The Tea Party: “Don’t Tread on Me. Do Tread on That Other Guy.” — An Open Letter from The Other 98% on Arizona’s Immigration Law
May 12, 2010 | In: Resources
Hey Everyone -
Some of our organizers wrote this open letter to the Tea Party re: Arizona’s new immigration law 1070. We’re thinking about putting it out to wider distribution.
What do you think about it? Please let us know in the comments!
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Tyranny has come to America. Not only can it happen here, it already has. Police can now arbitrarily ask U.S. citizens to “show me your papers.” Failure to do so may result in arrest and interrogation.
Arizona’s new Immigration Law SB1070, requires local police to check the papers of anyone when “reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States.” Laws like these affect all of us. It means U.S. citizens will have to carry and present “proof” that we belong here. What criteria will police use to determine which of us to suspect? What does a native born American look like?
Americans from all walks of life have come out against this travesty of our ideals — everyone from the NAACP and ACLU, to Arizona’s own Police Chiefs and even the Phoenix Suns.
One group that you might expect to stand up against this obvious assault on Liberty has been noticeably absent: The Tea Party. What gives? Tea Partiers have marched all last year in the name of personal freedom, lashing out against what they perceive as a sinister growth in government’s powers. It seems natural then, that they would be on the front lines when actual tyranny rears its ugly head.
But no, the Tea Party’s leaders and its members have been dead silent or supportive of the law. It seems that the Tea Party’s ubiquitous “Don’t Tread on Me” flags should really read “Tread on That Other Guy, Instead.”
And what’s next? Will the National Guard be stopping us at random checkpoints? Will neighbors start informing on neighbors? Will the IRS soon be monitoring our foreign transactions? Will Homeland Security one day invade our homes looking for guns? This law indeed puts us on a slippery slope.
Supporters point out that the letter of the law isn’t about race. The law’s recent update prohibits police from using race as the “sole factor” when determining suspects. But this is a legal fig leaf. Will illegal immigrants from Canada or Europe be asked for their papers? Not so much. When was the last time Sheriff Joe raided a house full of Swedish nannies who stayed in the country long after their work visas had expired? On the ground, barring asking everyone for their papers, the law can only be enforced via de facto racial profiling.
But illegal immigrants are breaking the law, some will still say. And Washington has done nothing to address the problem. True enough. Arizona is on the front lines of the nation’s immigration problems, and many people support the law because at least the state is doing something. Yes, we need comprehensive immigration reform, but in the process we mustn’t sacrifice the very ideals for which America stands. This law turns citizens into suspects. Most of our illegal immigrants may be Hispanic, but the overwhelming majority of Hispanics are law-abiding Americans.
There is crime in every community, but just as Bernie Madoff doesn’t make every stockbroker a crook, brown skin doesn’t make every Hispanic a suspect. We must find a way to deal with crime without criminalizing Americans.
Not long ago, a few bankers bilked U.S. taxpayers out of trillions of dollars. If it is truly “crime” the Tea Party wants to curb, why haven’t they come out for a strong cop on the beat on Wall Street?
The Other 98% hereby challenges Tea Party leaders (that includes you, Dick Armey, Sarah Palin and Erick Erickson), as well as local chapters around the country, to publicly call for repeal of Arizona Law SB1070. It’s time to speak up and defend the ideals you claim to stand for.
If “Don’t Tread On Me” really means ”Do Tread on that Other Guy”, or worse, ”Do Tread on that (Brown) Guy”, then you are fighting not for the America of our Founders, but for the totalitarian nightmare you so declaim.
Which is it, Tea Party? Are you against tyranny or aren’t you?
The move is yours. Let’s solve our immigration challenges without sacrificing our ideals. The land of the free should not turn into the land of “show me your papers.” Stand with us against this abominable law.