The problem with trying to find your family history is that some families like that of my own are filled with secrets that members knowing of those secrets will lie to keep their dirty little secrets from being known. I was asked if I was going to write a book about my family; someday I might, but this is not that story.

Sometimes it is hard to know right from wrong these days.  I have learned some very important lessons in my life thus far. Unless each respective government and government office takes seriously their base belief working for and with their people they will eventually fall. Also, governments of this world as we know them today cannot be trusted at all; contrary to what my mom believed and what she had taught me to believe.

With that having been said and with a heavy heart I must also say that there are not many church leaders that can be trusted either. There are some very loud religious fanatics (People that still believe in an eye for an eye and stoning of sinners), then there are religious slackers (People that claim one faith or another, talks a  lot but does little or nothing to help their fellow mankind), and then there are people like me caught someplace between the two and standing ground.

I learned a great deal about churches and their leadership over my life time thus far and what I learned isn’t pretty. Many of the churches that spend millions of dollars for television time do not even have food banks or clothes pantries not affiliated with the government subsidies or Thrift stores open and free to their community or even have small busses to help others to get to their churches for services. The congregants however will stare at your vehicle when you enter the parking lot and whisper among them. The congregants will determine your worth also by the clothes that you wear as you exit your vehicle or enter the church. In most cases a person’s worth is not gauged by what they know, but how much income the congregation and leaders think those people are worth. Congregants with money have the same influences within the churches as those with money to give large donations to the government have within the government. So who do you think are calling the shots?

There are several things that are presumed to be Political that I believe are in reality Moral issues.  The main one I wish to discuss today with you is Immigration. It is really easy for people like me that are born in North America to say “Send them back where they came from.” While I do, as most people; worry about the overpopulation problems of our great nation I have taken the time to review the History of North America. Unless you are one hundred percent Native American Indian your ancestors were Immigrants once upon a time. They lived in fear and in poverty while they worked their way up and out of that mess one generation at a time.

The horrible conditions with which North America was in when our ancestors arrived looking for a better life, which we actually have that better life; even the poorest of the poor in this nation live better than they would have in the middle eighteen hundreds through to about the middle nineteen hundreds.

This next I say in all honesty, but not to stir trouble or to insight fights because I am against violence of any kind. The fault is with the government and the churches of the United States of America not with the influx and outflow of Immigrants within this nation that was built by Immigrants to begin with. The government refuses to help bring back the necessary industries and the churches don’t do the right things according to God’s Will.

Yes this is contradictory to what I had said earlier in the year, but I was not taking into account all of the facts when I had said those things. The arguments against Illegal Immigration sounded logical until you truly research the North American History. If the North American government had done their work properly and within a timely fashion, according to the existing laws than yes the arguments would be logical ones; to some degree. Unfortunately we all know those working within and for the government are lazy, incompetent individuals getting high pay for minimal work. If you don’t believe that just take a good look at what the government has done in the way of work in the decade.

For reasons I will not go into here I have to admit that I am against separating parents from their children. Children need their parents. Children need a solid foundation regardless of what the inept government and their crooked agents have to say because that solid foundation begins within the home with their parents. It is not only immoral, but also hypocritical to place blame on Immigrants, illegal or otherwise; that come to the United States of America in hope of a better life for themselves and their future generations when considering most of us would not be American’s today if our ancestors didn’t come to these very same shores with the very same hopes and dreams.

God said to be an example. What kind of an example has the United States of America been or the Churches have been or even the people of North America for that matter? We have only to study the History of North America from its very first landing of Immigrants upon its shores to the present to answer that question. We have only to study the History of Ancient Empires; study about all of the wars and the “Risings” between England and Ireland; study the wars and skirmishes between England and early North America; study the Civil War between the North and South of North America; study the wars of Hitler of Germany and all of the rest and you will get a very good idea of what the currant government is quickly becoming.

Sure we have better technology, but what good is it if you don’t use it for the greater good of mankind? With the information, medical techniques and greater technology we have today no country should have hungry people within their boundaries. No individual should be without adequate living facilities. No country should be without adequate drinking water for their people; and I could go on.

Churches can send young people into other countries to push their religious beliefs but do nothing to help them learn about proper irrigation systems for their farms; build better housing to live in; make pipes and install indoor plumbing and all the government wants to do is make money from behind the scenes deals like “Fast and Furious” and send young men and women around the world to enforce peace; or so they say. Nobody has matured enough yet to realize that peace has never been, can not now nor ever will be made through violence.

How many more lives of young people must we sacrifice before we grow up? How many more families must be torn apart before we become smart? How are the Citizens of North America any better than anybody else when just like our ancient ancestors of the past pass judgments on others based on race or religious preferences?  The blood of the dead is upon the governments and church leadership of this world and those who encourage such behaviors. Woe unto them for their path is fraught with misery.

