Merkavah - Drive the Lord's SUV!

I have big personal problems and since you are all my log time friends here, I will explain why I will not be around for a while and for obvious reasons my server is down. Just to say it upfront, this is not a security issue, so no worries on that end.

Background, I am German citizen, grew up and studied engineeing in Germany with two degrees and moved with my wife and now 4 children to the USA to enjoy freedom and success in the land of all great opportunities. It was not easy over the years and sometimes a big struggle. But then that is life. We have now living here in the US for 16 years.

Our Visa expired before we got it renewed (stupid slow bureaucrats) and so the fact is that we are out of status. "No big deal" is what my immigration attorney said a few month ago ... just wait for the new visa and hold on tight. So we did....

Now... 2 days ago at 6:00 AM in the morning, 12 US federal officers stormed our house woke us up and took the whole family in to custody. (except my 2 smallest children, who are US citizen) So me, my wife, and 2 oldest daughters 18 and 16 got booked. These people can not be reasoning with not discussed with not even any common sense conversation. UNBELIEVABLE!

They wanted to place us on a plane that same day to Germany. None of my attorneys could do anything because I was stripped of all my rights and became an illegal alien in an instant. They did not care that I have a house a business where I employ some US citizen and 2 children who are us citizen as well. They did not care about anything!

After many hours of discussion and finally some people whose elevator went at least halfway up, they agreed to give us 10 days befopre we have to leave for Germany. They finally released my wife and children form custody the same day, but kept me over night. I was put in those kind of chains that you see on the worst of the worst criminals on TV with chains around the body and feet and hands and they locked me to the seat of the bus to drive 1 hour to the Jail.

That Jail exprerience is probably the worst I had in my life.
A Jail only for illegal aliens with NO rights whatsoever, and the first person you great will make sure you understand they you have no rights whatsoever.
It is so bad, I dont think I should repeat here what they do to people without rights.
I was lucky, check-in procedure took 6 hours and then check-out procedure started and laster another 6 hours.

Next mornig I was taken back to the downtown office for further processing. After long talks, they agreed to let me go home under house arrest. 4 Federal officers took me home in chains and installed the same kind of device on my leg that Martha Stewart has. They told me that I can be kind of proud, since I am the first one in my county who has received the honor of this bracelet around the leg.

So, now what.
I have to sell my home, close my business let go of my employees get airline tickets and make arrangements to have all my stuff shipped to Germany. And I have 10 days to do all of this. Now the challange is to do all of this within a 150 feet radius from this house arrest device and frozen bank accounts.

But they do not care, because I have become a threat to the us federal goverrnment.

You know, it was always my dream to live in the USA but what I have personally experienced over the last couple of days has put a big doubt in to that thought.

I will be around for 10 more days. But then not sure when I will be back online and from where.

I was part of this whole ordeal where the Fed's showed up and dragged us off to their shiny, intimidating metal detention building downtown. I can honestly say that was one of the scariest things I've been through, even being young and not having a lot of experience with the scary parts of the world.

I've only been pulled over by cops once, and have never been arrested, much less by Federal officers from various departments who honestly couldn't care less about us.

Having declared us as illegal, we were stripped of any rights, including those of an attorney, a judge, pretty much anything.

I do have to give some credit to these Feds, though... they treated my mother, sister and myself very well. There was obvious racism in the building (due to being so close to the Mexican border, most of the problem is probably known... all the Mexicans that smuggle themselves and others across were being held with us) between the Mexican people and the others. We, being white Germans, were treated very well, and were allowed to keep our own clothes, were not handcuffed and shackled, and were given blankets, and not locked up. The Mexicans, on the other hand, weren't treated very well. Even the women were shoved into cells in prison clothing...

Anyway, I digress. You know, I've lived in this country since I was two, so I grew up pretty much American. I went to public school here, I made very good, very close friends with many various people, learned what it was to live in this country. Always, I had a very good opinion of America, even when so many people spoke out against it. I still say there are many, many good people that live here, and even most of the administration is good, and stands for the right things. But somewhere, somehow, I feel completely let down by what I thought one of the best countries to live.

People that live here, legal or not, commit crimes each and every day. Many of them don't get caught, or get off even when they are. For one reason or anything, judges and officers let them go and do what they want. Smugglers are in jail for all of 20 days before they are sent back to Mexico (or wherever) and do the same thing again. It's routine.

And then you take us, and our family, who employs people, pays taxes, has children that contribute to society, etc. And... they don't care. That's twisted for you.

Anyway, that's mostly all I have to say. We're up 24 hours a day, trying to get things packed and worked out, and still spend time with the friends I've fallen in love with, and the places that I know I'm absolutely going to miss. Thank goodness I've had such good taste in friends who drop everything to help us out, and whose parents are fighting to get things made easier for us. There really are good people out there.

Still, this will be something new, and I won't have to worry about certain things so much anymore.

I think I've said quite a bit, so I'll leave it at that.