Remember that for years the state had legally separate drinking fountains for black and white people?  Today, under new laws passed in Alabama known as  HB56,  illegal aliens in the state may not be able to drink any water.

It’s been called the strictest anti-immigration law passed in any state in the country.  Prohibitions of the law include anyone lacking proper citizenship papers may not “enter into a business transaction with the state or a political subdivision of the state.”  As a result, one city and possible more, are threatening to shut-off water from the local government utility to residents if they don’t have an Alabama driver’s license of a social security number.

To me, this sounds worse than the “Jim Crow” laws that allowed separate but equal public facilities for black and whites, including drinking fountains.  Some people respond by pointing out that merely entering the U.S. illegally is a crime.  Therefore, illegal aliens are criminals and don’t deserve any services including school, medical, public aid, or even water.  However, all criminals in jail or prison received not only water but food and shelter also.  (What a deal!)

The government’s argument for the new law is that the illegal aliens put a financial strain on public services and take jobs from all the Alabama citizens who would like to work but can’t since an illegal has beaten them to the job application interview.  The business community is upset because their labor force has started to disappear and will be severely depleted.  One man who owned a laundry cleaning business told an NPR reporter that the Alabama citizens he hires don’t even stay on the job for a month before they quit.  In contrast, the immigrants are happy to get a job and stay working a lot longer.

The governor of Alabama responded by assuring everyone there were enough Alabama citizens who wanted work and  would take the newly available jobs that formally the illegal aliens did.  We’ll see.

So beyond the moral problems of refusing water for people who pay for it, there’s the practical problem of who will fill these jobs.  When is the last time you saw a roofing crew that was not Hispanic?

The U.S. Justice department has moved into federal court to stop the implementation of the new law.  The basic legal argument is two-fold:  border control and immigration are federal issues and the law could violate many parts of the Constitution.

When the authors of the bill said they introduced it to “protect jobs for Alabama citizens,” is this the real reason or are they drifting back to the separate drinking fountains from years ago?

The post No Water in Alabama appeared first on Colin T. Nelson.

With 70,000 Somalis in Minnesota, we have the largest concentration in the United States. For two years, Ms. Shah and other reporters followed the story of the young Somali men who disappeared from the Twin Cities. The FBI said they were recruited to fight for a militia in Somalia called Al-Shabab. Perhaps some did.

But what about the rest of them who were never found?

My new book, Reprisal, tells the fictional story of what might have “really” happened to the missing boys.

Ms. Shah’s reporting tells another story–one of a vast, intricate network of gangsters who prey upon young Somali people. I don’t know if there’s any connection between the young men who disappeared and the girls that Ms. Shah writes about, but clearly there are problems in the Somali community.

The reporter goes on to detail the difficulties faced by not only the adult Somalis coming to this country but their children also. My work in the courtrooms with this population confirms much of what is reported in the article. The children arrive here without parents, who may have died or are missing, and must live with various relatives. These older relatives often have different ideas about the role the young girls should play in the family and community.

One of the biggest problems I’ve encountered is the distrust the Somali community has for outsiders, including law enforcement. For decades in Somalia there has not been a functioning government. People rely upon their clans and extended families for their survival and safety. When they arrive in the United States, many of these attitudes remain for a long time.

As a result, the community can be insulated from others. That makes it easier for gangsters to prey upon the young girls. I’ve had experiences in Juvenile Court where young Somali girls end up in Minnesota living with their “uncles”–who really aren’t relatives at all.

I’ve also seen the “two worlds” that Ms. Shah identifies in many of the immigrant groups. In the Hmong community for instance, the parents often cannot speak English. They depend on the children to interpret and deal with American society. You can imagine the power and independence the children gain. I suspect the same situation exists in the Somali community also.

Check out the Strib article for a good story and explanation of what the Somali people are doing in the face of gangsters to help their children.

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Rima Fakih, an American of Lebanese descent and a Muslim, was just crowned Miss USA. Bloggers and pundits have accused her of ties to Hezbollah, the terrorist group from the Middle East because her last name is identical and she’s a Muslim. So, let’s consider a comparison.

Sean Smith left Ireland years ago for a better life in America. Coming through Ellis Island, he moved to Boston, suffered discrimination in jobs, schools, and neighborhoods. So, he settled in the Irish-Catholic section of Boston to start a new life and family. Like so many other immigrants, he succeeded. By the time his grandchildren grew-up, one of them was crowned Miss USA.

Another man, Mr. Fakih, left Beriut, Lebanon–the Paris of the Middle East–at the same time Sean Smith left Ireland. Fakih was an admirer of everything in America. He arrived in Dearborn, Michigan. For people from the Middle East, it was the equivalent to Ellis Island. Many came through Dearborn because Henry Ford loved Middle Eastern people and thought they made good workers. He offered them jobs by the thousands and even provided housing for them. Mr. Fakih started his new life and family. Like many immigrants, he succeeded. One of his grandchildren, Rima, was crowned Miss USA.

