April 25, 2010
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Arizona's Immigration Law Wrong Response to National Issue
One might think from Jim Kouri's article (http://archives.huntingtonnews.net/columns/100424-kouri-columnsarizona.html) that, only after desperate alternative measures, did the Arizona state legislature come up with the most irrational piece of immigration law in the nation for thegovernor to sign. And she did.
Let's be honest: no question about the easy-come-easy-go Arizona border with Mexico. But a lot of that has as much to do with the laxity of folks on our side of the line as with the crooks on the other side. Businesses in border states like Arizona and Texas have been making deals for cheap help from Mexico for ages,. even hiring crooked contractors to bring these folks over, often at the cost of their (the workers') lives.
Among other things, however, Arizona's fascinating new law permits police and other authorities to stop folks on sight if they appear to be illegals and to demand credible evidence they "right" to be on our side of the border. Inherent in such promiscuous assertion of the law is reality many cops, legislators and others in Arizona actually are of Hispanic ancestry. Will they be happy to accommodate the idea of having to prove who they are? Don't bet on it.
Beyond this, what is left unsaid is the reality an estimated million or so good old Caucasian faces whose owners have no legal right to function here also are roaming the streets often doing quite well. Do you think any cops are going to stop them for their papers?
But the really distasteful aspect emerging is the shrill cries of the self-proclaimed super patriots with their "we're gonna show 'em" attitudes in a state where open gun carry is perfectly legal.
What is also unsaid in much of the discussion is that those of us privileged to live, work and prosper in this great nation actually know enough about history to be aware the folks who founded the place were able to do so because the resident Indians had a lousy immigration policy.
There is no question something needs to be done about illegal immigration, but, when we begin to sound like we did not realize our own national roots and history, the lid is off the promise of ..."liberty and justice for all."
Joseph J. Honick
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Arizona's Immigration Law Wrong Response to National Issue
One might think from Jim Kouri's article (http://archives.huntingtonnews.net/columns/100424-kouri-columnsarizona.html) that, only after desperate alternative measures, did the Arizona state legislature come up with the most irrational piece of immigration law in the nation for thegovernor to sign. And she did.
Let's be honest: no question about the easy-come-easy-go Arizona border with Mexico. But a lot of that has as much to do with the laxity of folks on our side of the line as with the crooks on the other side. Businesses in border states like Arizona and Texas have been making deals for cheap help from Mexico for ages,. even hiring crooked contractors to bring these folks over, often at the cost of their (the workers') lives.
Among other things, however, Arizona's fascinating new law permits police and other authorities to stop folks on sight if they appear to be illegals and to demand credible evidence they "right" to be on our side of the border. Inherent in such promiscuous assertion of the law is reality many cops, legislators and others in Arizona actually are of Hispanic ancestry. Will they be happy to accommodate the idea of having to prove who they are? Don't bet on it.
Beyond this, what is left unsaid is the reality an estimated million or so good old Caucasian faces whose owners have no legal right to function here also are roaming the streets often doing quite well. Do you think any cops are going to stop them for their papers?
But the really distasteful aspect emerging is the shrill cries of the self-proclaimed super patriots with their "we're gonna show 'em" attitudes in a state where open gun carry is perfectly legal.
What is also unsaid in much of the discussion is that those of us privileged to live, work and prosper in this great nation actually know enough about history to be aware the folks who founded the place were able to do so because the resident Indians had a lousy immigration policy.
There is no question something needs to be done about illegal immigration, but, when we begin to sound like we did not realize our own national roots and history, the lid is off the promise of ..."liberty and justice for all."
Joseph J. Honick
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Share This Story:
Make HNN Your Homepage (IE Users Only)
