Story By MIGUEL PEREZ -- Creators Syndicate
Posted: May 22, 2010 12:01 am


Just when we think Arizona should be getting the message, when widespread condemnation for its unconstitutional immigrant-profiling law should be putting its lawmakers on defense, out they come with more Draconian anti-immigrant measures.

Just after the lawmakers claimed that their first crackdown will affect only undocumented immigrants, out they come with two new measures aimed specifically at legal immigrants and naturalized American citizens.

There can be no doubt about it: Arizona wants to fight.

Some people want a race and ethnicity war in this country, and Arizona is itching to start one.

As if inviting demonstrations, boycotts and widespread repudiation with the infamous 1070 profiling law weren't enough, two new measures were introduced in Arizona recently to provoke even more outrage.

First, the Arizona Department of Education threatened to go after teachers who have heavy foreign accents, including many recruited when the state was much more immigrant-friendly.

And then, Republican Gov. Jan Brewer approved a measure that bans the state's schools from teaching ethnic studies.

To justify the latter, Arizona schools chief Tom Horne, a Republican running for attorney general, vilified the Tucson Unified School District's popular Mexican-American studies program, charging that it promotes racial discrimination ---- a perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black.

Using reverse psychology that convinced no one, Horne argued that ethnic studies programs promote "ethnic chauvinism," and that he is the one who is fighting discrimination.

In the dictionary, next to the word hypocrite ...

Latino students in Tucson are taught that Arizona was once part of Mexico and that they should be proud of the contributions their Latino ancestors made to the United States; in some warped minds, that's the equivalent of teaching un-American values.

Using language designed to alarm Americans about threats that don't exist, the legislation signed into law by Brewer bans state funding for schools offering courses that "promote the overthrow of the U.S. government" and "promote resentment toward a race or class of people."

Of course, these programs do no such thing.

They are about connecting students with their ethnic roots.

In fact, what they do is promote tolerance for diversity. The only ones discriminating against "a race or class of people" are Horne, Brewer and the other Arizona Republicans who have declared war on all Latino immigrants.

Even "advocating ethnic solidarity" can cause Arizona schools to lose their state funding from now on.

Arizona wants all new immigrants to dissolve in the so-called American melting pot, even though in the past most immigrants have been unwilling to do it.

Throughout American history, we have been proud to preserve and celebrate our very diverse ethnic roots.

In ethnic communities throughout this country, people of many different backgrounds have been praised by politicians for the same "ethnic solidarity" that is now a problem to the politicians in Arizona.

Obviously, their problem is with Latino immigrants. They fear we are "taking over."

Yet, you would think that in the middle of the storm created by their first piece of anti-immigrant legislation, Arizona politicians would wait at least a few months before promoting other racist measures.

But nah, not Arizona. It wants to lead the anti-immigrant movement.

Even a U.N. human rights panel charged that Arizona is displaying "a disturbing pattern of legislative activity hostile to ethnic minorities and immigrants."

The backlash against Arizona is now international.

But the Republican extremists who run that state apparently don't care about the criticism.

They are tired of hiding their fear-mongering agenda, and they are bringing it out in the open.

They are threatened by the growth of the U.S. Latino population, and what they want is clearly to turn back the clock on the civil rights Latinos and other minorities have struggled to gain in the past 50 years.

Acting like schoolyard bullies, Arizona politicians are itching to lead the fight to suppress the civil rights of Latinos.

But there will be many more demonstrations, boycotts and even lawsuits against their mean-spirited measures.

And like all schoolyard bullies, they eventually will get the beating they deserve.

MIGUEL PEREZ is a print and broadcast journalist.

http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/...70038b4c5.html