I recently
listened, again, to Billy Crystal eulogize the great Muhammad Ali. I have
heard his speech on several occasions, and it never fails to stir my emotional
heartstrings, and to challenge my rational mind. It makes me laugh and it makes
me cry. I highly recommend that you listen to it. Listen again if you have
heard it in the past. Billy does a
masterful job of honoring and impersonating the man he admired and had grown to
love so deeply. Ali called him his “little brother.” One line always gives me
pause. It is when Billy says that
Muhammad Ali knew that life was better when we built bridges, not walls between
people. I couldn’t agree more. That statement is profound. The phrase rings true,
but it goes much deeper than most are thinking when they hear the words.
There are
two popular slogans today. One is, “finish that wall.” The other is, “build bridges,
not walls.” Depending on who you support politically and what your ideology happens
to be, you will likely gravitate to one or the other. It refers to the condition
of our southern border with Mexico. I have resisted taking sides on this
issue. It should not be about winning
elections or supporting one candidate and vilifying another. It should be about
how to best help innocent, decent people who are looking for a better way of
life. As I have thought about the
problem and have researched the various sides and positions, I have come to the
conclusion that we need both. We need
walls and we bridges. We need walls to help
control a border where people with nefarious intent pour through unrestrained. We need bridges where folks who are looking
for a better life have a safe, and expedient passageway into this country. It will
never be perfect, but it can, and must be significantly better than the current
state. Walls, or as I prefer, barriers,
properly constructed and patrolled help reduce the danger to innocent people who
are routinely being used, abused, and murdered.
Bridges, properly placed and managed should make it cheaper and safer to
enter this country legally than illegally. My judgement is you can’t have one
without the other. We have proven that what we now have does not work. It should
be a non-partisan, long term plan that carries over administrations. It must stop being a political football that is
used only to win elections rather than solving problems.
It will
never be perfect, so don’t make that your opposing argument. There are problems with all solutions and it will
be a work in progress, but with a singular mission and goal. We need safe, expedient entry into the USA for
people of good intent. We must bring the
wrath of our national security to bear on those who intend otherwise.
This
article is meant to address one thing. Do we need walls or bridges. It is not a plan for implementing the numerous
strategies and programs needed to accomplish the task. To that end, I will say it again. WE NEED WALLS AND BRIDGES.
The Gatekeeper