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Ryn Gargulinski

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sb1070

Freedom of speech means freedom of ignorance with anti SB 1070 billboard in Oracle

The beauty of freedom of speech is it lets people freely proclaim their ignorance – in a big way.

Family on Oracle billboard, complete with El Salvador emblems on shirts/submitted photo

An ignorant anti SB 1070 billboard on private property in Oracle is doing just that.

The billboard, on the property of Frank Pierson and Mary Ellen Kazda, depicts a happy-dappy family erroneously coupled with an out-of-context quote from Pinal County Sheriff Babeu.

The family, of course, is the ideal nuclear brood with mom, dad and two kids: a slightly smiling teen daughter and a cutesy little son, complete with cutesy little baseball cap. They are so friendly and sweet it looks like they should be eating an ice cream treat.

The quote next to them, attributed to Babeu, states: “This is our most serious public safety issue and a national security threat to America.”

“I find this billboard offensive and misleading,” Babeu said in a news release his office issued last week. “This message is not truthful and takes away from the great work our law enforcement members do on a daily basis to protect our Pinal County families.”

True, Babeu has spoken – loudly and boldly – about our national security, or lack thereof.

Out-of-context quote on Oracle billboard/submitted photo

However, his full message is: “Those responsible for drug and human smuggling and those entering the U.S. illegally especially from terrorist countries are the most serious public safety threat to America.”

Unless the family stole into the country illegally and the kid has a cache of drugs and machine guns beneath his baseball cap, this wholesome brood is not the threat.

“This billboard represents the same misleading and misguided message that President Obama made when he gave the example of how law enforcement would target a father walking down the street eating ice cream with his daughter if SB1070 passed,” Babeu’s release says.

Banana split anyone?

To review for about the 103rd time, SB 1070, which has been largely crippled by a federal judge’s injunction, does not allow for racial profiling but does allow for “reasonable suspicion.”

The reasonable suspicion list includes the same criteria federal agents use to spot illegal aliens. Criteria includes things like not having an ID when an ID is needed, like for driving; not being able to explain how a visa was obtained; not knowing a home address; being in a vehicle packed with people hiding beneath seats and dashboard; acting nervous or avoiding eye contact; or fleeing at the sight of law enforcement.

It says nothing about an ice cream cone.

The list, of course, is long, boring and may take a few minutes to read – it’s much more fun to quickly perpetuate misconceptions and lies.

The list, and details on the law, are also very specific. Yet some people still refuse to get it, or even read up on it, and instead go as far to erect billboards spreading ignorance and accusations.

In their defense, billboard property people Pierson and Kazda told KGUN9 News the sign is “message art” and certainly not meant to accuse anyone of racism.

Kazda added the controversy erupting over the sign “has taken her by surprise” since the message was only intended to be “provocative in a friendly way and not in a hurtful way.”

And we have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.

The twisted message, whatever its alleged intention, is not the only problem with the billboard.

Although illegal aliens from Mexico are repeatedly responsible for a number of crimes on American soil, including sneaking into the country in the first place, the billboard depicts a family sporting emblems from El Salvador, according to El Salvador’s honorary consul for Arizona. He notes one is even wearing a shirt with a photo of El Salvador’s president.

So the billboard not only misconstrues Babeu’s views, but it is spewing erroneous beliefs about El Salvador.

“‘It’s an insult to our nation,’” Honorary Counsel Enrique Melendez is quoted by KGUN9. “Melendez insists that El Salvador respects American sovereignty and immigration law, and does not send illegal immigrants to the U.S.”

Some great “message art.” Put it in the same category as notable religious figures created out of feces.

[tnipoll]

What do you think?

Do you buy the jive that the billboard is “message art” and not meant to be harmful?

Have you seen other blatant misconceptions posted on signs and billboards?

What’s your least favorite billboard around town?

Filed Under: blogski, danger, environment, gross stuff, immigrants, life, media, police, fire, law, politics, stupidity Tagged With: anti illegal aliens, anti sb1070 billboard, arizona billboard controversy, arizona controversy, babeu, babeu billboard, crime, danger, el salvador immigrants, environment, Frank Pierson, gross, help, idiot billboards arizona, illegal, illegal aliens, illegal immigrants, illegals, illegals arizona, immigrants, lying billboard arizona, Mary Ellen Kazda, oracle billboard, ryn gargulinski, rynski, rynski's blogski, sb1070, sb1070 controversy, sheriff paul babeu, sick, tucson, tucson art, twisted

Illegal alien fun keeps coming: Proposal denies automatic citizenship to kids

Illegal alien fun just keeps on coming – this time targeting the illegals’ kids.

Baby on Board/Thinkstock image
Baby on Board/Thinkstock image

A proposal by Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce aims to deny automatic citizenship from kids of undocumented immigrants. And why not?

Since the illegal immigrant* issue has been disregarded for so long, the floodgates may as well burst open with a deluge of measures meant to drown all angles at once.

See what happens when things are perpetually ignored?

Pearce, a Mesa-area Republican, is the same guy who sponsored the controversial SB 1070, which was signed into law in April and goes into effect July 29. The measure gives local law enforcement the authority to question immigration status with “reasonable suspicion” if a person is stopped for another infraction.

