immigration.

ok, immigration.

i know this is a tough issue, that affects people on every level...and when i say people, i mean ALL people. it affects the illegal immigrants, the legal immigrants, and the natural citizens of the country. with all of the recent debate about the AZ law, i've been thinking about the issue and trying to evaluate where i stand. i think i have avoided it in some ways because it is a tough problem with no easy solutions. in a country where most of our politics is decided by rich politicians, who, although i know there are some who do care, most don't actually have our best interests at heart (ok, maybe they are good people or they started out caring for the people) but in reality it's about their sponsors and lobbyists and the money that comes along with power. anyways, in this country where it's easy to sit back and let law makers decide things and then either shout with joy or cuss in disgust, blaming it all on other people or "washington", we've somehow forgotten how we were intended to operate; to be involved. for the staunch republican or the hard-core democrat it's easy to take sides and scream at the other end of the spectrum, but for people like myself, sometimes it's hard to form a concrete opinion because i can (in some cases) sympathize with both sides. so now i find myself here....immigration. enough skirting. what do i really think?

i must admit that i was outraged at the law at first. words like "racial profiling", "nazism", and "control and abuse" were thrown around rampantly and yeah, i was pissed at our country for supporting something like this. most of the articles i read (or heard) from the media attacked the lawmakers and ripped the governor to shreds, and (although i'm ashamed to admit it) this was my information source. i never read the bill. yes...i was THAT person who formed an opinion without actually having the facts. i'm embarrassed. i posted a comment on a family member's blog about the bill, and when she responded to me i thought that she was for SURE wrong about it...seeing as how we typically have had different political opinions in the past, but i decided that i should probably look into the topic further before getting too offended.

typically i do take the time to do research and learn the facts before i get passionately involved and opinionated about the issue. (when that starts, there's no going back) but this time, i hadn't, and so when i did actually dedicate the time to learning more about the bill, i realized i needed to swallow my pride and admit that i got emotionally caught up in the media frenzy. in the law, i did not find racism rampant, but i did find that it was reasonable and legit. these are the major points i drew from it:

- the person(s) must already be stopped by an officer in "lawful contact". basically, you have to actually DO something before being suspected...like speeding, running a red light, or stealing a pack of cigs.

- "reasonable suspicion". this is what's been taken so out of context...ie racial profiling. however, if the person in question has a state-issued ID (like a drivers license) they are considered legal and there are no grounds for suspicion. no matter what race or language they are speaking.

- upon detained, the officers will check the immigration status of the person with the federal authorities. i know that some people may still think this is crazy, but honestly, i don't believe it is...i mean, when you get pulled over for speeding and the officer asks for your insurance card, they check are checking with another authority to see if you are legit. it's..well, sort of the same thing in my mind. either you have it or you don't. if they make the call and you're legal, you are legal and you're released.

so. after reading into it further i have taken a step back and changed my opinion on the law...i don't think it's outrageous and i don't think it's supporting racism. for one thing, people who have green cards and visas to be in this country have been required by law since the 1940's to carry it on them at all times. they can get into big trouble if they don't. i know this, mostly because my husband is not a citizen...he is a permanent resident with a green card (and carries it around in his wallet whenever he leaves the house). he shows it to people anytime they need to verify his identity...ie, signing a lease, getting a license, entering the country. i do however understand that there probably WILL be people who abuse the law and use it as an excuse to "question" hispanic citizens in arizona...but those ass holes will hopefully be few and far between, and if they are not then i think the bigger problem we have on our hands is WHY are there so many racists in our country. in addition to this, i know that there are many, many, many laws in the united states that provide loop holes for abusing people groups, genders, sexual orientation, etc...the list goes on, but we fail to recognize that the people who are engaging in racism or sexism aren't doing it because the law provides a loop hole for them to exercise is it in, but because they are distorted people with bad values...and they do it either way. it's why we see video's of white police men beating black men they've arrested for no reason. i think we need to realize that it is not this law that is the problem, but the people who will be abusing it who are. the law specifically states that it will not tolerate racism, and with Obama stepping in with the Justice Department monitoring it, i'm guessing we'll catch some ignorant person before long.

ok, enough about the AZ law. another thing i have come to realize through my thoughts on immigration, is that i DO care. half of my family is not a natural born citizen from this country, and went through the proper channels to get his green card. simply for that fact, it does affect us and it is an issue for our family. i know that it is a tough situation because you aren't just dealing with words in writing and laws on paper, you are working with peoples lives they have established...and that can hurt. i HATE that. and no, i don't think we should waltz into a families bedroom at midnight and kick them all out of the country, but i don't think that it is fair and right to ignore a growing problem. i hate saying that "american's are paying the price" for the "illegals" to use up our health care and education funds, etc, etc..because i feel like it separates us and makes us better than "them". we are, in fact, not. but...the country we love and enjoy is what it is today because of what we have all put into it. the fact of the matter is, that there are millions and millions of people who are abusing the welfare system (i have to add, legal or not here) and sending the check onto the (oh so privileged) white, working, middle class of the country, and if we continue at this rate the country we love will not be the way it is today for long. just like an individual who racks up too much debt and then declares bankruptcy when it gets out of control, so will our country (in essence) and we will all feel the affects.

i know there are exceptions to the rule, and i know that there are those who are innocent who will be hurt in the process...that brings me no joy and i do think that our government, people, and country should work through the immigration problems and solutions as compassionately as possible towards those who are living here illegally. in some ways i think if there were more moderate people speaking up about the issue, we wouldn't have such hard lines on either side and maybe our government could come up with a solution to fix the problem.

this is my piece, i might not be right, but i also might not be wrong. and if you disagree...i'm not really sorry, i know we'll love each other anyways (and hopefully can talk about, and work through our disagreement).