H -°, L 7° | Tomorrow: 
H 17°, L 4°In case you’ve been too busy studying to have heard, a new immigration policy in Arizona will allow law enforcement officials to ask anyone they believe could be an illegal immigrant to prove their legal status. In response to the law’s potential to open the doors of racial profiling and discrimination, a Milwaukee alderman called on residents to protest the policy by boycotting the state.
As part of a three-pronged approach, advocates for immigrant rights have been promoting general boycotts of Arizona, urging consumers to avoid everything from Diamondbacks games to business conferences. Los Angeles has already declared a boycott, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stated on late-night television that he would never pass such a bill in California (even though passing such a bill would not be politically feasible in California, the way it was in Arizona, thanks to the state’s general demographics. Regardless, it is still a nice gesture on Schwarzenegger’s part). With this new proposal, Milwaukee is jumping into the fray. The goal is to force Arizona to repeal the bill (or stop it from coming into effect since it will not have legal force until 90 days after the current session ends) by pressuring Arizona economically. People across the nation will show their displeasure with the bill by avoiding Arizona. Arizona will then realize the error of its ways, a healthy economy being foremost in Jan Brewer’s considerations, and repeal the bill.
The possible effectiveness of the boycott has been called into question; will a decrease in baseball ticket sales really change the Legislature’s mind? A quick look into history might help clear up this question. It was a while ago, when most readers of this paper were probably not even a thought, but way back in the 1960s there was this movement for civil rights. Boycotts were effectively used to integrate buses, caf�s and neighborhoods.
The movement was not simply confined to a single area, either. Students from Washington, D.C. rode Greyhound buses across the nation in an effort to promote desegregation. The movement would not have been as successful had it not been for the nation-wide support garnered by Civil Rights leaders. Likewise, the movement today against de jure discrimination in Arizona will benefit from nationwide support. Milwaukee seems irreconcilably far from Phoenix. But in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. (and forgive me if this is clich�), “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Arizona is not quite so far from Wisconsin as it appears on a map. We all live in the same country, we all go to school and work and take a day off every now and then to just have some fun.
Yes, Arizona may be cursed with having to eat (subpar) California cheese, but that’s not totally unforgivable. If the Brewers can play in the same league as the Diamondbacks, then we as Wisconsinites can stand up for the civil rights of Arizona residents.
At the same time, it is undeniable that undocumented immigration is a real problem. This is an emotional issue, and it well should be, as it affects millions on a very personal basis. The United States is a country of immigrants, yet, starting with the quotas of the early 20th century, the United States has attempted to derail the immigration of millions through endless miles of bureaucracy.
Obviously, being an undocumented resident of the United States is a rather undesirable status. One cannot go to college, take out a mortgage or do countless other things citizens take for granted. They can’t even complain about. Undocumented immigrants are also often taken advantage of in the workplace, given the lowest jobs on the employment ladder and paid substandard wages. The true tragedy is that for many, this represents a higher quality of life than they have ever enjoyed before. The flow of illegal immigrants into the United States does need to be slowed. Simultaneously, however, the process of obtaining legal entry into the country needs to become easier and less covered with needless red tape. Building a fence will not really solve any problems, and neither will racial profiling, ignorance, fear or hate.
The recent immigration bill passed in Arizona was a desperate cry for attention. It was the temper tantrum a 3-year-old throws in a grocery store when he isn’t allowed to buy a candy bar. And like that temper tantrum, this bill has the chance to inflict some real damage. A nationwide response will send the message that any trampling of civil rights won’t be accepted by America’s mainstream. Wisconsin may be geographically far from Arizona, but we’re not so far apart by other measures. So as you’re trying not to forget the power rule for that calculus final, don’t forget about civil rights either. Remember that a word spoken in Wisconsin can be heard all the way in Arizona.
Elise Swanson ([email protected]) is a freshman with an undecided major.
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Well said Elise!
