Arizona's SB 1070 is racist to the core
Posted on Monday, August 02, 2010 at 12:29 AM
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Say it with me: Arizona's SB 1070 is racist to the core. Arizona's SB 1070 is about police rounding up people based on their race, despite all the howls of protests of the bill's supporters to the contrary.
That is what it is about. It identifies undesirables based on their ethnicity, nationality and status.
But just try telling that to the Governor of Arizona, Jan Brewer. The mood she (and the GOP) are in these days, she'd probably deport the Statue of Liberty back to France if she had the opportunity.
In angling for her big moment in the national spotlight Brewer has instead turned the floodlights on millions of the most retiring people in our nation: the vulnerable undocumented who live in the shadows whilst all the while living hard productive lives and helping to power our economy.
It's not a fair fight. Brewer's brought out a bulldozer to pluck a daisy.
The bill's defenders shout why should Arizona’s taxpayers feed, house and educate the citizens of other countries? But this ignores just how hard those foreign born citizens are working to feed, house and educate themselves.
And the overheated charges of rampant criminality take a beating from the state's actual crime statistics, particularly when you're forced to admit the biggest crime of the year there involved a break out of three caucasian convicts.
Maybe Arizona's police force would spend their precious time better by keeping murderers behind bars rather than being forced to become untrained immigration agents?
And have you actually seen the comments written by so many of the state's own citizens in their online forums? To hear most of them tell it the undocumented have come to America to 'take our jobs, kill our citizens and rape our women.'
Dehumanizing much?
At a Republican County forum recently, in tune with the tenor of the times, primary candidate for Congress Pat Bertroche suggested that we microchip 'illegals.'
Bertroche said, referring to undocumented immigrants who are detained and deported, 'I actually support microchipping them. I can microchip my dog so I can find it. Why can't I microchip an illegal?'
And worst of all it’s no secret that the anti-immigrant movement in the United States has long and deep connections to white nationalist individuals and organizations.
White supremacist political parties have made (and have advertised) a donation they made to the fund Brewer set in to prepare for the defense of SB 1070.
Stormfront.org, the biggest white nationalist web forum online, has also called for donations to the SB 1070 defense fund. 'Money where you mouth is time,' they state.
Jan, you might want to take a look at your most ardent supporters. Why? Because money talks, and here's what it's saying - SB 1070 is racist to the core.
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hollabackgurl | Aug 13, 2010, 09:00 AM EDT
Actually you know nothing, longislander1940 - there are virtually NO farms in southern Arizona because it's a desert! The people on the border aren't going through anything but their daily lives.
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longislander1940 | Aug 13, 2010, 08:05 AM EDT
To the IDIOTS who call everything racist you know nothing. Talk to the farmers and homeowners in southern Arizona , see what they are going through with all these illegals coming into this country.
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grandmaguns | Aug 10, 2010, 10:12 AM EDT
You have got to be kidding. Stop using the racist card.
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bonjouryall | Aug 09, 2010, 08:35 PM EDT
I see the Left Wing has put out its chihuahua attack dog. How can anyone conceive of an immigration policy that singles out people based upon their nationality?!?! The horror!!!! But for those with a spine and a brain, I recently came across a website called Federation for Immigration Reform, which gives a big picture and background of various immigration issues. It is generally anti-immigration so take everything with a grain of salt but the value of the broad issues and what's been done in the past, and failed, is much better than the tired old 'you're racist if you dare oppose us' rationale presented in the Left Wing news media.
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silverfox | Aug 06, 2010, 01:25 AM EDT
dear elekros many crimes are state crimes that are not federal- primary example is murder which is a state crime- federally you can only "violate ones civil rights". I say Bravo to Az and to any other state which wishes to protect its "legal citizens".
Maybe I missed it but what part of "illegal" needs to be clarified to the federal govt.
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hancock | Aug 05, 2010, 05:56 PM EDT
No Im saying thats part of it, there can be no spectacular attack that these muslim groups want w the new reality. Blowing up a subway station is not worth it to these muslim terrorists after you knocked down 220 floors right next to Wall st. Intel is way better now than ten years ago esspecially new tech. The southern border is the worry because its so vast and not being take seriously. I pray we never find out some muslim terrorist crossed there and then carried out another 9/11.
