My take on Arizona

This last blog is in response to the Arizona immigration law. Many of our classmates blogged on this and I thought I would chime in as well. Upon first hearing about the new bill and watching all the events unfold on the news, I knew this bill would soon cause uproar in and around the country. There is no need to recap what the bill states, everyone is well aware of it.
My thoughts on the whole situation are, yes, something had to be done to stop and reduce the illegal immigrant population but why are such extreme measures being taken with such urgency when illegal immigration has been a huge problem for many years. This bill raises many concerns around the community but at the top of the list is “racial profiling.” In directly the bill says the law enforcement can stop anyone who they deem “suspicious,” well what does suspicious look or act like? The governor has stated that officers will undergo training on how to identify “suspicious” persons, guess we will have to wait and see how that works out. Instead of using these boarder line unconstitutional methods, why doesn’t the government try to implement new tactics to legalize the immigrants who are already here? We don’t want illegal immigrants here because they are causing in influx in expenditures, raising taxes, using healthcare dollars and not putting money back into our economy, just to name of few problems. Instead of shipping everyone off, which is going to cost tons of money, why not educate the immigrant on how to become legal, go door to door and give them information. Give them the information, let them know you have such and such amount of time to get legal, if not then you will be deported.
This process might be somewhat whimsical but I am just brainstorming on other options that could be a win situation for everyone. If you go around targeting people because they look a certain way, then you are asking for trouble. People are going to be more sensitive to situations and become more defensive, possibly causing unnecessary danger. I hope this Arizona law can be smooth out, because if not I see the state heading in a downward spiral.

Does UT support the KKK?

The University of Texas is one of the most well known and recognized universities in the nation. Currently, headlining news involving the university is not reporting on the school’s sports achievements or academic performance; rather they are reporting on the universities possible support of the Ku Klux Klan organization. The campus currently has a dormitory named Simkins Hall, which is named after former UT law professor and KKK organizer William Stewart Simkins. Simkins was not only an organizer for the KKK but he also gave speeches on the Klan’s behalf at the university. Controversy behind the dorm’s name arose when another former law professor Thomas Russell released a research paper last month discussing Simkins and the universities practice of standardize testing to exclude African Americans. I am very surprised and disheartened that this type of acknowledgement is allowed to be part of the campus; it shows a complete lack of respect for African Americans who work and attend the university. It is a slap in the faces to those who have sacrificed and struggled then and now to improve relationships among races. UT officials are aware of this issue involving Simkins, there once was a bust statue of him in the library but when a librarian became aware of Simkins prior involvements it was removed and stored away never to be displayed again. The dorm is an even larger representation of Simkins and its name should be changed. University officials argue that it would be more beneficial to the campus to put money into programs that help recruit and serve the “underrepresented” populations on the campus. The exact words from a UT official were, “We feel that a better use of our time and money would be to further a climate of inclusiveness and cultural diversity that looks to the future instead of dwelling on the past." Clearly this individual is out of touch with why it is that diversity is able to exist on the campus, and by continuing to allow this name to be displayed in such an honorable way will be a constant reminder of such a terrible time in history, in which we will continue to “dwell” on.