Jump to navigation
Cuban Boat of Car
R. Alex Whitlock
I took my boat for a car
I took that car for a ride
I was trying to get somewhere
but now I'm following
the traces of your fingernails
that run along the windshield
on the Boat of Car
-They Might Be Giants, Boat of Car
Many of you have doubtlessly heard of
this one. If so, skip this paragraph. Some cubans turned their car into a boat so that they could take the 90 miles to freedom. Unfortunately, the Coast Guard sent them back to Cuba and sank the Boat of Car.
This is tragic for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fate of the would-be Americans. From a policy standpoint, I am pro-immigration pretty much across the board. For Cuba, however, it's less a policy position than a moral one. Anyone willing to risk their lives to the degree that the Cubans are to get over here not only deserve to leave their tyrannical homeland behind, but also have earned the right to obtain citizenship (note: that's different from blanket citizenship) far more than someone who happens to have been born of an American mother.
Despite believing they are good for the country, I'm reluctant to grant a moral halo around Mexican immigrants and whatnot. Cuban and Haitian immigrants are a completely different matter and should be welcomed with open arms.
Observations
Yes, but per the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1968, Cubans and Haitians are not accorded anything remotely resembling the same immigration rights.
I wrote about this on Disagreement.
Yeah, I'm aware of the differences. I strongly disagree with them.
This is incredibly weird but I give major props to them for trying. How did they go to the bathroom, did they eat hot foods, how did they live? How long did it take to get to the US? We're wondering these things over here!
Add an Observation
Comment spam is an ongoing problems that we're trying to address. Previously we required people to create accounts and log in. I am thankful to say that is no longer the case. We're giving Captcha another try and are playing around with a text-based Q&A variant of Captcha. So bear with us as we try to figure out how to best get a handle ont he problem. Please note that any comment on a post more than 30 days old will go into the moderation queue, where I will get to it when I can which could be once a week.
