117 Comments

• maloney | Sep 13, 2010, 09:36 PM EDT

  Absolutely nothing racist about defending your own territory from invaders. The mexican American citizens want the boarder closed & the illegals deported. Illegals recently killed, shot to death a rancher living on the boarder. Actually you know nothing hollowbuttho.

• 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.

• 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.

• grandmaguns | Aug 10, 2010, 10:12 AM EDT

  You have got to be kidding. Stop using the racist card.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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

• hancock | Aug 04, 2010, 11:01 PM EDT

  That might be the stupidest thing you ever posted.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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?

• GeorgeDillon | Aug 04, 2010, 02:41 AM EDT

  elektors: You're wrong. There is no onus on EU citizens to prove they have a job before immigrating to Ireland. Unfortunately, it's rarely the French or Spanish (nations with whom Ireland has a long and rich association) who take advantage of this. It's Latvians, Lithuanians etc. --countries that didn't even exist a couple of decades ago.

• GeorgeDillon | Aug 04, 2010, 02:38 AM EDT

  O'Doherty should talk about racism to the relatives of that nun in Virginia who was killed by a car driven by a drunk Bolivian illegal alien who had twice been served with notice of deportation. But the Federal Government never did what they are paid to do--safeguard our borders--and let him stay in the US. With lethal consequences.

• elektros | Aug 04, 2010, 02:25 AM EDT

  And as for SB 1070, no it does not mimic the federal law, it makes state crimes of things that are not federal crimes.

• elektros | Aug 04, 2010, 02:24 AM EDT

  Silverfox, check the law before you speak. Any Spanish or French person who can show they have a job is free to immigrate to Ireland under EU law. Mind you, finding a job in Ireland may be a little hard just now!

• Ajreaper | Aug 04, 2010, 02:06 AM EDT

  READ THE LAW!!! How can supposed jounalist print this garbage when he clearly has not read the law? It mimics the federal law, which everyone is ok with apparently but gives state and not just federal officers the ability to enforce it. Thats it- nothing new or different from the federal law. Our borders in AZ are not secure and it's not just people coming across to work- drugs and criminals make there way here as well.

• seanomelbourne | Aug 04, 2010, 12:51 AM EDT

  You can repeat your ignorant vitriol as much as you like IandP. I do not know how far back your Irish ancestry goes maybe Neanderthal. I've got it Fred Flintstone . The trouble with us Liberals is we are not hate based, I know you find this frustrating and then you justify your bigotry by putting hate labels on us worldly free thinkers. WE are a peace loving lot, live and let live. we even allow you the right to be a racist and a slanderer. But come election day you will be disappointed.

• Chicago1 | Aug 03, 2010, 11:48 PM EDT

  hollabackgurl, The Eli Wiesel quote - No human being..... (which has been hijacked by far left pro illegal immigration groups) Are you really comparing the life experience of a Holocaust survivor and that of present day illegal immigrants?

• hollabackgurl | Aug 03, 2010, 11:10 PM EDT

  Republicans have taken leave of their senses. John McCain, who never met a principle he couldn't sell, and the growing chorus of Senate Republicans urging repeal of the 14th Amendment have taken leave of their minds. I believe the 14th Amendment, particularly in its due process and equal protection clauses. That the GOP is even thinking of repealing the 14th Amendment is a measure of just how radical they have become. They're all for Big Government when its someone else's rights in play.

• silverfox | Aug 03, 2010, 10:55 PM EDT

  i THINK YOU ARE DEAD WRONG ON THIS ISSUE.MY IRISH ROOTS RUN DEEP BACK TO THE GREAT MIGRATION IN MID 1800'S.WE HAVE VISITED YOU LOVELY COUNTRY MANY TIMES. BUT I FIND IT SOMEWHAT HYPOCRITICAL THAT IRELAND FINDS IT CONVIENT TO ACCUSE THE U.S.OF A PRACTICE IT HAS CONDUCTED FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS (IE. CATHOLIC OR PROTESTANT.)pEOPLE SHOULD READ THE LAW BEFORE THEY APPEAR IGNORANT AND OPEN THEIR MOUTHS AND REMOVE ALL DOUBT.I dare say Ireland would not relish thousand of French and Spanish coming undocumented-many with criminal records.

• IrishAndProud | Aug 03, 2010, 08:48 PM EDT

  Sean, I am indeed bothering you. Because it's when someone is tee'd off that they toss out that (in my case baseless) 'racist/bigot' charge. I do however repeat MY assertion that YOU hate Jews, and that you are anti-white American...and therefore hypocritical.

• seanomelbourne | Aug 03, 2010, 08:43 PM EDT

  You don't bother me at all IandP. You are just devoid of common sense,the trade mark of most racists/bigots. Moonsoonman if he talks like a cartoon character and waddles like a cartoon character,he can only be compared to a cartoon character.

