Now it's just getting ridiculous...

1/5/10 00:12
[identity profile] dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com
While I'm in favor of the immigration laws that will (hopefully) go into effect in Arizona (especially considering the news that an AZ Deputy was wounded today, allegedly by an illegal immigrant), the latest law signed by Gov. Jan Brewer is just ridiculous.
The measure targets an ethnic studies program from a Tucson school district. It would prohibit classes that advocate ethnic solidarity, that are designed primarily for students of a particular race or that promote resentment toward a certain ethnic group.

The Tucson Unified School District program allows students to take history and literature courses that include information about the influence of a particular ethnic group. District officials believe it would comply with the new bill.

Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Republican Tom Horne — who's running for attorney general — has been trying for years to pass a bill limiting the program after learning that Hispanic civil rights activist Dolores Huerta told Tucson high school students in 2006 that "Republicans hate Latinos."

Horne said he believes the district's Mexican-American studies program teaches Latino students that they are oppressed by white people. Public schools should not be encouraging students to resent a particular race, he said.

"A fundamental American value is that we're all individuals, and what race we were born into is not relevant," Horne said.
Source

I agree that people should be looked at as equals, you shouldn't ignore history and people certainly shouldn't be forced to learn only one side of any story. Why is it that the law allows Native American studies to continue while other ethnic groups are left out? The law will continue education about the Holocaust, but what about the Japanese internment camps in the United States - will they be ignored?

The immigration law should be open for debate, but banning ethnic studies courses is clearly a separatist maneuver on the part of the Arizona state legislature and should not be tolerated under any circumstances.
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More Americans Favor Than Oppose Arizona Immigration Law: Why? What do they want?

30/4/10 23:26
[identity profile] futurebird.livejournal.com
According to the survey, nearly eight out of ten Americans have heard about the law. Of those, 51 percent support the measure and 39 percent oppose the law. (Source)
 

Could that means that about 40% of the population supports a law that forces you to carry proof of citizenship on your person or risk being detained until you can prove that you are a citizen?  I wonder, how many people really understand what this law means? Could they have taken the question to mean "Do you support immigration laws?" (most people do) rather than support this particular law?

But no one can deny that some people who feel that illegal immigration is an urgent issue that is hurting the country. This law came in to being since some people felt the need to "do something" -- so, I want to ask: what is the problem they are trying to solve?
( Read more... )

Yes. It is another post. It's that important.
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¿Puede usted decir búsqueda y asimiento desrazonables?

30/4/10 20:27
[identity profile] tniassaint.livejournal.com

Well, I am not sure I can either.

By now everyone should have heard about the new laws in Arizona. I am not sure how anyone could not be outraged. This is one of the worst decisions ever signed into law that I have ever heard of. It's unenforceable, illegal, and flies in the face of some of the most valued of our social and cultural standards. Even those on the far right will not be able to make a valid argument for the intelligence of this bit of tripe. All those half baked complaints about the destruction of the Constitution and not a peep about this travesty.


It's not about harboring illegal aliens. It's about the rights of the average citizen to be protected from search and seizure. Yes, that's right - the average Joe. See, since it is often impossible for the law to determine who is illegal and who is not they will have to infringe on the rights of many Americans who happen to “look” like they could be illegal; but are guilty of nothing at all. And if you refuse, you can be charged with obstruction and several other additional charges – and even worse – if the police are deemed by some annoying busy body (who wants to harass the most likely perfectly legal family of Hispanics next door who throw loud parties) as not enforcing this crazy law, they run the risk of being sued; thus forcing to the police into a no win situation where they will get sued for enforcing the law or not.


And so what if I have no reason to fear being stopped myself? That isn't the point. Everyone in this country is assumed to be innocent and protected from unreasonable search and seizure. SO what if I get stopped once, or twice, or a dozen times - I guess it isn't unreasonable if you are a middle aged white person in a Lexus.


Makes me want to dress the part and go to Arizona just be able to get arrested and file a suit myself. This is the sort of thing I have been expecting since the days of Junior.

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Erosion of all of our freedoms.

23/4/10 23:12
[identity profile] futurebird.livejournal.com

By now most of you have heard of what has happened in Arizona.
The new immigration law will require anyone whom police suspect of being in the country illegally to produce "an alien registration document," such as a green card, or other proof of citizenship such as a passport or Arizona driver's license.
This is a law supported almost exclusively by the same Republicans who claim they was "less government." It fails to fit in to any kind of "less government" philosophy since it tries to resolve immigration issues by imposing on the freedom of all US citizens, but in particular those who, due to their appearance, and ethnicity might arouse the suspicion of the police more often. Yet, even if you have blond hair and blue eyes and speak English with no accent, and even dress like a middle- class or rich person, or drive a nice car with US plates etc. this law still applies to you. You must show your papers. You must show your papers in America. What is wrong with us? It's probably not such a big inconvenience for middle-class and rich people who drive and don't "fit the profile," they will have a license on their person anyway, right? And they are unlikely to have their right to be in their own country questioned. So, what's the big deal? right? But come on-- this is wrong just based on principle! Even if you want to pretend that it's not call to start massive racial and ethnic profiling.

If you appear "suspicious" whatever that may mean you must have documentation. And if you are not rich enough to own a car-- you might not have any on you. This law will humiliate and inconvenience Americans who are already marginalized-- which is why I suppose they were able to pass it!

It also makes it illegal to impede the flow of traffic by picking up day laborers for work. A day laborer who gets picked up for work, thus impeding traffic, would also be committing a criminal act.
Arizona governor signs immigration law; foes promise fight

As usual this legislation targets workers, but not employers of illegal immigrants. This is a losing proposition. Crack down on those who hire illegal immigrants and there will be no reason for people to come here illegally. Instead we crack down on the workers creating an invisible class of exploitable (and often exploited people in a nation that prides itself on freedom) -- Harassment like the kind in this law helps keep wages low. We must go after those who knowingly employ illegal immigrants. Hold them responsible. And stop eroding the rights of citizens with non-solutions like this stupid piece of legislation.
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San Francisco Police Chief says AZ immigration bill "catastrophic"

23/4/10 00:22
[identity profile] devil-ad-vocate.livejournal.com
[George] Gascon, who was the top cop in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa before being tapped for the San Francisco job last year, said the Arizona legislation "will have a catastrophic effect on policing and set back community policing efforts for decades."

The bill "essentially legislates racial profiling, putting police in the middle of the train tracks to face an onslaught of civil-rights violations lawsuits," said former Sacramento Police Chief Arturo Venegas. "No other law in the country allows citizens to sue a government agency for not arresting enough people."

(more)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=61951

"We [Republicans] should be open-minded about big issues like immigration reform, because if we're viewed as anti-somebody -- in other words, if the party is viewed as anti-immigrant -- then another fellow may say, 'Well, if they're against the immigrant, they may be against me.' "
- George W. Bush, 2009

I did a grad school (Mass Communications) study of the 2006 congressional elections in sixteen districts in eight states - including the border states - with significant (at least 13%) Latino populations. Republican candidates who made even a cursory effort to address that demographic were successful; those who didn't, or were overtly hostile, lost.

It amazes me that so many on the Right voice an opposition to addressing the concerns of demographic 'groups' - as if they don't exist. It seems like political suicide to me. In Texas, Latinos have been the majority population for five years now.

Your thoughts?
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