IMMIGRANTS: Old laws rule

When I moved to Oklahoma in 1982, “liquor by the drink” had finally become legal. Up to that point, establishments pouring a customer a drink from a booze bottle was illegal. Booze bearing customers brought their own from state run liquor stores while the establishments served drinks sans the booze. Oklahoma had an antiquated ignored law only enforced when authorities became annoyed with certain establishments.

The OK state’s absurdity is not confined to OK. Our immigration laws are just as antiquated.

For centuries, farming and construction have relied on cheaper immigrants. It’s the main reason why we have African Americans and Chinese-Americans. Here in Washington, Franklin (Pasco), Grant (Moses Lake), and Chelan (Wenatchee) counties have 52 percent, 41 percent and 28 percent Latino populations. Immigrants are not new.

Child rearing is hard and spendy in our culture. Fewer in-charge moms or distracted dads are coddling fewer Wi-Fi-amused, callous-free children who have never held paint brushes, hammers, shovels, or lawn mowers while we squawk about how many immigrants are breaking antiquated laws passed when the word “hacked” was about a sore ass and not about our data.

Now-antiquated immigration laws are vigorously enforced with zero tolerance on likely future non-Republican voters should they become citizens. Most here believe every immigrant murders, rapes, sells drugs or sex slaves while we rely on immigrants for our food and shelter in most of the U.S.

So much for the Ninth Commandment. The truth has become treason.

MIKE RENO

Newman Lake, Wash.