INS: Not just an amnesty

By Jackie Juntti

Another of my ‘little stories’ to illustrate a point.

Let's say you have a large home - say it has 50 rooms.

One morning you wake up and you see a trail of termites nearing the back side of the house. You think, hmm, not to worry they aren't IN the house yet - I'll just spray some pesticide out there and they will go away.

Next day you see signs of cockroaches in one of the rooms when you get up and turn the LIGHT on, you notice them because they scurry to hide when the LIGHT comes on.

Again, you figure it isn't a big deal because it is only in one room.

Days pass by and soon you are seeing signs of the termites and the cockroaches in more and more rooms - you also notice that some of your FOOD shows signs of cockroaches and other insects. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE. I thought I kept my house pretty clean - WHY are all these insects coming here?

One day you discover that some members of your family have been leaving out tasty morsels which were just too inviting to the insects. Here you were doing all you could to protect your home from insects and you had family members secretly putting out food to being in the insects. You confront the family members about this. They deny it at first and then say that these poor insects aren't really doing any harm - they just need a place to live like all other life form.

While you are arguing the issue (being diverted from preventing any further infestation) the invading insects are filling the walls, the cupboards, the closets, and before you know it, you se cracks in the walls, family members are getting sick from the food in the house because of foreign items being in your supply, some family members are leaving for other places as they can't deal with the insects and they see you, the homeowner, aren't stopping the invasion. You either failed to see the danger of the invading insects or you allowed the PRO-INSECT folks in your family to divert your attention long enough (committee hearing, study groups, until enough were there to openly march all through your house with no fear of the LIGHT shining on them). You failed to employ proven ways to eradicate the number who had settled within your home and now consider YOU to be the trespasser in the place. You became the minority in your own home and the invaders had gained sufficient strength to run you out and they took CONTROL of your home.

Perhaps you had employed some 'exterminators' who SAID they would take care of the problem but instead of using the correct ( enforcing existing law) pesticide - they watered it down to a point that made the 'solution' even tastier to the invading insects.

How do you like living out in the tent in some field instead of in that home you had worked so long and so hard to have?

You have been run out by termites and cockroaches because you FAILED to exterminate the insects at the first sign of them.

May 20, 2007