The ACLU of South Dakota will be sponsoring a free showing of the award-winning film, 9500 Liberty, which follows Prince William County, VA residents as they adopted and later reversed an immigration policy that increased previously declining crime rates, forced small businesses to close, and divided neighborhoods with a climate of fear, distrust, and suspicion.
Several South Dakota state legislators have threatened to introduce a similar immigration bill here in South Dakota this legislative session. Before our state adopts a similar law that could cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars to implement and defend in court, come hear firsthand the harms to community unity and financial costs of immigration policies to small American communities.
When: Thursday, January 20th– 6:30pm
Where: Main Library, 200 N Dakota Ave, Sioux Falls
*Film is presented in English with Spanish subtitles.
After: There will be an update on the expected legislation, information about how to contact your legislators, and a presentation of the projected financial costs of an immigration bill to South Dakota.
Please pass along this email to anyone else you feel may be interested in learning more about this legislation. We need a large group of individuals contacting their legislators if we want to prevent an AZ immigration bill in South Dakota!
The reading of the Declaration of Independence by members of the reporting staff at NPR gets me every time. Past on-air personalities, some now correspondents at the pearly gates, also read for this decades-old feature. The tears stream down my face right up to the line that begins, ” He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare…”
That’s when it hits me right between the eyes.
When those words were being written, thousands of cultures inhabited a continent that seemed to keep growing huge ripe plums just waiting for Madison, Jefferson, Hamilton and the rest to pick and pick and pick and pick. Already, the Chesapeake Bay estuary had been mostly denuded of native vegetation, not to mention of its former human inhabitants. Slaves tilled the fields and built the infrastructure, the ancestors of the Lakota and other Siouan groups that had been forced westward out of North Carolina generations earlier, traded with the Spanish and French while forging their own alliances (and marriages) with other indigenous peoples.
So, we’ve come a long way, init?
Mexico is a failed state. Mexicans know it and We the People know it. Let’s ask our neighbors to petition for Statehood, join US with two Senators, the requisite number of Representatives, and continue the American Revolution for the Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness with Liberty and Justice for All.
The United States Constitution is the finest instrument ever created by the human hand. The Preamble is the body, the Bill of Rights is the neck, the Amendments are the strings. It is a fluid universal execution of human and civil rights.
It’s time for all Americans to enjoy the protection of law by being part of one nation: erase the artificial borders and grant Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness to all the people of North America…Mexico, Central America, Canada, even the Caribbean if they’ll have us.
ip is not a New World Order guy, does not support the North American Union (god bless you please, Mr. Roddenberry) and believes that the US Constitution is a big enough canvas in order to paint a more perfect masterpiece, a big enough score for all to sing. No violence. No more drug wars.
Can the US Constitution handle it? Let’s debate it and draft a dream referendum to be delivered by and for the people.
The United States of Mexico consists of 31 states and one Federal District. That would mean 64 additional Senators (40% of the Senate would be from Mexican states). They have populations ranging from 600,000 to 15 MM. That would mean a MINIMIUM of 32 representatives – and if proportionally divided – no to exceed the current limit of 435 total reps, likely 120 in addition, for a total of 152 (or 35%) of the members of the House. The addition of several new political parties would make things interesting. The style of government would become more like multi-party european nations in that governing coalitions would be required. No one party could hold a majority.
Haha, immigration policy caused the problems. Looking over the demographics of PW County it would seem something else is to blame.
1990 white 83% black 11% Hispanic 4%. 2006 White 59% Black 18% Hispanic 19%. PW County is a dump, while films that look at issues are great and can be very informative, when only one issue is looked at as the cause the chance of fixing things goes down.
I would like to add, small businesses closing are most likely those catering to Mexicans. The law is enforced so the illegals leave. That business was supporting illegal activity and closed.
Oh yeah, the increasing crime? The 5 year rate did decline from 24.5 to 19 percent in 2008. Violent crime however (rape, murder, robbery, aggravated assault) rose 10%, but the overall rate did indeed drop according to police chief Charlie Deane. In 2008 rape did increase oddly enough. PWC arrested nearly 2,400 illegal immigrants due to this evil policy.
http://www.pwcgov.org/docLibrary/PDF/009084.pdf
http://www.pwcgov.org/doclibrary/pdf/001823.pdf
http://www.pwcgov.org/docLibrary/PDF/13188.pdf Go to page 87
Where did my comment go?
Well anyways, had a nice post put together with the facts. Crime rate hasn’t gone up, 2,400 illegals have been arrested, most of their crimes are alcohol related and small businesses closing are ones that catered to Mexicans; population goes down, less need.
