Friday, April 5, 2019

SUFFICIENT FEAR


(photo:  NY Times)

About 633 migrants have been turned away since January, unable to prove sufficient fear of being tortured or persecuted.
            New York Times, April 5, 2019


Sufficient – acceptableampleplentifulsatisfactoryagreeable

On the scale of gobbledygook.


On the scale of fear

            what?

“I prefer 1,000 times being jailed, than being dead.”
            Selvin Alvarado, Honduras, 29, father of two
                        waiting at the US/Mexican border

On the scale of

            1-1,000

or on the scale of

            being dead     

Not sufficient.


“The crisis at our border is worsening…”
            Kirstjen Neilson
            Former Director, Dept of Homeland Security, USA
                                            
Worsening

on the scale of

            Selvin Alvarado
            and his two children

or

            what?

On the scale of

purgatory


On the scale of

danger violence extortion corruption rape

Not Sufficient.


An ad for a carry-on bag marks the story’s fold:

Travel without the panic
Keep everything in one handy place, so you are free to focus on what’s beyond the airport.


Travel Panic                                                                                            

on a scale of

Sufficiency

focus on what’s beyond

Three Mexican countries that are not Mexico – quick, name them.

            free to focus on

torture – persecution - fear

            everything in one handy place

Not.  Sufficient.



RW
Seattle
04.05.2019





1 comment:

  1. Very effective. Repetition captures sense of fear, the recurring nightmare of being a fugitive, the panic of awakening to find you are still in the nightmare.

    Bob (Las Golondrinas)

    ReplyDelete