Arizona's New Law Shames Feds

President Obama said that "there may not be an appetite" to overhaul immigration laws this year. He has condemned the new immigration law in Arizona signed by Governor Jan Brewer. He also said that on immigration reform, the "federal government has been abdicating on its responsibilities for a very long time."

Perhaps the President needs to stop worrying about "political will" or getting the Latino vote (or the illegal vote, which we all know has happened and will continue to happen). The President needs to think about the murdered Arizona rancher. The President needs to think about the harassed and frightened American citizens who live in border states. The President needs to stop playing politics and start being and American, start being a leader and start thinking about America first.

There is no shame in being proud of your country, of being concerned for your own citizens, of putting your own country and countrymen first. British leaders put British citizens first. French leaders put French citizens first. Australian leaders put Australian citizens first. Any free country puts its citizens first. It is their responsibility. There is no problem helping out the world, there is no problem looking out for the world. But put your own country first and your own citizens first, or you will not have a free country with free citizens for long.

The law the President and others decry simply put a layer of state penalties to an already existing Federal Law. Section 2 of the Arizona law provides for protection against racial profiling. The law requires that a legal contact had already occurred, such as for a traffic stop (speeding, drunk driving), a robbery, etc.

People may not realize that in other countries there is a much greater chance to be stopped and "asked for papers" to be presented. In Spain, it is actually against the law to make fun of the gendarmes uniforms. If you point and laugh and make ruder comments, they will come over and arrest you. If they "think" you were making fun of them, they will come over and demand you present your identification. If you don't have your passport, they will haul you off until you can get someone to bring the proper documents. Or, if they are feeling in a nice mood, they will accompany you to your hotel or wherever you are staying, and let you find and present your documents. So anyone who says that asking for some kind of identification is a form of oppression or harassment are just plain stupid. It is done in other countries on a regular basis. It has been the law of the land here since the 1940's.

This is just my opinion, my own thoughts, and you can agree or disagree, it makes no matter. So long as I have made you stop and think for yourselves instead of listening to pundits or talking heads or babbling politicians, then I have done my job. So, agree or disagree, this is just me, Thinking Out Loud.

Take care, have a great day, and be glad you live in a country where pointing and laughing won't land you in jail.

Charles