Arizona legalizes racial profiling

Russell:  Don’t visit Arizona without your papers

By Steve RussellIt would be hilarious watching Gov. Brewer claim that this law can be enforced without racial profiling if I had fewer relatives who could get profiled. Make no mistake: This law is not aimed at Europeans without papers, even though by its plain words a German tourist could be locked up for leaving her Phoenix hotel without her passport. This law is aimed at Mexicans and the blood of Mexicans is primarily American Indian.

Like my childhood in Oklahoma, a Tohono O’odham person in Sacaton or a Navajo person in Chinle will have little to fear. In a small town, you are known to be who you are. However, you take your chances in Phoenix or Tucson. I wonder how the enforcement will go around the spectacular national parks in Arizona that draw visitors from all over the world?

What is a “reasonable suspicion” that a person is undocumented? Pre-existing law instructs us that it’s considerably less than “probable cause,” which is sometimes explained as “more likely than not.” Since “suspicion” does not require a whole lot of objective facts, it’s safe to say that the real reason for most arrests will be brown in a no-brown zone or failure of the attitude test. If you are then put in jail because they don’t believe you are a citizen, I’m not clear how you are supposed to prove your lawfulness if you can’t pay a bail bondsman to get released?

For those Indians who can, it would be a good idea to join the boycott of Arizona while this law is in force. For the many Indian tribes whose ancestors called Arizona home before the white people who made this law appeared on the continent, staying out of Arizona is not an option. They can only carry their cards in the cities and be careful not to offend white people by their presence. It’s hard to believe that I’ve lived into the 21st century and I’m still learning about Indians and complexion.Comment:  I'm waiting for the first teabagger to protest the Arizona immigration law. After all, isn't this a classic example of government "tyranny"?

Oh, wait. This is government "tyranny" that helps white people and hurts brown people. Never mind.

What's the correlation between teabaggers, people who favor the Arizona law, and people who think Latinos come here to mooch off government services? A hundred percent, more or less?

It's clear why Republicans have little chance of winning Latino votes. Conservative Latinos are learning what conservative gays learned before them: The Republican Party couldn't care less about you. The GOP's message to Latinos is, "Get the hell out of white America."

Too bad we can't make immigration laws retroactive to 1492. That would clear the continent of undesirables. Or at least to 1625. Some of my ancestors came over on the Mayflower, Fortune, and Anne, so that would allow me to stay.

Fortunately, the courts probably will rule the new law unconstitutional. But it's a sign of the time that the white-power proponents got this law passed somewhere in the US. Watch out, America: The Klansmen/militia/teabagger fringe is gunning for you.

For more on the subject, see "Get a Brain, Morans!" and Another Poll Proves Teabaggers Are Racists.

Below:  The Arizona law's hypocrisy in a nutshell.