Immigration, Drunk Driving and Tragedy

     Before I start my first post (which is unfortunately pretty somber) I would like to admit that although the point of this blog is that I live in DC while the news goes on, my first two posts will be written from Buffalo, New York.  I promise to try to keep my DC state of mind as much as possible.

     Illegal immigration dominated the news this week with Congressional talk of changing the 14^th amendment and further debate on the Arizona immigration bill and other such legislation. 

    The issue really hit home when a Bolivian man in the country illegally hit another car in a drunk driving accident, killing one nun and injuring two others in a Virginia suburb.  Not only was the issue of drunk driving in play, but the timing could not have been more perfect for the immigration issue, making the story national news.

     But what do illegal immigration and drunk driving have to do with Washington teenagers?  Well, I’m happy to say I haven’t had any direct involvement with either issue, but the accident brought to mind some interesting thoughts.

     I want to first look at the victims of the tragic accident: three nuns from the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia.  I went to Catholic school from preschool to eighth grade, and belong to Blessed Sacrament Church in the archdiocese of Washington.  I’ve volunteered with my mom at Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of nuns who run an assisted living home in Northeast DC.  From these experienced I learned that the Catholic faith network is strong in the DC, Maryland and Virginia area, and a tragic accident for a few is felt by all in the region.

     I would like to offer my sympathy to the Benedictine Sisters for their loss and urge everyone to pray, in any form at all, for Sister Denise Mosier, Sister Charlotte Lange and Connie Ruth Lupton.

     Now the man in custody: Carlos Martinelly Montano of Bolivia.  I said before that I have no direct relation with illegal immigration, but I do think I can talk about the drunk driving aspect.  The accident made national news because the man is an illegal alien, but the fact of the matter is that the same accident could have happened, with the exact same outcome, with a drunk Virginia or DC or Maryland resident behind the wheel.  As a high school student I have heard horror stories of teenage drunk driving and unfortunately, bragging stories as well.

     Although such stories, when turn to tragedy, don’t make national headlines, are just as serious.  Aliens and anchor babies aside, drunk driving is a serious issue and should be examined just as much as the legitimacy of citizenship in these situations.

     Before my post turns too preachy, I would just like to end by offering my final view on the Virginia accident.  Three major factors came into play in one car crash: illegal immigration, the Catholic Church and drunk driving.  The combination of these factors and their nationwide importance is what made the accident so newsworthy, but I would like to keep in mind that it was still a horrible car accident, killing one and critically injuring two.