To quote just about any EC Comic, “Good Lord! Choke!”

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@DrNeilStone I’ve had your back on everything related to vaccines but you’ll have to travel this road alone.

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@Puntlander416 @thecindynoir Some things are self-evident. You're idiocy for example.

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@theliamnissan https://t.co/5mXd8huzwi

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

I debated whether to share my story on here, but I guess I will.

I think there's an idea out there that millions of violent criminals are pouring across the border, carrying machetes and drugs, looking to harm Americans. Certainly, while some people fall into that category, the vast majority of undocumented immigrants don't.

My family escaped Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and went through an arduous journey that eventually landed them in the Canada. My father worked there for a time as a janitor; my mother, a secretary. When work fell through, my dad was offered to work with his sister in the United States, so he went, as our family needed money. He ended up staying in the US longer than he was supposed to — not knowing immigration laws — and asked my mom to come be with him. Of course, she went and carried me over the border while I was still a baby.

I'm still unsure whether we technically broke an immigration law. The border between Canada and the United States was pretty porous (as it is today, for the most part). But either way, since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I've been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else.

The lack of legal immigration has totally shaped my life. It has made every interaction with the law much scarier. It has shaped which opportunities I could or could not get. It has taken an emotional toll, as this legal issue hangs over your head like a black cloud.

There are millions of people in my situation — people who were brought here as children, some babies, and were unable to raise their hand during this process and say "maybe we should hire a lawyer." Parents may have crossed the border not knowing about the law, as the law can be pretty confusing and lawyers are expensive. Perhaps, in the end, they should have hired a lawyer; but sometimes life is messy. In the end, they crossed for the same reason many people rise every day: to support their families.

I think it's unreasonable to deport millions of people who have contributed positively to society. It's simply not true that the majority of these people are violent criminals carrying drugs. Many own small businesses; many work as skilled laborers (including garment workers!). The vast majority are good, honest people. For those of us who grew up in the United States, sending us "back" to our "home" country would mean sending someone to a foreign land, as they grew up in the United States. Tearing families apart based on immigration status seems inhumane.

About twenty years ago, I watched with some small measure of hope that the Dream ACT would pass and help a portion of undocumented immigrants. I saw people march angrily in the streets (something I supported). But I was dismayed to see nothing really come about. In fact, when Obama passed DACA, I was skeptical that it would be sensible to give your information to the federal government without a guaranteed path to citizenship. It seems that the Trump administration may use those lists to hunt down immigrants.

I think the ICE sweeps are inhumane. I support and admire the protestors who are putting their bodies on the line for non-violent resistance. Ultimately, I think we need to solve this issue on a systemic level. It's unreasonable to me to expect that the government will deport some 10-20 million people. Even deporting 1 million will cause an insane amount of chaos, not to mention an incredible amount of wasteful government spending. The militarization of law enforcement is over the top and only escalate the situation.

I have seen people march on this issue, only for it to be dropped later and dissolve into quiet grumbles. In the end, nothing is done for immigrants. Time passes until decades later, we have another political crisis like the one we have today. This cycle seems unsustainable. I hope people sustain this energy to solve the immigration issue and put undocumented immigrants — most who are peaceful, skilled, and hard-working citizens — on a path to citizenship. As time continues to go by, many undocumented immigrants are seeing their lives wasted away.

If you care about this issue, I hope you get involved on the long haul: volunteer for pro-immigrant groups, donate to mutual aid, and perhaps pursue career paths that help people in this situation. I was moved to read someone on here say that, when they found their employee was undocumented, they helped them get a green card. The path was difficult, as our immigration system is broken (it took them 11 years). But I can tell you that this is like pulling someone drowning in raging waters.

Ultimately, I hope me sharing this story helps push back against the idea that all undocumented immigrants are MS-13 members. I know many people in my position and they are all like your neighbors.

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@SethAMandel Constantly referring to the protests as Pro-Hamas?
Quoting from such reputable newspapers as the The New York post?

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@faceyouhate I’d have preferred Prince of the City… or The Anderson Tapes.

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@elonmusk https://t.co/7jpUevhSfu

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@brianchaley …why did you make me look?

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@ElonCuckOfX @ItsCrapto @kentuckyliz3 @ChadNotChud Here. Maybe this’ll help you out.
if (conjunction)
1. (introducing a conditional clause) on the condition or supposition that; in the event that.

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@faceyouhate ...I'm starting to think this guy's a bit of a jerk.

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@brob88888 @theliamnissan Cockwomble... Well I have to give that a like.

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@moonbeeaam ...Dr. Seuss?

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@EmmaTolkin Well I guess I better watch this.

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@LenBanco @JoyceCarolOates Seems like a good time for this quote.

“The past is never dead. It's not even past.”
William Faulkner - Requiem for a Nun

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@EmmaTolkin Oh that ending...

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@Shaffness @daveweigel Oops.

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@MeganBitchell Some possibilities.
Silence of the Lambs
Under the Skin
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair
Don’t Look Now
Martin
Pontypool
Cure
Midsummer
The Fly
An American Werewolf in London
Relic
A Dark Song
The Skin I Live In
Lamb
The Dead Zone

[Charles Gee @cofi0806]

@keepthoughtsind @099h057 @RonFilipkowski I'm sorry but only one answer to bad faith questions is allowed per entity.