Arizona

Last night, a friend of mine asked me why I haven’t blogged on the new Arizona immigration law.  I told him that I didn’t really have anything to add to the debate.

As a matter of prudence, I will not set foot in Arizona, even though I am a Caucasian U.S. citizen.  The way I understand the law is that police must assume you are guilty until you are proven innocent.  Since I don’t usually carry my passport with me, and driver’s licenses are not considered proof of citizenship, if I were to be stopped for any reason in Arizona, the police would be within their legal right to arrest me as an “illegal”.

Those on the left consider the law racist and unconstitutional since the state is encroaching on the role of the Federal government.  Those on the right contend that “illegals” are taking jobs away from citizens and are responsible for increases in crime.  Of course, these are the same people who condone the much larger crimes of the Wall Street tycoons, whose actions have taken more jobs away from American workers than the “illegals”.

I think the new law is mean-spirited as well as racist.   So I will participate in the mostly symbolic boycott of Arizona products and services and continue to blog about what I feel is a misguided law.

When Karl Rove and I are on the same side of a controversial issue, it makes me worry about my own sanity.  Maybe that’s the real reason I haven’t blogged on this topic till now.