Wrigley Field, known usually for it's green ivy and drunken yuppies, has entered the center of a national political firestorm. The Arizona Diamondbacks are in Chicago this weekend, and they've brought their state's problem with them. Since Jan Brewer signed last week's controversial Immigration bill, boycotts of Arizona products have been popping up around the country. As demonstrated by the pickets in Chicago, these boycotts have reached Major League Baseball.
The presumed reason why the D-Backs have drawn heat is their owner Ken Kendrick. Kendrick is one of the faces of the franchise, as well as a primary booster for the same politicians who created the bill. Nearly every Arizona business is experiencing losses right now, so it's not surprising that an organization with close ties to the controversial bill is facing protests.
I've heard all the arguments for why protesting the Diamondbacks is pointless: It's unfair to single out Kendrick when there are many team owners. It's not the players fault what's going on in their state. It's just baseball, why bring important political issues into it?
This last point is the most hypocritical. The Diamondbacks have six Latino players on their active roster. I'm sure these guys are overjoyed that they can now legally be pulled over and hassled because of their race. The major argument against this bill is the question, "How does anybody know what an illegal immigrant looks like?" Rodrigo Lopez is a key cog in the D-backs rotation. If you put him in a lineup with four Mexican immigrants without seeing him before, can anybody say they could honestly pick Lopez out? I know I wouldn't be able to. Baseball isn't like football or basketball where the players always physically stand out. This adds to the allure of the game and the irony of this current situation.
This issue does not start or end with the Diamondbacks. Major League Baseball has turned a blind eye to players with murky immigration status such as Joakim Soria, all-star closer for the Royals. There are dozens of players in the big leagues alone whose citizenship is in question. What happens when the Royals come to Arizona? What happens if Soria makes the all-star game in 2011 which is scheduled to be played in Phoenix? If a police officer sees Soria are they legally bound to arrest him? If not, than the bill is pointless. It says that you can pick on the poor migrant worker but not the million-dollar baseball player. This is precisely why the MLB Players Union has come out strongly against the bill. They realize how absurd it is that a quarter of their league would be racially profiled if they lived in Arizona. For a league that's very conscious of their image within the Latino community, this issue could be devastating.
I don't suggest that the Diamondbacks organization take the blame for what their state government has done. Still, sports whether you like it or not, captivate a segment of the American population in a way politics never will. If picketing the Diamondbacks helps brings this issue to the opening of Sports Center, then by all means, get your signs ready.
They just screw up traffic.
This Lecture was done in 1999. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM1YU-Ni_84
Looking at the chart when he gets there,
What they estimated in 1999 for 2010 is spot on what actually happened.
[Estimated in 1999 it would be just over 300 million in 2010.]
When he gets to the gumball demonstration keep in mind the large jar represents the people in the world that are WORSE OFF than Mexicans.
Because of illegal immigration from 1999 to present we've had to:
Build TWICE as many schools.
Build TWICE as many roads.
Build TWICE as many sewer plants.
Build TWICE as many power plants.
Build TWICE as much about anything else.
Had to add twice as many cops and firemen and teachers. [Or leave areas under serviced.]
And use TWICE as many trees and other natural resources.
Anyone that thinks illegal immigration isn't a significant load on our economy and natural resources is a moron.
If you don't want every city in the US to become a giant LA Slum within our or our children's lifetimes then it has to STOP NOW!
~
Link to just the chart. [Sorry about the quality.]
http://www.numbersusa.com/content/files/imagecache/fpage/files/cck_images/population.jpg...
It's estimated that over 20 million illegals live in this country to day at an expense that is unsustainable. If you don't think this is a national problem your nuts.
Tommy I suggest you stick to the simple things in life.
Just kidding!
I am a Colombian citizen as well as Shakira does. Colombian laws require the following:
Every just born must be register and prints of their foot is taken.
Every kid must carry an ID card at all times with him or her when demanded by the authorities. Finger printed is also done and parents that fail to ID their kids are subject to punishment.
Every person that reaches 18 years of age must obtain the “CEDULA “ national ID card, also fingerprinted is mandatory, every person must carry this document at all times and authorities can request it any time at any place with no reason.
Every adult must also register for military service, mandatory no exemption.
Why Shakira had never complained about this so-called human right violations?
We have in the USA the Legal Immigrants who abide to the laws and rules of the republic, and the Illegal Aliens who break the laws and do not assimilate to the American society.
Be sure to make a difference among them who abide to the law and those who do not.
Congratulation to the people of Arizona that stand up against the invasion and the corruption in Washington.
Excellent point.
Problem is it wasn't true of african-americans back then and it isn't true of undocumented Mexicans today. But just look back at the clips of the police/state response to peaceful protesters back then: attack dogs, fire hoses, beatings by police for "probable cause," lynchings.
Yeah you bigots, keep spouting your hatred. Welcome back to the 50's; unbelievable!
Are they racists for that?
What's bigotry got to do with it? They're illegally here. Would you welcome the Taliban, or Al Qaeda here as well so we don't offend Middle Easterners? Just because illegal aliens want to work here doesn't mean we have to allow them in until they take the normal path of gaining entry legally.
When will political corectness end and logic and reason return?
No one reading this has ever heard of police acting illegally, going overboard, right? Yeah, some fantasy land you live in Brent7777. Just say you're views are bigoted and get it over with!
Tell me where in the law it states you can be arrested if you look like you might be here illegally!!! Look at what the law says, not what might happen if this and if that. Have a little faith in law enforcement.
If I am a bigot for following our laws and expecting the same of others than so be it.
EVERYONE has to produce a birth certificate - not just one race.
Mexican American who supports this law! Leave our D Backs alone!
The citizens of Arizona, 70% that support this law also paid a sale tax
to help build Chase Field! Keep politics out of sports! Sports are games
where Democrats and Republicans are united in supporting there city's team.
We need to keep our communities safe. Undocumented criminals are impossible to catch never mind MS13. They don't care if your Hispanic, white, or black when they assault or rape woman. I hope police follow the law as it is written and not pull over based on profiling. As it is written, that is not legal, but could happen. We can only hope for the best out of our boys in blue as this is a hard spot to be in right now. But something had to be done and an extreme route was taken.
KEEP POLITICS OUT OF SPORTS!