First they came for the Jews...

The following is a first draft reaction to news I read about today....

Pastor Martin Niemoller said the following,

In Germany they first came for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me —
and by that time no one was left to speak up.

I am not comparing the current attempts at dealing with our immigration issue in places like Arizona with Nazism. However, I do want to stress the importance of speaking out at the beginning of what can be the initial step of rampant profiling that can and will legitimize abuse. How does one identify an "illegal" person? Can a human being be illegal? What makes a person suspect of being in this country illegally?

I am very curious to see what Arizona develops as their criteria for identifying these people. I for one know that I will not be travelling to Arizona if this law takes effect. Would being lost and trying to find your way around in a strange place be considered suspicious? I would def. not go hiking anywhere in that state! unless a "hispanic" looking guy with water and a backpack is not suspicious enough for authorities to approach and detain.

Of course people may say that I will be fine as long as I have my documentation with me, and they will be correct. Then again, am I free if I have to make sure I have my "papers" with me on pain of detention and Jail! who brings a wallet when running? I love mountain biking, usually I leave my wallet in my car, etc. I cringe at the thought of driving through several different towns and counties in a state with such draconian laws! How long would my journey be if every time I get to a new area there will be a police officer, under pain of a suit if he does not, who could easily find a reason to pull me over (26 on a 25 anyone?)? I will then have to sit there, wait for the second patrol car to get there, hand my license over, have it checked, returned. Never mind if there are other people in my car with me!

friend: hey! haven't seen you in a while. You should come visit, oh! Bring Jose he lives by you, I want to her about your trip to Europe, I wish I'd gone with you guys.

ME: No I can't bring Jose with me and be back the same day! you live 5 towns and two counties away! One of us may get through some of those towns w/out being pulled over, two of us, never!

the previous imaginary situation may seem ridiculous to you but think of it this way; Anyone who looks like me (hispanic/latino) would have to avoid anything that would give any officer a reason to pull one over if one wants to get anywhere within a reasonable amount of time. That means obeying all laws, yeah 25 on a 25, can you remember the last time you did the speed limit for an entire drive anywhere?

I cannot stay silent about this especially since a representative from my state (PA) just introduced legislation like the Arizona one.

Single sided opinions are more often than not disingenuous and deceiving. Rep. Metcalfe rattles off a series of numbers about how much "they" cost our wonderfully free state. However, he does not cite anything about how much they contribute to our economy, where's the balance? by only speaking of the expenses this person places the blame on our immigrant population for the state deficit! As if these people just come here and sit around, taking "OUR" hard earned money! They work, buy stuff (sales taxes) pay for a place to live (property taxes), have payment plans at the hospital paying premium prices for the antibiotics they had to get from the ER because they can't have health insurance, etc.

these totalitarian measures are nothing short of racial profiling and unconstitutional. What is reasonable suspicion of being in this country illegally? Speaking another language? wearing flip flops? looking foreign? looking lost? We have a problem in this country with immigration, totalitarianism is not the answer!

I had a conversation recently,
Me: hey, haven't seen you in a while

friend: I was on vacation. Arizona, it's beautiful there, you should go there!

m: eh, not sure I want to

F: oh right! But wait, you're legal right? so it's cool...

NO WAY IT IS NOT COOL!

It was then than Pastor Martin Niemoller's quote, with which I started this post, came to mind. Freedom is a gift for which we have paid dearly. That freedom has always been for everyone and these laws do not affect just the undocumented, we will all see our freedoms limited by an over reaching state. Interesting how the people proposing these laws are the same ones crying out against an over-reaching state! I guess over-reaching is good as long as it goes along with their opinion. so no I CANNOT STAY SILENT!

One last thing, a while back I was in South Africa. one day I was chatting with one of our hosts who is Indian. He told me a story about his life prior to the end of apartheid. he says that one day he finished work late so he left in a hurry as he couldn't be in town after sundown. In that hurry he left his id card in his jacket in the office. As he was rushing to the bus he was stopped by the police, they had reasonable suspicion since he was in a hurry to get somewhere and not white. as he reached for his papers he realized he had left them in the office. SO, they detained him and he had to spend the night in jail. His family couldn't come get him as it was in town and after dark. He couldn't leave there until his wife could go to his office, retrieve the documents and go to the police station to get him.

I remember thinking how CRAZY that sounded to me and how glad I was to be a US citizen. If this law passes in PA I may find myself with a similar story in 20FREAKIN10, in the land of the free!