Arizona Republic, AZ
Oct 13 2007

Washington myopic as migrant war rages
Oct. 13, 2007 12:00 AM

It’s been one of those weeks around here. Which is to say, like most
weeks around here anymore on this, the front line of the nation’s
immigration wars.

The Valley’s police chiefs announced that they have no intention of
allowing their officers to check the immigration status of people
they pull over. And the spokesman for the actual cops who cruise the
streets of Phoenix – and one, Officer Nick Erfle, who no longer can –
revealed that eight of 10 believe their inability to check the
immigration status of people they pull over has degraded the city’s
quality of life.

Meanwhile, 2,348 miles away in Washington, the House Foreign Affairs
Committee approved a resolution this week that designates the killing
of Armenians during World War I as genocide.

Maricopa County’s chief judge and chief prosecutor were back at it
this week in their ongoing feud over whether judges are properly
denying bail to illegal immigrants. A federal judge gave the
Legislature until March to pony up millions more to teach kids
English – or else.

And the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – which is suing us for
trying to do something, at least, about illegal immigration – came to
town to warn us to ease off employers. This, as a Yuma farmer took to
the airwaves to warn that the nation’s winter vegetables may die on
the vine next month because we’re chasing off workers needed to
harvest them.

Meanwhile, 2,348 miles away in Washington, a congressman from Ohio
and a senator from South Carolina vowed to sponsor bills next year to
allow the word God on certificates accompanying flags flown over the
Capitol. Never mind that the rules were changed this week and that
God is already allowed on certificates accompanying flags flown over
the Capitol.

Instead of worrying about flags at the Capitol, they might want to
consider what has happened to flags in Tucson.

For 53 years, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum has flown the flags of
the United States and Mexico, side by side, at the entrance to the
renowned museum. It makes sense, given that the ecosystem it seeks to
protect stretches into both countries. It makes sense, given that the
museum is named for the state of Arizona and the state of Sonora.

Lately, however, the museum has come under attack.

"We started getting calls from all over the country from people who
had never been to the desert museum and had no idea what it was or
anything about it," Rick Brusca, executive program director, told me.

"They were demanding we take the Mexican flag down because they felt
it represented a statement of political refuge for illegal aliens
from Mexico," he said.

Actually, the non-profit museum is a refuge. For bighorn sheep. For
the ring-tailed cat. For all manner of desert life on both sides of
the border.

Naturally, in today’s climate, the facts were cast aside and the
complaints turned to threats, vile enough that the museum has now
taken down the Mexican flag. And, in an attempt to avoid offending
anyone, it also took down the U.S. flag.

Such is the hysterical state of the Union now, when people are dug
deep into whatever foxhole they’ve chosen in this fight, where there
is no room for middle ground or rational discussion.

Meanwhile, 2,348 miles away in Washington, Republicans were gleefully
attaching harsh anti-illegal-immigration clauses to every bill they
could get their hands on this week, not to get them passed but to get
ammunition for next year’s campaign brochures. Not to strengthen this
country but to strengthen their chances of retaking Congress.

Proving, once again, that there really are some jobs that Americans
won’t do.

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