Denying automatic citizenship to the offspring of two undocumented immigrants – or anyone born here – goes against the U.S. Constitution, some cry.

And perhaps it does.

The 14th Amendment says “All persons, born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.”

But isn’t such stuff passé? After all, as a Time magazine article points out, the 14th Amendment was adopted back in 1868 and meant to help freed slaves. It took the citizenship decision-making away from the states and put in the hands of the federal government.

Yet today’s federal government has pretty much proved through longtime lack of action that its hands are incredibly too busy working on things other than some silly border woes.

Pearce wants to give back some power to the state, by only doling out birth certificates to offspring who have at least one documented parent, according to Associated Press.

“Citizenship as a birthright is rare elsewhere in the world,” AP says. “Many countries require at least one parent to be a citizen or legal resident.”

Homeland Security says nearly 11 million illegal aliens were in the United States as of January 2009, AP reports. As of 2008, AP says the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington estimates the number of illegal aliens with U.S. citizen children at 3.8 million.

Even if the 14th Amendment may seem passé, perhaps it’s just not right to change a longstanding measure. C’mon, it’s not like we redesign the flag every year. Some things should stay the same just because.

Besides, if immigrants have the wherewithal to sneak into the country illegally and stay long enough to have a kid – or several – it only makes sense their children should be privileged with U.S. citizenship status and reap all the benefits that come with it.

Kind of like a door prize.

[tnipoll]

Please note: This piece was written with sarcasm and I remain undecided on Pearce’s proposal to deny automatic citizenship.

*Please also note: The terms illegal immigrant, illegal alien and all variations thereof are not the issue here. We already went through that debate on a previous post.

wb-logolil
What do you think?

Is the measure to deny citizenship to children born of illegal/undocumented immigrants right or wrong? Why?

Is it unconstitutional?

Is it about time?

Filed Under: blogski, crime, danger, immigrants, life, police, fire, law, politics Tagged With: arizona controversy, arizona illegal immingrants, arizona illegals, arizona sb 1070, automatic citizenship challenged, az gov jan brewer, az illegal immigration issues, birthright citizenship, crime, danger, illegal alien fun, illegal aliens kids, illegal immigration issues, illegal immingrant kids, propsoal targets illegals kids, russell pearce, rynski's blogski, sb 1070, sb1070, sb1070 tucson, tucson crime, tucson illegal aliens, tucson illegal immigration, tucson illegals, us citizens, us citizenship

Illegals fleeing AZ in fear of new SB 1070 law

Adios, illegals – and don’t let the puerta hit you on the way out.

Exit file photo Ryn Gargulinski
Exit file photo Ryn Gargulinski

A number of Hispanic folks are running scared, hightailing it out Arizona even before the controversial SB 1070 law goes into effect July 29, according to a recent report in the Detroit Free Press.

We surmise those who are fleeing are here illegally, as American citizens and others who are here legally have nothing to worry about.

That means the measure is working already.

For the two or three people who have not yet heard about Arizona’s new law, SB 1070 requires local police to ask about a person’s immigration status, provided the person is stopped, detained or arrested for other reasons and the officer has “reasonable suspicion” that the individual may be here illegally.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the measure into law April 23.

“Though no one has precise figures, reports from school officials, businesses and individuals indicate worried Hispanics are leaving Arizona in anticipation of the law,” the Free Press says.

Hispanic-area schools report an “unusual drop in enrollment,” the article notes, and businesses that cater to the Hispanic community say business is down “signaling that illegal immigrants are holding on to cash in anticipation of a move.”

As mentioned in a previous post, I’m on the fence about the law. It has its potential problems – all of which have been discussed ad nauseam for the past few months.

Detour file photo Ryn Gargulinski
Detour file photo Ryn Gargulinski

But if SB 1070 is already getting rid of illegals before it even goes into effect – saving local police the extra workload such a measure would surely incur – the thing has to have some merit.

OK, we don’t know for sure if the threat of SB 1070 is behind the mini-exodus. Perhaps there are other reasons and the timing is just a huge coincidence.

Another such coincidence went down in 2007, the Free Press reminds us, when the Department of Homeland Security says as many as 100,000 illegal entrants fled Arizona around the time a law increased penalties for businesses that hired illegals.

Some may argue that illegal entrants leaving Arizona is a bad thing.

But those folks probably live in New Mexico, Texas or California.

[tnipoll]

wb-logolil What do you think?

Even if you don’t agree with the new law, are you pleased with the mini-exodus?

Is there any reason illegal entrants leaving Arizona would be detrimental? Please explain.

Filed Under: blogski, crime, danger, environment, gross stuff, immigrants, life, notable folks, heroes, odd pueblo, police, fire, law, politics Tagged With: arizona, arizona exodus, cool, crime, danger, gov jan brewer, hispanic businesses arizona, hispanic schools, hispanic schools arizona, illegal immigrant laws, illegal immigrants, illegal immigrants az, illegal immigrants leaving arizona, illegal immigrants southern arizona, illegal immingrants tucson, illegal leave arizona, illegals flee arizona, illegals flee new az law, mini-exodus, new arizona law, new illegal immigration law, ryn gargulinski, sb1070, sb1070 illegals leaving, tucson crime

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