It has taken me awhile, but I decided to throw my two cents in about the immigration law in Arizona. First, let me say this, I firmly believe that America is strong because of the diversity of its people. I am the direct product of immigrants, both of my families came to the U.S. in the early twentieth century and you can't walk for five minutes through the city limits of Cleveland without seeing contributions made by immigrants, old and new. My families came here legally, being processed through Ellis Island and making lives for themselves and their future families in the industrial mid west, where the jobs were difficult, the pay little, and the reward a better life for future generations... sound familiar?
Illegal immigration is wrong, it's a crime, and those found guilty in a court of law of violating our countries immigration laws should be punished to the full extent; however, I have a serious disagreement with Arizona Senate Bill 1070 (the immigration bill).
I quote the fourth amendment above because it is the root of my anger towards the brilliant law makers in Arizona. Our country was founded on the principles of liberty and personal freedom. During our countries time as an English colony, British soldiers could enter a house, and violate personal freedoms on a whim, which is why the Bill of Rights were added to the Constitution, specifically amendments 4 and 5, so that the personal freedoms of American citizens would be protected.
The Arizona law is by no means the first time a group was denied its personal freedom through a legal act of our government. In the 1840's and 50's the Fugitive Slave Law allowed African American's to be captured from free states and sent to the South whether they were free men or were actually runaway slaves. Prior to this, African American's were only counted as 3/5's of a person so they could not be included in the legal protection of the Bill of Rights as well as the rest of the U.S. Constitution.
These are two small examples of the evils of slavery, which is the crown jewel of legalized American racism.
The twentieth century saw the internment of Asian American's along the West Coast during World War Two. This act was found to be so heinous that 40 years after the war the U.S. Supreme Court demanded the U.S. Government pay the individuals and their families reparations for their illegal incarceration.
Racism is America's original sin, more than just Black and White, we changed French Fries to "Freedom Fries" before the Iraq War, we called Hamburger's Salisbury Steak during both world wars to sound less German, Arab Americans are visually accosted by fellow travelers going through Air Ports after 9/11. And finally, a law enforcement officer can demand "The Papers" of anyone in Arizona who looks like an illegal immigrant!
We hold our personal liberties to be the back bone of our government, all you have to do is listen to the Tea Partiers (note I didn't say Tea Baggers, although I wanted to), they call for smaller less intrusive government to stay out of their way and let them spend their money and live their lives as they would like. I find this to be an interesting contradiction as the Arizona (Iced) Tea Party supports this legislation, further expressing their selfish nature and racist tendencies. Apparently smaller less intrusive government should only apply to white middle aged rich people, if you are a person of color or don't appear to have much personal wealth then it's okay for the government to over step their boundaries and be as intrusive as they want to be.
The fourth amendment of the constitution allows for each person to be considered innocent until proven guilty and allows them the right to avail themselves to our justice system. The Arizona law reverses this, now anyone who looks questionable can essentially be profiled and harassed by an officer of the law and the burden of proof is on the individual not the state to prove their residence, I refer to section 1 subsection b of the law:
FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY
OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS
STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS
UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE,
WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON. THE
PERSON'S IMMIGRATION STATUS SHALL BE VERIFIED WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
PURSUANT TO 8 UNITED STATES CODE SECTION 1373(c).
This is a slippery slope our country is headed down, think about it this way as we take more steps to strengthen law enforcements ability to profile, the fourteen Militiamen in Michigan/Ohio/Indiana were white American's who ran around the woods playing with guns and plotting to kill police officers, should these three states make it legal for law enforcement officials to interrogate anyone who is white with a gun rack or firearms license...all three of these states have successful hunting seasons. Or perhaps law officers should be allowed to profile White Christians as Neo Nazi organizations are a threat to society and they often invoke Christian religion and symbols into their activities and writings.
In a time of global terrorism the question stands "where do personal liberties end and security begin?" America has always portrayed itself to be the moral example for the rest of the world, we over threw tyranny to give a voice to the people, we have fought and vanquished the evils of Hitler and Hirohito, we outlasted communism and brought down the Berlin Wall but yet we persecute our people at home in the name of security and safety. I quote Benjamin Franklin "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security". The immigration law in Arizona is wrong because it allows the state to deny basic rights to the people there, how long will it be until police are randomly stopping and harassing Latinos on the street because they can? When will Arizona begin to look like southern states prior to the Civil Rights Act? Any law that presupposes a persons guilt over their innocence is fundamentally un-American and therefore wrong! I believe immigration reform is needed and that illegal immigrants should be dealt with, but not at the expense of the Bill of Rights or personal freedoms; we have an obligation as the land of the free and the home of the brave to deal with the questions our country faces in a manor that preserves civil liberties and unalienable rights of our citizens, anything less than that and we loose our moral high ground. I look forward to the day when this law is stricken down in court for all of the reasons I have listed but also because, after all, in the summer I look Hispanic too.
