Letters to the Editor

Want to get some exercise but not have to get out of your chair? Pick up the newspaper and watch your blood pressure rise.


I started this morning by reading a conservative point of view in regard to the Arizona Immigration Bill. While not a full coverage of all issues I thought it conveyed a reasonable response to the issue of racial profiling:

...I just want to say stop with all the race stuff. I have never seen the race card pulled so many times under one president. This is just absolutely ridiculous. Why are Americans racist when they want to prevent the flooding of illegal aliens? Notice I said ILLEGAL not legal. They are not trying to prevent immigration.

First off Arizona is doing the job that the federal government won't do, which is to regulate immigration. I think it is only fair that Arizona has a right to protect its own borders. We don't care whether you are black, white, brown, yellow, green or purple; we just want people to abide by our laws. So do us a favor and knock of those accusations of, "Oh, they are racist."

If people want to become American's they should at least put in the effort to be one. We do need some kind of reform to help the people who have been patiently waiting to become citizens. And I welcome them (legal immigrants.) But we need to start  securing our border and show it isn't OK to break our laws.

Garrett Fitzsimmons - Kennewick

Note - our writer clearly defines illegal vs. legal immigration. But the letter that followed directly below it? Hold onto your hat folks:

...I am more than a little confused regarding the concepts of "crime" and "illegal." It appears that a "crime" is the result of an illegal act and demands some sort of punishment, but doing something illegal, for example entering our country without proper authorization, is not necessarily (???? okay starting to hyperventilate here) a crime, except in Arizona.

Let me make it clear that I am adamantly opposed to branding 20 million to 30 million people in this country (he's talking about illegals mind you) as criminals and putting them in jail or deporting them. I doubt that the Arizona law will withstand a constitutional challenge, but that is beside the point...

Sheldon E. Shore - Pasco


ARRGGH!


Sheldon darling. You are scaring me. Not so much for the fact that you live "next door" but because of the fact that you're probably breeding and creating more life forms that would have any Enterprise crewmember flipping out his communicator and saying, "Scotty, beam me up. There is no intelligent life on this planet."


Let's get this straight, once and for all. TO BE IN THIS COUNTRY ILLEGALLY IS A CRIME. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT YOU CAN BE JAILED OR DEPORTED. This is the law of the nation not just Arizona. I know of no where in the WORLD that one can go and get away with the crap that illegal immigrants get away with here in the good old USA. You, Sheldon, as an American citizen can not just go to England, Kenya, Russia, Brazil or yes, even Mexico, flop and stay until you're darn good and ready to leave. Also I know of no other country in the world where a non-citizen may collect public assistance, vote and/or school their children at will, but I digress... In your travels you will need a passport and visa, and will have to abide by the laws of that country (unless of course you have diplomatic immunity.) Failure to do so will define you as an illegal immigrant and subject you to criminal prosecution.

And I hear they are not nearly as nice about it as the USA is...
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