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“The United States is a country of immigrants”
This statement is misleading because the United States is NOT a country of ILLEGAL immigrants. Illegal is illegal and if you want to be a citizen of this great nation, you should have to play by the rules like all the people did before. Why should a select group of illegal immigrants get preferential treatment when my grandparents were required to go through the system to gain citizenship?
If we’re really looking for fairness, then prospective immigrants should have to do what others had to do; not cross the border and expect citizenship on arrival, which is offensive to the others who gained it the right way.
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Why would checking to see if someone is in this country illegaly be “racial profiling and discrimination”? The only people this would discriminate against are the ones who are here illegaly. Not only that, but this law cracks down on the bussiness the hire (and exploit) the illegals. As far as I know, there are people in this country of all races that are here illegaly (people from Europe, central America, South America, Africa, Asia and probably a few Canadians too).
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It’s unfortunate that so many people like you in this country take stances on issues like this without any regard for the facts involved.
Fact: The law passed gives the police force in Arizona nearly the identical powers that the federal police have to do the job that the feds are not doing. To assume this is a completely new, un-Constitutional law is wrong. It is simply allowing Arizona to pick up where America left off.
Fact: An overwhelming percentage of Arizonians support this bill.
Fact: A majority of all American people support this bill.
Fact: This law has zero negative effects on legal immigrants. Instead, it punishes employers who take advantage of illegal labor and illegals who take advantage of our country’s generosity.
Please review these facts and then submit another article.
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Simply put, this law encourages racial profiling and the terrorizing of latin@ neighborhoods in Arizona. With the passage of SB 1070, law enforcement can now detain/question anyone they have “reasonable suspicion” (the vagueness of such a phrase opens the gates to racial profiling) of possibly being in the state unlawfully. If police officers do not enforce the law and report people to ICE, they can actually be sued by any Arizona citizen!
It is important that we take a stand against the injustices that are happening in Arizona, but in doing so, we must not forget that similar injustices are happening right here in Dane County. Right now, our Sheriff Mahoney makes it his mission to report people to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Imagine, foregoing calling the police for a disturbance within your home or neighborhood for fear that the police will check your immigration status. As Desmond Tutu said in his response to the passing of SB 1070, “Arizona’s new laws will split the communities, make it less likely that people in the immigrant communities will work with the police. They will create conditions favorable to the very criminals these laws are trying to disarm.”
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“Imagine, foregoing calling the police for a disturbance within your home or neighborhood for fear that the police will check your immigration status.”
This wouldn’t be a problem if they hadn’t stolen into the country and jumped the line that LEGAL immigrants have to stand in. I won’t even stand for line jumpers at the movie theater.
Bail jumping criminals are nervous about calling the police for a disturbance within their home or neighborhood for fear that the police will check to see if they shouldn’t be in jail.
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I think boycotting the D-backs is stupid though. Not their fault unless they’re owned by the governor…are they?
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The citizens and police of Arizona and other southern border states are being robbed and murder by illegal aliens. Your dismissive attitude argues for acceptance of murder, lawlessness, and anarchy. Yours is the senseless tantrum.
We are participating in a national response. We support Arizona, legal immigration, and enforcement of our immigration laws.
Secure the US Borders - Now.
Require Citizenship Status On Every Drivers License In Every State - Now.
Deport the Illegal Aliens - Now.
Purge the voter rolls of illegal voters - Now.
Support Legal Immigration - From this day forward.
Si Se Puede!!!
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Look at crime statistics in Arizona…you dimwit. They have been the lowest since the 1960’s and no evidence has been introduced that shows that illehal immigrants commit crimes at a higher rate than the general population.
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http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/azcrime.htm
Seems like more crime - not less.
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If a bartender asks for your ID is he showing age discrimination? hell no, he is following the law that requires you to be 21 to buy alcohol. Well we also have a law that required you to go through the proper channels if you want to live or work here. I’m already sick of hearing the bleeding heart libers whine about “racial profiling”. Do you really think keeping the illegals in the country is the answer just to avoid hurting feelings by asking for identification? Seriously, this is rediculous. I think every state should follow Arizona and require all people to have documantation. It shouldn’t matter as we all have ID’s and driver’s licences anyway.
