I was watching Greta VanSustren's On the Record Tuesday night. Greta was interviewing former State Senator Alfredo Gutierrez from Arizona about the new illegal immigration law. Gutierrez was calling for a boycott of his own state, because the illegal immigration law creates apartheid in Arizona. In fact, the AZ law does nothing more than empower state and local law enforcement to be able to enforce CURRENT FEDERAL LAW.
Merriam-Webster defines apartheid as: "racial segregation specifically: a former policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of South Africa". Arizona is not targeting hispanics, blacks, asians, etc. who are here LEGALLY, the AZ law is for people who are in the US ILLEGALLY. Apartheid, on the other hand, was a group of white Europeans who TOOK OVER South Africa, then treated the native population terribly. Natives who were in South Africa LEGALLY because, of course, it's their country.
While I believe Mr Gutierrez believes what he said, he obviously doesn't understand what apartheid is/was. Gutierrez was saying hispanics who are here ILLEGALLY can be compared to Mr Nelson Mandella. Really?
So, name me the illegal immigrant in prison in the United States of America who is being held as a POLITICAL PRISONER and being TORTURED by the government. (Actually, the government tortures ME rather than illegals.) Can anyone come up with a name? NO!
To follow the allegory even further, name me immigration laws that discriminate against LEGAL IMMIGRANTS or AMERICAN CITIZENS. We have a RIGHT and a DUTY to protect our borders. We have a reasonable expectation of our government to protect our national borders, and the FEDERAL government isn't doing the job. AZ is a border state with Mexico and has borne a huge cost due to illegal immigration, and the state finally got fed up enough to enforce CURRENT FEDERAL LAW.
By the way, kudos to The Vanderbilt University professor on Hannity on 5/6 who correctly, and for the first time I've heard during this ridiculous debate, stated that the AZ law merely parrots federal immigration law.
My official position is that we support Arizona. I'm gonna spend some money at AZ owned businesses. I hope I'm not the only one.
"was a group of white Europeans who TOOK OVER South Africa, then treated the native population terribly. Natives who were in South Africa LEGALLY because, of course, it's their country."
ReplyDeleteWouldn't you acknowledge something similar happened here? Arizona wasn't even a state until 1912, and if I recall indigenous people there weren't treated very well....
I disagree with the application of the word 'apartheid', but I see where it's coming from. It's another tactic that both sides use to get their point across by using the most extreme instance to paint a broad brush across all cases.
"Arizona is not targeting hispanics, blacks, asians, etc. who are here LEGALLY, the AZ law is for people who are in the US ILLEGALLY."
Ok, how do you know whether they are here legally/illegally at first glance? No, you have to check, and who's most likely to be here illegally? (especially in Arizona? hispanics) It's a solution, just be honest about what your doin. Don't whine and complain about the media, just do it. Personally, I think it's all a diversion....
The Tea Party's been grasping at straws trying to find issues they actually of knowledge of... They have the charisma to rouse a crowd, but the actual knowledge to implement a solution is missing.