I had a horrible nightmare last night that America was being run by a far-left ideologue that was spending our money like it grew on trees, cowering before dictators, and promoting government dependency while self-sufficiency and personal responsibility went by the wayside. Oh wait, never mind.
President Obama has once again championed political correctness in his criticism of Arizona’s new law to crack down on illegal immigration. As reported by Fox News, “The law makes it a crime under state law to be in the country illegally. It also requires local police officers to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are illegal immigrants; allows lawsuits against government agencies that hinder enforcement of immigration laws; and makes it illegal to hire illegal immigrants for day labor or knowingly transport them.” Obama responded by calling the law “misguided,” insisting that the failure of the federal government to handle immigration matters responsibly will yield “ . . . irresponsibility by others . . . That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans . . . ”
The federal government has had plenty of time to secure our nation from the threats of illegal immigration. Should Arizona sit back and hush up while a few more gangs invade its borders and endanger its citizens? You know, while the federal government takes care of its real priorities, like enforcing a government overhaul of the health care industry and inventing creative ways to disguise job-crippling energy taxes as some sort of green campaign? Kudos to Arizona for stepping up to the plate and doing a job it shouldn’t have to do. In fact, a recent Rasmussen telephone survey reveals that 70% of likely voters in Arizona approve of the legislation.
The important issue here is political correctness. Of course, everyone who supports the legislation has already been labeled racist. I wish the term terrorist rolled off the tongues of the Left with half as much ease as racial profiling. Somehow the crime of being in this country illegally is of far less concern to them than the act of asking someone to show his or her ID. Does the twenty-three-year-old who looks more like seventeen and is asked to show ID at the corner liquor store face age profiling, too? Let me not give them any ideas.
So, much like every liberty-loving American who doesn’t like Barack Obama’s Alinsky-inspired redistributive agenda, security-seeking Arizonians who support the state’s new legislation regarding illegal immigration fit the liberal definition of racist. The fact that the law prohibits officers from conducting an immigration check on the sole basis of one’s nationality or race is, of course, ignored by the Left.
It is imperative that Americans don’t get bullied into silence as a result of the leftist tactic of calling all forms of dissent racist, as the consequences would be dangerous. Such silence would lead to the destruction of our first amendment rights and a passive acceptance of potentially-disastrous policies. Also, tossing the word racist around with persistent ease would yield apathy among Americans when legitimate acts of racism arise that should be condemned. When writing about feminism, I’ve always said that the greatest disservice you can do to a female politician is to criticize or not criticize her policies due to her gender. The same applies to race.
The federal government hasn’t done its job of protecting Arizona. Legal immigration is something that has always been welcomed in this country, as America embraces the productivity and contributions of those from around the world who seek the opportunity our nation fosters. However, the illegal alternative cannot and should not be tolerated.
The bottom line is that the laws of our country should never be compromised in the name of political correctness or any other convenient term that aims to preserve some distorted ideological doctrine of “fairness.” A far-left friend of mine asked me this yesterday: “So, if a group of white, thirty-year-old women were doing something they shouldn’t be doing in Manhattan, and you got stopped by the cops to show ID because they thought you were acting suspiciously, wouldn’t you be offended?” My answer was a resounding no. If I were innocent, then what’s the big deal in flashing my ID? If anything, I’d be grateful that the cops weren’t taking any chances with anyone. And if I were guilty, the proper term isn’t “unfair.” It’s “caught.”
A crime is a crime. Security is of paramount importance. And if that means someone may get a little offended every now and then, so be it.
Jedediah Bila is a conservative columnist and commentator living in New York City. Her website is JedediahBila.com.