Alright, go ahead and call me names and say I’m pro discrimination. I call it pro America. Don’t sit in your tiny apartment in Madison and think you represent the feeling of the whole state or country. I guarantee there’s many more out there who agree that illegal imigration is a problem that needs to stop.
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So it’s a “temper tantrum” to pass a new state law which does nothing more than enforce a 70 year old federal law?
The MOST important duty of the federal government is to prevent invasion and it is failing miserably. Bring the troops home from Korea, Japan and Germany. Have them protect the borders of the USA!
PS. It really fries my bacon when the advocates for ILLEGAL immigrants substitute “undocumented” for “illegal”. What’s next, calling bank robbers undocumented un-depositors? Criminals are criminals, whether they are stealing money or stealing their way into the USA.
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It is true that Arizona’s bill is like the tantrum of a three-year old- that of a three-year old about being beaten to death. It is not Arizona’s fault they must pass this law. Without a border, a country does not really exist, any more than life can exist without cellular membranes. Please realize the politicians who support illegal immigration are playing us all! Instead of shaping politics to the country, the politicians are shaping the country to their rule! Illegal immigration is merely a ploy for more votes. It’s sad that illegal immigrants come from such poor conditions; we must adopt foreign trade policies to help them at home, where they would rather stay if they could, anyway. However, those who come illegally are thieves, no matter what their condition, because they are taking what is not theirs. Every American must stand up for Arizona!
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This isn�t a Democrat/Republican issue, we�re all American citizens first. Amnesty isn�t going to happen! Spin the issues all you want, astro turf sad stories on message boards, project YOUR race based issues onto your opposition, offend the Jewish population by comparing people coming here illegally to the genocide they faced, riot in the streets, and scream insults at the American population; at the end of the day it won�t change anything!
At best you can hope Americans don�t run pro-criminal voters (probably �progressive�) right out of our electorate. This isn�t a party issue, don�t let Democrats trick you into thinking it is, they don�t even have enough support in their own party, and the LGBT crowd has abandoned THEIR idea of �Illegal Immigration Reform� We don�t reward criminals and nobody is gonna get Amnesty for breaking the law. NOBODY! The �path to citizenship� and �humane enforcement� lines are crap too, criminals that have been emboldened to cheat our system for years don�t get �fast-tracked� to citizenship. The people trying to come here legally certainly aren�t going to like being �line jumped� by people breaking the laws they so patiently observed. We aren�t the monsters for enforcing our laws, they are the monsters for coming here illegally and in some cases procreating and making families that now carry their burden, THEY ARE THE MONSTERS! If I sneak into a concert at the Gorge, when I�m caught I don�t get taken to the front of the entry line, and the amount of time I�ve been inside the event has nothing to do with my removal, unlawful entry is unlawful entry!
Amnesty isn�t going to happen! Sorry if you don�t like it, but too bad, build a bridge, get over it, and start immigrating here legally like all the other generations of Americans.
Smooches, Gay Urban Hipster in Seattle Permanently Boycotting Anyone Aiding In The Oppression Of Arizona�s Citizens
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Immigrants are welcome here.
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HOUSTON (KTRK) — A local high school student has been found murdered in Mexico, after her mother told police she went down there to learn how to transport illegal immigrants across the border.
Darwin Award candidate?
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When the Healthcare bill was passed, we were told not to complain at all even if we vehemently disagreed with it. As I remember, we aren’t supposed to repeal the legislation, no matter how much it clashes with idealogical viewpoints because its “such a good bill for the American people”.
However, once a lefty disagrees with a piece of legislation, it suddenly becomes OK to spout cries of racism, racial profiling, etc. and a demand to repeal the law. The double standard is blatant and ridiculous.
