well, we have our priorities right, then?

[mmy_me]

Two stories from today's news. The government is intervening to keep 'the Hobbit' in New Zealand. At the same time, a family of 'untouchables' face the horrific choice of leaving their three young children behind in NZ when they are deported, or bring them to live in a slum in India without access to education and health care - because they're NZ

Comments

[kass_rants]

You know, I just don't understand deporting people. I know there's this huge immigration debate in my country, but I cannot conceive of what someone living here "illegally" is doing that is so terrible that they have to be deported. If they are acting criminally, I could understand deporting them (and yes, I understand that being in the country without a visa/greencard/whatever you call it is "illegal). But a family that comes to your country or mine to make a life, to get away from something terrible where they were born, to make a family... I am horrified by the thought that will be thrown out. I hope against hope that it will get enough media attention to turn the tide

[mmy_me]

Yes, I don't understand what these people have done wrong - apart from, you know, being here. They've done their best to work (although without a residence permit, that's almost impossible), the kids go to school, they live in the community.

I know there are literally millions of kids living in the conditions these ones are headed for, and it may make me a hypocrite to feel they should get to stay, but I just feel that these kids have grown up in a different reality and it would be horrific for them to be ripped out of here and plonked down there. It's not like they made any choices in the matter. And they're certainly old enough to understand what's going on.

[basal_surge]

Obviously the nice Mr Key, in collusion with that lovely Paul Henry chap, and Kate Wilkinson, are trying to send some sort of message to India. That message may be 'we are small minded petty gits', but, you know, 's a message, innit...

[mmy_me]

It's something alright...