Blog Stage Eight

Re:

On Monday, May 3, 2010 Francella aka Ms. Political wrote the blog article entitled

Napolitano calls Arizona immigration law a ‘cry of frustration’. After reading her blog entry I would have to disagree with her position on the topic and the foundation of her blog entry itself.

Francella wrote the subjective question “....what happens if I forget my wallet and get pulled over and have nothing? Are they going to ship me away?” With that statement I realized Francella had not taken the time to actually read the new law she was arguing against. Her article is based upon her reaction to the subjective views others have posed and not one she had gained herself. Within the law, if she had read it, gave her the answer which stated “......a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person. Any person who is arrested shall have the person’s immigration status determined before the person is released. The person’s immigration status shall be verified with the federal government pursuant to 8 united states code section 1373(c).” At that point, after all attempts by the state to clear you you would be turned over to federal authorities for processing. The law points out the different forms of legal identification pieces that are legal and what will transpire of none are present. It is no different then what currently is going on.

Francella wrote that “......hispanics like myself who have never even stepped on Mexican land are being pulled over because they look hispanic.” This law is not even in effect so what cause would officers have to pull individuals over for immigration status right now? The new law even states “A PEACE OFFICER MAY LAWFULLY STOP ANY PERSON WHO IS OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE IF THE OFFICER HAS REASONABLE SUSPICION TO BELIEVE THE PERSON IS IN VIOLATION OF ANY CIVIL TRAFFIC LAW AND THIS SECTION.” For someone to be pulled over they have to be in violation of a civil traffic law or other probable suspicious activity. Recently when I was at the side of the roadway dealing with car issues a police officer stopped to assist. During the course of assistance he requested registration and a drivers license. This I did freely. As a citizen choosing to live under a ruling government it is an agreement that under natural law I extend some of my civil rights and liberties to enable the executive power above protect the others. This officer was doing his duty and being cautious. It happens everyday to everybody. Why the sudden outpouring if it only happening to hispanics in Arizona. Why does it suddenly gain the title of racial profiling?

My issue is that she raises the issue of the law recently passed in Arizona dealing with the crime of illegal immigration but then mixes up a crime with the process of legal immigration. She wrote “There has to be a better way of cracking down on immigration reform.” This law is dealing with a felony under Title 8 Section 1325 of the U.S. Code, "Improper Entry by Alien.” It has nothing to do with the process of immigration or its reform, both of which are legal processes in the United States. It is addressing the issue of a criminal act and an enforcement of a law that is already in place set by the federal government.

The author is right that this nation is a nation built upon generations of immigrants. My family, including myself, are immigrants but we are legal immigrants. We processed through the system, we paid our fees, we did what was necessary. Why do we have to abide by the system while others do not? This law is dealing with a crime that is not being addressed, not immigration itself. If Arizona does not enforce a law then it makes passing and creation of laws mute. If you are lax on one law then you become lax on all.

The author repeatedly refereed to racial profiling. You cannot but help that statistics are against an individual group. If a teenage boy is pulled over and get a ticket where are the shouts of age discrimination? Statistically speaking, young males between 18-25 are involved in 21% of all fatal accidents which were caused by wreck-less driving and speeding prior. You cannot help but the fact that right now a large percentage of people that will be caught by this new law will be hispanic due to the fact that right now statistically speaking a large majority of those that are illegal are of hispanic in nature or the fact that in the area that this law takes affect a large percentage of the population is hispanic.

Again overall I do agree with the Francella that immigration reform is needed but that was not suppose to be the basis of the article which drifted and intermixed two separate topics as if they were the same. Original intent was the law in Arizona dealing with a felony which Francella lost me on. Her article forced me to look up the law personally due to the fact I could not believe that simple questions such as the ones she asked were not answered in this new law. Researching the law caused me to become her opposition. I just wish the author had taken the time to properly research and even read the new law before writing a subjective opinionated piece with an informed perspective and not based on the emotions derived from the perspective of others that have influenced her through their own writings. Writings based on pure speculation cause me to lose faith in the writer.

Blog Stage Seven

Harry Reid and Immigration in the United States by Scott Cameron

Abortion. Religion. Civil Unions. Death Penalty. Many of these topics of discussion have been at the forefront of politics and debates within the citizens of the United States for years now. One topic, however, that is easily overlooked yet has been brimming under the surface since the foundation of the first colonies that would later become the United States of America has been the discussion of immigration.

Immigration has always been an issue for the citizens within the United States since the foundation of this nation. It boils to the surface in cycles which match the cycles of the waves of immigrants that come to this nation from differentiating geological locations with each wave and in time with the cycle of domestic growth, recessions, and depressions. The issue is so deeply imbedded that we have even had major political parties that had their platform based solely around the ideals of immigration such as the Know Nothing Party. during the 1840’s and 1850’s.

Recently the Senate Majority leader, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, spoke up for the need of immigration reform. At a speech given in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 10th, 2010, Senator Harry Reid stated to the crowd “We need to do this this year” in reference to immigration reform. Both houses of congress have their agendas filled with many other issues prior to recess including nominations for Supreme Court, bank reform, and the climate bill which the topic of immigration might push to the side. I question the timing and the motives for taking up the topic of immigration in the houses of congress; why here and why now?

The hispanic population is the largest minority population within the United States. The hispanic vote is fast becoming one of the most influential and sought out vote within this nation. In the state of Nevada the hispanic vote makes up 12% of the registered voters and is one of the fastest rising groups of voters in the state. Hispanics are a majority democrat but tend to lag behind in actually voting vs. other counterparts in the state and nation. Currently Harry Reid is trailing his state in most major surveys and polls by several percentage points in the upcoming elections this fall.

I question if Senator Harry Reid intentions are genuine or not. If Senator Harry Reid has been apart of the Senate now for 23 years why now suddenly make immigration reform a top priority by dumping other initiatives already well underway in the houses? Why after 23 years suddenly make it a top priority that needs to be passed in a matter of several weeks?

It seems that Senator Harry Reid is latching onto the issue of immigration in a desire to gain a topic for his platform to run on since right now there is no strong topic of discussion for political parties to latch onto this upcoming election year. I question if Senator Harry Reid is reaching out onto the issue of immigration to attract the hispanic voters to the poll both knowing that a majority of them are democrat and will vote for partisan candidates which would gain him votes. I question if Senator Harry Reid is picking up this platform is abusing his senior and high ranking position within the Senate to control the agenda for personal gains or manipulate the system in his favor.

Immigration reform needs to be done but it needs to be done right. It needs to be preformed under the context that it is what is best for the nation and the interests of the nation versus the politicians own personal interests and the interests of special interest groups. This topic has been taken up many times beforehand but have been hindered by personal opinion and politics that have led to weakened and failed results that have led us to the indecisiveness that our nation now suffers from on a daily basis. This political issue has been raised many times beforehand and been dealt with in the same manner as in years gone by. History has a tendency to repeat itself.

Please, politicians, let us learn from our past and mistakes committed previous so we are not doomed to repeat them again in the future.

Blog Stage Seven