Immigration law polarizes Arizonans

Recently a bill has been passed in Arizona making it legal for local law enforcement officials to ask suspected illegal immigrants to see proper identification. This sounds like a good idea to track down illegal immigrants, but it's upsetting to the Hispanic population that lives there. Mejia is a Hispanic girl who feels that she constantly needs to carry her identification wherever she goes because she's scared of being stopped and accused by the police. Protests have been being held there against the bill, stating that it's discriminatory and unconstitutional. They claim that the immigration problem is supposed to be covered by the federal government with the immigration reform. Since they have failed to administer things, the state shouldn't take matters into their own hands. However some people support the bill. They say it will help lower violence and also track down illegal immigrants.

I think it's a good idea overall; we do need to track down people who are living in our country illegally, but it's very unfair. The police are allowed to stop anyone they believe may be illegal immigrants and question them and ask for identification. This would be a huge hassle for those people who are actually legal. Also, it's being very discriminatory towards those who are stopped. The only way the police can judge if a person is legal or illegal is by looking at their appearance. These people deserve equal respect and equal rights. I think they need to think of a way to track down illegal immigrants without belittling the Hispanic population.http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/24/arizona.immigration.reaction/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29

9 bodies remain in West Virginia mine; recovery effort under way

Recovery crews were sent into a coal mine in West Virginia that had recently exploded. They were looking for the 9 bodies that were still in the mine. It's been predicted that those bodies would be recovered at about 4 or 5 p.m today. Obama has pushed an investigation to find the cause of the explosion, but they can't do very extensive studies until all the bodies have been removed. In the mean time, the American flag will be lowered half way at all federal buildings in West Virginia to honor the victims. This has been the worst mine explosion since 1971. 91 minors died in that tragedy and so far 25 have died in this one. The mine hasn't had problems like this before. It's a rather safe place in relation to other mines in our country. Many of the victims work with flammable substances, including coal dust and methane gas. They predict this as a possible cause. The governor of West Virginia has claimed that there needs to be better ventilation in their mines and insert sensors that can prevent gas levels from becoming dangerous. People are going to continue to do all they can to get to the bottom of this.

It seems that mines are much safer than they used to be, but this incident proves to us that they are still very dangerous places to work in. I think the government is reacting to this very positively. Many of the leaders will take action after finding out the cause, I believe. We all need to keep this in the back of our minds and give them our support. We also need to use whatever caused this as a way to prevent this from happening in any other mines in our country. This can be a learning experience for us and hopefully impact us positively in the long run.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/04/12/west.virginia.mine/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_topstories+%28RSS%3A+Top+Stories%29