I have some unpopular opinions about the migrant caravan.

I'm probably going to offend both "sides" of this discussion simultaneously. Anyone who has followed my website for a while knows that I question everything and I recommend that others do the same. But questioning everything also means questioning the things that support your opinions on a topic, and I'm not seeing much of that with regard to this whole migrant caravan circus.

The group I have on Facebook is usually really peaceful and pleasant. We manage to stay away from politics and focus on preparedness. But with the migrant caravan, all bets are off. Tensions are incredibly high.

And this doesn't serve anyone – at least not anyone whose goal is to be prepared.

Should you be aware this is happening and get prepared if you live near the border? Absolutely. That is common sense. It's what preppers do.

Should you work yourself into a frenzy reading meme after meme? Um, NO. That doesn't serve you or anybody else. It just scares you and half that stuff probably isn't even true.

I know that telling people who are worked up to calm down is generally counterproductive. But for the love of Pete. We need to think this through rationally and not just react with evergrowing panic.

Here are some of the things I've been thinking.

Are we making a mountain out of a molehill regarding the migrant caravan?

I love a good conspiracy theory and I'm always ready to question the timing and presentation of events that get folks worked up. Often, it seems like the things people are focusing all their energy and outrage on are a distraction from what we should really be watching.

I'm not saying that this is the case with regard to the migrant caravan. Thousands of people pushing their way through a border despite attempts to stop them is something that should be watched carefully. (Assuming you believe in sovereign borders – which I do, despite my lack of worked-uppedness about this topic. But this article isn't about border policies – not really.)

While this seems to be the biggest caravan from Central America to the United States, mass migrations are actually not unusual. Literally, hundreds of thousands of people have entered the US as refugees from Central America since the 80s, during the Reagan administration.