I was included on an email supporting AZ's recent bill...
... by a member of my extended family.
Here's the image (I've edited it to make sure that anyone that randomly finds it on my account understands my feelings on it):
Here's my reply:
Pathetic, and embarrassing coming from a family member.
The people of AZ already had to submit ID for all the below (before the bill). This is a straw man argument.
The new bill requires police to question anyone they "reasonably suspect" of being an undocumented immigrant -- a mandate for racial profiling on a massive scale. So, if someone has a Hispanic appearance, they're going to get an extra grilling - based purely on their appearance.
This is like what cops already do in inner cities - pulling over black people because, well, they're black. I've seen it myself in Woodinville. It's embarrassing and degrading - to me watching, to the person pulled over, and to the laws the police officer was supposedly upholding.
This bill has merely made hard working, honest people (ok, they broke the law when they entered illegally - but they're doing what they feel they must to support their family) who have no desire to break any (other) laws. Sure, not all of them are decent folk - but I'm going to guess it's in the approx the same ratio as the citizens of USA. People are people, and these people are typically hardworking very blue collar workers doing work no one else wants to do (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/24/colbert-immigrant-farm-wo_n_624875.html).
And to prove I'm not simply blustering with a bleeding heart, here's some text from our Constituion, 14th Amendment (which formally defined citizenship):
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
I'd like to point out the use of two words here: person and citizen
Specifially:
"No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States" - sure, not getting extra questions/pull overs because you're Hispanic looking may not be specifically a 'privilege' or 'immunity' - but racial profiling has already been determined to be illegal.
And:
"nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." - here, the text carefully uses the word person - rather than citizen. Non-citizens, whether here illegally or legally, are due the same protection from the law. (This also affects accused 'terrorists' in custody of the military, in my opinion. Either we trust our laws - and apply them where we have jurisdiction - or we don't. Anything else is pure hypocrisy.)
There's really a very short list of difference between person and citizen:
1) Citizen's can hold office (with further limitation based solely on where one was born, without exception - dumb, but not-relevant here)
2) Citizen's can vote
... but I digress.
The point of bringing up the 14th Amendments text is that AZ's bill runs counter to 'due the same protection from the law' and will have the effect of running counter to 'abridge(ing) the privileges or immunities of citizens'.
As for 'illegal immigration' - who cares? How did your great-great grandparents get here? Did they for sure go through some immigration? Was it a big deal if someone didn't? Were their children (and children's children) productive members of society? People are people. There's no 'special' class of people - other than citizens who are allowed to participate in the government.
AZ's bill /reeks/ of racial fear, bigotry, and small-mindedness - and this image is nothing but baiting based on unrelated and unaffected (pre and post bill) facts. (I especially like the scientific sounding 68% figure... that's a nice touch.)
Feel free to include me on any other similar email campaigns.
- chris
Here's the image (I've edited it to make sure that anyone that randomly finds it on my account understands my feelings on it):
Here's my reply:
Pathetic, and embarrassing coming from a family member.
The people of AZ already had to submit ID for all the below (before the bill). This is a straw man argument.
The new bill requires police to question anyone they "reasonably suspect" of being an undocumented immigrant -- a mandate for racial profiling on a massive scale. So, if someone has a Hispanic appearance, they're going to get an extra grilling - based purely on their appearance.
This is like what cops already do in inner cities - pulling over black people because, well, they're black. I've seen it myself in Woodinville. It's embarrassing and degrading - to me watching, to the person pulled over, and to the laws the police officer was supposedly upholding.
This bill has merely made hard working, honest people (ok, they broke the law when they entered illegally - but they're doing what they feel they must to support their family) who have no desire to break any (other) laws. Sure, not all of them are decent folk - but I'm going to guess it's in the approx the same ratio as the citizens of USA. People are people, and these people are typically hardworking very blue collar workers doing work no one else wants to do (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/24/colbert-immigrant-farm-wo_n_624875.html).
And to prove I'm not simply blustering with a bleeding heart, here's some text from our Constituion, 14th Amendment (which formally defined citizenship):
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
I'd like to point out the use of two words here: person and citizen
Specifially:
"No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States" - sure, not getting extra questions/pull overs because you're Hispanic looking may not be specifically a 'privilege' or 'immunity' - but racial profiling has already been determined to be illegal.
And:
"nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." - here, the text carefully uses the word person - rather than citizen. Non-citizens, whether here illegally or legally, are due the same protection from the law. (This also affects accused 'terrorists' in custody of the military, in my opinion. Either we trust our laws - and apply them where we have jurisdiction - or we don't. Anything else is pure hypocrisy.)
There's really a very short list of difference between person and citizen:
1) Citizen's can hold office (with further limitation based solely on where one was born, without exception - dumb, but not-relevant here)
2) Citizen's can vote
... but I digress.
The point of bringing up the 14th Amendments text is that AZ's bill runs counter to 'due the same protection from the law' and will have the effect of running counter to 'abridge(ing) the privileges or immunities of citizens'.
As for 'illegal immigration' - who cares? How did your great-great grandparents get here? Did they for sure go through some immigration? Was it a big deal if someone didn't? Were their children (and children's children) productive members of society? People are people. There's no 'special' class of people - other than citizens who are allowed to participate in the government.
AZ's bill /reeks/ of racial fear, bigotry, and small-mindedness - and this image is nothing but baiting based on unrelated and unaffected (pre and post bill) facts. (I especially like the scientific sounding 68% figure... that's a nice touch.)
Feel free to include me on any other similar email campaigns.
- chris