Friday, January 13, 2006

Cubans are special

...and we're not talking about cigars.

Under a long standing policy, Cubans who reach land in the US are allowed to stay while those who are intercepted at sea are sent back. In case you hadn't noticed, the whole policy lacks a certain consistency with the way we treat illegal immigrants from, well, everywhere that isn't Cuba. And it's also ridiculously arbitrary as shown by a recent case in which some Cubans who managed to landed on an old bridge in the Florida Keys were sent back because part of the bridge had fallen down and the piece they were on wasn't joined to the land.

Here's a version in the style of Dr Suess that drives home just how ridiculous the whole policy is. I'll give you a small taste and then you can go read it all for yourself:
Your foot, My foot…Wet foot, Dry foot

There were two Reps, Rep Two, Rep One.
Both Reps did not like anyone.
They did not like ones not from here,
For they were Strange and caused them fear.

...

He said there could be no mistake,
They must be here for jobs to take.
"I do not want them small or tall,
I do not want them in my mall"
Rep One did not want them at all.
So his idea--He'd build a wall.

...

There was another Rep, named Three,
He came from lands called Diz in Nee.
A land where everyone was free,
Though many were called refugee.

One day some Strangers got a boat,
And on the ocean they did float.
Hoping to come upon some land,
That they could touch with just one hand.
But a hand could be a foot,
If on dry land that foot was put.

...

And though they spoke in words quite strange,
These Strangers though, could now remain.
Rep Three had always liked that law,
He used it many times before.
The Strangers would get off their boat,
And for Rep Three they'd give their vote.

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