Lighting Up U.S.-Mexico Border Area

I read your article “Tactic of Lighting Up Border Raises Tensions” (Part A, May 26) with great disgust. I can’t believe that there are actually people who will go so far as to degrade Latino men, women and children trying to come to the United States and have a decent life. They’re coming from countries--whether it’s Mexico or El Salvador--where they have nothing. They have no chance of giving their children a decent education or even enough to eat. What else are they supposed to do? The United States is the land of freedom and jobs.

I want to take Muriel Watson’s statement, “Something has to be done. We are in a crisis situation,” and change it a little. We are not in “crisis situation,” the Latin American people are in a crisis situation. But, she is right about one thing. Something does have to be done. We need to change the United States foreign policy. We need to persuade our government to stop spending so much of our tax dollars on war in Latin America, and help create jobs and better social programs there. We need to help rebuild those countries instead of destroying them.

It makes me sick to see all of those United States citizens at the border shining their lights on the people trying to come here. Then they go and blame drugs, traffic and pollution on them too? They have to be kidding! Why don’t we ask our dear President Bush about his involvement with drugs, or let’s ask the oil companies about the chemicals that they send to Colombia in order to make cocaine.

Come on already! It is time to stop trying to put blame on immigrants for all of our country’s problems and do something.

To all the Anglos out there on the border--get off your high horse and start taking responsibility for our country’s problems as well as for other countries’ problems.

NEILE RISSMILLER

Santa Monica