And while I'm thinking about it...

...I thought I'd bring up another topic that I find rather unpleasant--one that had been kinda' pushed out of the spotlight by Revolution Muslim and their stupid zealotry. (Or was that zealous stupidity? I think it works either way.)

Longtime readers will know what I'm talking about, folks. (Okay...I'm just saying that. They don't really know:P)

I'm talking about Arizona's new Immigration Law, SB1070; the one that requires police to confirm immigration status if they suspect someone is in the country illegally. Critics immediately raised an outcry, rightly denouncing the law as racist. Arizona's Governor Brewer claims this is false, and that great pains will be made to discourage racial profiling.

I call bullshit.

I did some digging around, and FINALLY came up with the actual text of the bill. The most relevant--and by that I mean egregious--sections are quoted below:

FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON.

This is the section that gives police officers the responsibility to check up on someone's immigration status if the hideously vague standard of "reasonable suspicion" is met. Now comes iBear's question: what exactly is a Arizona's police officer's "reasonable suspicion" going to be based on, if not racial profiling?

A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, WITHOUT A WARRANT, MAY ARREST A PERSON IF THE OFFICER HAS PROBABLE CAUSE TO BELIEVE THAT THE PERSON HAS COMMITTED ANY PUBLIC OFFENSE THAT MAKES THE PERSON REMOVABLE FROM THE UNITED STATES.

This section simply adds teeth to the first, ensuring that police officers don't need a warrant to make an arrest if they think a person looks like an illegal immigrant and he/she can't provide paperwork to the contrary.

NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW, A PEACE OFFICER MAY LAWFULLY STOP ANY PERSON WHO IS OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE IF THE OFFICER HAS REASONABLE SUSPICION TO BELIEVE THE PERSON IS IN VIOLATION OF ANY CIVIL TRAFFIC LAW AND THIS SECTION.

And again we see this "reasonable suspicion" phrase, here allowing police officers to pull a vehicle over if the driver appears to be an immigrant.

Now I'm all in favor of immigration reform; in fact I see a permeable border as not only a bad idea, but a possible threat to National Security. But give me a f***ing break, people! Is there anyone in this entire country who honestly believes we're going to deport a single Canadian because of this law? This bill was aimed squarely at Mexican immigrants, and now Arizona police can start pulling people over for no other reason than because they look Latino.

Governor Brewer, you're lying through your teeth. SB1070 might as well be known as the "Racial Profiling Law". It is grossly unconstitutional, and I can only hope that it will be overturned in court.

YouTube video: South Park vs Islam.

I had a really great video linked here, but apparently it used one-too-many still frames from South Park and Viacom had it pulled for copyright violations.

.....And so, I present the mirror video:)

iBear is laying out fatwa bait.

That's right; you heard me! Turns out there are some idiots in this world who seem to think they have the right to control what people say and think.

This is their wakeup call.



And in closing, I wish to add the following, because Jon says it much better than I can:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
South Park Death Threats
www.thedailyshow.com
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If *I* were President...

...I would call my entire Cabinet into the Oval Office and tell them I want each one to present a list of realistic ways to cut spending in their Department by 15%.

And I want it in 30 days, ladies and gentlemen. I look forward to your proposals.

My American Dream

I dream of seeing the birth, not of a political party or a social movement, but of a new tomorrow. I dream of a day when "We the People" stand united by a common goal—by the goal that is common to all People, everywhere around the globe: the simple desire to be heard.

I dream of the day when we will be heard, because on that day there will be no one in this country who can ignore us any longer. On that day even the most sheltered and corrupt have to take notice, because I dream of the day when we speak with one voice. Not the voice of a Democrat or a Republican, but the voice of America.

I dream of the day when the American people are recognized as one people, not as just another movement riding the coattails of one party or the other, because I dream of the day when we realize we are more than that. We are the living, breathing pulse of America, gathered from all walks of life and all corners of this country. I dream of one people united by the promise of Growth, the promise of Renewal, and the promise of Life. I dream of the day when we recognize that we are Life, because America is Life. And We Are America.

I dream of the day when Washington wakes up to the realization that they work for us, and not the other way around. Because this is our government, our country, and our home. That is the dream upon which this nation was founded: not only that All Men are Created Equal, but that every man, woman, and child in this country deserves the chance to speak and to have their voices heard. I dream of the day when politicians stop telling the American people what they want and choose to listen instead.

Because in that day, we will once again truly be an example to the world, demonstrating that liberty can accomplish anything; that it can break the chains of tyranny, that it can stand as a beacon of hope to millions of people around the globe, that it can even reach for the stars beyond our world and plant its flag on the moon. There are no limits to what freedom can do. And there are no limits to what America can do, because America is freedom; the two words have been synonymous for over two hundred years, ever since our Founding Fathers indelibly wrote that principle into our Constitution, and Huddled Masses from every corner of the globe harbored a secret dream to one day stand on the shores of the Land of the Free. Make no mistake: America is freedom, and therefore we are the embodiment of freedom, because We Are America.

I dream of the day when the American people will speak with one voice and insist on being heard by those who should already be listening.

I dream of the day when we realize that We Are America.

We Are America

That's what this country has forgotten. The Left and the Right squabble over who gets to be in power this term, and somewhere along the line they seem to lost track of the idea that WE are in power. It isn't their country...it's our country.

We Are America.

A fundamental reversal of philosophical roles.

We the People were supposed to be the political power in this country. Our two-party system was designed on the same principle as those cartoons where you see a person having a little angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other.

On the Right shoulder of the People sits a little elephant dressed in red. "Vote Republican!" He urges. "Lower taxes! National Security! We've got cookies!"

On the Left shoulder of the People sits a little donkey in blue. "Vote Democrat!" He whispers fervently. "Better schools for our children! Save the environment! Free health care for everybody!"

This is how the two-party system is supposed to work. The national parties continually whisper in our ears, nudging us in one direction or the other. The theory was that between these two extremes lies a stable road for America.

But somewhere along the line, something went wrong. I'm not quite sure how it started. Maybe the donkey on the Left picked up a megaphone. Maybe the elephant on the Right just grew up into...well, an elephant. But whatever caused the problem, the system doesn't work this way anymore.

Now, the donkey and elephant wield the power, rather than the People they were supposed to advise. Both have ballooned into a staggering caricature; there is no more whispering, but rather shouting and chanting and angry ranting on the campaign trail and on the floor of Congress.

Somewhere in the confusion of the Left shouting at the Right and the Right shouting back at the Left, the People in between got confused; they became caught up in the vilification of one side or the other, until now the majority of Americans have completely bought into this 'us against them' mentality. The elephant and donkey have successfully sold the American People the idea that one of them has to be completely right, and the other has to be completely wrong.

So what's the solution? Well the ideal solution is for everyone to stop listening to either side for a few years, but that doesn't seem feasible. So the only workable solution is for the American People to reclaim their position of authority in this country. We need to join together and send a powerful message to both parties that we don't work for them...they work for us. We need to remind them that their sole purpose in this country is to represent the will of the American People. We need a fundamental reversal of philosophical roles in this country.

And that's what I'm calling for.