• IrishAndProud | Aug 03, 2010, 06:22 PM EDT

  Uh, again, hollabackgurl...the Congress is Democratic (and again...with an 11% approval rating)...the GOP is the minority. They do not have the votes to 'obstruct' anything, particularly in the House. And what's with this term 'obstruct'? That sounds like an imperialist, snooting down the nose at the little people who get in his way as if they're some kind of personal annoyance, to him. The people obviously don't want what this Congress is doing, so 'obstructing' their shennanigans would only be a good thing, would it not? I thought with the Dems in total control of things at the federal level, you lefties would be happy. Instead, you're only continuously miserable, and constantly blaming the last guy for all your present-day f%$k-ups. That don't work.

• AmAncINED | Aug 03, 2010, 05:52 PM EDT

  TaranO: Save your breath. All DennisQ can do is call us "anti-immigration racists." He's not concerned about ILLEGAL activities. Of course, he probably doesn't live in Arizona, like some of the posters do, but he knows there's "no runaway crime activity." My brother DOES live in Arizona and he has an entirely different opionion based on personal experience. He's also married to a Hispanic whose grandparents entered this country legally, learned to speak English, and took the steps to become citizens. Elena's family all support Arizona's immigration bill and are deeply resentful of those who come here ILLEGALLY.

• TaranOconner | Aug 03, 2010, 04:47 PM EDT

  What part of ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT don't you people Understand? ILLEGAL IS ILLEGAL. They aren't supposed to be here---Period! DUH!!

• DennisQ | Aug 03, 2010, 04:46 PM EDT

  There's lots of racism around; the French even adopt it as a cultural value. Irish songs which are relentlessly sexist are also often racist as well. For example, Dublin in the Rare Ould Times was a nicer place before black-skinned students arrived. Right wingers in particular don't see their own racism, and they don't welcome other people pointing it out to them. The anti-immigrant arguments we see here present stereotypes in place of genuine and valid arguments. For instance, there's no runaway crime epidemic in Arizona - that is entirely in the minds of people who want to uproot undocumented families that might have been here for years. Incidentally, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who is the head of the ultra right wing National Front in France, says exactly the same things about immigration into that country as right wingers here say about Arizona. He denies being a racist, and so do the right wingers here. Le Pen's political world view corresponds one to one with that of Adolf Hitler, who gloried in his racism.

• NARROWBACK | Aug 03, 2010, 03:58 PM EDT

  Cahir the biggest crime of the year in Arizona was the killing of rancher Robert Krentz by illegals. Corrections are the ones to keep murderers behind bars, police officers are the ones who put them there in the 1st place and will capture them again risking their lives not caring what color they are but to protect the public. And as you state that anti-immigration is white nationalists why have all 11 anti-Mexican attacks on Staten Island been by blacks and the excuse the papers give is that the Mexicans are moving into their neighborhoods and taking their jobs. The American people are the most ardent supporters of this bill not stormfront where you only here about them if you went to there web site to see. So get off your rant and find the facts.

• hollabackgurl | Aug 03, 2010, 02:42 PM EDT

  I mean the obstructionist GOP vote in Congress, who don't have a single idea that's different from George W. Bush's.

• IrishAndProud | Aug 03, 2010, 01:39 PM EDT

  uh, hollabackgurl...we don't have a Republican Congress. we have a DEMOCRAT Congress. One with an 11% approval rating, last I looked.

• 1wildwankr | Aug 03, 2010, 12:24 PM EDT

  this is the kind of ignorance,that i expected from a.p..not from an irish web site.i live in texas.i see illeagals everyday.i know for afact that many of them here have multable S.S. cards,receive food stamps and welfare checks. then offer to sell the food stamps at half price.the bigest differance between illeagal and leagal immigration is these people have no desire to be americans.

• McNabb1966 | Aug 03, 2010, 11:54 AM EDT

  @DennisQ...You wasted a lot of words to get back to the same old discredited argument from the Left: Our opponents are "racist." You can dress it up with all the flowery nonsense you can muster, it all boils down to the same thing. Have you got anything else? Nice attempt at misdirection by introducing the French national anthem to the discussion. Is that your attempt at appearing intellectual? And yes, opponents of open borders definitely appreciate "decent, hard working people who come to America to find work"...as long as they respect the laws of this country and go through the process LEGALLY. Why is that such a difficult concept to grasp by the Left?

• jflanagan | Aug 03, 2010, 09:45 AM EDT

  hollabackgurl: So what charities to volunteer with and give donations with all your compassion? Probable less than even that tightwad Joe Biden!

• jflanagan | Aug 03, 2010, 09:44 AM EDT

  hollabackgur: I serve as a volunteer for the Salvation Army and an Irish charity in the county where I reside. In one year, my wife and I give twice as much as that great charitable lefty, Joe Biden and his wife gave in ten years while having less than half their income in one year. I am a Democrat Party Committeeman and help my fellow citizens in my district as best I can. If you people have compassion for these illegal aliens you should put pressure on their governments to stop treating them like personal slaves, placing onerous self serving restrictions on new businesses and costing them thousands of dollars in bribes to start up a business in their home country. That is why they have to sneak in here (besides the drug smugglers and thugs) to make half a living for their families. If Vincente Fox wasn't so afraid of sharing some of his billions of riches, Calderon wasn't so protective of his corrupt allies, then these people could have a chance for a good life in their own country and not have to risk their lives sneaking into other countries. I have compassion and want to do something for them. You want to ignore what is going on and let our fellow citizens suffer while you are safe in your non-border residence. Do something real for them, don't just whine about how good people aren't pushovers for the corrupt governments Latin America.

