Stage 8

I read Kelsey Scott’s blog, Oh Arizona…, regarding Arizona’s new immigration law. The audience for which this blog is intended includes the citizens of the Unites States whose lives are affected by the decisions made in Arizona. Kelsey supports Arizona’s implementation of the law because crime rates have been decreasing since the issue of illegal immigration has been paid more attention. If this law is making crime rates drop, and allowing us to live in a safer environment, then it should be implemented. She makes a point that the law is being put into action to protect the citizens of the US, not to necessarily discriminate against illegal immigrants.

However, I feel that no matter what the purpose of the law, if it requires discrimination to reach its final purpose, the law should not be imposed. That would bring us back years in the progress made during the Civil Rights movement. I do think, however, that the controversy sparked by Arizona’s immigration law has made the nation pay more attention to the issue of illegal immigration and its impacts on various states across the US. So, I don’t agree with Kelsey, as far as supporting the implementation of Arizona’s law, but I feel that the controversy over the implementation will bring more awareness about illegal immigration to the citizens of the US.

Stage 7

A decision regarding the controversial issue involving Proposition 8 was finally reached. This decision removed the ban on same-sex marriage, and ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional. I feel like the U.S. government finally made a concrete decision regarding the issue of same-sex marriage, and set a precedent for years to come, regarding this topic. Many are enraged that one judge was given the right to overturn the votes of millions of people. I feel like the judge simply gave to millions of people the right they should have already been given a long time ago. Some claim that same-sex marriage is not protected by the Constitution, but I don’t feel like that’s something that is going to stay like that for a long time. The Founding Fathers made the Constitution so that it may be amended to contain rules applicable to the current population. They meant for it to change as the understanding of the people ruled by the Constitution changed. I think we’ve reached the time when our nation can be understanding of the differences that exist amongst people; it has reached the time when it can finally accept those differences. Same-sex marriage is something that will eventually become as common, as marriage between a man and a woman has been for so many years. I’m glad that the court ruled in such a way, protecting the rights of all of its citizens, not simply the rights of a select group of citizens. Same-sex marriage does no harm to any citizen – there is simply nothing wrong with allowing marriage for all.

Stage 6 - Classmate's Blog Critique

I chose to do a critique on Caitlin’s “Summer Government Blog – CEM.” In stage five of her blog, she posts a blog defending Arizona’s right to impose its new immigration law, SB 1070, with all of its provisions, including the ones struck down by president Obama and by Susan Bolton. She points out that illegal immigrants take jobs from American citizens and don’t pay taxes, which means that they are not giving anything back to the government from which they are taking much needed employment opportunities. Also, she states that the laws in the U.S., regarding school registration in particular, are, in some aspects, stricter for U.S. citizens than they are for illegal immigrants. Caitlin supports Arizona’s right to impose the SB 1070 law in order to be able to tell which immigrants are illegal and should not be in the country. The audience for this blog is the citizens of the U.S. concerned with the nation’s immigration policies and laws.

I can see why one would be upset about illegal immigration. The statements Caitlin made defending Arizona’s right to impose the law are true, but I don’t think this law is the way to go about handling the issue of illegal immigration. The SB 1070 law asks police officials to use racial profiling as a way to identify those who they believe could be illegal immigrants. In doing so, not only will the police officers be using race as a means of imposing the law, but they will be targeting one race in particular – Hispanics. The truth of the matter is that illegal immigrants come from many countries, not only from South America, but from Europe and Asia as well. The new immigration law in Arizona would regress from the progress the U.S. made in the Civil Rights movement in attempting to remove assumptions made about a person based on their race. When immigrants carry their immigration papers to show that they are legitimate residents of the U.S., should we be making those immigrants who have recently received their citizenship carry their citizenship papers as proof? If they don’t, how will they show that they are legal citizens now, and not illegal immigrants? After all, their appearance will not have changed, and they could still be questioned about their immigration status under the new law.

Caitlin is right that illegal immigrants are taking American jobs, but the jobs they are taking are usually not the most pleasant ones the U.S. has to offer. Many Americans, though unemployed, may be unwilling to work in the conditions under which illegal immigrants work.

I’m not saying that the issue of illegal immigration should not be addressed, it most certainly should, but I think that the new law in Arizona is simply is not the way to go about it.