i don't get it

So beginith the rant:

I had the great opportunity to travel to Kenya years ago. To make this trip I had to file papers and get a passport. I also had to spend hard earned cash to be stabbed with a number of needles to make sure I didn't die from some awful disease. And lastly I had to go to a doctor and receive a prescription for an anti malaria drug to keep me from getting mosquitoed to death.

The trip another continent took me to three major airports, all which required that I show my papers proving I was an American Citizen and had received my shots. When I arrived in country my passport was stamped with various visas to let any authority know why I was in country and how long I was allowed to stay. I was informed that when traveling I should keep my papers safe, but readily accessible just in case I was asked to present them to anyone. I was a white person in a black nation and this didn't at all seem out of the ordinary. In fact I never once gave the idea that I could be asked to present my passport and visa to anyone another thought, it just seemed like a normal and logical request that could be made to me at anytime.

I drive a car. For those of you who do not let me fill you in on the basic premise. To operate a vehicle (with the exception of certain agricultural options) one must be of a certain age and pass a driving test to show that you have the basic ability to understand the laws that govern our roads and highways and preform basic driving functions with a vehicle. When finish this process you are given a license to carry with you whenever you are driving. When using the road system in any of the United States you can be asked if, and must be able to prove, you have completed this age and testing requirement. The standard and legal way is by presenting a government document to the agent. I have been asked only a few times, unsolicited, to show my proof of legal drivemanship. (by unsolicited I mean not because I broke a law to provoke an officer to inquire about my legitimacy as a driver... that has happened far more than a "few" times) These unsolicited verifications of my legal driving status have all been at a road block, but since the roads are government owned I feel that they have the right to make sure that all who are using them are doing so legally. As annoying as this is I have given it very little thought.

I once used a PO box. To obtain this mailbox I was asked to present two forms of government ID to show that I was who I said I was. I didn't see this as weird or in any way a violation of my rights. I recently found myself taking a job and needing to file employment papers with an HR firm. This firm also asked for two forms of government issued ID to prove that I was who I said I was.

Why am I listing these examples? Simple. In the state of Arizona they recently passed a law that allowed state officials to actually enforce the Federal Laws on people who are in our country illegally and fail to produce an ID in a situation that calls for one. Any of the above mentioned scenarios can be used as probable cause to ask a person to prove their citizenship or legal visiting status. Those who fail will be detained and deported.

Some see this as racist... I see it as... DOING WHAT EVERY FREAKING COUNTRY ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET DOES!!!! EVERY COUNTRY REGULATES VISITORS AND IMMIGRANTS EVEN MEXICO! As a country you have to... Well, you don't have to if you country has a system of government or a standard of living that will not be ill affected by a flood of people who are not part of any regulatory system.

The issue I have here is this. If I were ever asked to prove my citizenship, and as I mentioned above I have been, I will proudly show my papers. I have read and listened to people compare this law to the Nazi's and them gun butting people who refuse to show their papers as they are walking down the street. Seriously... Is a law designed to get a handle on a flood of illegal immigrants by enforcing the laws that are already on the federal books fascist? Or is the real reason this is a big deal is because the people are brown? I know I'm white and therefor racist by nature... Well, at least that's what I've been taught, because we all know only white people can be racists.

If Montana or Maine made laws that required this of the Canadian immigrants would that lead to such an outcry? (NO.. the answer is no. Because both states have laws that do the very same thing... Well more to the point they just enforce the Federal Laws on immigration) What about the poor Canadians who are just coming down here to escape their high taxes and weak health care and bilingualness? (French... uhhh torture) Where are the celebrities boycotting the states? Where are the protesters? Sorry Frenchy you're white and therefor you have to obey the letter of the law, but had you been born brown you could cry racism and make us all feel terrible that we are abusing you by holding you to the same standards as other races...

The more I write the more sickened I become... I mean what kind of sick race hater am I to think we should treat all people the same under the law regardless of skin color? Who would ever dream of the blasphemous idea of judging someone on their actions rather than their skin color? I'm glad that type of thought is limited to us fringe white racists... I mean NO person of color would ever utter such ideas of injustice...

To wrap up. If I were in another country illegally I would be deported... Especially if I were fraudulently abusing that countries social programs put in place to help its citizenship. I would be deported and held to the full letter of the law, but only because I'm white.

So endith the rant: