It seems that the more I learn about the federal government, the angrier I become. To be honest, I hadn’t heard of the Tohono O'odham tribe before reading this excerpt from Storm the Wall. It makes me think about President Andrew Jackson. More specifically, Andrew Jackson’s monstrous attack on native peoples. The trail of tears. I think we as a nation are past such things, that we’ve grown. But then I read about how awful the government treats Native Americans, and I am discouraged. Perhaps I am being pessimistic, but that’s the core of the United States of America. We are here today at the result of a successful genocide. Then we continue to celebrate the monster, Christopher Columbus, hundreds of years later. After I finished reading this excerpt, I Googled Tohono O'odham. I found an article that was disturbing. The Government is currently working on building what they call a high-tech surveillance tower on the Tohono’s reservation. Equipped with infrared cameras, heat sensors, video cameras, they plan on building numerous towers. Imagine that your family has been forced to live on this small amount of land after white men came and claimed your family’s land for their own. Then as time goes on, this government continues to terrorize your people under the guise of “border control.” It is important to note that these people live very low-tech lives, at least that’s what I’ve read on the internet. How would you feel about the federal government putting high-tech surveillance towers on your land? I personally would be furious if they put just one of those towers in Kalamazoo. In total, fifteen of these towers will be built on the Tohono O’Odham’s land. I think one of the main things that the author of Storm the Wall was trying to emphasize is that the government has continuously used border security as an excuse to infringe on the rights of American citizens. As someone who grew up in Michigan, I didn’t really know much about the Mexican border. My hope is that people become more aware of the struggles of Native Americans. |
| Andrew Jackson, a real-life villain. |
It makes me mad too! Native Americans have already suffered so much and the American government just keeps intruding on what little they have left. People are up in arms about the proposed infringement of our second amendment rights, but no one seems to be talking about or caring about the rights that the border patrol are taking from us.
ReplyDeleteYou're completely right, "border control" is just a term to disguise the monstrous treatment of others who do not deserve it. And Columbus Day being celebrated disgusts me as well. I loved the connection you made to the Trail of Tears as well. After so many years, you'd think we would've grown past this, not digressed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nichole and Emily's comments. Disturbing that violence against native peoples continues in our time.
ReplyDeleteFear spreads the message clear. Maybe we, as a nation, are not as welcoming as we claim to be. It's a shame because we present ourselves to be otherwise in the media, when that's really far from the truth.
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