Oh, Arizona.

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Hubble Telescope launch! Woo!

Also, today marks the day after Arizona's governor signed the 'immigration bill' into law. Now, I realize that she also signed an executive order which establishes methods by which the police are to determine who to question regarding their residential status, however, I can guarantee you that it is not going to prevent a police officer from asking 85% of all hispanics they see for proof of residency. Sorry, but that's racial profiling to me.

Not all 'illegal aliens' (as they are inappropriately called, because they're not here illegally, as there is [currently] no law against them entering the country - the issue lies when they do not enter the bureaucratic red tape and jump through the governmental hoops in order to obtain permanent residential status, but I digress...) are hispanic. Some are Canadian, French, Russian, German, African, Australian, or any other nationality you'd like to add to that list. Anyone could enter this country 'illegally', attempt to avoid the red tape and hoops, stay here, and be considered 'illegal aliens'. Hispanics aren't the only ones - they're just more prominent in the South-Western United States.

For all you know, I could be an 'illegal alien', I've just got a really good accent and act like I'm 'Amurican'. Oh well, I suppose that doesn't matter. We've got to cleanse our country. Make sure it's pure; make sure that only the good people live here. We have to ensure that our citizens aren't paying for anyone else and their laziness; make sure that they aren't taking advantage of our hard work. *gag* Sheesh, I can't even type that without gagging on it.

Wasn't this country founded on the ideals of a 'melting pot'? A place where people of all nationalities could come together and become one? A place where there wasn't a national language because it was somewhere that everyone's language was accepted and recognized as valid - yet we all speak English so that we can communicate with each other on a daily basis. Oh, wait, no. That doesn't matter anymore. We've lost sight of why we came here in the first place: to escape persecution. So if our founders came here to escape persecution, why are we trying so hard to persecute those who come here for that very same reason?

I don't know about you, but I work hard. Every day I get up, go to work, put in my 8+ hours, go home, take care of my house, some days go to another job, volunteer at my church and in my community, and I spend time with my family and friends when I can. I work hard every day so that I can make a better life for myself, but also so I can make a better life for those around me.

Now, don't get me wrong - I think that people who come into the US should become residents by the proper avenues, but that's next to impossible when we make it so difficult for them to do so. If our country is so intent upon going back to our founding values, then we should take into account the fact that our country was created as a safe haven from a tyrant king. Our country was created to be a place where all nationalities could come together in harmony and live as one. Our country was created as a place where we could better ourselves and live a better life.

However, we also should remember that our founders are the same people who ushered hundreds of thousands of people onto reservations, gave them blankets laced with small pox and other sorts of deadly diseases, and then forced them to assimilate to Western ways and values - attempting to wipe out their nationality, heritage, and personage. Let's not let that part of history repeat itself. Let's leave it be in the past and never come back.