The Arizona law is by no means the first time a group was denied its personal freedom through a legal act of our government. In the 1840's and 50's the Fugitive Slave Law allowed African American's to be captured from free states and sent to the South whether they were free men or were actually runaway slaves. Prior to this, African American's were only counted as 3/5's of a person so they could not be included in the legal protection of the Bill of Rights as well as the rest of the U.S. Constitution.
These are two small examples of the evils of slavery, which is the crown jewel of legalized American racism.
The twentieth century saw the internment of Asian American's along the West Coast during World War Two. This act was found to be so heinous that 40 years after the war the U.S. Supreme Court demanded the U.S. Government pay the individuals and their families reparations for their illegal incarceration.
Racism is America's original sin, more than just Black and White, we changed French Fries to "Freedom Fries" before the Iraq War, we called Hamburger's Salisbury Steak during both world wars to sound less German, Arab Americans are visually accosted by fellow travelers going through Air Ports after 9/11. And finally, a law enforcement officer can demand "The Papers" of anyone in Arizona who looks like an illegal immigrant!
We hold our personal liberties to be the back bone of our government, all you have to do is listen to the Tea Partiers (note I didn't say Tea Baggers, although I wanted to), they call for smaller less intrusive government to stay out of their way and let them spend their money and live their lives as they would like. I find this to be an interesting contradiction as the Arizona (Iced) Tea Party supports this legislation, further expressing their selfish nature and racist tendencies. Apparently smaller less intrusive government should only apply to white middle aged rich people, if you are a person of color or don't appear to have much personal wealth then it's okay for the government to over step their boundaries and be as intrusive as they want to be.
The fourth amendment of the constitution allows for each person to be considered innocent until proven guilty and allows them the right to avail themselves to our justice system. The Arizona law reverses this, now anyone who looks questionable can essentially be profiled and harassed by an officer of the law and the burden of proof is on the individual not the state to prove their residence, I refer to section 1 subsection b of the law:
FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY
OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS
STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS
UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE,
WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON. THE
PERSON'S IMMIGRATION STATUS SHALL BE VERIFIED WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
PURSUANT TO 8 UNITED STATES CODE SECTION 1373(c).
This is a slippery slope our country is headed down, think about it this way as we take more steps to strengthen law enforcements ability to profile, the fourteen Militiamen in Michigan/Ohio/Indiana were white American's who ran around the woods playing with guns and plotting to kill police officers, should these three states make it legal for law enforcement officials to interrogate anyone who is white with a gun rack or firearms license...all three of these states have successful hunting seasons. Or perhaps law officers should be allowed to profile White Christians as Neo Nazi organizations are a threat to society and they often invoke Christian religion and symbols into their activities and writings.
In a time of global terrorism the question stands "where do personal liberties end and security begin?" America has always portrayed itself to be the moral example for the rest of the world, we over threw tyranny to give a voice to the people, we have fought and vanquished the evils of Hitler and Hirohito, we outlasted communism and brought down the Berlin Wall but yet we persecute our people at home in the name of security and safety. I quote Benjamin Franklin "They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security". The immigration law in Arizona is wrong because it allows the state to deny basic rights to the people there, how long will it be until police are randomly stopping and harassing Latinos on the street because they can? When will Arizona begin to look like southern states prior to the Civil Rights Act? Any law that presupposes a persons guilt over their innocence is fundamentally un-American and therefore wrong! I believe immigration reform is needed and that illegal immigrants should be dealt with, but not at the expense of the Bill of Rights or personal freedoms; we have an obligation as the land of the free and the home of the brave to deal with the questions our country faces in a manor that preserves civil liberties and unalienable rights of our citizens, anything less than that and we loose our moral high ground. I look forward to the day when this law is stricken down in court for all of the reasons I have listed but also because, after all, in the summer I look Hispanic too.
