Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio was recently stripped of his federal authority to make immigration arrests after repeated complaints that he abuses power and uses racial profiling to target Latinos in his community.
Salvador Reza, U.S. Air Force veteran, community organizer and renowned immigrants rights activist, joins Laura for an exclusive interview on Arpaio's ongoing abuses.
Dennis Gilman brought us video footage from an Arpaio raid and from protests in Arizona, where white supremacist groups showed up to support Arpaio's policies.
The National Book Awards were announced this week; Colum McCann was honored for his fiction work
Let the Great World Spin: A Novel
, and T.J. Stiles' biography of
Cornelius Vanderbilt
won the nonfiction prize. Dave Eggers, author of Laura's book of the year,
Zeitoun
, received this year's Literarian Award.
In honor of the book awards, Jeannie Vanasco of
Lapham's Quarterly, Julian Brookes of the
Progressive Book Club and Sir Harold Evans, of
The Week magazine and former president and publisher of Random House trade group, join us to discuss other books we loved.
One of the many things that angered people about Sarah Palin was her support for
aerial hunting of wolves. In honor of the release of Palin's book (and Nation editors Betsy Reed and Richard Kim's response book,
Going Rouge), our Got Docs feature this week is
Return to the Wild: A Modern Tale of Wolf and Man from
MoFilms. This documentary takes a look at the ways people and wolves can and do coexist, as well as the conflicts that inevitably arise.
New America Media brings us this story of one young woman shuttling back and forth from her mother's and sister's homes in San Francisco. Her story reminds us that homelessness takes many forms--she feels at home in one place, but realizes that it is bad for her.
The latest
Brower Youth Award winner from the
Earth Island Institute is
Adarsha Shivakumar, who used his proceeds from winning a spelling bee to co-found a project growing sustainable jatropha, a plant that can be used as biofuel, in India. Thanks to Rikshaw Films for the video.
Finally,
Brave New Films brings together U.S. military veterans, including
Matthew Hoh, to ask Obama not to send more troops to continue a war that is on its way to being America's longest in history.
Where does the Sheriff get his power?
I don’t know what the Federal Government is going to do about the Good Sheriff. Sheriffs are Constitutional officers, not U. S. Constitution but State Constitution.
The people created the Constitution which empowers the Federal government to protect the people. Also, he Tenth Amendment reserves to the states respectively, or to the people, any powers the Constitution did not delegate to the United States, nor prohibit the states from exercising.
The office of sheriff is created by the Constitution of the great State of Arizona. The sheriff is bound by the oath to uphold the Constitution of the state and answerable only to the people of the county NOT the Federal Government. The office of sheriff IS a part of the checks and balances of the United States of America. It is there to prevent the Federal Government from doing what it is trying to do today.
So what is the Federal Government going to do? Amend the Arizona State Constitution? I think not.
One question, did Sal take a shower before showing up to the studio or did he stink like he usually does?
By phoenician on November 22nd, 2009 at 12:09 am
Why on earth shouldn’t people who are in a country ILLEGALLY not live in fear??? I thank God that I live in Maricopa county so that I live where something is actually being done to rid us of these TRESPASSERS! They have no right to be here and need to be sent home immediately. I’m sick and tired of seeing these people loitering in parking lots, street corners, etc. ‘looking for work’. We don’t let hookers do that so why on earth should we allow them to? Maybe that is acceptable where they come from but it is an eye sore that is turning many of our neighborhoods into dumps.
America always has and always will welcome good people from all over the world who respect us and our country enough to obey our immigration laws and come here LEGALLY. All others can stay in their own countries because they don’t deserve to be here bringing their disrespect and bad habits to our great country.
By americanpride on November 25th, 2009 at 6:11 am
Illegal immigration has been an issue for many decades. But as the economic pressures and shrinking resources have created more stress on people on both sides of the border, people on both sides of the border are becoming more vocal (even militant) about this issue. For the vast majority of us on both sides of the border, we just want to make a good living and provide for our children and families; we are all the same in this respect. The vast majority of us do not have a criminal mindset; we are normal, good people doing what ever is necessary to survive. If there were unlimited resources for everyone, I dare say this would not nearly be the issue it has become. This obviously is not the case, and so those of us who have more become more protective and territorial, while those of us who have less seek out ways of getting more. Conflict is inevitable. I do not have any solutions, apparently none of us do, but I refuse to believe that our neighbors to the south are all evil people. But as an American, I can also see that we can not simply allow an unchecked influx of illegal immigration that stresses an already over stressed system. The solution will likely have to include a basic acknowledgement by all Americans that we all, on both sides of the border, have the same basic needs, and that an economic solution that is fair and equitable for both sides must be implemented. As long as there is a significant disparity between both sides of the border, the economic pressures alone will continue to drive this issue. To ignore this basic fact, and charge ahead with a ‘me first’, or ‘mine, not yours’ mindset will only lead to increased conflict. People still need to eat, to take care of the families, and people regardless of their religion, nationality, color of their skin, etc., will ultimately fight to the death if pushed too far. Again, I have no solutions; these are simply observations. The Good Sheriff is simply enforcing the laws, NOT making the laws. ANY sheriff filling his position should be doing exactly that… enforce the laws of the land and of the people. The Good Sheriff did not create the economic situation, but predictably he is responding in the only way he knows how to… do his job and enforce the law. But higher fences, more guns, harsher words, and tougher laws will NOT fix the basic underlying problem. Even if we were to completely, 100%, seal off our borders to illegal immigration, the economic pressure in Mexico would accellerate and likely lead to civil war. And anybody who thinks that we will not be sucked in to that conflict has only to look at the history books to find that they are wrong. This is aready happening… The drug cartels in Mexico are thriving, growing at an alarming rate despite the current economic strife in Mexico. The money to the north (us), and the better opportunity to the north (our jobs) are an obvious alternative (illegal or not). Think about it…. what would you NOT do to protect your family, or to put food in your family’s mouths. And if you felt powerless to do these things in your own country, would you also ‘migrate’ to a safer more opportune location? The Good Sheriff, and whether he does his job with zeal or not, is NOT the issue. If the GOVERNMENTS AND THE PEOPLE on both sides of the border do not work together to solve this problem, all the sheriffs and laws in the world will not keep us from eventually going to war over problems caused by the economic disparity between our countries. Almost every war in recorded human history has been based on economic disparity between counrties (groupings of people with similar basic needs), and because of this laws and sentiments that increase or perpetuate a separatist attitude are doomed to failure and conflict. I am not saying we should do nothing about illegal immigration, or not have people like the Good Sheriff. We need laws and we need law enforcers. But to ignore the basic underlying driving force (economics) and continue along the path we are on will only and ultimately result in failure and increased conflict.
By Doc Bob on July 31st, 2010 at 12:19 pm
…. Put another way, the problem is: Illegal immigration in large part is due to (a symptom of) economic disparity between neighboring countries. Angry sentiments and aggressive legal action/law enforcement is a response to (a symptom of) illegal immigration. Ultimately physical conflict is a response to (a symptom of) increasing angry sentiments and aggressive legal action/law enforcement. Solution: Focus on the basic underlying problem (economic disparity) while also trying to remain calm and compassionate (but not total pushovers) about the problems the situation creates for both countries. The Mexican government and the Mexican people are not our enemies. We do NOT need anymore enemies. To the contrary, we should be very interested in helping them/us figure this thing out. Otherwise we continue to isolate ourselves and alienate the rest of the world, and when this ultimately fails (which it will), we will turn on ourselves.
By Doc Bob on July 31st, 2010 at 12:59 pm