"Immigration"
This word really is a loaded gun, a gun certain political parties seem hell-bent on using against anyone that dare stand in their path. Arizona has become a lightning rod of attention with the passing of the very obtuse immigration law recently. I'd like to point out that this law is not only a band-aid for a very real problem; it's a dirty band-aid. Politicians in Arizona are trying to make a statement. They are trying to tell the White House that they can do as they wish when it comes to immigration. The problem I see with this law and logic is that immigration is to the United States of America, not Arizona specifically. With that in mind, I believe immigration laws should be written on a federal level...not state. I also believe that measures to prevent illegal immigration should be funded and maintained by the federal government. The Arizona bill flies in the face of federal judiciary and law. This is why you will see challenges to it. Local law enforcement should hold its traditional role...to protect the people. It should NOT be used to act in a federal capacity by verifying U.S. citizenship. The federal government should be securing our borders with agents, funding, fencing, and technologies. Stopping every ethnic person one sees to make sure they belong here is not an answer. Putting our police officers in a role of having to racially profile individuals is not wise and not clever. Solve the problem at the source...the border.
Those who tell you that Arizona HAD to pass this law to protect the citizens are wrong, if not lying outright. Some of the worst laws in history were passed out of fear...i.e. The Patriot Act. Politicians will use the weapon of fear to keep their own positions of power and influence. They are not concerned with making sure people are U.S. citizens. At the end of the day, they would do most anything to keep a seat at the government's table. Government, in general is a gigantic popularity contest. If you can't appeal to people for votes you must scare them into voting for you. September 11th didn't just kill thousands of people, it turned America into the VERY thing we claim to fight against... the largest, most well-funded terrorist group the world will ever see. Think about it, we have waged wars using bad intelligence, killing thousands and contributing heavily to economic unrest. We've imposed our way of life and values on sovereign countries. We have terrorized our own citizens with laws that infringe upon basic civil rights. We tell our citizens, by our actions, that we should live in fear of the unknown...fear of things that are different or contrary... fear of finding our own answers. Oh, we go on and on about how this is all in the interest of national security...blah blah blah. It's about power.
While I realize that many will find my words subversive and unpatriotic, the simple truth is, I love this country and those who, under orders from our government, risk their lives for this country. I have NO ill will toward and mean no disrespect to any member of the armed forces. I also love the freedoms that this country was founded on that afford me the right to express my opinion. I want those same freedoms to remain in tact for my children and their children. I do not love what I have seen happening in America since 9/11. It's year after year of bad judgment and leadership. It's moment by moment scare tactics. It's a dreadful mess.
The Bottom Line:
Don't let the politics of immigration law distract you from the much larger issues going on in America. There are very real powers at work to make sure we remain under foot and scared of the dark.