• hollabackgurl | Aug 03, 2010, 09:08 AM EDT

  Our Republican Congress — large enough to block any action on jobs — cares a lot about taxes on the richest 1 percent of the population, but very little about the plight of Americans who can’t find work.

• grimchieftain | Aug 03, 2010, 06:53 AM EDT

  Strip away the political bile from both sides of the issue and you're left with this: If you're here legally, you have nothing to worry about and if you're here illegally, you are a lawbreaker. If the Federal government won't enforce their own laws, Arizona has no choice but to take it upon themselves to protect their borders.

• DennisQ | Aug 03, 2010, 03:54 AM EDT

  Right wing patriotism is so extreme that they ought to expect some pushback, especially when they presume that White anglo values are American values. Since economic hard times lead to political swings to the right, we're seeing a lot more racism than we usually see. It's wrong of right wingers to act surprised at being accused of racism - much right wing ideology is in fact indistinguishable from racism. For example, the jingoistic French national anthem La Marseillaise calls for watering the fields with the "impure" blood of the invader. The word invader is fairly loaded because of the connotation of evil intent, esp. rape and other forms of subversion - such as drug smuggling. The right wing image of the so-called "illegal" immigrant is distorted to the point of being cartoonish. As Cahir points out, the decent, hard working people who come to America to find work are unrecognizable in the right wing imaginations. There's no question that the stereotypes on which right wingers rely are racist to the core. Signficantly, the right wingers who howl at this characterization haven't denied it in any substantive way. To hear them speak, they are the very soul of rationality!
  
  Aux armes citoyens
  Formez vos bataillons
  Marchons, marchons
  Qu'un sang impur
  Abreuve nos sillons
  

• Monsoonman | Aug 03, 2010, 12:25 AM EDT

  Irish and Proud...I take full responsibility for Seans wandering in the comic book character weeds. I got him started when I wrote about Elmer Fudd a while back and I think it had a profound effect on him...

• IrishAndProud | Aug 02, 2010, 11:52 PM EDT

  Sean, I've obviously ticked you off...but please try to come up with an analogy that's not quite so bizarre. That one was WEIRD.

• seanomelbourne | Aug 02, 2010, 11:39 PM EDT

  Your just a sad man IaP all talk and no substance. Your soup is so thin even mickey mouse wearing a white hood could see through it.

• kmkellyc | Aug 02, 2010, 11:20 PM EDT

  the BILL is almost a carbon copy of the federal law---do u live in AZ? they arre being invaded by drug thugs-70 miles inside the border--the federal gov't should enforce the law-not wage war on a state---it is amazing how stupid liberal my irish roots are.

• Mike7571 | Aug 02, 2010, 11:00 PM EDT

  Hispanic IS NOT A RACE!!

• hollabackgurl | Aug 02, 2010, 10:58 PM EDT

  It is a smear to blame low-skilled immigrant workers from Latin America for creating a crime problem in Arizona. The crime rate in Arizona in 2008 was the lowest it has been in four decades. In the past decade, as the number of illegal immigrants in the state grew rapidly, the violent crime rate dropped by 23 percent, the property crime rate by 28 percent.

• snuffey | Aug 02, 2010, 10:06 PM EDT

  O'Doherty it sounds like you want to live in a third world country, I don't. Please tell me what part of the word illegal that you don't under stand? The USA is broke we can't afford to pay for the millions of illegal’s on welfare. We can't afford to pay for the countless illegal’s receiving free medical care. Most of these people are D.O.A. (Democrats on Arrival).

• culdaff | Aug 02, 2010, 09:44 PM EDT

  I have noted the uproar and fury with Poles and other East Europeans now living in Ireland. I live in Michigan, U.S. and note the below from the L.A. Times...........try this on for size... ---40% of workers in L.A. County (10.2 million) work for cash and pay no taxes. No green cards. ---95% of murder warrants are for illegal aliens. ---75% of the most wanted are illegal aliens. ---2/3;s of births to illegal aliens on Medi-Cal paid for by taxpayers. ---35% of all inmates are there illegally. ---FBI saya 50% of all gangs are aliens from South of the border. ---60% of occupants of HUD property are illegal aliens. ---21 radio stations are totally Spanish speaking. ---In L.A. County 5.1 million speak english, the rest Spanish. The border is a sieve, and I applaud all Arizona officials who desire to keep out illegal aliens. Michigan and 18 other States will soon pass similar legislation. I don't care what nationality, race, color, or persuasion folks are...they just can't walk across the border and suck up health, education, pension, and other benefits that legal residents pay for and claim they are entitled to same. My GGParents came from Ireland, legally, bought some land, and became Americans.

• hollabackgurl | Aug 02, 2010, 09:29 PM EDT

  Maybe your multiple backgrounds and pride in your country could have taught you some compassion for other races. I'm just saying.