Source

Immigrants came to America to get away from their old lives and live the American Dream, but were impeded by discrimination and poverty. Economic conditions in China and Eastern Europe caused many people to emigrate from those places to America, the land of opportunity. People also came from Eastern and Southern Europe to escape military service or religious persecution. The boat ride to Ellis Island was far from luxurious. Irish immigrants were hired to work in tough conditions; harsh weather, temperatures, and under attack from Nativists. Immigrants settled in ethnic regions they recreated their cultures in. Some Americans who were born in America became nativists, or strongly opposed immigration and disliked immigrants. One of the only victories for the nativists was a law passed in 1882 banning poor people, mentally disabled people, and convicts from immigrating to America. The Chinese Exclusion Act was also passed at the same time banning Chinese from immigrating to America and those already in America from becoming citizens.

Source

African Americans in the second half of the 19th century were former, or the children of former, slaves, and started off in a bad position and environment to achieve the American dream. By the second half of the 19th century, the Civil Rights Act, 14th Amendment and 15th Amendment had all been passed. African Americans could legally become citizens, own land, get fair trials, vote, become educated and literate, build churches in their communities, and not become the victims of hate crimes (esp. KKK). African Americans had quickly organized politically and become a part of the US government. However, when the Reconstruction failed, African Americans in the South had to go back to plantations, as poorly paid workers or sharecroppers. Sharecroppers became stuck in an endless cycle of debt, and so were not able to use and enjoy the new rights they had recently acquired.

Source

Laborers in the second half of the 19th century pursued the American Dream, but were not always lucky or were unable to because of big business. Miners in the West set off with hopes of striking it rich every time new sources of valuable ore were discovered. Some became rich, and some kept chasing around the boomtowns, leaving each one deserted. Cattle ranchers brought the Texas Longhorn breed of cattle into the Great Plains and set up ranches there, this breed could survive the conditions, and the government provided an area of land for them to graze called the open range. Transporting the cattle East became practical after beef prices soared when the civil war ended and railroads were built, which reached within 200 miles of the Great Plains in the 1860’s. A huge profit could be made with this transfer. The Cowboy’s stories also provided profit for writers of dime novels. With price drops, cold winters, and the invention of barbed wire to fence in and protect cattle, the excitement of cowboys’ jobs decreased. Homesteads and advancements in agricultural technologies allowed Americans to settle, living under harsh conditions, and start farms. If their farms became successful they could bring over their families as well.

Source

Successful miners, cattle ranchers, and farmers began mini big businesses (companies with paid workers), this was especially true for the miners which later formed huge companies and were no longer part of the working class. The invention of the automatic loom and new shoe-making technologies created new jobs mass producing standard sized clothes. With machines replacing skilled labor, workers began to be hired to perform specific tasks operating the machines, repetitively. These jobs required little skill, so the workers had little to be proud of, and so did not enjoy their professions. Industrial workers usually worked long hours for small salaries, which were relatively large compared to earlier decades, and in unhealthy environments inhaling a variety of toxic chemicals on a daily basis. These workers formed Unions to protect them from the greed fueled actions of their employers. Craft workers had more specialized skills and so were paid slightly higher wages and had slightly more personalized work. They formed trade unions. Unions called industrial unions formed, consisting both of unskilled workers and craft workers. Employers fought back against unions and strikes with lockouts and scabs. Scabs were often immigrants, which is one of the reasons nativists did not like them.

Source

In the second half of the 19th century some people achieved the American dream, and some people did not. This depends not only on what people achieved, but what they wished to achieve. The American Dream for immigrants was to come to America, and increase their own standard of living. I think that in current times the American dream remains the same for immigrants from worse condition, but is the idea of becoming a rockstar or national sports star among the youth. The American Dream is different and unique depending on who’s dream it is, especially so among young people. Many people lead lives they consider to not have turned out well, with conditions they consider unbearable. These same lifestyles some people consider to be so horrible, are the “American Dream” of potential immigrants, or even more so those who do not have the choice to immigrate here. 

It is sad to know that over 40 million people in our country cannot read above the eighth grade level. Additionally, a little under half that amount cannot read above the fifth grade level. These people are considered to be illiterate.

Build on skills 

Our children are educated from elementary, to middle and then into high school. At each grade level they are suppose to master new and different skills and build on the ones that they have previously learned. Take reading, easy words are learned and formed into sentences. Then, with advancement of each grade level thereafter, that skill is further strengthened. Building on these skills is essential, year after year during their school years.

If reading is not properly taught to a student or for some reason, the student has not mastered that level, then an illiteracy problem can arise if the child is continually advanced into a higher grade. Not only illiteracy, but many times behind that comes failure in math, science and history. The student has a higher rate of dropping out of school.

Not all students drop out because they cannot read. There are other reasons. But, with statistics so high on the amount of Americans who cannot read and who are classified as being illiterate, this seems like one of the most prominent reasons for their illiteracy. Somehow, during the young years of school, it seems that these Americans did not learn what they needed too to be able to function in a literate capacity in our society when they became adults.

Everyday, some 7,000 of our own children become high school drop outs. Out of the students who stay in school until they are seniors, 20% of them cannot read. So, would it be a surprise to know that 85% of juveniles who break the law are at some level illiterate? It shouldn’t be.