Just an aside, over 50% of Americans disagree with the Healthcare Bill (which we weren’t supposed to complain about) while over 70% of Arizonians agree with SB 1070 and the majority of Americans, yet the minority thinks they have the audacity to repeal it (just like they implemented an unpopular health legislation). Its about time that a state listen to its constituents and enact legislation that more closely aligns with their wants and desires.
Good for Arizona.
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I don’t know who exactly told you that you weren’t allowed to complain about the healthcare bill… Anyway, it’s impossible to compare the health care bill with SB 1070 - health insurance has nothing to do with racism or racial profiling.
How would you feel if you constantly had to have papers testifying you were an American citizen, even if you are a 4th generation American, simply because of your skin color? Wouldn’t that be insulting, when there are plenty of non-Hispanic illegal immigrants, and no bill saying that Caucasians be stopped? How would you feel when, upon realizing that you had forgotten your papers (read: yellow Jude star implemented by the Nazi party), you were arrested until you could come up with said papers?
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The bill doesn’t allow cops to pull them over or stop them in the street and ask them for papers… Please get informed on the bill before making false assumptions that this would allow them to pull over or stop people just for looking like an illegal. It would only make it legal for them to ask the immigration status of someone they had pulled over or stopped for another violation (such as speeding, going through a red light, robbing a bank). Essentially, since the Feds and INS haven’t been doing their jobs whatsoever and Arizona got fed up with it (I like the irony) they enacted legislation that would give State and local law enforcement officials the right to practice what power the Feds and INS have.
Next time, know your stuff and stop acting like you know what you’re talking about.
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I do not see what the big deal is. Seriously if you are a legal citizen you should have no problem showing it. Yes all our ancestors may be immagrants but lets remember this they all were LEAGL immigrants. If you are an ILLEGAL immagrant you are just that ILLEGAL. Also they say that they want to be treated the smae and they want the same rights as everyone else. Well if that’s true why do they fly the Mexican flag above the American flag? Why do they still speek Spanish and not even try to learn English? Why do they insist that jobs have tings printed in both English and Spanish. I’m sorry but the last time I checked the national language of AMERICA is ENGLISH and the national language of MEXICO is SPANISH not the other way around. You don’t see immagrants going to Germany who don’t speek German. Im all for people comming here and becomming legal citizens I have friends who are immagrants and they became legal citizens. They too are upset that people come here and feel that just because they snuck across the boarder that they are American. This bill is something thaat should have been passed along time ago.
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Hardly any of the old school immigrants from Europe considered themselves the vanguard of an invasion to re-conquer lands lost over a 100 years ago.
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Now THIS is a temper tantrum!
http://www.breitbart.tv/this-is-machete-filmmaker-uses-new-movie-trailer-to-send-message-to-arizona/
Is it true that the official national symbol of MEChA is an eagle holding a machete-like weapon and a stick of dynamite?
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take a look at how mexico treats its illegal immigrants, you’d be horrified.
they also have some of the strictest immigration laws in the world, double standard much?
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Immigrants of past generations did not ‘play by the rules’ or follow the laws. If you are of Euro descent, look up the history of treaty violations and the other tactics the founding fathers used to steal land from the indigenous peoples of this land.
Let’s work for immigration reform that does not make the problem worse. Let’s look at how NAFTA makes the situation in Mexico so intolerable people leave their families and risk their lives to work underpaid in this country. Let’s ask how much these people contribute to the GDP with little chance of ever getting social security, etc.
We can do better than this.
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“the founding fathers used to steal land from the indigenous peoples of this land”
They lost. Wars have consequences. “the indigenous peoples of this land” weren’t treated any worse than many conquered peoples throughout history.
The Huns didn’t start off living in Hungary.
“Let�s ask how much these people contribute to the GDP with little chance of ever getting social security, etc.”
Let’s ask how many of these people work for cash and pay no taxes or social security. The rest are identity thieves who cause no end of trouble for the people they have stolen SS numbers from.
