Do they know? Do they care?

The Sonoran Desert continues to claim lives as the temperatures rise for the summer. Is it even on the pulse of the country? Do they know? Do they care?

The nativists among us certainly do, but their reaction ranges from one of glee, "they had it coming to them", to wondering who is paying for the retrieval of the bodies - sometimes I wonder if they are even fully-functioning human beings instead of robots feeding off the negative energy from Lou Dobbs and Tom Tancredo.

The humanitarians among us know too, in fact there are several organizations in the area that exist to help alleviate some of the tragedy that strikes everyday; but it's a big desert and many areas are sparsely inhabited so not everyone can be saved.

But what about the rest of the country?

Are they aware that it's official U.S. policy to funnel the flow of migration into remote areas? Do they know that border communities like Arivaca are revolting against the planned (and permanent) intrusion by the military? Is it a surprise that the cultural aspects of the newly arrived immigrants from Latin America are not a threat to this area, where it is something that has synergistically thrived for centuries?

I don't really know, but that's why I write about it here. Hoping against all odds that the humanitarian crisis will finally be considered prominently into the planning for future actions by the U.S. government. Economic stability and humility on the part of a corporate beast that continues to maul the life out of people, using the sun's blazing rays as its weapon of choice.

Irrationally idealistic - yes. But also the humane thing to do.