Why I'm concerned

Here I go, here I go, here I go again....what's my weakness (do you know this old Salt and Peppa tune?).....
My weakness? Keeping my mouth shut when something really bothers me.

I started just wanting to be informed with the news I lost touch with when my T.V. only seem to blare Sesame Street..now the more I listen to the news, I'm worried and I just have to open my mouth. My often outspoken mouth. So, I'll blog and then those of you who don't want to hear what I have to say, can stop now. But those of you who do, I want you to hear me, because this is so important to me.
I'm worried about two things. Firstly, bad and false information out there on the Internet that everyone passes around. If your lazy, snopes is easy, you don't have to read books and get your doctorate, snopes is really pretty good. But please, it is being used as a tool to make you fearful and motivated. Just try to find the truth.

I am seeing the bad side effects though of good people reading false information and it makes me sad. I am concerned about the growing ANGER associated with political debates. Maybe I feed into it, I don't know, but....I hear sides really saying some pretty scary and belittling things.

I read a good letter to the editor last week in the Denver Post. All the gentleman writer said was that he was a survivor of Nazi Germany and the concentration camps and he noticed that several years before all this went down, he noticed language belittling other parties very similar to the language being used by alot of individuals and political parties being used today. I also watched a documentary by a gentleman that studies genocides and he said that they have happened in all reaches and time periods throughout the earth and the commonality of them all is that 1. It is usually found roots in the hearts of a culture due too already heartfelt feelings about another tribe, culture or race.(anti sematism in Europe ex.) 2. It is usually incited by a party looking for political gain, but then the atrocities are committed by "underlings" 3. And it is really set off when the people commiting the atrocity really look at the other party as less than them, often less than human and is characterized by unthinkable brutality. They do it because they believe that if we don't get rid of them and their bad seed, they will eliminate us.

I'm not saying that we are there yet in our country, but nothing good can come from the language and animosity that people feel and I do believe some of these are being incited by political leaders, even if unintentionally.

This should be a blog alone, but I have to add one more thing. I have always been for immigration reform. It is a problem for people in this country, but I have a different angle than some...it sucks and limits your future to be an illegal immigrant. It's hard. I also think our country needs some immigration if the rich are to stay rich and the poor to continue eating. But, our laws are insufficient and our borders not secured. I would like nothing more to see it for everyone's benefit, but I have feared that no political leader would have the balls to dive into that hole because it taps into peoples deepest prejudices....why was it so easy for Reagan to have amnesties, something unheard of now? I don't know.

Anyways, I want reform, more legal paths for immigration and that stupid border down south secured and I want a legal path for people who have been here and kept their nose cleaned for years. I know some...the ones I know are good people. There are probably bad ones too, but there are plenty of bad citizens as well.

Lastly, I am concerned what is going on down in Arizona. I think the law would be ok if people where inherently good and wouldn't abuse it. But let's all be honest, it gives alot of power to people, I was raised to believe that often a little power can go to some mens heads and make them tyrants. (Hey I live in an HOA and the board usually attracts "that guy" who likes the power the HOA has and harrasses everyone) It gives alot of power to everyday cops. And I'm concerned that if you're brown that pretty soon everyone and their dog will harass you, ask you if you're legal. It's not a simple thing you would say oh "I understand where you are coming from, no problem here are my papers" it doesn't go down like that. It's hurtful and you feel picked on, any of you ever been picked on? My husband remembers every remark anyone has ever said like that, and not because he can't let things go, it's because it hurts. I am a forgiving person but like most of you, I remember all the belittling remarks people have said to me in school, etc. I used to not understand this until I was with my husband, but people's bad behavior comes out of the woodworks when you are brown. It was shocking to me. There are alot of good people, but it only takes a few bad ones to really screw up your day or year or life. Anyways, I will tell you this, me and my brown babies who I love more than life won't be visiting Arizona. Hope my parents don't become snow birds :).