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cartoon by David Logan
Arizona Immigration Brouhaha
various opinions from near and far
Editor's note: The Arizona illegal immigration statute is a very polarizing issue. Below are various views sent on the same day to the WA Free Press emailbox, in both text and cartoon, including the view of one anti-amnesty group (to provide a counterpoint). Reminds me of the words, "Why can't we all just get along?"
From pro-amnesty Seattle-based OneAmerica
OneAmerica president Pramila Jayapal: "The Arizona law flies in the face of everything we hold dear to American values, and would not only condone, but promote racial profiling. We denounce the cowardice of Arizona legislators and Arizona Senator John McCain--once a man who stood up to extremist elements in his own party--who have given in to race-baiting and some mythical notion that this will be good for their political careers. We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Arizona who are holding vigils and fighting back. Meanwhile, our call to President Obama and Congress remains the same: introduce a bi-partisan comprehensive immigration reform bill by May 1. Stop hiding and lead with courage."
OneAmerica is supporting a boycott of Arizona in response to this law. Petition and info at www.hatefreezone.org/sign-petition-boycott-arizona-when-hate- talks-our-money-walks
cartoon by Dan McConnell
From the ACLU of Arizona
"This law will only make the rampant racial profiling of Latinos that is already going on in Arizona much worse," said Alessandra Soler Meetze, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arizona. "If this law were implemented, citizens would effectively have to carry 'their papers' at all times to avoid arrest. It is a low point in modern America when a state law requires police to demand documents from people on the street."
Linton Joaquin, General Counsel of the National Immigration Law Center, added, "This unconstitutional law sends a strong message to all immigrants to have no contact with any law enforcement officer. The inevitable result is not only to make immigrants more vulnerable to crime and exploitation, but also to make the entire community less safe, by aggressively discouraging witnesses and victims from reporting crimes."
cartoon by David Logan
From the North Carolina-based anti-amnesty group ALIPAC
[May 1] Today the illegal aliens and their supporters plan to march flagrantly in our streets, without fear of any significant immigration enforcement in America. America has no immigration enforcement credibility and that is why illegal immigration is happening.
In fact, the Los Angeles Police Department has already issued a press release to assure illegal aliens they can stand in our streets and make demands of us and our government without the slightest concern that their immigration status will be checked.
Things have been moving so rapidly on the issue of illegal immigration and here at ALIPAC we have not told you yet about the large number of new supporters who have come in and continue to flood in!
Both sides of this debate are very angry right now, but the illegal aliens know they are losing ground after the passage of Arizona's SB 1070. The side that is losing is more likely to resort to further illegal actions like we recently saw in Arizona, where the illegals and their supporters attacked Americans and police officers in a riot.
With the tragic news breaking out of Arizona that another police officer has been shot by illegal aliens, our opponents are in even deeper hot water.
From New York-based World Can't Wait
[Debra Sweet, Director of WCW] A few people wrote me this week to say that I didn't understand that the Arizona law directing police to stop and ID people who look "illegal" is good. Their arguments were: 1) public opinion in Arizona is for the law, 2) "something has to be done" about immigration, 3) the "federal government" doesn't care, so the states have to act to curb immigration, and 4) Current law doesn't "allow" states to punish immigrants who are criminals.
I'm sorry that people who support World Can't Wait make those arguments, as they amount to justifications for racism. People who say "Jim Crow" and "apartheid" and "yellow stars" are not exaggerating at all in making the comparison to other terrible periods in the last 100 years when "good" people went along with horrors inflicted on groups of people. SB 1070 of Arizona is a fascist law.
I joined the 1 MILLION Strong AGAINST the Arizona Immigration Law SB1070 group on Facebook. I'm wearing the slogan "We Are ALL Illegals!" Let's start thinking about humanity for a change.
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