Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Guest Voz: Anon4 - Happy Memorial Day!

Guest Voz: Anon 4, a frequent reader, commenter and friend to Immigration Talk with a Mexican American
Happy Memorial Day!
Being a veteran myself, I am happy to have a day off to thank all our past and present soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice, by putting their lives on the line, so that we can celebrate our freedoms. I also wanted to remind your readers of the many contributions that Hispanics made throughout the history of our great nation.

According to Wikipedia,
“Did you know that Hispanics have participated in every conflict in which the United States has been involved, and over forty Hispanics have been awarded the Medal of Honor?”

I served four years in the military, including one year in Vietnam. The GI bill allowed me to go to college and buy a house. I have lived a long and prosperous life, and I am proud to call myself an American. All of this comes to a screeching halt, when I hear that Arizona passed a bill “sb1070” that discriminates against people that look like me, just because I happen to look like a Mexican. Well, my great-great-great grandparents were Mexicans. They lived in a part of Mexico that is now known as parts of Texas and several other states.

If I were to visit AZ today, I would certainly be questioned for my papers. But if a white European tourist was walking nearby, he would just as certainly NOT be questioned for his papers. This is patently wrong. I want to send a message to AZ that really gets their attention. I want to reiterate the challenge made by many to boycott specific companies based in Arizona, such as: Budweiser (Hensley), PetSmart, Dial (soap), Best Western, U-Haul, University of Phoenix, Discount Tire and Fender Musical Instruments. Here are a few more companies.

BOYCOTT ARIZONA!

9 comments:

Dee said...

Anon 4,
Thank you for your service!
Thank you for your message.

Your comment was so moving I decided to post it separately, as a Guest Voz article.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. We do need to Boycott Arizona. We cannot allow this racial profiling bill to be enacted.

I know the ANTIs frequently say, "Oh this bill doesn't racially profile latinos. It even says so in the bill."

Riiiiiiggghhhttt.

They act like we haven't witnessed the rampant racial profiling that has occurred in Arpaio and his masked goons' "suppression sweeps."

They act like we don't know Kris Kobach's (author of the bill) background as a member of the Hate Group FAIR. And that we haven't read of his message of the bill's intent: "to make their lives HELL" through this "Attritrion through Enforcement" = Mass Deportation. They act as if we haven't read the bill which indicates Families of the undocumented will be terrorized and criminalized through the confiscation of their cars, $1000 fines and class 3 misdemeanors...all to fill up their crony owned private prisons.

They act like we haven't read the portions of the bill that call for Hot Lines for citizens to call and report to police anytime they see a group of illegals. (Not even the governor could say what an illegal looks like and she signed the bill. And IF the police do not come out and investigate, the can be sued.

This bill will make Latinos life HELL just like Kris Kobach is predicting and intending.

You are right. It is TIME to BOYCOTT Arizona!

Benito said...

I hope that every American, regardless of where he lives, will stop and examine his conscience about this and other related incidents. This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. All of us ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated, but this is not the case.

I know the proponents of this law say that the majority approves of this law, but the majority is not always right. Would women or non-whites have the vote if we listen to the majority of the day, would the non-whites have equal rights (and equal access to churches, housing, restaurants, hotels, retail stores, schools, colleges and yes water fountains) if we listen to the majority of the day? We all know the answer, a resounding, NO!

Today we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. In a time of domestic crisis men of good will and generosity should be able to unite regardless of party or politics and do what is right, not what is just popular with the majority. Some men comprehend discrimination by never have experiencing it in their lives, but the majority will only understand after it happens to them.

ultima said...

Confiscating the property of illegals and criminals is an effective law enforcement technique. Other approaches pre-1070 have not worked. Therefore the fundamental question remains: do you wish to be part of the solution or part of the problem. If you want to be part of the solution, you have to willing to entertain ideas that are at once different and more effective.

ultima said...

So-called suppression sweeps are just another example of effective law enforcement. How can one quarrel with the basic idea that resources should be focused where they will do the most good. the arguments about racial profiling and suppression sweeps are just red herrings designed to make enforcement ineffective and to divert the attention from the real problem, "illegal aliens".

ultima said...

dee wrote, ""to make their lives HELL" through this "Attritrion through Enforcement" = Mass Deportation.

I think we should make the lives of all lawbreakers hell. It's called crime and punishment but attrition through enforcement is nothing like mass deportation. Mass deportation is "you have 30 minutes to get to the bus or train station and you can bring only one suitcase."

However, CIR does = amnesty or mass legalization.

ultima said...

Dee wrote, "all to fill up their (Obama's} crony-owned private prisons."

Why hasn't Obama modified the terms of these detention facility contract to pay them on the basis of throughput instead of detainee-days? Would the confiscated cars be turned over to the detention facilities??

ultima said...

dee wrote, "They act like we haven't read the portions of the bill that call for Hot Lines for citizens to call and report to police anytime they see a group of illegals."

The police and ICE need all the help they can get if they are to solve this problem. This is just another neighborhood-watch type program. You don't give citizens enough credit for being able to recognize those who might be in the area to burglarize houses (what does a burglar look like?) and those who might be illegals. What would a policeman do if called by someone in the neighborhood watch program? I suspect they would ask the suspicious characters for ID and their purpose in the neighborhoos. I suspect that is all that would happen to anyone suspected of being illegal. If they can prove their bona fides, no problema!

Do you see how this sort of thing gets hyped and distorted. I guess we have to do away with neighborhood watches.

ultima said...

Some are strong advocates of sanctions against employers. I am one of them. But advocacy of this approach is not sufficient. One has to be willling to provide the tools necessary to identify miscreant employes -- E-verify across the board and the type of universal biometric ID I recommended are two such tools. If an individual cannot present a nonfraudulent biometric ID, an employer who hires him would not be able to claim he "didn't do so knowingly". We all know that.

ultima said...

We clearly understand what is right. The question is, "Do Hispanic citizens understand or are their minds clouded by ethnocentricity or a misguided belief that America can solve all the ills of the world." After all the proximity of Mexico should not given it any special consideration not available to others.

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