• jflanagan | Aug 02, 2010, 09:19 PM EDT

  Here is another commie, on the dole, hand out writer who cannot give a rational argument against Americans protecting Americans so he has to twist the facts to fit his claim of racism. Racism, what everyone cries lately when rational American citizens want to control their own lives and protect their fellow Americans. This Irish Central rag is really making me ashamed of the spineless fools of Irish descent who have no idea of what it means to be an American of multiple backgrounds and pride in my country.

• macstwo | Aug 02, 2010, 09:12 PM EDT

  It bothers me that you publish an article that says a state law is racist. You're failing in the basic charter of news media, to present the facts and let the reader make up their mind. Secondly, as many comments have stated, the operative term is illegal immigrant, I'm sure if the illegals were pouring into Galway or Dublin, they would be dealt with immediately. Since the Federal government refuses to take corrective actions, since we are led by a bone head who's whole party is in favor of amnesty what choice do the states have, since it the citizens of these state that are paying for the illegals, loosing jobs to the illegals and in general getting screwed by the fed gov, which is slowly but surely taking away states rights. We are in a sorry state of affairs. We truly need Gods blessings.

• JimThompson | Aug 02, 2010, 08:26 PM EDT

  Cry babies. What do you think they should do to catch illegal aliens in the U. S. Kiss them, give them all and full rights and privileges that regular citizens rate. Pay them Social Security when they get old and give them unemployment monies now.

• jamthecat | Aug 02, 2010, 08:19 PM EDT

  The only way this bill is not racist is if the police ask everyone they stop -- be they black, white, brown, red, yellow or pink-purple-dotted -- EVERYONE what their legal status is. How long do you think the Anglo population would put up with that? Especially gun-toting members of the Tea Party? Not long at all...and we'd have more dead cops, thanks to it. So that ain't gonna happen. This bill is aimed at Latinos. Period. Not illegal Canadians. Not illegal Irish. Not Illegal English. Latinos. Period. THAT is what makes it racist, and you can scream about how it really, really isn't till you're blue in the face, it changes nothing. It is a bill aimed at one group of people in this country, whether they just got to the US or they were born into families that have been in the area for 200 years (after all, Arizona was part of Spain and Mexico till 1848.) This is just another instance of white politicians demonizing a group of people they don't think can fight back, just to pad their disgraceful political careers. They did it against the Irish. They did it against the Italians. They did it against the Jews. They still do it against Blacks. And now they're doing it against Latinos. And they'll keep on doing it because there are plenty of fools out there who will support them, even in the face of facts that show their claims about crime and violence are absolute nonsense. It's diseased.

• IrishAndProud | Aug 02, 2010, 07:56 PM EDT

  That's 'tyranny'...

• IrishAndProud | Aug 02, 2010, 07:53 PM EDT

  Incidentally, I'm pleased as punch to report that Virginia's Attorney General has just submitted that police in that state as well are free to inquire about a person's immigration status, if stopped or detained. And if the left snottily chirps that they'll 'just stop that state, too,' I have news for them: many other states are currently following suit. You cannot stop this. It's spiraled out of your control. The tighter your tyrrany on the states, the more they'll rebel and slip from your grasp. You can control some of the people some of the time, but not all of them all of the time. Take heart, folks...we're winning!

• IrishAndProud | Aug 02, 2010, 07:49 PM EDT

  I agree, Sean...most of the LIBERAL posters, that is. So...when are you gonna dress up? You're antisemitic yourself, after all...and you hate white Americans. So, come on...get your sheets out...and say 'Grand Dragon' for us...it sounds so exotic in an Aussie accent...

• galway2001 | Aug 02, 2010, 07:43 PM EDT

  I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU PEOPLE ITS ILLEGAL TO COME INTO THIS COUNTRY UNLESS YOU HAVE PAPERS. I DON'T CARE WHO THEY ARE ITS AGAIST THE LAW THEY SHOULD BE DEPORTED.THEY GET FREE MEDICAL AND WELFARE ON MY TAXES.AND WHAT ABOUT THE CRIME.WHAT HAPPEN TO OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY.TOO MANY BUMS ARE ALLOWED IN

• seanomelbourne | Aug 02, 2010, 07:40 PM EDT

  Illegal immigration is wrong, SB1070 is wrong. Most posters on this site should wear white pointy hats and burn crosses.

• willieboy | Aug 02, 2010, 07:40 PM EDT

  WHY DON'T YOU CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS BEFORE CRITICISING ARIZONA??

• mandokeith | Aug 02, 2010, 07:27 PM EDT

  Disenfranchised? Unfortunates? Disadvantaged? Don't make me puke! They are law breakers and criminals they don't deserve coddling or cushy palaces. You do the crime you do the time. Liberal pinko socialist pukes are ruining this country!!!!!!!

• IrishAndProud | Aug 02, 2010, 06:04 PM EDT

  Bdrake, you and Hollabackgurl are the racists, because you think illegals should not only have rights they're by definiton NOT entitled to, but have even MORE rights than legal Americans. You want them to get away with not even having to show any ID for anything, whereas WE (real Americans) must still show it for any number of things. And all just because they're Hispanics. You are racists, not us...and you're militantly ANTI-immigrant to boot, because you spit on the legitimate immigrants by backing the fence-hoppers who cheat the system, and the rest of us along with it. You're both racists, and anti-immigrant...just like the non-American Cahir, who wrote this silly article just to spite the American majority he hates.

