|
|
|
|
|
Jens 'n' Frens
Idle thoughts of a relatively libertarian Republican in Cambridge, MA, and whomever he invites. Mostly political.
"A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures." -- Daniel Webster
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 :::
In case you've been on Mars for the last week, in a cave, with your eyes closed and your fingers in your ears, Arizona has recently passed a law requiring police (in some circumstances) to check out someone's immigration status and report to the feds if this results in flashing lights and loud sirens. Based solely on that description, I can't tell you whether it's a good law or a bad law; if anyone walking down the street can be pulled aside and, if he doesn't have an American passport, be confined to jail until he can get one, this is a bad law. If anyone arrested gets his fingerprints checked against an ICE list of expired visas and previous deportations, that's a good law; law enforcement agencies that reasonably suspect that laws out of their jurisdictions are being broken should be reporting their suspicions anyway.
Anyway, Byron York has done some research and defends the bill. Cesar Conda responds. Jim Geraghty muses, "I suppose cops could ask someone for proof that they have health insurance first, and then ask if they're in the country legally."
Finally, Glenn Reynolds rounds up links and stories here and here. At the first of those links, he writes:A reader says he’s suprised to see me support the Arizona bill. Well, I really don’t — that is, I don’t know if I’d have voted for it if I were in Arizona. I’m mostly reacting to the fact that — as demonstrated by Linda Greenhouse — the opposition displays that special combination of self-righteous outrage and bone-deep ignorance that really sets me off.
Lack of border security is a real problem, and pretending otherwise is dumb or dishonest. The feds are doing a lousy job of it. Arizona is trying to prod them. All this over-the-top Nazi talk — particularly from people like Greenhouse, who don’t mind the federal government deciding if I get a kidney transplant — is disgraceful, as are the bogus charges of racism, etc., that are the standard response regardless of what the issue is. That does get my dander up. Put me in his camp.Labels: immigration
::: posted by Steven at 5:12 PM
|
|
|
|