“If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed.”  — Mark Twain

David Muir

ABC News Saturday anchor David Muir said the following while introducing a story on yesterday’s nationwide protests of Arizona’s SB 1070:

[the "angry" protests are underway] “…all because of that tough new Arizona law that allows police to stop anyone suspected of being in this country illegally…”

That is a misstatement.  The law has no such provision.  Sorry ABC. 

This is what the law says:

B.  For any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or agency of this state or a county, city, town or other political subdivision of this state where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person.  The person’s immigration status shall be verified with the federal government pursuant to 8 United States code section 1373(c).

“lawful contact” has subsequently been changed to read “lawful stop, detention, or arrest” ie enforcement of city, county, or state laws.

The new law also states

This section shall be implemented in a manner consistent with federal laws regulating immigration, protecting the civil rights of all persons and respecting the privileges and immunities of United States citizens.

I don’t see anything there about harassing people who take their kids out for ice cream as President Obama warned of.  But if you do and I missed it, feel free to comment.

Meanwhile, check out this controversial law that is sure to spawn protests across the nation:

“Every alien, eighteen years of age and over, shall at all times carry with him and have in his personal possession any certificate of alien registration or alien registration receipt card issued to him.”

Is this Arizona’s next crackdown?  New Mexico trying to up the ante?  Texas trying to stop the flow of illegals and drug smugglers?  Nope.  It’s federal law in place since 1952.  How racist is that?  George Will cited the law in his column.

So, maybe Congressman Raul Grijalva should call for a boycott of America.  Perhaps Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik should call federal immigration law “racist” and “stupid”.  Perhaps Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, and their ilk should comically characterize the feds as “Gestapo officers asking ‘show me your papers’ “  Perhaps even the President of the United States Barack Obama should call federal immigration law “misguided”.

Finally, I really have to wonder about the Arizona Republic.  Their article about the Pinal County Sheriff’s Deputy who was shot by drug smugglers was headlined “5 attackers are hunted after ambush of deputy”.  Really?  That’s the best you can do?  How about this:  “Pinal deputy shot–drug smugglers suspected”.  In fact, the article did not even mention until the fourth paragraph (it’s not even on the front page, you had to turn to page 6 of the newspaper) that the deputy had been shot.   In that fourth paragraph, buried on page 6 of the newspaper, the reporters first mentioned that a helicopter had come under fire BEFORE they mentioned that a Pinal Sheriff’s Deputy had been shot and wounded.  It wasn’t until the 19th paragraph until the article mentioned that up to 30 rounds were fired at the deputy.