Illegal Immigrants and the American Dream

The debate over the Arizona Bill, Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, SB 1070, rages on.  Some call it racial profiling and others believe it is just what the state needs to fight the rising costs and crime rates associated with illegal immigration.  It is called the strictest anti-immigration law in decades, yet uses the federal law as its guide. It has prompted outrage and accolades as people take sides.

Our president weighed in on it, using his mega phone on the national stage, with his own sound bite, stating that the law threatened, ‘to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and our communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe.” Then he admitted that he never read the bill.

Our Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security were both very vocal in their sound bites, about how inappropriate and bad for the country this bill was. Then they admitted that they didn’t read the bill either.

I would like to ask a serious question here…..If they haven’t read the bill, why are they even commenting on it? And why would the press report their statements? I think I know why.

You tell me, who is propagating fear in this statement? You take your kids out for ice cream and get stopped and asked for your papers? The president said, “You can try to make it really tough on people who look like they, quote, unquote look like illegal immigrants. One of the things that the law says is that local officials are allow to ask somebody who they have a suspicion might be an illegal immigrant for their papers — but you can imagine if you are a Hispanic American in Arizona, your great, great grandparents may have been there before Arizona was even a state. But now suddenly if you don’t have your papers and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you’re going to be harassed, that’s something that could potentially happen.”

Really?  How did he know that if he never read the bill?  Are these sound bites meant to sway anyone? The left accuses the right of fear tactics, yet this statement incited quite a bit of fear and a lot of protesting.  This, from the guy who promised a new era of civil discourse. Does the term ‘stupidly’ come to mind?

They pulled this same scenario with the Health Care Bill too, sending out sound bites before anyone read the actually bill.  Both sides did. The difference here is that the Health Care Bill was thousands of pages and the Arizona bill is just 16 pages including amendments.  Yet, it remained too difficult for them to read before commenting.

In my humble opinion, that’s the catch phrase here right?  I can say anything I want to, because it is just my opinion.  I can say all manner of evil against this country as long as I put ‘IMHO’ in front of it, because that makes it all OK, freedom of speech and all that.  

Apparently, that’s the way life in Washington is being done, as well.  Leaking these little IMHO nuggets out, so everyone knows what their humble opinion is.   When they get to actually reading the bill, they may have to change that opinion, but by then their humble opinion has been duly noted by all of the press and reported to the world.

Now I wouldn’t dream of saying that this is the first time something like this was done; I am not that naïve. But it sure seems that the public’s view is getting manipulated by these little ‘tweets’ instead of by actual law. 

The Arizona law gives law enforcement the right to question the immigration status if, and only if, the person can not provide sufficient ID upon being questioned during a crime related incident. That is the bill in a nutshell with the inclusion of holding regulations. As far as I know, going for ice cream is not illegal. I don’t know where Obama gets this stuff.

Spelling this out distinctly, Arizonainsists that law enforcement may not stop or question anyone about citizenship without suspicion of illegal activity. The opponents of this bill must have forgotten that every person in the United States is required to show ID at the request of any law official. It matters not if you’re driving a car,walking down the street or getting ice cream with your kids. If a cop asks you for ID, you are required bylaw to provide it, whether it is crime related or not. This is federal law. As a student of law, Obama knows this. When he does finally read the bill, he will be aware that the federal law is actually stricter than the Arizona Bill SB1070.

If we, as citizens of America, are required to carry ID and to show it upon request, why on earth would we require less from a non-citizen? Remember what he said about the basic notion of fairness? What’s not fair about this?

We don’t like the term ‘papers’. It reminds us of Hitler. This, IMHO, is the reason that the opposition uses that particular terminology so predominantly. What is the first thing a cop asks you when you get pulled over? Can I see your ID, registration and insurance? Is that considered racial profiling? Or is that fair since they require it from every one that gets pulled over?

One other matter of note here is the fact that other border states have very similar laws already on their books, including California, the loudest protesting state against the Arizona law. Maybe they should read their own bill before commenting.

