May Day: You look like an ALIEN

Yesterday was May Day and while there are many folks that will say that that International Workers' Day serves "no good" to the United States of America, that's the furthest thing from the truth because all of us, whether we want to admit it or not, we're ALL aliens.

There are some folks who live in Worcester who may be able to trace their family's history back to the Mayflower, but if you're like me, don't know the family's story because those stories and historical facts were never passed along or shared with your parents, grandparents or great-grandparents. They lay buried all over the world.

While we're still waiting on Barack Obama to fulfill the promise of immigration reform within his first 100 days as President, we are faced with an economy that has hit many Americans harder than a Mike Tyson punch to the mid-section or racial tension that has called for the Secret Service to increase their protection of the President (which is barely mentioned by any news media).

Immigration reform covers a large swath of the political landscape: on the far right, immigration reform may mean stricter measures on immigrants, and taking a "buffalo stance" against illegals, and on the opposite side of the debate you have people that marched in protest such as the 60,000 people in Los Angeles calling for the government to respect everyone's civil rights, reasonable livable wages for workers and a government-facilitated path to legal citizenship.

Just a few weeks ago, Arizona enacted a law that has caused alot of debate and has people up in arms all over the United States. Senate Bill 1070 makes it a misdemeanor for an alien to be in Arizona without carrying ID, and as long as the cop has reasonable suspicion that the individual is an illegal alien, s/he can arrest them. Although the measure takes extreme steps to confront and deter illegal immigration, the danger is that it gives law enforcement the unfettered right to demand identification from anyone s/he suspects is an illegal immigrant. To put it bluntly, if you look like you’re an illegal immigrant, the cops can single you out. And if you can’t provide papers, kiss your ass goodbye! In this way, the Arizona Senate and Governor Jan Brewer not only legitimized, but legalized, racial profiling, a practice that is irrefutably illegal according to both federal and state constitutions. Not to mention a catastrophic civil rights wrong.

A recent Gallup poll found that the majority of Americans favor the Arizona law, and only 39% disagree with it. And studies all over have proven Americans, for the most part, are perfectly okay with racial profiling. ”Hey, whatever you gotta do to make sure my flight doesn’t blow up!”

So, this isn't a Black, White or Brown issue, this is an issue that affects us all! If doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat, this affects YOU! Read the Arizona Senate Bill 1070 for yourself and get involved because this does affect us in Worcester and Massachusetts, as a whole.