Arizona’s Desperate Measures

Arizona is hoping to do what the Federal government cannot by passing a controversial law intended to try and relieve the illegal immigrant problem within their state lines. I say controversial because that is the label it has been given by the majority of the morons in this country who get their news from Comedy Central or the 60 second radio snippet on their way to work.

The 17 page document, cited as the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe

27 Neighborhoods Act", is an easy read and certainly not as long to read (and interpret) as Obama’s health care reform bill. The major uproar over the new law hails from the second paragraph in the first article on the first page. If you are one of those dorks who specializes in Internet shorthand you will probably be irritated by the ALL CAPS. The text does not represent yelling; I have copied the article directly from the law and have not edited its formatting.

11-1051  Cooperation and assistance in enforcement of immigration laws; indemnification

A. NO OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR

    OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE MAY ADOPT A POLICY THAT LIMITS

    OR RESTRICTS THE ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAWS TO LESS

    THAN THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY FEDERAL LAW.

So far, so good.

B. FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY

    OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF

    THIS STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN

    ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE

    ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION

    STATUS OF THE PERSON. THE PERSON'S IMMIGRATION STATUS SHALL BE VERIFIED

    WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PURSUANT TO 8 UNITED STATES CODE SECTION

    1373(c).

This is where the media stopped reading the bill along with the government of Mexico who is now telling prospective illegal’s to watch out for Arizona and to cross into the money pit by some other border. Why are we not shitting on Mexico harder for this? I digress.

The oversensitive Americans who believe in immigrant’s rights over their own countrymen’s rights have latched on to paragraph B and have interpreted this as free reign of law enforcement to stop anyone whenever they feel like it and ask for proof of identity. They have, in fact, incorrectly interpreted this paragraph. The first four words give the condition for the verification of status. It isn’t a willy-nilly notion the officer might have, it is lawful contact. In other words, the person has done something to provoke lawful contact.

By the way, if someone is here in the United States without proper credentials then he is classified as an illegal alien. Most people lose sight of the first word of that word pair- illegal. Illegal aliens are criminals as established and defined by Federal Law.

Arizona’s new law has taken State’s Rights and paralleled the existing Federal illegal immigration laws with their own. The police officers in Arizona are not doing anything that a Federal Border Patrol agent is authorized to do. Are Phoenix police officers not supposed to have the authority to question someone about their legal status in the United States because Phoenix is a 3 hour drive from the border?

Worse than the irrational arguments from the opponents of immigration control are the rash statements by desperate people juxtaposing the ability of Arizona police to ask for ID during lawful contact to the Gestapo asking for papers in Nazi Germany. Really? You want to establish a connection between the process of rounding up Jews and murdering them to a police officer asking for someone to prove their legal status to be in this country? You need a Twix break.

People that throw the “N” word around anytime a rule, guideline or law has the remote chance of pissing someone off need to come up with something less divisive if they want to be taken seriously. It is indiscriminately thrown around so much that it can be attached to any person or entity without regard.

No smoking within 20 feet of a building entrance? NAZI!!

Not hired because you have $200 worth of piercings in your face? NAZI!!

Thrown in jail because you crossed the border and then killed an Arizona rancher in his own house? NAZI!!

Tried to steal the Ark of the Covenant to aid your quest for world domination? NAZI!!

Alright, I’ll give you that last one.

The concept of providing proof of identity or other documentation is not new in this country. As a retired member of the military carrying ID at all times is not new to me. In fact, I still carry with me, at all times, my retiree military ID.

Want a driver’s license? Birth certificate required. Stopped by the Game Warden? Fishing license required. Pulled over by the cops for speeding down a one way street the wrong way, in reverse, naked while wearing a jock strap over your face? Don’t forget to show your proof of insurance.

If an Arizona policeman has established lawful contact why is it unreasonable to show some ID?

Here are the concerns from people who don’t live in Arizona who have no idea how bad the border crossings really are, people who love to jump on a bandwagon heading off to fight a perceived racially motivated injustice (i.e. Al Sharpton. No wait, he TURNS everything into a racially motivated injustice. My bad.) or people who are just plain uninformed, unintelligent and some other third thing that starts with “un”.

1. Even though some illegals are killing, raping, looting, squatting, stealing and/or ripping up flower gardens as they tear through someone’s backyard to get across the border, they are just trying to make a better life for themselves. (Pedophiles are just trying to make a better life for themselves too. Both are against the law.)
2. We need immigrants in our country to add to the melting pot. (I agree with this statement but it has nothing to do with illegal immigrants.)
3. It takes too long to become a U.S. citizen. (Not my problem. People still manage to do it and become naturalized. Get in line.)
4. Illegal immigrants contribute to our economy and they do pay taxes when they purchase items at a store. (Really, that’s all it takes to accept an illegal alien in your city- buy something from Safeway and you’re good?)
5. If you deport all the illegal aliens then the agricultural industry will collapse because no lazy American will pick cabbage or oranges. (My favorite because it levies a doomsday scenario based on no facts whatsoever. Here is my appeasement: get the bums on welfare to do it- no workie, no checkie.)

These are just some of the irrational excuses I have heard in the last few days. A quick internet search will yield many pages more. Many people across the United States are pissed about this new law, but 70% of (legal) Arizona residents support it. That is a big number and it screams desperate measures for desperate times. Since the border issue has taken a back burner to bailing out criminally mismanaged banks, car manufactures and insurance companies, giving money to people for their piece of shit cars in hopes to stimulate the economy, and a health care reform bill that will leave many Americans wishing for the old days of only a 4 hour wait in the ER, Arizona had no choice but to draft an “extreme” measure to protect her citizens.

Obama has stopped kissing the asses of our enemies and begging them to friend him on his Facebook page to weigh in on the AZ immigration law; his teleprompter minions are checking on the legality of such a law. People are calling for boycotts to AZ tourism, the Diamondbacks and products and services from AZ based companies. Futile, irrelevant and symbolism-over-substance gestures that will have no affect on anything except the warped conscience of the Americans who have lost sight of their fellow countrymen who are desperately trying to live their own American dream without the fear of losing it to people who enter this country illegally.