Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Good news from the front line!

It's hard to come across good news at the present time, but here's a hopeful story from the United States which I'm delighted to share with you.

What's more, it comes from a most unlikely source . . . and could even have a happy ending!

As you'll remember, when Donald Trump was campaigning to be President, one of his campaign promises was to build a wall along the Mexican border.

We can think what we like about walls in general, but, by and large, as structures between nations they haven't a good history.
The Berlin Wall, and the current wall in Jerusalem, spring to mind . . . together with the tensions and divisions they've both caused.

Trump's Mexican wall is strongly opposed by the Democrats and, until recently, seemed unlikely to receive the necessary massive funding.

But all that changed last year when the President took matters into his own hands.

Nonetheless, it seems there's still ground for hope.  The President's plan is being opposed and taken to Court. 
And who are the litigants?  You'll never guess!
Believe it or not . . .  it's the butterflies who are fighting back!

The fight is being waged from The National Butterfly Center, a preserve in the heart of the area in question.
Occupying over a hundred acres of marshland, brush and scrub forest, the Center runs beside the Rio Grande River and along the border with Mexico.
A much-loved environmental preserve, it is now at the heart of a raging debate.

The Directer of the Center, Marianna Trevino Wright, whom you can see in this photo, has confidently embarked on what could prove a multi-year series of Court battles.

"We're suing," she says, "over the violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Endangered Species Act, and the de facto seizure of our property, as well as multiple other egregious acts by Border Patrol."

Having already raised over $100,000 from countless keen supporters, she intends to continue this battle for as long as it takes.  Her tenure as Director has no time limits.  Donald Trump, on the other hand, is shortly up for re-election.

As we'd all agree, an aspirational cloud of butterflies is a sight to take one's breath away.

Might we hope that they'll fly higher in the Court's estimation that the President's fear-fuelled ambitions?

We can hope . . .
The one certainty?  Time is on the side of the butterflies!