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Does Arizona immigration law cross the line?

02 May 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

We read in the Sunday's selection from the Acts of the Apostles that it was necessary the disciples "undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." Opponents of Arizona's controversial new immigration law believe it drives a wedge between law enforcement officials and the Latino community and will impose undo hardships on all immigrants, regardless of their legal status, simply because of the way they look or speak. The new law calls on law enforcement officers to make a "reasonable attempt" to check immigration documents when there's "reasonable suspicion" that a person is an illegal immigrant. Public figures ranging from civil rights activists and religious leaders to Hispanic members of Congress and the mayor of Phoenix strongly object to the law, saying it will lead to racial and ethnic profiling and constitutional violations. Supporters of the legislation say tough measures were made necessary by the failure of the federal government to adequately seal the border Arizona shares with Mexico, and that the state can no longer cope with an estimated 450,000 illegal immigrants. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, said critics were "overreacting" and that she wouldn't tolerate racial profiling. "We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act," Brewer said after signing the law. "But decades of inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation." Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, however, is concerned that the law will be used excessively and will irrevocably damage relations between police and the Latino community. "Policing depends on casual contact," said Goddard. "This bill is going to stop that communication, [and] police without citizen observers are a tenth of the value." Mexican president Felipe Calderón weighed in with condemnation of the law and warned that relations with the border state will suffer as a result. The head of the Organization of American States, José Miguel Insulza, said: "We consider the bill clearly discriminatory against immigrants, and especially against immigrants from Latin America." The government of the Mexican state of Sonora, which sits across the border from Arizona, announced it would not attend a cooperation meeting the two states have held annually for four decades. Arizona Senator John McCain (R.-Ariz.) said the law was made necessary by years of federal neglect and failure to seal the border. But other Republicans, especially those from states with large Hispanic populations, have spoken out against the law. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said that the law could face a constitutional challenge. "We are considering all possibilities, including the possibility of a court challenge," Holder said. "I think that [Arizona's] law is an unfortunate one. I think that it is, I fear, subject to potential abuse. And I'm very concerned about the wedge that it could draw between communities that law enforcement is supposed to serve and those of us in law enforcement. " Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, head of the nation's largest Roman Catholic archdiocese, condemned the legislation in a blog post even before it became law. "The tragedy of the law is its totally flawed reasoning: that immigrants come to our country to rob, plunder, and consume public resources," Mahony said. Source: Articles by Nathan Thornburgh for TIME, Daniel B. Wood for Christian Science Monitor, Ewan MacAskill for guardian.co.uk, the Associated Press, CNN, and MSNBC.com

immigration law enforcement eric holder john mccain sonora josé miguel insulza terry goddard jan brewer immigration law arizona felipe calderon organization of american states roger mahony

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Justice Department throws the ebook at Apple, publishers

15 Apr 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the aftermath of the Resurrection the community of believers was fully united, being “of one heart and mind,” this Sunday’s first reading tells us. Several years ago major book publishers were of one mind about the potential threat electronic book publishing represented to their bottom lines and, together with Apple, Inc., colluded to fix ebook prices, a federal antitrust lawsuit filed Wednesday charged.According to the complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, at least five publishers—Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette, Penguin, and Macmillan—conspired with Apple on pricing ahead of the 2010 launch of the iPad tablet and iBookstore, forcing Amazon to raise prices for ebooks on rival Kindle.Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, and Hachette have already settled with the Justice Department. Sources say Apple and Macmillan have refused to engage in settlement talks and deny they colluded to raise prices for digital books and that Penguin plans to fight the accussations as well.A class action lawsuit filed in California District Court last summer by Kindle consumers was the first to allege a conspiracy. According to that case, "booksellers were 'terrified' by the discounted ebook price structure Amazon launched in 2007" and the "spooked publishers" colluded with Apple to force Amazon's hand.Attorney General Eric Holder said that as a result of the conspiracy "consumers paid millions of dollars more for some of the most popular titles" and competition was eliminated. Sources: Articles by Dylan Stableford for The Cutline and Rob Lever for Agence France Presse

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What’s on tap at the Justice Department?

19 May 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“The Advocate, the Holy Spirit . . . will . . . remind you of all that I told you,” the risen Lord promises his huddled disciples in the Pentecost Day reading option from chapter 14 of the Gospel of John. The U.S. Justice Department has other methods for learning things told by one person to another, and their secret collection of two months of telephone records for reporters and editors of the Associated Press (AP) has outraged the news organization, which called it a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into its reporting.The AP said that the Justice Department informed it on Friday that law enforcement officials had obtained the records for more than 20 telephone lines of its offices and journalists, including their home phones and cell phones. It said the records were seized without notice sometime this year.The organization was not told the reason for the seizure, but the timing and the specific journalistic targets strongly suggested they are related to a continuing government investigation into the leaking of information a year ago about the Central Intelligence Agency’s disruption of a Yemen-based terrorist plot to bomb an airliner.Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday defended the department's tactics, saying that the AP's reporting about a foiled airline bomb plot in 2012 "put the American people at risk." He called the information the AP received from undisclosed sources the “top two or three most serious leaks I’ve ever seen.”While the White House remains quiet about whether the Justice Department was right to seize the phone records, on Capitol Hill the top Democrat in the Senate was unequivocal about his opposition. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid blasted the Justice Department for its behavior."I have trouble defending what the Justice Department did in looking at the AP," Reid said. "I really believe in the First Amendment. I think it's one of the great things we have as a country. I don't know who did it or why it was done, but it was inexcusable. There is no way to justify this. In my career, I've stood consistently for freedom of the press." Reid added that he would make a determination about whether "legislative action" is needed in response.Homily help: While trust in the media is at an all-time low, a free and vigorous press is still the best guarantee that abuses of power are brought to light and rights of minorities—including religious rights—are respected. Encourage members of the faith community to be thoughtful, engaged supporters of quality journalism. Sources: Articles by Chris Moody for Yahoo News andCharlie Savage and Leslie Kaufman for the New York Times

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Zimmerman acquittal reverberates nationwide

21 Jul 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Those who applauded George Zimmerman’s acquittal last weekend in the Trayvon Martin shooting case likely feel the exonerated defendant is “one who walks blamelessly and does justice,” in the words of the psalmist. Those who had hoped for a conviction would look to other words of the psalm to argue that Zimmerman does not qualify as one “who harms not his fellow man, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor.”Martin’s death sparked outcry over Florida's "stand your ground" laws and a national debate over racial profiling. State prosecutors argued during the trial that Zimmerman profiled and murdered the teenager. Because Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges, protests have occurred in some communities across the country.But U.S. Justice Department officials acknowledged Tuesday it is unlikely Zimmerman will face federal charges because it would be difficult to prove he acted out of racial bias. A successful prosecution would require clear evidence that Zimmerman set out to attack the unarmed Martin because he was black.While federal prosecution of Zimmerman is unlikely, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder did say Tuesday that laws like Florida's "stand your ground" statute, which allow someone who feels in danger to respond with violence without retreating, must be "examined" because they eliminate "the common-sense and age-old requirement that people who feel threatened have a duty to retreat, outside their home, if they can do so safely."Homily hint: What a coincidence that last weekend’s verdict in the Zimmerman case was announced about the time many a pastor was preparing a sermon on last Sunday’s gospel story of the Good Samaritan, where Jesus instructs listeners to “go and do likewise” and treat our neighbor with compassion. How can parishioners who are concerned with neighborhood safety do the same? Sources: Articles by David G. Savage and Richard A. Serranofor the Los Angeles Times and Catalina Camia for USA TODAY

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