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DennisQ | Aug 05, 2010, 12:30 PM EDT
It sounds like you're saying that there's no terrorism in New York because airport security is so good. That, and the fact that we know so much more today about who is out to get us. Please do clarify because you seem to imply that border security is a recent problem. If we don't address it now, you say, pretty soon this country will be awash with terrorists! But in fact that's not true. New York is a trading city and the economic capital of the country. There's no way to keep foreigners out, and it wouldn't be a desirable goal even if there were. The reason New York has not had another terrorist attack can't be explained by airport security or increased intelligence.
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hancock | Aug 05, 2010, 08:05 AM EDT
I think taking airport security serious along w beefing up our flabby pre 9/11 intelligence might, might have had something to do with it. Nothing focuses your resposibility than pregnant women flying out of skyscapers in Manhattan on Good Morning America. Our soft underbelly is Mexico now, oh wait I guess thats not a problem either. You better hope not.
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DennisQ | Aug 05, 2010, 02:23 AM EDT
Hancock, if this is the first you're hearing that the terrrorist threat is not as great as we've been told, you need to widen your information sources. I recommend you become familiar with the writings of Prof. John Mueller, who is the chair of National Security Studies at Ohio State University. Mueller, who is recognized as an international expert, notes that governments typically over-react to an external threat, and that our over-reaction to terrorism fits into an easily recognized, well established pattern. New York's Republican mayor and its Republican police chief both have an interest in over-selling the threat from terrorism. Somehow they've managed to keep the threat alive while encouraging tourists to visit the Big Apple. It's a startling accomplishment, but it's a lie. There aren't any Creatures of the Night, except the usual ones. Incidentally, racism fits very neatly inside fear of the unknown.
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silverfox | Aug 05, 2010, 12:23 AM EDT
My point is that one needs to experience visiting theUSMexican border. But in case no one has noticed that 95% of the illegals happen to come from Mexico,many withcriminal records. If the Irish are so willing to forgive and forget then we would be happy to foward these persons on to your countryso you can experience the "joys" of having 10s of thousands illegals to overcrowd and overtax you already pathetic healtcare and social systems. While we welcome immigrants of many nations legally for they have contributed much to the building of America this fight is not about them-as an island nation I dont think you have a true pespective of the problem- I invite you to come see for yoursel-as a note we do not have a problem of thousands of Canadians trying to overrun the boarders-because we find them to beupstanding, lawbiding and responsible citizans of their country who work very hard to keep it free-open-and responsible for the governing of their citizens. Above all else thou this country shoul return to the Judeo-Christian values upon it was established. May God Bless Ameican
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hancock | Aug 04, 2010, 11:01 PM EDT
That might be the stupidest thing you ever posted.
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DennisQ | Aug 04, 2010, 04:37 PM EDT
New York City's elaborate security precautions are mostly for show, especially to impress tourists. For instance, there's no way to secure the subways - there are too many entrances and too many ways to smuggle explosives into the system. Despite this reality that would certainly be obvious to a terrorist, New York cops put on a display of stopping and questioning people with "suspicious" packages. Similarly, there's no way to stop attacks on any large gatherings of people - a fact that real terrorists have certainly noted as well. Why have there been no attacks in New York since September 11th? The answer leaps out at you if you care to admit it - it's because the terror "threat" has been grossly exaggerated for political purposes. If anybody wanted to terrorize New York, they could do it easily.
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DennisQ | Aug 04, 2010, 04:21 PM EDT
Latvians and Lithuanians have been around for centuries and have their own languages. The Baltic states were not created by the British in 1919 as much as they were recognized as separate political entities. The common language, as well as an ancient heritage of living by the Baltic sea, makes these countries as legitimate as France or Spain or indeed, Ireland. One difference between Ireland and the Baltic countries is that all Latvians speak Latvian and all Lithuanians speak Lithuanian. Only a few Irish people actually speak Irish. Most Latvians and Lithuanians also speak Russian.
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Ajreaper | Aug 04, 2010, 10:17 AM EDT
elektros- there are many state laws that have no assosciated federal law so that is completely moot. It provides AZ with the means to address a problem our federal government chooses not to address and has not for years. Border issues such as drugs, human smuggling, and illegal immigration have been a problem for some time. With the border being so porous there is also the possibility other things come across, weapons, explosives and terrorist perhap? I have been to NYC and they take security pretty serious why can't AZ?
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