• IrishAndProud | Aug 02, 2010, 06:00 PM EDT

  Not in every corner, hollabackgurl...but indeed in all 50 states to the tune of 12 million. Joe McCarthy's dead. So is your far-left, mutant-extreme liberalism, in Congress as of this November. Illegals are a real problem. You are not.

• hollabackgurl | Aug 02, 2010, 05:05 PM EDT

  It's 1950's McCarthyism all over again: this time there's an illegal in every corner.

• JamesMurphy | Aug 02, 2010, 04:20 PM EDT

  The question remains: where is your humanity?

• McNabb1966 | Aug 02, 2010, 04:14 PM EDT

  @BKayDrake...The answer to your question is they didn't, but that doesn't stop the Left from accusing them of being racist... @whiterice...What part of SB1070 refers specifically to Latinos or those who "look like" Latinos? Why does the Left insist on distorting reality by attributing things to SB1070 that aren't there? Has anybody on the Left actually read it? Is anybody on the Left capable of intellectual honesty on this issue? Or is "it's RACIST" all that the Left can manage by way of discussion...

• JamesMurphy | Aug 02, 2010, 04:08 PM EDT

  Isn't Arizona also the state where a certain police chief is allowed to imprison the seriously disenfranchized in tents, no matter that the temperature reaches into the triple digits? Yes, it is. To all those who attempt to defend the SB 1070 defense fund I recommend a generous dose of charity and justice. True I don't live in your state and, based on what I am witnessing many of you write, I shall consider it a victory if this never befalls me.

• tanseyj | Aug 02, 2010, 03:17 PM EDT

  I live just a few miles from the Mexican border at one of the worst crossing places in Cochise County. You should come here before making these remarks. The law is absolutly necessary, if just to start people thinking about the problem. Oh, my wife is a legal alien and has no problem with this law. She must carry her 'Green' card at all times. You also have to have licence and reg if you are stopped. The law specifically prohibits racial profiling! It mimicks the Fed law which is more stringent. Don't speak if you don't live here!!!

• BKayDrake | Aug 02, 2010, 02:34 PM EDT

  I totally agree with this assessment of SB 1070. How did all these racists end up in Arizona anyway?

• whiterice | Aug 02, 2010, 02:24 PM EDT

  For those who's wondering why called this law racist when it perfectly mirrors with fed's, at fed level, the law deals with ALL races but at state level, it deals with a particular group of people (latinos or those look like one in this case) and that is wrong. Just look at who are the majority supporting this law along is enough to call it racist. so we have a law which created and supported by most whites to against a group of people (latinos) and you don't think it's not a racist?

• vincem13 | Aug 02, 2010, 02:18 PM EDT

  Did you know that according to existing Federal Law all foreign-born residents lawfully in the United States must have and carry proper certification and identification at all times? So when a police officer pulls over a speeder and asks for his ID he is being racist? Admit it Mr. O'Doherty, you are just afraid that if Arizona's law proves effective, other states will use it and some of your friends, illegally here from Ireland may have to go home....

• hollabackgurl | Aug 02, 2010, 02:02 PM EDT

  Requiring Arizona law enforcement officials to determine the immigration status of every person who is arrested burdens lawfully present aliens because their liberty will be restricted while their status is checked. Don't you get that? You lose your own freedom too! The Arizona law will cause detention and harassment of authorized visitors, immigrants and citizens based on one's race and a racial profile. That's the view of the federal court in Arizona, who issued an injunction against it.

• bakerbj2 | Aug 02, 2010, 01:45 PM EDT

  Seeing how the AZ bill mirrors the federal statutes already in place that are not being enforced, does this make Obama and his administration racist too? Please the race card if the leftist's favorite card to play anymore and it is losing it's bite from over use. If you have already committed a crime it should be a matter of course to run your id for priors and any other violations. The USA is one of the few countries in the world where you are not asked for ID or passports when stopped by any authority. I have to laugh if I tried to do the same thing in Mexico (illegal immigration) I would be in jail on so many charges and fined to death. While America was founded on and by immigrants they were all legal here. What a unintelligent article.

• moygannon | Aug 02, 2010, 01:02 PM EDT

  If everything else fails cry Racial discrimination. The people in the country illegally should face the consequences. It is a matter of law and economics.

• RosemaryKelly | Aug 02, 2010, 12:41 PM EDT

  This whole article written by Mr. O'Doherty is a complete bullshit!!!!!

• PhlutiePhan | Aug 02, 2010, 12:31 PM EDT

  This is complicated stuff. It does no good to have an obvious "left winger" with a pseudo-Muslim first name giving his opinion.

• allentown | Aug 02, 2010, 12:30 PM EDT

  O'Doherty writes: "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. It's already been proven in Arizona, remove the illegal aliens and murder rates go down twenty-five percent.

