Is Arizona a racist state?

So...

Arizona is my home state. It is also my home. I may have lived in Los Angeles for many years now, but Arizona will always be where my heart lies. Right now, it's mixed up in a whole heap of controversy because of it's enforcement of a certain law that states that police officers have the right to ask for identification of anyone suspected of committing crimes or being stopped for traffic violations. Notice how I said enforcement, not interpretation or even making up. You see, the law already exists, Arizona is simply carrying it out.

In doing so the police officers, Local and State Government officials, and policy makers in AZ are being labeled as racists. Asking for an ID is suddenly the equivalent of asking for papers in Nazi occupied France? Please, don't cops usually ask for ID when they pull people over? I don't know what state other critics of this law live in, but where I am they most certainly do. Now, if the police were to pull people over for no reason, then yes, that is a violation of the law, but I've seen that happen regardless of someones skin color. Heck, a cop in California (of the "we shall boycott Arizona" petition) once pulled me over because I had out of state plates at the time and they wanted to check me out because, apparently, some criminal had fled across the California border in a stolen car that matched my car's description. This was even though I had done nothing wrong driving-wise and didn't even have the same license plate as the wanted felon. I was happy to comply, because I was innocent and in my own way I was contributing to catching a supposed bad guy. If you have done nothing wrong or are not "up to no good," then you have nothing to worry about.

Arizona is a truly beautiful state, nothing short of a desert paradise with clean skies, lots of open space and friendly people. Phoenix is a big city, but it doesn't feel congested or enclosed the way LA does. And Scottsdale is a haven for resort town lifestyle. But underneath all that is a dangerous criminal element. Due to it's proximity to the Mexican border, there are concerns for human and drug trafficking. The police do an incredible job of keeping this element tucked away from public sight, something LA (who is so critical of Arizona's enforcement of the law) has been unable to do. Consequently, Phoenix/Scottsdale feels like a safer place to live. Maybe LA shouldn't worry so much about criticising other places, like Arizona, but should concentrate on their own troubles. Then again, all the noise they are making over this Arizona issue does detract from their problems, such as being broke. But at least in LA they have an understanding of the threat of illegal immigration. Other places, like Washington DC, which is located nowhere near the border, are planning to actually sue Arizona for enforcing the law. Talk about a waste of money. If you want to try changing the law or coming up with a political solution, fine, but suing? Can we really afford that right now, Washington? And President Obama has yet to come down to AZ and speak with our Reps and the police and see the border threat first-hand.

Supporting this law does not make someone a racist. It's simply the right thing to do. It's an attempt to control the influx of illegal (as in breaking the law) immigrants in order to better serve the people that are here legally. Maybe once we toughen up on enforcing the law and decrease the incoming illegal immigrant population, we can do something to properly accommodate all the aliens that are already here, to say nothing about the drugs and humans being smuggled over the state line. It's also the right thing to do for all the people that came here legally, paid their dues and sacrificed. What kind of message does it send if we wave aside with a wink and a smile the people that came here illegally, but still ask the people that are following the law to stick with it?

People say this is America, a nation of immigrants. And we can still be that country! But we have to be realistic. Being a nation of immigrants doesn't mean being a nation of illegal immigrants. What's more, we just can't afford it anymore.