SB 1070, Arizona’s new Immigration Law must not be tolerated or permitted in the United States of America. This law, which will require all immigrants to carry citizenship papers at all times and will allow police to demand the papers of any individual whom they suspect to be an immigrant, is evil and irrefutably un-American.
This racist action is being leveled at the Mexican Indian people who are a vital part of life in this country, illegal or not. It is my personal belief that no human being should ever be labeled as illegal on their own home planet, but concepts of legal citizenship aside, this is a law which makes the state of Arizona a place of hatred and fear for all peoples. This law must be flatly condemned and held up as a prime example of those political elements in our nation which seek to destroy American ideals of liberty and equality.
I am feeling tremendous concern for Mexican Indian men, women and children right now who must be feeling extreme anxiety and terror because of this wicked law and I am also deeply worried about the more than 250,000 members of the 21 Native American Tribes who call Arizona home. Unfortunately, the word in Indian Country about life in Arizona has never been good. I have read too many accounts of police and citizen brutality against and even murder of Native peoples in Arizona that have gone uninvestigated and unpunished to feel that the state is a just or enlightened one. I can hardly stand to think that this new law will give police and private citizens further excuse to commit hate crimes against the local Indian peoples whom, with their wonderful dark skin and hair, may conveniently be suspected of being illegal aliens. Can you see this playing out like I can?
My father’s wry suggestion is that Mexican-American police begin arresting white people on suspicion of being illegal Canadian aliens. Others are advocating that all Americans boycott the state for this act of bigotry, refusing to vacation in Arizona or purchase the state’s products until this law is revoked. President Obama is starting an investigation of the legality of the law and national news sources give evidence of the outrage so many people are feeling over this hateful action.
My words – hatred, racism, bigotry, evil – are strong ones in this brief article, but this is a moment that calls for our most strenuous opposition. My family does not want to live in Nazi Germany or the Arkansas of the 1950s. The disgusting mentality of Arizona’s state government and the citizens who supported SB 1070 does not represent our ideals or morals as people who live in America. We do not want anyone to carry papers or live in fear of law enforcement officers or bigoted citizenry. Ugly minds conceive of laws like these and have no place in a land whose people are continuing to struggle to form a society where all human persons are respected. We are still so far from the day when people of every color and creed are equally valued. The immigration law shoves us backward into the territory of rounds-ups, pogroms, concentration camps, lynchings and ethnic cleansing. Let no one stand for this regression into our dark and violent past. Let us love our brother. Let us stand united against this immoral law.
8 users commented in " Arizona Immigration Law, SB 1070, Must Not Be Tolerated "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackArizona can pass race base laws, pass Birthers laws and the state can continue to boycott Martin Luther King Day, well the rest of the Country can boycott the state of Arizona and spank them where it hurts them the most their pocket book. Their phony patriotism is sickening, they are just racists going by another name. We all know you are just itching to put a sheet on their head? Let’s face it the Republicans had eight years to deal with health care, immigration, climate change and financial oversight and governance and they failed. It appears that the Republican Party is only good at starting wars (two in eight years, with fat contracts to friends of Cheney/Bush) but not at winning wars as seen by the continuing line of body bags that keep coming home. The Republicans party will continue turned inward to their old fashion obstructionist party (and their Confederacy appreciation roots) because they continue to allow a small portions (but very loud portion) of their party of “birthers, baggers and blowhards” to rule their party. I will admit that this fringe is very good at playing “Follow the Leader” by listening to their dullard leaders, Beck, Hedgecock, Hannity, O’Reilly, Rush, Savage, Sarah Bailin, Orly Taitz, Victoria Jackson, Michele Bachmann and the rest of the Blowhards and acting as ill programmed robots (they have already acted against doctors that perform abortions). The Birthers and the Tea party crowd think they can scare, intimidate and force others to go along with them by comments like “This time we came unarmed”, let me tell you something not all ex-military join the fringe militia crazies who don’t pay taxes and run around with face paint in the parks playing commando, the majority are mature and understand that the world is more complicated and grey than the black and white that these simpleton make it out to be and that my friend is the point. The world is complicated and people like Hamilton, Lincoln, and Roosevelt believed that we should use government a little to increase social mobility, now it’s about dancing around the claim of government is the problem. The sainted Reagan passed the biggest tax increase in American history and as a result federal employment increased, but facts are lost when mired in mysticism and superstition. For a party that gave us Abraham Lincoln, it is tragic that the ranks are filled with too many empty suits and the crazy Birthers who have not learned that the way our courts work is that you get a competent lawyer, verifiable facts and present them to a judge, if the facts are real and not half baked internet lies, then, and only then, do you proceed to trial. The Birthers seem to be having a problem with their so called “facts”. Let’s face it no one will take the Birthers seriously until they win a case, but until then, you will continue to appear dumb, crazy or racist, or maybe all three. I heard that Orly Taitz now wants to investigate the “Republican 2009 Summer of Love” list: Assemblyman, Michael D. Duvall (CA), Senator John Ensign (NV), Senator Paul Stanley (TN), Governor Mark Stanford (SC), Board of Ed Chair, and Kristin Maguire AKA Bridget Keeney (SC), she wants to re-establish a family values party, that’s like saying that the Catholic Church cares about the welling being of children in their care, too late for that.
