“I don’t think so,” replied Collin. “If he had pressed her hard enough to break fully through the facade and make her cower too much for her comfort she would probably have bolted from the room to report how she was being mistreated by the applicant. Durwin would most certainly be blamed for a scene. This could have resulted in a total loss of their chances of staying in the country. Belittlers never take the blame, it’s always the belittled whom they see to be in the wrong. When someone breaks through the facade of belittlers too fully they are devastated. Then they will do most anything to protect it. Besides, there wasn’t any opportunity to push it further. She simply picked up the packages of papers, said ‘that’s all for today,’ and left the room, leaving the Lawtons sitting there with no one else in sight.
“How defiant of a congressman’s office they were!” remarked Owen.
“Yes indeed,” answered Collin, “and they knew they could get away with it. I have heard of several such cases. They have been doing it for years and getting away with it. The Lawton’s never heard from that area immigration office again.
“They waited several months, then Durwin reported to the congressman’s secretary again. She acted in a manner of resignation, saying, ‘I don’t understand it and I don’t know what else we can do.’ Here again it is notable that many people in high places even in government have no idea or concept of the existence and destructiveness of belittlers. Durwin didn’t go there again.
“Here were the Lawtons, high quality candidates for immigration; healthy physically in all respects; psychologically mature, Durwin’s mental health clear for ten years, a near six figure bank account, guaranteed permanent employment, covered by health and disability insurance, covered by good pension plans, and with quality references from very credible sources. These people would be a credit to any country, but in Terraprima, the land of opportunity for all, they were being treated less than human by one of its government departments.
“The Lawtons now retained the services of an immigration lawyer who had been recommended to them as one who had helped other ministers. This lawyer, a very capable and amiable man, tried time and again to get some action from this office of the immigration department, but none was forthcoming. They gave no response whatsoever.”
Gilda Emerson broke into the conversation, “they defied the congressman and his office, now they ignore a lawyer!”
“A law unto themselves!” added Leo.
“Indeed,” said Collin, “they behaved as though they were autonomous-a power unto themselves, answerable to no one.
“There are other stories circulating about the treatment certain people from various countries receive from this department. Many of these stories are of people from Secundaterra, which country has tried officially over the decades to be a good friend to Terraprima, and continues to do so. Yet some of its fine people who wish to move to Terraprima are often on the one hand allowed to enter the country, but on the other are shunned by the immigration department when they get there. Some of them, fine people as they are, have had it implied to them that they are criminals, breaking the law by trying to stay in Terraprima. This is what was happening to the Lawtons.
“In casual conversation with a police chief in Terraprima one day, Durwin and Canda told him of their immigration problem. ‘My dear people,’ he said, ‘you came from the wrong country. We have people pouring into this country illegally, with nothing except the clothes on their backs and not much of that. I picked up three of them in this town the other day, phoned the Immigration Department about it and they answered, ‘Well what do you want us to do?’
“‘Don’t they have to be deported?’ asked the police chief.
“‘No,’ came the reply. ‘We have no means here to handle that. Eventually they will be legalized.’
“The police chief then reiterated to the Lawtons, ‘You people are from the wrong country, you are just too good a caliber of people to be admitted to this country anymore.’
“He was near right. Although it wasn’t altogether the country they came from, but rather the kind of people they were from that country -too good for the many envious immigration people.”
Collin continued to the group, “Statistics show that more people now leave Terraprima to live in Secundaterra, whereas it used to be the other way around. No wonder, with this kind of treatment in store for them.
“However, even with such odds against them, Durwin and Canda decided they would continue to ride out the storm to see where it would lead. Another year or more passed with no further word on their immigration status.
“In the meantime, the Lawtons were missing out on a lot of opportunities to solidify their life in Terraprima. For example their bank, by whom they were personally well regarded, was offering some good group insurance and investment plans by which they could invest for retirement. They had to turn them down because they may have to leave the country anytime. Long term investments had to be by-passed.
“For years now they had been preparing the means whereby they would own their own home upon retirement after living in a church-owned house during their working years. The prices of real estate around the area of Terraprima where they were living began to rise. Before it had risen too far, the Lawtons could easily have made a down payment on a house, rented it, and eventually have a house for their retirement in the area they had planned. But again they had to pass it up because of the impermanence of their circumstances.
“So you see, the Lawtons were being severely damaged. It wasn’t a matter of them being over-sensitive to little hurts as some try to imply. The remainder of their lifetime would be drastically affected. When belittlers and their supporting psychiatrists try to make you believe you are a super sensitive pansy, don’t let them do it to you. If they had to put up with a quarter as much they would fold like wilted flowers or break like match sticks. I have often heard them whimper like small children over far less.”
Leo broke in, “Belittlers appear to be proud and powerful when they have you down and think they are getting away with it. But I know how they are when they are tripped up in their weird and dirty game and fearful of being brought to light on it. I also have heard them whimper like babies! We folks too sensitive? Not on your life! They are, but for different reasons than we are accused of.”
The other group members all agreed with Leo. Dr. Eldren gave a grin of satisfaction at the way things were going in the group.
“Did the Lawtons ever get their immigration approved?” asked Albin Anders.
“Yes they did,” answered Collin, “so we do win at times, Albin, but often at great cost. I’m a firm believer that people like us can always make the grade, damaged and scarred though we may be, but nevertheless winners at least to some degree. If only we could put half the energy and effort we are forced to put into survival, into creative living for the benefit of ourselves and others, we would be out on top where exceptional people should be. Alas, we are destined to be short-changed by foul means not of our own making.”
“You’ll have to tell us tonight how the Lawtons got their papers,” said Albin exuberantly.
“I will right now,” said Collin and continued with the story. “After four years of excessive negative behavior by belittlers in the church, the Lawtons were moved to another congregation. I will tell you much more about this when I tell you of the Lawtons’ experiences with the church in general. Suffice it to say for now this congregation was in another state and within the jurisdiction of another immigration office, the office to which the Lawtons had gone in the first place when on their visit to Terraprima if you will remember.
“They decided to approach this office through their immigration lawyer who, although he had been unable to get a response from the first office, had higher hopes for this office. He was well known in immigration circles in this area, and therefore likely to get a courteous response and a fair hearing. This they did, and although the process was long and drawn out, another year in fact, it brought results.
“This