• McNabb1966 | Aug 02, 2010, 12:11 PM EDT

  What's this? A Lefty calling people he doesn't like or agree with "racist?" How original and intellectual... But props to Cahir for suddenly discovering that there are racists in this country. The fact that racists exist (take Shirley Sherrod and Jeremiah Wright, for instance) doesn't translate into SB1070 being "racist." For those who haven't overdosed on the koolaid, you'll notice that this "article" barely touches on the alleged "racist bill" at all. Instead, it focues on the racists out there (real and imagined). Not an effective article at all. It merely confirms the intellectual vacancy increasingly on display by the Left.

• joanmoody | Aug 02, 2010, 12:06 PM EDT

  Basically the feds are not doing their job protecting our own citizens who live on the border. I don't look at this as being racist but just a state taking its own security into its own hands. Living near the Texas border we know and hear about the horror of the drug cartels through wealthy Mexicans who are transferring their families and business activities to San Antonio. They fear for their own lives because their government can't stop or don't want to stop the violence along the border. This isn't the first time this has happened historically it happened in 1910. Gee, 100 years ago!

• mayoman | Aug 02, 2010, 11:59 AM EDT

  Right on Cahir! Gov. Brewer likes to think of herself a pragmatist, but the truth is, her pragmatism is blatantly racist, and probably fascistic.

• Dompedro | Aug 02, 2010, 11:57 AM EDT

  Cahir appartebtly doesn't understand breaking the law ... unless, I will wager, I do something to him

• irishwxman | Aug 02, 2010, 11:52 AM EDT

  Well if you think AZ's law is racist, then you must think the Federal law that is mirrors TO THE LETTER is racist. Why haven't any of you hypocrites made a huge fuss about that? I will tell you, because liberals have nothing better to do with their time except gripe and moan and scream RACIST at every corner.

• jdi2269 | Aug 02, 2010, 11:35 AM EDT

  WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP!!! DID NANCY PELOSI WRITE THIS BECAUSE YOU ARE CLEARLY TOO INCOMPETENT TO WRIT THIS ARTICLE?

• barakeldave | Aug 02, 2010, 11:29 AM EDT

  This is so wrong that it's not even funny! It has nothing to do with race and everything to do with criminal activity. Anyone here illegally should be apprehended and dealt with according to the law of the land. It is against federal law to enter the country illegally. Officers in Arizona are not stopping people to see whether or not they are here legally, but only ask if the people give the officer reason to be suspicious. That includes all peoples and races. With things the way they are and the federal government leaving the border with Mexico open as it is, anyone from anywhere, for any reason can walk across the border into the U.S. This law is aimed at the protection of the American citizen and has nothing to do with race. Anyone is welcome here when they come legally.

• jerrydonovan | Aug 02, 2010, 11:14 AM EDT

  I agree that this is a racist bill.It is to be used as a political rallying cry for the republican party yhis Novenber.Let me rain on the republican's parade.President Obama WILL still be in office after the election and will be re-elected to a second term,the Democrats WILL retain control of the house and senate and the country WILL move forward.

• QUEY0227 | Aug 02, 2010, 11:04 AM EDT

  I just read that it's 94% of Americans are in favor of the Arazona bill. I am offended that we the people, All want something and our( AGAIN!! )Government could care less. What else is new. Didn't they use to work for us??? Afer all we do pay their BIG saleries. I grew up believing that the Government was supposed to run things for the good of the people. Not the good of the banks...Yeah ..OK.. Want to buy a bridge???

• QUEY0227 | Aug 02, 2010, 10:58 AM EDT

  I don't care who you are or where you came from. If you want to live in this country, then come here the right and legal way your supposed to. Stop sneeking in under the fence and living here illegally. It doesn't matter how wonderful you all think these people are, The fact is they are here illegally, and that is not fair to the people that did come here the right way or to all the people that pay for themselves and the illegals.

• chesapeake | Aug 02, 2010, 10:57 AM EDT

  All liberals can say these days is that something is racist... criticize Obama for being totally inept and you are racist... criticize the New Black Panthers and you are racist... criticize a certain black congressman who should be in jail and you are racist, and so on and on. Call a spade a spade (oops, that mey be raciist), if a person is in the United States illegally, he or she must be sent home; and they certainly should not be allowed to vote... that is a right reserved for legal citizens. I am so damned tired of all of these liberal whiners crying about the rights of illegals while trampling on the rights of bona fide citizens. Let Massachusetts or Connecticut take in a couple million drains on the economy and see how they react.

• Fran Connor | Aug 02, 2010, 10:42 AM EDT

  Wrong again, Cahir. Unlike the federal law which it mirrors, the Arizona law actually has safeguards against "profiling". By the way, what does the Mexican law on illegal immigrants look like? (Not too pretty, is it?)

• katieherk | Aug 02, 2010, 10:40 AM EDT

  Why is everything not in keeping with the Democrats called racism? Aren't we all sick and tired of that word? Supposedly when Nobama was elected that ended. But... she is following the letter of the law and some are to stupid to see it. Goodbye country!!! Why not think of the ones killed because of the illegals? or the drugs coming across because of illegals. Oh, by the way, do you understand what illegal means... unlawful!!!

