“This is a battle of epic proportions; we’ve allowed the hijacking of the 14th Amendment.”
Senator Russell Pearce of Arizona; described as the architect of Arizona Bill SB 1070.
Some may say it’s nothing more than petty politicians trying to make a name for themselves by pandering to peoples prejudices. I say these are the politicians that the people elected and they are pushing the people’s agenda.
This is the same state, Arizona, which 30 years ago refused to honor Martin Luther King’s Day as a holiday. This position at the time was championed by none other than that self-proclaimed maverick, John McCain. He eventually reversed himself on that issue, but as the most strident (at the time) opponent to a holiday honoring Dr. King, Arizona had clearly and unequivocally drawn a line in the sand. This is also the same state where in 2010 they proposed having police officers ask and check people’s immigration status at traffic stops. The starkly racist nature of this proposal is blindingly obvious, as is the fact that it harkens back to Jim Crow and apartheid.
The relationship between these things should be clear. This isn’t an anti-illegal immigration issue; this is the people of a state trying to push their own twisted agenda on the national stage. The explanations they provide behind this may sound logical and even necessary but the racist ideals and prejudicial application of this initiative cannot be denied. However you may feel about the issue of illegal immigration, this legislation is wrong and nothing good can ever come out of it being passed into law.
This is again the same place where less than two months ago a lunatic with a gun killed several people because he had a different political opinion. Some may say its unfair of me to paint such a broad brush stroke on the entire state, but the rhetoric is clear and consistent and seemingly unopposed. 30 years ago it took a systematic series of agitation by black public figures and boycotts of Arizona venues by black performers (including moving the Super Bowl) for Arizona to finally recognize the holiday.
Clearly hypocrisy and racism is still a major part of life in the Grand Canyon state.
Lindsey Lohan’s in trouble. Again. She’s not going to jail. Again. Yeah, this is kinda getting old, but I am constantly amazed by the way she gets by. I’m going to dub her the new John “Teflon Don” Gotti. Of course, even Gotti was eventually sent to jail….
Its only February, and the UEFA Champions League hasn’t even resumed yet, and its only an exhibition game, but Wesley Sneijder has possibly already given us the goal of the year. 2010 was certainly an incredible year for Sneijder. Champions League winner with Inter Milan, Serie A champion in Italy and World Cup runner-up representing the Netherlands. Along the way, he scored some amazing goals, but I dont think anything matched the one he produced this week. Check it out here.
Pitchers and catchers in two weeks.
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