Can I See Your Green Card Please?

Again, this is kind of old news. I don't know why I haven't written about it yet, but this time it is personal.

Arizona has passed this lovely law that gives police officers unfettered authority to demand that any individual they deem to be illegal produce their papers to prove their legal status. How does one suppose the officers will determine if they think someone is illegal? I'll give you a hint...

The United States Supreme Court, in a 1975 case, ruled that immigration officers can include racial or ethnic identity among factors in deciding whether to check someone’s right to be in the country. (NYT, 6/18/10)

That's right folks; racial profiling has legal precedent! Good job Supreme Court...

As a Mexican-American I feel personally attacked by this law. Okay, so I don't look or sound Mexican but my father does and under this law, if he were in Arizona, he would be required to prove that he is a citizen if any random officer decided to go on a power trip. I understand that an illegal act is an illegal act however, this law does nothing to solve the real problem and as such is merely a useless piece of "band-aid" legislation. Except this band-aid also happens to be covered in the grime of racial discrimination.

A real solution to illegal immigration is not to deport every single one of them, or patrol the border with assault rifles, or even to build a giant fence. A real solution will come when we make visas and work permits cheaper and easier to obtain. People cross illegally (and as drug runners) because 99% of the time it is the only way they can afford to make into the United States to find work. The money they make in the States is often the only income that a family will have seen in months and definitely the most they will have seen in years. All of the paperwork that is required to legal cross the border is about $500 or more per person. For a family of five that's $2500 which is (on average) more than most people make in 5 months in Mexico. Imagine spending a little over a third of you yearly income just so you can find a job. This is why people illegally come into the country. They have to choose between legally crossing the border or having food for the next few months. The Immigration Departments bureaucracy and greed is what needs to be fixed not the "illegal problem".

To Contemplate the Mysteries of Life

I have nothing particularly interesting or important to say this evening. However, I felt like writing on my blog so deal with it!

I have been thinking a lot about my life. What exactly do I want to do with it? I thought graduating from high school was a time of big decisions. Was I ever wrong! There are just so many things that I want to do and no time or money to do any of them.

I want to travel. I want to get out of this country and experience the real world for a little while.

I want to be on stage. I wish I were still acting. I already know that not doing the BFA will be one of the biggest regrets of my life.

 I just wish I could do everything that I love!

Why do there have to be so many choices...

Underwater Armageddon

This has been a long time coming. I think I was just trying to built up a sufficient amount of rage before I unleashed myself.

...

Who the HELL do you think you are BP!?! 77 days and you have done jack! Top hats and junk shots?! Are you kidding me? Do you have a 13 year old boy planning your relief operations?! You should have started with the relief well on day 1! Or maybe you should have followed protocol! That would have been cool and then we could have avoided this mess!!

There is absolutely no reason for this oil spill to have happened and now the company that has responsibility over the spill is continuing to slack off. I have said for ages that off-shore drilling is dangerous. (How is it that a 12 year old can have more foresight that a multi-billion dollar oil conglomerate!?) There are too many unknown variables to deal with when you drill. While it doesn't happen often when something goes wrong it's freaking oil Armageddon! A lose bolt and some dead batteries caused this mess. Just imagine what would have gone down if something really bad had happened. We'd probably be swimming up to our ears in crude all the way up here in Idaho...The only good thing that BP has done is set up that $20 billion relief fund.

"The cost of the response to date amounts to approximately 3.12 billion dollars, including the cost of the spill response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the Gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs," BP said

http://www.theprovince.com/news/spill+costs+soar+above/3235491/story.html#ixzz0spaSlz15

 So that is helpful. We have got money to fix the problem. However, I would have liked to use that money to get rid of our dependence on oil, create some alternative energy infrastructure in the country, or get that blasted hydrogen car they've been talking about for 20 years working. Something besides cleaning oil from pelicans which is something that we should never have to do anyways...

*sigh*

Jon Stewart is my hero so everyone just enjoy this clip while I go take a few deep breaths.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Day 59 - Judgment Day - The Strife Aquatic
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Pretty much the only good reason to drink soda

And now for something completely different!

I am not a crafty person. My artsy projects usually just get paint everywhere or start vinyl fires. Don't ask... So when the urge to make something hit me today I had every right to be worried. But I think that I did a good job in finding a project that wouldn't potentially burn down my house. Pop-top bracelet!

It stared by pulling the pop-tops off of my Dad's Pepsi can collection.

Sticky and gross...

I dug through my scrap box and found some ribbon that I thought would be suitable. The black piece was really easy to work with but a word of advice if anyone undertakes the challenge -do not use wired ribbon!! The green wired ribbon kept snagging and the wire started poking and well, guess who has a few new scars tonight?

I then began the threading process. Yes, it is as hard as it looks. If it doesn't look hard you must be an alien. There is no other explanation. It took me 45 min. to figure out how to get 4 tabs on the stupid ribbon. Here it is about half way done.

But after about two hours, several bloody fingers, and not a few curses I had a finished product! I cut the extra ribbon and sealed it with some clear nail polish so it wouldn't fray.

I have got to say I am pretty proud of myself! What do you guys think?

**If you want to learn how to make your own awesome pop-top braclet visit here!

Victory will be mine!

I am so proud. Is that wrong?

Created by Oatmeal

Oh, the good ole' days...

The Onion | Money Spent For Old Times Sake

BROCKWAY, PA—Harkening back to an abandoned custom that had long existed only in memory, 28-year-old unemployed graphic designer Leslie Gordon exchanged currency for physical goods at a local shopping establishment Friday. "I was reminiscing about all the good times I used to have buying things with money, so I figured why not give it another go?" said Gordon, happily reliving the once-common act of selecting an item of her choosing, taking it to the register for payment, and then becoming its sole owner. "Look, they even still have those barcodes like I remember." As a result of her nostalgic splurge, Gordon will be forced to subsist entirely on maple-syrup- flavored Quaker Oats until next week.

I feel for you Leslie...

7X3

Well, it is official.

21.

The age of absolute power.

(Minus the whole rent a car thing but who does that ever.)

I do not feel like I'm 21. Several reasons why I am still 7 years old...

1) I still enjoy coloring...with crayons.
2) TGIF was the best thing on television...ever.
3) Ice cream is an acceptable dinner substitute.
4) Summertime is the best time.
5) I enjoy playing dress up
6) I can't talk to boys.

Oh dear...I think it's time for an intervention...