• shidoobe | Aug 02, 2010, 10:32 AM EDT

  I guess I am a racist. My 91 y.o. Father went to Arizona this past week for a WWII reunion. We spent a lot of money. Boycotts ONLY hurt the working person. People boycotting the Grand Canyon??? GET REAL! I am marrying a Latino in October and bringing her to the USA THE HONEST LEGAL WAY. Through Immigration not swimming across the Rio Grande or sneaking across the border. Cahir O'Doherty is way off the ropes with this one. Sounds like a privileged Democratic Elitist he is. I totally support immigration but the LEGAL WAY! Sorry we have too many homeless Vets sleeping in boxes under overpasses so why should my tax dollars support illegal immigrants? Get real! Maybe when they start sucking money from your pockets you will see the light. SLAINTE'

• Nicomax | Aug 02, 2010, 10:30 AM EDT

  Did we ever consider a similar law in New York, Massachusetts, California when there was a surge of Irish immigrants in the 70's and 80's- some legal, some not? I can't recall that ever being considered, since except for the slight accent they all blended in quite well into what we expect 'real Americans' to look like.

• rgensemer | Aug 02, 2010, 10:28 AM EDT

  I cannot help but wonder How or why anyone would not be in favor of a law that enforces the existing law? Please explain your position.

• EvelynDavey | Aug 02, 2010, 10:13 AM EDT

  Over 60 % of Americans agree with SB 1070, and since the majority of the population elected Obama, I would say this is NOT a GOP issue. SB 1070 is not racist and to say so demonstrates your ignorance. A country has a right to protect its borders and if the federal government ignores its duty than the states have a right to step in. I have to ask, have you been down to the border? Have you seen the mess these supposedly poor people have left? Have you not seen the drugs? Our tax $$$ are being drained by the services we extend to criminals and that is what they are because they are breaking the law. We have plenty of legal programs for people to come here and work, which I am all for, but I am not for the massive invasion of law breakers. And, it is not just those who come here from south of the border but all illegals especially those who come from terrorist countries. You also forget the millions of $$$ they send back to foreign countries; this is money that should be spent in the US. Maybe, if more money was spent here we would not have such a high unemployment rate. Racist? You do not know what you are talking about; you are throwing words around to get attention.

• wjb1tex | Aug 02, 2010, 10:13 AM EDT

  Why are you not saying The U.S. law is racist to the core. Oh, wait that is what you're saying. Same law.

• kiernan | Aug 02, 2010, 10:02 AM EDT

  To hollabackgurl - that may be true - but human beings do commit illegal acts and must be responsible for their actions. It is not racist or unkind to expect people to follow the law. Look at Mexico's immigration policy - they are far harsher than the Arizona law to the Central Americans crossing their southern border. Why don't you contact them, I'm sure they would welcome your insights.

• AmAncINED | Aug 02, 2010, 10:00 AM EDT

  Entering a home or yard without permission is trespassing and ILLEGAL. Entering a country without permission is called ILLEGAL. That's why countries have passports. When I visit foreign countries, I'm asked why I'm there and how long will I be "visiting." What can't you get about the concept of breaking a country's emmigration laws by entering into the country to live and take advantage of its services when you are NOT a legal citizen of that country????? If you are the person doing this, then you are known by LEGAL residents of the country as an ILLEGAL. If someone robs a bank and eye witnesses tell the police that the robber was a white man, would you expect the police to put out an APB for white women, black or Hispanic people? The police should be looking for the law breaker, whatever race they are, based on the description. I guess you think all white men should call the police, "racists" for doing their job. If the shoe fits... Btw, the U.S. can NOT support UNLIMITED illegal immigration. Very few countries can.

• Porickseantuny | Aug 02, 2010, 09:59 AM EDT

  It took the Irish 800 years to enforce the law against illegal immigrants. I refuse to hear any more discussion of Viking invaders. They were simply informal residents. But, they couldn't collect welfare so they merely stole what they wanted. Theft = welfare, what's the difference

• francisquinn | Aug 02, 2010, 09:57 AM EDT

  I think Kiernan is dead right.....If the Liberals lived near the border and feared for their lives would they still be pushing this "receism crap". The state of AZ is broke...no money....can you BO fans undrstand that....but he will just print money and wait for his kids to pay for it....

• hollabackgurl | Aug 02, 2010, 09:55 AM EDT

  I’m reminded of the words of Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel: “No Human Being is illegal”.

• mjkelleher | Aug 02, 2010, 09:51 AM EDT

  As good a point it is that you make, you're exagerating or just plain wrong on many counts. Yes, there are many families where the is one primary breadwinner, but for every one of those families, you have between one and two who can't get a job and are relying on the federal government for money, and both groups rely on the state governments for their medical bills.

• DLW12183 | Aug 02, 2010, 09:49 AM EDT

  kiernan--your right on target!

• hollabackgurl | Aug 02, 2010, 09:45 AM EDT

  The article gives ample links to the facts it quotes. It also underlines that Arizona's bill is being most strongly supported by white supremacists. That's enough right there to make most Americans see it for what it is.

