December 27, 2007

UPI wacky news: "Athletes, migrants drinking Pedialyte" (in order to avoid dying in desert)

Here's some wacky, fun news for those humanitarians who support or enable illegal immigration, thereby playing a part in encouraging people to try to cross the desert into the U.S. with thousands having died along the way. It's so wacky that UPI has put it into their "Quirks" section under the title "Athletes, migrants drinking Pedialyte" (link):

U.S. pro athletes as well as illegal immigrants are turning to drinks designed to rehydrate sick infants for a source of liquid nutrition...

However, athletes aren't the only dehydrated people turning to the baby beverage for sustenance -- shopkeepers in Sonoran towns across the Mexican border say Pedialyte and its Mexican competitor, Electrolit, are flying off the shelves...

The rehydrating solutions help those seeking to cross the border on foot to stave off dehydration, the top cause of death in the desert.

But, wait, it gets even better. The UPI article appears to be based on "Pro athletes, migrants turn to baby drinks/Solutions quench adult thirsts" from Chris Hawley of the Arizona Republic (link). They substituted the "quirks" treatment for some helpful tips and an attempt to portray border fences - not those like the Republic who support illegal immigration - as the culprits:

"It is recommended that you carry oral solution with you," says a guide for migrants published by the government of Mexico's Yucatan state. "It is sold in pharmacies and contains salt."

Sales to migrants have increased in recent years as crackdowns and border walls in Texas and California have forced illegal border-crossers deeper into the Arizona desert, store managers said.

Abbott Laboratories (makers of Pedialyte) claim not to have known about these uses for their products, but their Mexican counterpart (Pisa Laboratories, makers of Electrolit) not only knows but, as might be suspected, promotes it:

"The migrants are now using it instead of water," said Gabriela Flores, director of marketing for Electrolit. "The truth is, it does help them a lot."

Posted to Immigration2007b at December 27, 2007 12:07 AM