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Governor Jan Brewer sparked a national debate on border security and illegal immigration when she signed SB1070. While Brewer has been celebrated by many for taking action to enforce laws that Washington has long ignored, those who oppose the law have chosen pithy punch lines over aggressive action. Far away from the border at the White House Correspondents Dinner, President Obama decided that Arizona’s unsecured borders and illegal immigration crisis are a laughing matter. Unfortunately, no one in Arizona is laughing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLgZ1LWLlko
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a “temper tantrum”?
How preciously and naively Madison to apply your sophomoric, childish arrogance as a metric for responsible civic behavior.
The rest of the country doesn’t live in the contrived, shallow bubble of fake political correctness and even more fake tolerance.
Now go graduate and go to live in the real world where real people have to live with the real consequences of meaningless borders, health care, educational and housing infra-structures that are collapsing around us nationally as we (in Madison) primp and fret over what outfit to wear to a Whole Foods wine tasting.
But don’t worry, when you feel the need (which I KNOW you don’t) to embrace ILLEGAL and DISENGENUOUS “diversity”, just go to any local car wash or restaurant kitchen in Madison and feast your eyes on the growing population of Meso-American Indians you call “latinos”. And take a good hard look because we all know that at the end of they day they will NOT be living in your precious yuppie ghettos of Westmoreland, Sunset Village or University Hts.
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How’s this for a REAL tantrum.
L.A. Teacher Calls for Mexican Revolt in the U.S.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGqPo5ofk0s
It’s an invasion, not immigration.
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Hypocrisy-? There will be no special bilingual programs in the schools.
All ballots will be in this nation’s language.
All government business will be conducted in our language.
Non-residents will NOT have the right to vote no matter how long they are here.
Non-citizens will NEVER be able to hold political office
Foreigners will not be a burden to the taxpayers. No welfare, no food stamps, no health care, or other government assistance programs. Any burden will be deported.
Foreigners can invest in this country, but it must be an amount at least equal to 40,000 times the daily minimum wage.
If foreigners come here and buy land… options will be restricted. Certain parcels including waterfront property are reserved for citizens naturally born into this country.
Foreigners may have no protests; no demonstrations, no waving of a foreign flag, no political organizing, no bad-mouthing our president or his policies. These will lead to deportation.
If you do come to this country illegally, you will be actively hunted &, when caught, sent to jail until your deportation can be arranged. All assets will be taken from you.
Too strict ?
The above laws are current immigration laws of MEXICO and written into their constitution!
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Activists blast Mexico’s immigration law
Arizona’s new law forcing local police to take a greater role in enforcing immigration law has caused a lot of criticism from Mexico, the largest single source of illegal immigrants in the United States.
But in Mexico, illegal immigrants receive terrible treatment from corrupt Mexican authorities, say people involved in the system.
And Mexico has a law that is no different from Arizona’s that empowers local police to check the immigration documents of people suspected of not being in the country legally.
“There (in the United States), they’ll deport you,” Hector V�zquez, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, said as he rested in a makeshift camp with other migrants under a highway bridge in Tultitl�n. “In Mexico they’ll probably let you go, but they’ll beat you up and steal everything you’ve got first.”
Mexican authorities have harshly criticized Arizona’s SB1070, a law that requires local police to check the status of persons suspected of being illegal immigrants. The law provides that a check be done in connection with another law enforcement event, such as a traffic stop, and also permits Arizona citizens to file lawsuits against local authorities for not fully enforcing immigration laws.
Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said the law “violates inalienable human rights” and Democrats in Congress applauded Mexican President Felipe Calder�n’s criticisms of the law in a speech he gave on Capitol Hill last week.
Yet Mexico’s Arizona-style law requires local police to check IDs. And Mexican police freely engage in racial profiling and routinely harass Central American migrants, say immigration activists.
“The Mexican government should probably clean up its own house before looking at someone else’s,” said Melissa Vert�z, spokeswoman for the Fray Mat�as de C�rdova Human Rights Center in Tapachula, Mexico.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-05-25-mexico-migrants_N.htm
There’s more, but you get drift of how big a hypocrite Calder�n is when he bags on the AZ law.