Cameron Poe is back, and he’s getting an enhanced pat down (just like you).

This holiday travel season, we’re all convicts.

Approximately 30 seconds.

“Con Air 2010 (TSA Remix)” is written and produced by Ted Balaker.

Related video: Coming Soon to an Airport Near You: Prison-style strip searches?

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The incongruity is truly striking. That people can proclaim support for civil rights and civil liberties while holding a relatively low opinion for libertarianism or while offering support for recent measures that threaten the civil rights and civil liberties of U.S. citizens suggests the power of bumper-sticker politics trumps serious introspection.

But then again, bumper sticker politics is fun for the whole family. Here’s one everyone ought to enjoy:

First some key points of the policy-

As shown in the picture above (featuring MSNBC’s poster child of intelligence, Contessa Brewer) this bill essentially says illegal means illegal.  If you are in the state of Arizona illegally you are guilty of trespassing (page 2 line 44), and if you are caught trespassing you will be transferred immediately to the custody of the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).  I will address the profiling allegations later.

This bill has teeth, and it puts the screws to employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants (page 6 line 7).  The burden of proof of work eligibility is now on the employer since this bill officially makes it illegal for an undocumented alien to “apply for work, solicit work in a public place, or perform work as an employee or independent contractor in this state.”

Complaints can now be filed with the Attorney General of Arizona or with a county attorney when a business is suspected of employing illegal aliens.  After an investigation, if a business is found to be employing illegal workers charges are brought upon the business, and expedited court status is given to the case.

1^st Violation:

• 3 year probationary period for the specific business location (5 years if the employer intentionally hired illegal employees)
• Employer must file a signed sworn affidavit with the county attorney within 3 business days stating that all illegal employees have been terminated and that the hiring of unauthorized aliens will never happen again. If this is not filed in 3 business days all licenses for that business location are suspended until filed
• Quarterly reports must be submitted documenting each new employee hired for 3 years

2^nd Violation:

• Permanent revocation of all licenses held by the specific business location which hired the employee

With a system like e-verify available to employers there is no reason that the 2^nd offense shouldn’t mean jail time, assuming the empl. Maybe next session…

Next the hypocrisy-

As expected and as usual, the left is crying foul at the top of their lungs and accusations of racism are flying aimlessly.  What is being largely – if not completely – ignored by leftist media outlets and especially by President Clinton is the nearly immediate turn to violence by those protesting the legislation.

Unlike the reason based protests by tea partiers, the Arizona protesters are acting solely on emotions stirred by a constant barrage of leftist demagoguery.  No civil rights have been violated, no racial profiling has taken place, and the motivation for this law was not racism. The motivation is completely founded in reason which is backed by facts and by a definitive understanding of the word ‘illegal’.

For example: A recent study by the Pew Research center shows that in 2008, 10% of the Arizona labor force was made up by unauthorized aliens.  At that very time the unemployment rate in the state of Arizona was approaching the same 10% mark.

Couple those statistics with an increase in innocent lives being lost due to drug cartel violence and a federal government who refuses to adhere to the constitution and you have a  $1 billion crisis.  The Arizona people knew something had to be done which is why a recent Rasmussen poll shows that 70% of Arizona citizens approve of the new law.

As for the unfounded accusations of racial profiling, the sponsor of the bill Rep. John Kavanagh sums it up best:

“This provision merely extends to immigration offenses a half-century-old tool called “stop and question,” created by the U.S. Supreme Court. To prevent racial profiling, the law states that in constructing “reasonable suspicion,” police officers “may not solely consider race, color or national origin.””

To understand the full extent of hypocrisy you must to understand that liberals are not subject to reality.

For example: think back to the liberal argument for Affirmative Action.  Liberals argued that the American people were inherently racist, bigoted, and oppressive towards minorities, and due to that fact, laws must be passed to give certain ethnic groups preferential treatment over others.  In their ‘reality’ this was ‘righting a wrong’. In actual reality this was and is a flagrant abuse of the law which encourages racial profiling and discrimination.

In fact, the very tenants which serve as the enforcement mechanisms for Affirmative Action: racial profiling, discrimination, and one big equal protection violation, are the sole misnomers driving the left’s demonization of the Arizona Immigration bill – which contains none of these mechanisms.  Without the slightest clue, the left is demonizing Affirmative Action.

So before you think the immigration rallies scheduled for May 1st are a bad thing, remember – protesters will literally be screaming their admission of the unconstitutionality and purposeful racism which has been brought upon the American people through Affirmative Action.

This is definitely a net-positive since admission is always the first step.

