Misinformed?

          While watching this movie, I, like many other students in our Latino Literature class, was astonished to see how many residents of Prince William County made their decisions to support the ‘Probable Cause’ mandate based on so few facts.  When citizens used arguments such as “illegals don’t speak English” and “9/11 was caused by illegals,” they forgot to notice that the crime rate in the area had gone down since Latinos had come to the area and that many businesses were also doing very well.  I wonder, though, if knowing these facts before enacting the law would have made any difference to those in support.  Because Letiecq, one person, had so much influence over how citizens viewed this new mandate through his blog, many people were only getting their information through one, biased source.

            It seems as if Arizona’s new law, 1070, is one almost exactly like the mandate of Prince William County, Virginia.  The section that allowed police officers to check immigration status based on ‘probable cause’ was repealed because it was thought to be a form of racial profiling, such as we saw in 9500 Liberty.  Despite the elimination of this section, though, the bill will give out harsher penalties for those found harboring illegal immigrants, etc.  (See link above).  Even though critics say that 26,000 illegals have already been deported from Arizona since 2007 without the law, 1070 is still in effect right now.  This article also says that around the rest of the United States, a majority supports the law.  How is this overwhelming support even possible with the deportation of so many illegal immigrants already?

            I believe that one of the reasons we U.S. citizens appear misinformed is because of how daily news information is attained.  I learned from John Sharp, my history professor at Hesston College, that reading through different newspapers and news websites in order to pick up more than one angle of any news story is one of the only ways to pick up important information in the least biased manner.  Even though I am sometimes guilty of quickly skimming through one source to get news, I believe that exposing myself to both points of view allows me to make a more informed decision.  Listening to people, too, who have actually experienced some of the effects of harsh immigration laws is also important, for they are the best ones from which to receive a version of real-life events that is consistent with reality. 

            It is very important to be informed before making a decision.  What would have happened if the United States had known what they were getting themselves into before they entered Iraq?  Were they trying to find the terrorists responsible for 9/11 or were they trying to get rid of Saddam Hussein, who they had supported during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s?  Because U.S. citizens can have such a big influence on who runs the government and what decisions the U.S. makes concerning domestic and foreign policy, knowing all the facts if vital.  This can be said for any other organization as well.  As a member of Mennonite Church USA, I struggle to comprehend what will happen to the church body after deciding to hold the 2013 National Convention in Phoenix.  Did the board not research the potential calamities that could result from this decision?  Hopefully, the outcomes won’t be too disastrous.