Reaction to my Posting about Arizona's Law

Some of you will agree with my friend's response below and I can't say that I completely disagree with it, but it fails to address the point that I was making in my April 22nd post "Arizona Steps into the Dark." The fact that many (and I hope most) people abide by our immigration laws, does not justify stopping people to produce documents based on what will amount to be their racial and economic status.

I am probably going to make you mad, but that's nothing new. My comments are: I was raised to believe that the word illegal meant against the law. I am not for racial profiling, but when you break the law you have to expect consequences. ------'s brother wanted to come to the US for a visit. ------- had to do a lot of paperwork and it has taken about 5-6 years to go through the process. He was finally given permission to visit for a designated time period. They did it the right way. I know that the conditions in Mexico are not great for many. Conditions in MANY countries are not good. The US can't afford to take everyone in that wants to escape poverty, etc. We can argue more about this later.

For those of you who see this ... please read my post "Arizona Steps into the Dark" from April 22nd. I am not defending illegal immigration or illegal immigrants. However, I am saying very clearly that one will be "suspected" of being an illegal immigrant when they are brown skinned and poor--plain and simple. The problem of illegal immigration will only be solved when employers are held accountable for who they hire. It is Americans who do the hiring of illegal immigrants, and OFTEN take advantage by paying subsistence (or less) wages.

I admire those who immigrate to this country legally, and have gone through the process that can take years. This is the way that it should be done. I am not advocating for illegal immigrants. I'm advocating against a law that will institutionalize a practice that many have struggled against for years ... pulling people over because of what they look like. Now we're going to pull people over and ask for their papers and if they can't produce them then we get to haul them in for the next step. This sounds frighteningly familiar.

There will always be some who come to this country illegally looking for opportunity and some who will circumvent the process and our laws. That is not good. However, the problem we have today was created by US, ourselves ... not the illegal immigrants. Of course they come ... and for YEARS, we encouraged it and still do by looking the other way when employers do not verify immigration status at employment. Now, we propose pulling over "suspected" illegal immigrants. I will say again that the only way that I can think of that one might be suspected of being illegal is by their brown skin and their economic plight. We are in danger of returning to some very dark days if we allow this kind of practice to stand. And THIS after we have created our own circumstances.

I think some in this country have gone mad. I wonder how many of the Arizona state legislators who voted in favor of this measure have employed an undocumented nanny, housekeeper, or gardener .... hmmmmmm???? I wonder. I'm sure someone will research this and will be reporting the results post haste.

Arizona Steps into the Dark

Okay, I RARELY use this forum for political comments. However, the recent law passed in the state of AZ allowing people "suspected" of illegal immigration to be stopped and questioned regarding their legal status is a travesty and a gigantic step backward for the state of AZ and for our country. I do not favor illegal immigration or defend it, but this law will result in people being stopped and questioned purely due to their appearance as a latino ... the darker the skin the more likely to be questioned. And the shabbier the clothes and car, the more likely to be stopped. Poor latinos will become targets. Let's not forget the lessons of history. Who will be stopped and questioned next because of their appearance—don’t think it couldn’t be you. The courts will need to step in on this one and I hope they do quickly! The law does not define what would cause someone to be suspected of being an illegal immigrant. If not being latino and poor, what would it be? Perhaps a line of day laborers standing in front of Home Depot hoping for a day’s work to feed their family?

Welcome to the Dominican: March 20, 2010

I procrastinated writing or posting anything partly because that is "who I am" but mostly because I doubted that my words could ever adequately or accurately reflect my experience. Many have traveled abroad and seen much worse conditions than I did on this trip, but the sights, sounds, smells, and emotions were my own; in real time and in Real 3-D. They are not anymore real or more important than your or anyone else's experience--except to me, because they're mine.

Melanie and I arrived at Santo Domingo airport later than planned at 10:30 p.m. As I departed our aircraft it felt as if someone had wrapped a hot, wet blanket around me. My t-shirt was spotted with wetness within only a few minutes of arrival and I knew that I had better get used to it. I was not to be disappointed--the Dominican heat and humidity assured me of this during my week long visit.

After claiming our bags we were greeted by George, the taxi driver, who had been sent by the orphanage to take us from the Santo Domingo airport to San Pedro, where we would be staying at the local Howard Johnson for the night. George spoke some English and engaged us in warm conversation during the 25 mile trip from the airport to our hotel. He was sure to inform us that his son was in Arizona at a spring training camp for baseball. The Dominican is the home of many baseball players, including the most famous Sammy Sosa. Having a successful baseball player in the family was clearly considered prestigious, and as I discovered later, a way out of poverty--sounds familiar.

During the ride to the hotel I became distracted by one sight in particular. We passed several small motorcycles that they call moto conches. What struck me about this was how many there were on the road--many, many more than we would see in the US, and even more striking was that some of them were carrying up to four people and I was told that they can carry more--and not a helmet in sight. It was not a surprise when I met someone the following day with some scrapes and bruises to his face resulting from a recent moto conch accident. I think I forgot to mention the "rules of the road." --thats because the main rule seems to be to "ignore the rules."

Welcome to the Dominican Republic!