• Iona1965 | Aug 02, 2010, 09:42 AM EDT

  So much rhetoric and emotion, with so few facts - it's like listening to the FOX news channel! Whether you agree that the current immigration laws are being enforced sufficiently or not, immigration policy and enforcement is a constitutional responsibility of the Federal government - not of any one of the States. If people on both sides of this issue would start acting like adults, identify the real problems (not the ones that cannot be backed up by facts) and create real solutions to those problems, nothing will happen and the extemists on both sides will win.

• kiernan | Aug 02, 2010, 09:37 AM EDT

  Hey how would this work? I will fly to Ireland and sneak into the country illegally. Then I will demand free medical care, welfare benefits, insist that all government offices and schools cater to my native tongue. Demand that Ireland recognize American national holidays, fly the stars and stripes over my house and make a fuss when Irish students wear anything that hints at Irish national pride and get angry and protest when they celebrate Irish holidays. If the police try to enforce immigration law, I call them racist, march through Irish cities, rally Irish liberals to support me and pay my legal bills. Does that sound reasonable to you? Are you for real or do you say these things just to get a response? What about all the foreign nationals who are following the rules to become US citizens - shouldn't they expect teh rules will apply to everyone fairly. Liberals are brain dead.

• boydshield | Aug 02, 2010, 09:35 AM EDT

  Cahir O'Doherty, what the so called Americans did to the Irish when they arrived in the 18-1900's was racist (and the skin was pretty much the same color). We have immigration rules the federal gov't REFUSES to put in use. Quit talking the racist crap, and deal with the real issue, illegal immigration (are the Irish STILL the #1 illegal immigrant group in NYC?).

• Monsoonman | Aug 02, 2010, 09:34 AM EDT

  What's to refute, it is a stupid statemet to say that the Az. law is based on racism, it is based on illegal entry into our sovereign country....It makes NO difference where the illegals come from, that is a red herring for you to use against those who want their borders respected.

• tomgallagher | Aug 02, 2010, 09:32 AM EDT

  Malarky.... it's people like you that are out to destroy this great country. Why doesn't the federal government get up off it's lazy arse and enforce it's laws and then maybe individual states will not have to do it. God bless Jan Brewer and the people of the great State of Arizona.

• TheOldPerfessor | Aug 02, 2010, 09:32 AM EDT

  The Republicans have mastered the art of making political hay out of racial hatred. Arizona has had this problem for a very long time, and they were very muted about it during the Buswsh years. This was something that Obama inherited last January, along with two wars and an economy in shambles. Racist or not, the hate machine that they turned on is now paying dividends in Staten Island, where assaults on Mexicans are a daily routine.

• jotgee1 | Aug 02, 2010, 09:28 AM EDT

  Ditto -loveapint! Cahir - Can you spell ILLEGAL?

• hollabackgurl | Aug 02, 2010, 09:24 AM EDT

  I see no one's actually refuting what's written here with counter arguments, they're just doing what the Tea Party does - shouting and screaming and name calling.

• miltonedunn | Aug 02, 2010, 09:19 AM EDT

  People like you are enough to make a person denigh their IRISH blood

• John G. Hogan | Aug 02, 2010, 09:05 AM EDT

  The moment you used the "r" word, you announced, "I can not discuss an important issue." America has an immigration policy. Why can't it be enforced? Are you aware illegal immigrants actually hurt those Americans more who are struggling to make it. Please do your homework and leave out the name calling.

• loveapint | Aug 02, 2010, 09:01 AM EDT

  What part of ILLEGAL don't you understand. Not pating taxes is illegal, going thru a red light is illegal.

• IrishAndProud | Aug 02, 2010, 01:44 AM EDT

  I have BOTH on my side, Hollabackgurl -- plus the American majority. What do YOU have?

• Monsoonman | Aug 02, 2010, 01:26 AM EDT

  Governor Brewer replies to the Phoenix Suns criticism of Arizonas border protection bill:What if the owners of the Suns discovered that hordes of people were sneaking into games without paying? What if they had a good idea who the gate-crashers are, but the ushers and security personnel were not allowed to ask these folks to produce their ticket stubs, thus non-paying attendees couldn't be ejected. Furthermore, what if Suns' ownership was expected to provide those who sneaked in with complimentary eats and drink? And what if, on those days when a gate-crasher became ill or injured, the Suns had to provide free medical care and shelter?"

• hollabackgurl | Aug 02, 2010, 12:24 AM EDT

  If you have the facts on your side, pound the facts. If you have the law on your side, pound the law. If you have neither on your side, pound the table - eh IrishandProud?

• IrishAndProud | Aug 02, 2010, 12:04 AM EDT

  Cahir, give it up -- and go home. You've worn out your welcome here in the USA. You're not one of us, yourself (and never have been)...and yet you come here and tell us we have to let illegals overrun our borders? How about I go to Donegal and tell them that THEY have to let in illegals, too...and I'll call THEM 'racist' if they get bent out of shape, about it? I'm sure it'd really cut a whole lot of ice, with them...like you're doing with us, now. Go back home, kiddo. You're just a foreign, left-wing agitator, flying in the face of a nation you're not part of, just to spite. You'll get your ego stroked and agreed with by the half-dozen or so marauding leftie trolls who come along and agree with you here, but that changes nothing.