Must have been the wrong place

Someone told me that the definition of a weed is "a plant that is out of place." How perfectly subjective.

I just heard on NPR about Maria Carvajal, a woman whose developmentally disabled (U.S. citizen) son, Pedro Guzman, was deported to Tijuana. When they asked the Spanish-speaking, brown-skinned man if he had documentation, he said no. So off he went, to wander the streets of a city of strangers. His mother can't find him. Today there's an article about Zoila Meyer, an ex-city Council woman of Cuban descent who thought she was a citizen (but isn't). She was arrested on a felony charge of voting while not a citizen. She could be deported - to Canada. These are just a couple of examples of uprooting people because they are judged to be out of place.

When looking in the seed catalog for cover crops, I see bermuda grass! The white oxalis growing in front was planted (on purpose) by Agnes, my house's former owner. I get compliments on the pretty blue-flowered borage in the back yard. To me, it's a weed, but to the bees, it's manna. Because the bees love it so, I can't even pull it out until it's all but spent, even though it's in my way and creates a haven for earwigs.

And then there are the volunteers, the robust snow peas and the purple blue delphinium, healthier than any I ever planted. I didn't ask these plants to grow here, but I decide they can stay. They are useful to me.

When uninvited people from other countries come to the United States, they too get treated based on their perceived usefulness. Need cheap labor? Look the other way and hire a Mexican with a fake ID. Need a scapegoat? Build a big fence on the border because "they" are stealing "our" jobs.

I know, the law is the law. I appreciate living in a "nation of laws." It's essential to justice. And, I am concerned about the impact population growth has -- whether from immigration or procreation. I just think the United States is taking the wrong approach. It's one that fuels racism, nationalism, and violence. I'd prefer a policy based on human rights and justice.

Compassion, inclusion, fairness - justice needs these too. The immigration crackdowns we are seeing have more to do with fear than justice.

It comes down to what kind of people do we want to be. I want people to have a chance. People aren't weeds.

In the garden today

Mulched, mulched, mulched. This is my first year of serious mulching - let's see if mulching lives up to its reputation. I planted yet another dahlia. Harvested more yummy snow peas. In the front, shook the seeds out of the dried poppy heads so I could compost the seedy-looking spent plants. These poppies are glorious volunteers, originally planted by Agnes' mother I'm told. I have a neighbor who gives me the history of the plants I inherited when I moved in seven years ago. The giant hydrangea that started out in a 6 inch pot, given to Agnes for Mother's Day. The antique rose installed by Agnes' mother way back when. It is now over 6 feet tall and is so laden with blooms it falls over, blocking the sidewalk. I have several plants that I put in from 6 inch pots or 1 gallon cans that are just huge - a lavender and three kinds of sage, a fuschia that seems to die everytime there's frost, but always resurrects in spring.