Poor Jan Brewer - AZ's former governor -

[Rev. Rye]

Godwin's law aside, do you think supporting that law makes one a bigot automatically? I mean I would say that about Jim Crow, I don't think you could support Jim Crow without being a bigot. I'm less certain about immigration laws.

Perhaps in theory, supporting it may not automatically equal bigotry, even if many of the provisions give one pause, like the major "show me your papers" clause (one that requires "reasonable suspicion," a very vaguely defined term indeed) or the fact that anyone without the prerequisite papers cannot be released until the Feds confirm their immigration status (note: this is not something that can potentially happen due to vague language. This is meant to be standard operating procedure.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQfdSBq7flw

(Seriously, a scene of Vichy French cruelty shouldn't seem this goddam relevant to a law ratified six years ago)

But, let's be realistic: in Arizona, can you really expect that the police doing this are going to enforce this law equally for soemone they suspect might be , say, a Canadian immigrant as they do to a Mexican immigrant?

While illegal immigration is a legitimate concern, it's all too often treated as a dog whistle for people to be racist without seeming racist, and when the suggested penalties get more and more cruel, and, frankly, unconstitutional, it just gets more and more obvious just what it is.