Do These Nikes Make Me Look Mexican?

Wingnut, asshat, bigot, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, has ignored criticism from President Obama, as well as simple common sense, and signed into law a bill that would allow police to arrest whomever they choose because they look "illegal".

Brewer says, however, that she won't tolerate "racial profiling" though the bill seems to say just the opposite. The legislation makes it a crime under state law to be in the country illegally, and requires local police officers to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are illegal immigrants; it 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.

Sounds like a lovely bit of racial profiling to me.

I mean, how do you suspect someone is here illegally? Their accent? Lots of accents of folks who are here legally. Their eye color? Brown eyes bad. Skin color? Name?

California Congressman, and fledgling asshat, Brian Bilbray, says:

"They will look at the kind of dress you wear, there's different type of attire, there's different type of ...right down to the shoes, right down to the clothes. But mostly by behavior it's mostly behavior, just as the law enforcement people here in Washington, DC does it based on certain criminal activity there is behavior things that professionals are trained in across the board and this group shouldn't be exempt from those observations as much as anybody else."

Hmmm. Clothes. Shoes. Behavior.

I think I'll sneak some of Carlos' shoes and clothes out of the closet and then head to Arizona. Which would be funny, were it not true.

Brewer, apparently aware of the dangers of this kind of legislation, signed the bill in a state auditorium about a mile from the Capitol complex where some 2,000 demonstrators protested its passage.

And protest they should, because when will Jan Brewer stop? First, it'll be Hispanics; but then what about Muslims? What about people of color? When you are allowing police officers to arbitrarily decide that they can question and detain people simply because of their alleged ethnicity, you are creating a model for all kinds of harassment of people who don't fit Jan Brewer's norm.

In Germany they first came for the Communists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me ,

and by that time no one was left to speak up

Martin Niemöller