I for one welcome legislation that will allow police to do what the federal govt refuses to. Illegal, it means not legal.
It is already a crime to be here illegally. If the police or INS or feds aren’t enforcing those laws that is the issue that should be addressed… we don’t need even more laws.
The AZ law was hand written by for-profit operators of prisons because they knew it would bring in more prisoners and thus more revenue. You want to prevent illegal immigration fine… but don’t turn it into a source of profit for some greedy jerk.
This whole immigration debate is silly. Just simplify the process to immigrate here legally, eliminate the minimum wage for certain farm labor positions or unskilled labor, and enact a 5 year (give or take) moratorium for immigrants to receive federal benefits (medicaire, Social Security, welfare, food stamps etc).
Problem solved. But it would go against the agenda of both sides of the political aisle (Reps would never condone letting more immigrants come in even though their ancestors were immigrants, and Dems would never justify elimination of a minimum wage even though it has been proven economically to create more jobs and tax revenue).
Jim – even though you are approved for commenting, anytime there is links in the comment, they have to be approved by me. It’s a spam filter thing. As you can see I approved them.
Costner is right. Everyone immigrated here in one way or another. My great great grandparents on both sides came on a boat and struggled. We act like this country was always whitebread. Remember, the only REAL Americans are Native Americans.
Thanks, didn’t know about the link stuff.
The process to immigrate here isn’t all that difficult, if you have a skill that is needed. To be quite honest though how can anyone think that bringing in more unskilled labor will help anything? An idea that I think would go a long ways towards improving the world would be allowing people from any nation come here to attend university. After graduation they are required to go back to their home country. Long term, things should be improved as well educated people will be throughout the world. I also think we should lock the southern border down until they get done with this drug crime issue.
“until they get done with this drug crime issue.”
LMAO! The war on drugs is unwinnable, especially with Mexico. Wanna stop drugs pouring in our country from Mexico? Make all natural illegal drugs in the US legal. Manufacture and tax them. If Americans can buy legal, safe pot from American producers, they will. Pot heads are not picky.
The “drug crime issue” is only an issue because hollywood starlets and trust fund kids needa steady supply of blow and weed.
Americans have the demand for the drugs… so we share in the blame for the issue.
As far as the process to immigrate – not only is it very expensive, but you have to pass a test that most natural born Americans couldn’t. Give me a break – I don’t recall Ellis Island turning people back because they didn’t have money for the fees or couldn’t recite the Preamble to the Constitution.
The reality of the situation is if there weren’t jobs for them over here they wouldn’t come. When people are willing to pay twice as much for their fruits and vegetables and at least 40% more for their processed meats… then maybe the farmers and meat packing plants will start paying wages that “real Americans” would be willing for to work.
As it sits, there are a hell of a lot of people more willing to draw their 99 weeks of unemployment than they are who would be willing to pick lettuce or make hamburger. That is the reality.
“As it sits, there are a hell of a lot of people more willing to draw their 99 weeks of unemployment than they are who would be willing to pick lettuce or make hamburger. That is the reality.”
Yet I’m a POS shit loser because I choose to wait tables until something better comes along? Sorry, I’m not buying this argument. I think some people really can’t find a job, they just don’t exist.
So since cocaine comes from a plant, that should be legal too? Get off it.
Costner, the process is not that expensive if you file yourself, and a decent lawyer will run you around 2k but I think you are forgetting that when you immigrate here you also have to prove you can financially support yourself. The test is only if you wish to become a citizen, and not every immigrant wants that so, no test!
Not a fair comparison. Cocoa has to be processed, I suppose you can eat cocoa leaves and they will get you high.
Jim – you think $2,000 isn’t a huge asspile of money for the typical immigrant? That is about 1/3rd of a year’s salary for the typical Mexican citizen, or about half your year’s income if you are from Poland.
Also, if someone is coming here trying to find a job, it makes it rather difficult to prove they can support themselves. Pretty nice catch 22… wonder if they had the same clause for my great-grandparents when they came over.
DL: Yet I’m a POS shit loser because I choose to wait tables until something better comes along? Sorry, I’m not buying this argument.
I’m glad you’re not buying it… because it isn’t even in the same zip code as the point I was making.
The facts are and numerous studies have found that most people don’t seriously look for work until the last six to eight weeks before their unemployment runs out. There are actually jobs out there in almost every city in the US. They might not be ideal jobs, but there are jobs. Many people just aren’t willing to take a job they feel is beneath them, which is why you don’t find many unemployed people lining up to work as day laborers and why McDonalds has a “Now Hiring” statement on their billboard almost year round.