Although I’ve made up these facts, these two stories have been repeated thousands of times over in America.

So why is the present Miss USA accused of ties to terrorist groups? Some bloggers accuse her of being funded by terrorist groups and her support of these groups–without offering any facts to support their accusations.

Could she be accused of these things simply because she’s Muslim rather than Christian or Jewish?

My new novel “Reprisal,” portrays a young American-born woman who’s a moderate and progressive Muslim. She fights against an extremist Muslim terrorist who tries to carry out a plot to introduce a small pox plague in Minnesota. In my research about Islam in America, I found that, like any previous immigrant groups, the majority are similar to most Americans. And of course, a few criminals come from these groups, just as they also come from all areas of the US and from all ethnic groups.

What about the accusation that Islam, as a religion, promotes terrorism, the subjugation of women, and violence? I have read most of the Qur’an and several books written by educated American Muslims, including women. They insist that culture, politics, history, and power struggles cause the problems that dominate the news media–not the religion itself.

To me, the American Muslim situation is similar to most immigrant group’s experience when something about the group is different from the mainstream population. There is misunderstanding, suspicion, and fear of the different group.

Before accusing Miss USA of having terrorist ties, maybe it would be a good idea if the bloggers befriended a Muslim American–even one.

The post Miss USA, Rima Fakih, a Terrorist? appeared first on Colin T. Nelson.

Lots of bloggers and media people have made so much noise about this, they could probably blow apart the arch pictured here. (I suspect this is the very arch under which all the illegals are entering Arizona…but don’t tell anyone!)

I posted the other day, suggesting that the political climate in Arizona and their experience with criminals entering Arizona illegally may have a lot to do with this new law.

But then, I remembered they have a neighboring state, New Mexico, that doesn’t seem to have gotten into the fray at all. Neither has Texas. What’s the difference?

I can’t imagine that the border security, provided by the Border Patrol, is much different from state to state. Is Arizona flooded with an unusually high percentage of illegals compared to its neighbors?

There is one difference that pops out to me.

Arizona has an Hispanic population of 30%. Texas has a population of 36% and New Mexico has a population of 45%.

Is Arizona just exercising a form of racism? Considering the high population of Hispanics in both Texas and New Mexico, could the legislature/governor get a tough law like Arizona’s passed?

If the law in Arizona remains on the books, I anticipate lots of law suits and court challenges for people arrested under the provisions of the new law. It’ll be interesting what the Arizona Supreme Court says or, if the cases get appealed to federal court, what the feds say.

What are your thoughts?

The post What about Arizona's Neighbors? appeared first on Colin T. Nelson.

The legislature just passed one of the most far-reaching immigration laws in the country. As I understand it, the law would allow police to stop people who “look” like they might be illegals and ask the not only for identification but also if they are in the country illegally. Of course, if they are are, the police can take action to begin deportation proceedings.

Should we be concerned?

On the one hand, this appears to be very scary. I’ve read blogs comparing this to Nazi Germany where Jews were stopped because they looked “Jewish.” But unless all the legislators in Arizona are nuts, is there more to this than meets the eye?

Granted, I think Arizona has some of the most politically conservative people in the country. Remember, this is the state where John McCain, who has voted for some of the most conservative legislation in his career, is now being challenged in a primary because he’s not conservative enough!

Still, the new immigration law is so far out there in comparison to the rest of the country, it makes me wonder if the rest of us are missing something.

I think it’s difficult for those of us living in Minnesota, who face the threat of only a few Canadian hockey players coming across the border, to fully understand the frustration of people in Arizona about the illegal criminal activity coming across their border. The drug trade with its violence is a real problem for them. People with serious diseases are coming across to receive free treatment in the Arizona hospitals at taxpayer expense. I’ve read blogs from public health officials warning that some of the diseases brought by illegals are unknown in our country and threaten to overwhelm their public health capabilities. So…

Do any of you recall that a few years ago, President George Bush promised a stop to illegals coming across the border by ordering the National Guard to seal the border of Arizona? The only problem was, after Bush made a splash in the media, he refused to fund the deployment of National Guard troops and equipment, so they left in a few weeks.

Could the legislation in Arizona be a power play?

Maybe the smart people in the legislature are trying to get the attention of the country to point out that no one else, including the federal government, is helping them seal the border against violent, criminal illegals.

The law, as I understand it, may not even be constitutional. Let’s see how the litigation plays out. In the meantime, maybe Arizona has purposely put this out there to get a reaction. Or, is it simply pandering by the politicians to the fear and concerns that many people in Arizona truly feel? The intelligent politicians must know this law will engender thousands of law suits and challenges. Did they pass it to be able to pacify their constituents?

I don’t know. What do you think? Is this a sophisticated move to get federal help or is the legislature and governor nuts?

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