Photo Credit: AP Photo

The reauthorization did NOT include any reforms to the current Patriot Act–an odd display of agreement and submission to Bush-era policy–even though the Democrats had the numbers to reform the Act. The continuance of the current Patriot Act signals that Democrats are fearful of further controversary in light of American’s distrust and poor approval ratings of the Democrat-controlled Congress. From the Hill:

The House approved the bill 315-97 on Thursday, a day after the extension passed the Senate.

The provisions, including roving wiretaps, records access and tracking terror suspects not affiliated with any group, were set to expire on Sunday. Democrats opposing the extension were unable to add desired civil-liberties protections.

The Patriot Act was first passed by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as a defense mechanism against terrorists.

The House and the Senate, behind the scenes of the healthcare fervor, quietly passed this bill with little oppostion and outrage. Democrats could have modified the Patriot Act, but didn’t.

Apparently without Bush, the Patriot Act is no longer Orwellian as Michael Moore would have it and the ACLU is now quietly voicing its differences. Even Obama criticized the Act’s compromise in 2006, but had no issue, as President, signing the identical Act he wanted reforms on.  In 2006, Obama stated on the Senate floor:

So, I will be supporting the Patriot Act compromise. But I urge my colleagues to continue working on ways to improve the civil liberties protections in the Patriot Act after it is reauthorized.

The Democrats had the numbers to make changes, but another civil war would have ensued.  In addition, it appears that when these controversial legislative pieces are passed by the Democrats, it makes it all better.  No more outrage from the MSM and the far-left, because the rules of war and engagement are clearly different because, you know, the Democrats are in charge.

In the “gee, I made this not very smart person look really stupid” genre of film making- the sort of “ask stupid questions and play ridiculous characters and edit to make funny” made most famous by Sacha Baron Cohen- comes “Baltimore Acorn Workers support prostitution.”

Acorn is a community organizing network that works on a variety of issues, from voter registration to fighting predatory lending practices. In other words, it is just the sort of organization for poor people that the Right loves to hate.

According to the news stories, the video may show two (Black and seemingly not terribly educated) Acorn employees trying to help two (white and seemingly educated) young people figure out how to start a brothel with girls from El Salvador (who, not coincidentally, are here illegally).

ACORN workers caught on tape allegedly advising on prostitution – CNN.com.

Within this fantasy is every fear and desire of the far right: evil Black women activists, poor people, illegal immigrants, and sex.

Of course, it’s also every left wing fear and desire as well: two upper class white kids pretending to be a pimp and a prostitute in a way that can only be described as “are you fucking kidding me?”. He is wearing white pants and a blue oxford (very preppy) and a fur cape! What white college kid “pimp and ho” party did that cape come from? Also, as you watch the video, it is clear that these women are trying to help, but also seriously disturbed by the behavior of these two white kids. On the other hand, the class hierarchy is beyond them, the power dynamics well known to all the participants, and the women continue to try to please the white kids.

And who is this brilliant Borat of the Right? A young man by the name of James O’Keefe. According to his website, he

directed, scripted, produced and acted in a series of undercover videos showcasing racism and statutory rape at Planned Parenthood in 2007 and 2008.

Before that he served as Publications Coordinator at the Leadership Institute, where he helped initiate 22 independent newspapers and magazines on college campuses nationwide. He also gave lectures on campus strategy and fundraising, preaching the gospel of Saul Alinsky.

His most recent project is Veritasvisuals.com, a collection of satirical short films on newsworthy topics, featuring ridiculous situations and demands. These have included straight men with girlfriends getting married to each other in Massachusetts and petitions to adopt Gitmo detainees into American homes…

James got his start producing videos… at his alma mater, Rutgers University, where he founded The Centurion in 2004.

Okay, I don’t really get the Saul Alinsky reference, but the rest of it makes sense. A privileged, ultraconservative, straight white man who hates: same sex marriage, Planned Parenthood, civil liberties, and ACORN. Gee, who would have guessed that’s the genius behind this incredibly “shocking” piece of film.

The worst part is, of course, that this ultraconservative fantasy will be played over and over on Fox News, throwing grease on the fire that is white resentment. More “evidence’ that Acorn and other groups that work for social justice for poor people are in fact part of a vast left-wing conspiracy to deflower the purity of “our” women.

Perhaps we need a Borat of the Left who will make right wing nuts like James O’Keefe look ridiculous? Oh, never mind, they don’t need our help.

~~

Laurie Essig teaches sociology at Middlebury College and writes for a variety of publications, from Salon to the Chronicle of Higher Ed.  She currently blogs at true/slant, where this piece was originally published.  Her book, “American Plastic: Boob Jobs, Credit Cards, and the Spirit of Our Time,” will be published by Beacon in 2010.