Great take on Arizona immigration flap via sports

Basically, looks at what this may do to pro baseball in Arizona. With so many players of Hispanic origin playing in leagues there, what will happen to them? Also, the article gets both sides of the issue. Good work, Passan.


http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Avbs6CnzWYcV4tMwqOyvTqQ5nYcB?slug=jp-arizonaimmigration042910

 

Don't break the law and it shouldn't be an issue. The cops won't stop people at random. And if they do, the player should carry his passport with him at all times.

 

Clubs routinely hold players' papers for them in safes.

http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/pdf/20100430_weiner_statement_on_arizona_immigration_law.pdf

 

Because everyone who gets arrested or stopped is guilty?

 

Ever hear of "driving while black?" It happens.

This could just be an excuse for some to add "driving while brown" to the mix.

 

I could see the Fiesta Bowl coming under fire too.

 

I'm white and I've been pulled over several times for things as minor as the light on my license plate being out to driving in a bad area of town at 2 a.m. I work nights, so I leave the office at 1 a.m. fully knowing that I may likely get pulled over at some point because of the time of day (or night) I'm traveling.

99.9% of the time the cops aren't pulling me over to give me a ticket for a burnt license plate light, they're looking to catch one of the numerous drug dealers/drug buyers who travel the streets under the cover of darkness. They're looking to catch me leaving a bar driving while intoxicated.

Switching gears for a second, I was watching Larry King last night and Carlos Mencia was on there talking about this new law. He questioned why every "Latino-looking" person gets asked for their papers but white people don't. Um, Carlos, white people do, it's called a license. I've NEVER been stopped by a cop, whether it's driving or walking down Bourbon Street, where they don't ask for a license or some sort of identification.

 

That's not the law. Cops can stop people at random if their is "reasonable suspicion" of being an illegal. What's reasonable suspicion? Hmmm, Hispanic descent? So, if you are a Hispanic player, and your family is walking down the street, they could be stopped by the cops and asked for their papers. They don't have to commit an infraction, a traffic violation or anything. All they have to do is make the cop think that they might be an illegal.

If they don't have it, then they are off to jail.

Worse, if you are an American citizen and Hispanic, and you don't have your drivers license, you could be thrown in jail. There doesn't have to be a "broken tail light" or an ulterior motive for the stop.

Most people don't realize this. If I am a Hispanic player with family people here, why would I want to subject them to harassment in Arizona? I wouldn't be surprised if MLB ends up moving the 2011 All-Star game. This is a serious issue.

 

I think that people who reflexively voice approval for this law have not thought it through. That was evident on the Anything Goes thread about it, as well. They hear "tough on illegals" and want to support it, but don't realize how unenforceable it is.

 

The support in public for the law is because people are in support of something. In absence of good law, they support bad law.

When you read it though, it gives you chills. Here is Florida Republican rep Connie Mack on the law. Now, he is a Republican, which I think is important. Dont' want to get OT here, but this is worth noting.

"But the new Arizona law strikes a severe blow to freedom and the principles that make our nation strong. This law of “frontier justice... where law enforcement officials are required to stop anyone based on “reasonable suspicion” that they may be in the country illegally – is reminiscent of a time during World War II when the Gestapo in Germany stopped people on the street and asked for their papers without probable cause. It shouldn’t be against the law to not have proof of citizenship on you.

This is not the America I grew up in and believe in, and it’s not the America I want my children to grow up in."

That is the best article on the application of the law I have seen. Nice and even-handed. Baseball has to come out against this.

 

right. tough on illegals = generally good. this law = bad.

you know as well as i do that a lot of laws have good intentions but are so poorly written and therefore poorly applied.

the death penalty is another example. many people support the concept of it but the way it is used in this country is practically middle ages-like.