Here in Michigan, Kalamazoo Central High School is the president’s top choice to win the first annual “Race to the Top” competition. The prize is having the president speak at their commencement. First of all, I would like to congratulate the school for winning the prize. Kalamazoo has worked extremely hard to change their low graduation rates into a successfully high rate.

I must point out that neither the school nor the school system did this on their own. The community came together to form the “Kalamazoo Promise.” Founded a few years ago, this promise is a pledge to pay for the college tuition of all the graduates of the Kalamazoo high school. Funded by anonymous and private enterprise donations (no federal or state money), this program has encouraged so many students to continue their education. I mention this program because it works and more communities should look to follow this example to make college attainable for students.

So Obama wishes to highlight the success of this school and for that he should be applauded. However and here is the kicker. The president’s security team is requiring the students to fill out citizenship forms complete with Social Security numbers, in order for the security team to do background checks. Ok, perhaps this is standard procedure when the president agrees to meet with the students but the hypocrisy is not lost here. For the protection of the president, it is ok to ask to see papers, but for the protection of the people in Arizona, asking for ID, is racial profiling.

Here we go……..because in my humble opinion, it isn’t about the ID, the papers, or even the people. It is about the money, the future votes and the opinion of those who want to fundamentally change America. Don’t you wish they would let us in what the change is, that they keep talking about? I mean we see some of the changes in America that have taken place in the last year and so far most of us are less than impressed. I know I’m not impressed.

So what is the final goal of these changes? They want to change the greatest country in the world into what? Funny, they won’t give us the answer to that. So far, we see more entitlements, out of control spending, and politicians telling us that they no longer consider the Constitution as important. Is this really the change they want? Sadly, I think it is.

The real question remains....To what end?

The state of Arizona is going broke, as are many of the states. The illegal immigration is costing the state of Arizona billions every year without an end in sight.  Do they not have the right to control how their money is spent?  Are they not a sovereign state?  What does that mean anyway?  Each state is sovereign, meaning that they govern their own state.  Federal law takes precedence only in national and international circumstances.  Does Arizona’s new law fall under that jurisdiction? NO, because the bill isn’t about immigration.  It is only about the illegal immigrants that are already in their state.   Nothing in the bill contributes to anything international as the illegal immigrants who are picked up in Arizona are turned over to the federal government.

The devastation to the state of Arizona is not just monetary either. As these pictures show, the illegals coming here have a great love for this country, don’t they? They want to protect the land right? Known as the Illegal Super Highway, this pathway has been dubbed the Trail of Trash and highlighted by another writer, Ghost32, here on Hubpages.

PICTURE CAPTIONS

This area is located in a wash, approximately 1.5 miles long, just south of Tucson, Arizona. When the rain comes, all this will be washed to the river and then onto the sea!

It is estimated over 5,000 discarded backpacks are in this wash. Countless water containers, food wrappers, clothing, feces, including thousands of soiled baby diapers. And as you can see in this picture, fresh footprints leading right into it.

And of course the trail leading out of the wash in our city, heads directly NORTH to Tucson, then leads to your town tomorrow.

Our desert has basically been turned into a landfill.

I get it, I really do. People want to come to America. It is the greatest country in the world. My ancestors wanted to come here too. They did everything that was required of them, just as most of yours did. They endured many trials to accomplish it. They jumped through all of the hoops and did it right. They became citizens.

Required by law to get a job, provide for themselves or be sponsored, they learned the language in order to become citizens. They were proud to join this country. They joined the thousands of other immigrants to this huge melting pot and they melted. They became Americans. Many, just a generation later, sent their sons to fight a war in countries that they used to call home, because they believed in America. They were Americans. They worked hard to provide a better home and a better life for their families and their communities.

Throughout the history of this country, notwithstanding the extremists, who are the folks, claiming the most discrimination?

Now ask yourself, did they melt? Are they doing everything in their power to provide a better home and life for their families and their communities? Do they leave this country with their trash trailing behind them or with a trail of accomplishments? Did they become Americans? Or are they something else first?