I have a hard time understanding why anyone would call this law Racist. It is not a law that is unique to any single race. All races will be subject to the same law. Only those that are not US Citizens who are here Illegally will be subject to the penalties of the law. I further find it funny that people are protesting and arguing that a person residing here as an ILLEGAL ALIEN should not be subject to punishment. Nobody is saying that a foreign person cannot come to the US or become a citizen, they are just saying Do So Legally. US Citizens have to follow the rules, shouldn’t we expect at least that from someone who shouldn’t even be here.
Welcome, Johneg,
Thank you for sharing your view of this. The reason people are offended by this bill is because it hangs on the question of how exactly do you tell what an illegal alien looks like? People are not envisioning cops stopping cars being driven by fellows who look Australian or Canadian or German, right? No, they are seeing this as an excuse to bully and enact racial profiling against brown-skinned people. Thus, this law has a racial basis.
For me, the most unpleasant and uncomfortable thing about this law is that it was enacted by the descendants of European immigrants. None of the conquistadors, pilgrims or colonists had to show their papers to the Native Americans (the brown skinned folks) when they came here, though these newcomers were certainly aliens. And now, having decimated, abused and scorned America’s original inhabitants, these white folks are sitting themselves down in very high seats, deciding who is legal and who is illegal. Frankly, I’d like to see that matter finally left up to the Indians. It’s really their country first, and their ties to the Mexican Indians are rather stronger than their ties to those of European descent.
My belief is that all people should be welcome here, and that living in fear is a poor choice. But, Arizona – the only state in the Nation which refuses to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day – is living in fear and is promulgating fearful and hate-filled modes of thinking with a law like this, and it is offensive to many, many people.
Best Wishes,
Mim
Welcome, Montana,
Clearly, this law has really offended your sense of justice and you are in plentiful company this time. I am so glad to see so many people saying, “no,” to this very bad idea. Thanks for stopping by.
Mim
this country is far from perfect. I am so proud to be an American and i am behind this law. My parents were Latino immigrants to this country and i grew up excited that one day as an adult i would be a contributing member to this great country. I’ve worked and lived among immigrants of different races/countries and their hardships were formidable. Still, i am rooting for this country to have more responsible immigration laws. My strong hope is that we become more responsible, and thus, more humane when it comes to the borders. If people know what limits to expect, they will find productive and safer ways of achieving their goals. The onus of responsibility will shift, and the burdens will be more evenly distributed, including those that involve their mother countries. I have no doubt that there will be situations in which racial profiling will ensue, because there are bigoted people everywhere, but i put trust in the government, the American people, and the higher-ups in law enforcement to work to create a system of checks and balances for unfairness and brutality. It is not responsible to say that because there is a fear of brutality and racial profiling that there should exist no laws to protect both sides – the citizens of this country, and those suffering individuals coming here for what they believe to be a better life. We are in wartime, and i would expect that those who truly want to be part of this country would have compassion for our need to protect ourselves and would do what they can to help, even if that includes carrying around citizenship papers. I carry around my licence and my passport and i happily present it when i am asked for it by any time of security personel. I do not feel a sense of entitlement about it. I feel pride. Sometimes it does take monumental courage and conviction to take the hard line for the larger good. I believe Arizona is doing the right thing for what is going on in their state.
“SB 1070, Arizona’s new Immigration Law must not be tolerated or permitted in the United States of America. This law, which will require all immigrants to carry citizenship papers at all times and will allow police to demand the papers of any individual whom they suspect to be an immigrant, is evil and irrefutably un-American.”
YES! Thank you! I’m glad someone sees this obscene law for what it is.
The SB 1070 only enforces the existing federal law which ALREADY REQUIRES LEGAL RESIDENT ALIENS TO CARRY ID. The FEDERAL code allows anyone to be stopped at ANY TIME FOR ANY REASON. The state code does NOT allow this. A person may only be asked their immigration status only after being legally detained for another reason. the statute goes further and specifically states that race or ethcicity may NOT be used as the sole suspician.
As an american citizen, i am required to produce ID when asked by police. why should anyone else be any different???
Why not equality?
It’s about time the federal laws are enforced, Arizona’s new law mirrors the federal laws already in place. It’s sad that our states have to make laws duplicate to our federal laws in order to achieve law and justice regarding ILLEGAL activity within their state. Shame on the federal government for not doing their job to begin with, if they did, we wouldn’t have this issue today!
Bravo Arizona!!!
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