"Ignorant Shoals"/Quad-Cities Daily

Are you ignorant? We're all ignorant of some things, usually many things--that does not mean we're lacking in intelligence; it simply means we're uninformed on a certain subject. Yet the word is fraught with negative connotations. UNA activist Amanda Hernandez has called those who support Alabama HB56 ignorant. She's quoted in the Quad-Cities Daily as saying: This law really does play off the ignorance of the people here.

The entire law is long and, yes, steeped in legalese. Here from Wiki is a synopsis that is easily understandable:

The Alabama law requires that if police have "reasonable suspicion" that a person is an immigrant unlawfully present in the United States, in the midst of any legal stop, detention or arrest, to make a similarly reasonable attempt to determine that person's legal status. An exemption is provided if such action would hinder an official investigation of some kind.

The law prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving any public benefits at either the state or local level. It bars illegal immigrants from attending publicly-owned colleges or universities [currently blocked]. At the high, middle, and elementary public school levels, the law requires that school officials ascertain whether students are illegal immigrants. Attendance is not prohibited for such students; school districts are mandated to submit annual tallies on the suspected number of illegal immigrants when making report to state education officials.

The law prohibits the transporting or harboring of illegal immigrants [currently blocked]. It prohibits landlords from renting property to illegal immigrants. It forbids employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants for any job within Alabama. Moreover, it considers as a discriminatory practice any action to refuse to employ or remove a legal resident of the state when an illegal one is already employed [currently blocked]. The law requires large and small businesses to validate the immigration status of employees using the US E-Verify program. The law prohibits illegal immigrants from applying for work [currently blocked].

The production of false identification documents is considered a crime. Contracts formed in which one party is an illegal immigrant and the other has direct knowledge of that are deemed null and void. The law also requires voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering.

Now, Mrs. Hernandez, none who have read this is ignorant of the law any longer. Please take your foot out of your mouth and realize most informed Alabamians will still support the law as a means to steep the flow of our tax dollars to non-citizens.

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For those who question the cost of enforcing HB56, we think you'll find the initial cost will be more than justified by the amount of tax dollars saved after just a few years. Alabama has been paying out countless tax dollars (yours and mine) to illegals via DHR and the Department of Health. That's not counting the losses suffered by motorists involved in accidents with these non-documented intruders or the costs to law enforcement in having to deal with the large percentage who commit crimes.

Related post: Shoals Most Wanted

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Some weeks ago, we became aware of a new Shoals news site, the The Quad-Cities Daily. Since is was still a work in progress, we were asked not to mention it until January 1st; however, it has now been quoted on Facebook, as well as linked, so we want to go ahead and give it a plug. We hope everyone will visit the site regularly. Like The Connection, it offers a great alternative to the print medium (read: TimesDaily).

The Quad-Cities Daily

Shoalanda

Strengthening Ties? What Were You Thinking?

Florida Native/UNA Student Amanda Hernandez

Let's see...we want to strengthen ties between Shoals bloggers and the rest of the community; how should we go about it? Hmmm...how about a demonstration where we sing We Shall Overcome and chant anti-Shoals slogans. Yep, that should do it. Mrs. Hernandez, what were you thinking? How could anyone logically think non-citizens demonstrating against a state law would strengthen ties between Hispanic immigrants and Shoals citizens?

As for our friend Hank Sherrod, we admire you greatly (not to mention actually being able to spell your name correctly), but we would love to see you first attend to laws that adversely affect Alabama citizens before you start advocating for non-citizens. Perhaps the ACLU could work to remedy damage accomplished by former Attorney General Troy King who added as many as 11 crimes to the basic list of felonies composing moral turpitude. We hope none of our reading audience is ever arrested for jaywalking in this state--who knows whether it's now on the list or not.

Arguing for the rights of illegal immigrants while Alabama citizens are wrongly denied the vote or any other basic civil right is incomprehensible. Think about it; look at those who do so; then think about it again.

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Our friend O.B. left the following comment on one of our recent blogs, but we feel it deserves a second look:

It continues to amaze me that people, Americans, play the race card. Being an illegal immigrant isn't a race, it is a crime. One that our own federal government has seemed to forget. Move here, get legal and learn the language. My grandparents didn't have a problem doing that. They were proud to do it.

Related post: Hispanic Is Not a Race



Shoalanda

Immigration & Logic/Santa Returns to Cherokee

Emotion versus logic...which one usually wins? All too often, emotion wins out, a fact that has not gone unnoticed by con artists through the ages. Let's take a closer look at the above cartoon...a cartoon found on the wall of Amanda Hernandez' Facebook page.

Depicted is a shirtless boy wearing overalls. Is that how Hernandez, a native of Florida, sees Alabama citizens? The three panel drawing appeals to the emotions, but is it logical? In panel one we see this unkempt youth telling a young black man to return to Africa. Did African Americans surreptitiously cross our borders in the middle of the night to immigrate here illegally? We think not.

Panel three depicts an indigenous American confronting the youth over his views. Yet when Europeans first arrived in America, there were no sovereign governments and therefore no illegal immigration. Many Indian tribes welcomed the white settlers, even selling them land. We can't deny that Indians were maltreated by many, but neither can we deny the other facts surrounding Western European immigration. There are few comparisons to the illegal onslaught Alabama and other Southeastern states face today.

We have no doubt that when UNA nursing student Amanda Hernandez speaks at the immigration rally in Florence today she will appeal to emotions. That's her right. It's also our right to look carefully at her words and the Hispanic Coalition's claims with logic and a sense of responsibility toward all Alabama citizens.

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Shoalanda