Immigrants

In 2008, illegal immigrants and legal immigrants cost our country 346 billion dollars a year for social programs. It is now 2011. Many of them cannot read English and are at the level of impoverishment.

Financial Poverty

Every year, the budgets for all of the social programs in our country, such as welfare, social services and free school lunches just seems to grow larger and larger. Children continue to grow up in poverty. Why? Because within many of these households, their parents cannot make enough money to financially support them. Millions of these Americans and or immigrants are functionally illiterate. They cannot even read this article nor can they fill out a simple job application. What employer is going to hire someone who cannot read the company’s own job description? Most likely, not many.

Education Secretary wants personal finance taught as early as kindergarten　

Education Secretary Arne Duncan feels that personal finance should be taught in our public school system as early as a child enters kindergarten.

Does this make any sense?

Considering the levels of illiteracy, does implementing such a program right now even make sense? Why not make sure that all the aspects of what is causing our country’s illiteracy be aggressively tackled and defeated first? If an illiterate person cannot read, how can he or she figure out his or her financial status?

As a nation, we need to gain control over our illiteracy problem. Without doing so, our great nation is going to continue to suffer. With all of the wealth within our country, illiteracy causes our society so much pain and hardship through poverty and or criminal behavior. As Americans, we deserve for our government to tackle the most pressing and most fundamental problem first, illiteracy.

The factory workers were exploited because of their age, gender and ethnic background. The factory workers were men, women, and children, usually of Eastern European descent. William Moran discusses the atrocities that happened within the mills at the time in his book, The Belles of New England: the Women of the Textile Mills and the Families Whose Wealth They Wove, when he describes what happened to Camella Teoli. Camella was a child worker who had her scalp torn off while working in the mill as a child (Moran 182). The mill was not a safe place to be, especially for a child. Children were forced into work at a young age. Many dropped out of school, sometimes due to pressure from their family to help make money for the family and sometimes by the factory owners. The factory workers were working long hours for low pay, living in cramped tenement housing during their few hours off, and dying at young ages, a lot of the time from diseases they got while working. Moran discusses the struggles of the female Eastern European factory workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts specifically in the strike of 1912. The women were told that they were going to have a pay cut and got up and began to protest which started the largest textile strike in America. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back and the women were leading the revolution against the injustices that many other Americans also faced. Moran says that the, “workers… were falling behind as cost of living [rose] and… [their rents rose]. Every penny counted” (Moran 171). Immigrant workers were faced daily with their own versions of The Depression. They were not paid very well and they struggled very hard to make ends meet. They could not afford to lose any bit of their hard earned money by this pay cut. The Eastern Europeans were also discriminated against because of their ethnic background. Eastern Europeans were still considered non-white at the time and did not have the privileges of whiteness. Though today we would consider Eastern Europeans to be white, at that time the distinction of whiteness had more privileges and not just anyone could obtain such a title. All of these factors were against them and added to the ease of employers to treat them as less than they were worth and to exploit them for cheap labor.

Mexican Nationals were exploited because of their lack of citizenship and their fear of deportation. Even the Mexican Americans discriminated against the Mexican Nationals, though they were from the same country and shared the same struggles. In Matt Garcia’s book, Race, Nation, and Empire in American History, he states that, “most physical assaults had been perpetrated against, not by, [Mexican Nationals]” (Garcia 193). Mexican nationals faced discrimination even from the Mexican Americans. The Mexican Americans saw the Mexican Nationals as a threat to their job security and as blocking them from rising in pay and within the social structure of the workplace. The cause of this hatred towards Mexican Nationals was partly based on the differences in the pay of Mexican Americans and Mexican Nationals. Though the Mexican Nationals actually, “earned less than what their contracts promised” (Garcia 194), they did not have as many expenses as the Mexican Americans and so comparatively it made their pay seem even greater than the Mexican Americans pay. Mexican Nationals were seen as a threat, in regards to the job market and in regards to women, and often were attacked and assaulted though the attacks were unprovoked. The Mexican American had developed the American mentality of fighting for what’s yours rather than the Mexican ideals of helping one another and rising together through society with the brothers of their homeland.

African Americans were exploited because although they were citizens they did not have all of the rights that citizens had. In Clare Corbould’s piece, Africa the Motherland, she quotes Garvey as saying, “black Americans [are] not and [will] never be accepted in the United States” (Corbould 18). What Garvey said affected many African Americans at the time as most of them felt the same way. Their struggles for freedoms from the time of slavery up to that point didn’t seem to advance them that much further and did not help them incorporate themselves into American society. Though they had achieved their goal of freedom and citizenship, they were still disallowed to vote by stipulations. One of those stipulations is voiced in Clare Corbould’s piece by citing that, “until 1915… black[s]… were prevented from voting by the… ‘grandfather clause’” (Corbould 20). African Americans faced social injustices within the country that they were brought to when they were enslaved and were still facing certain shackles of society. They could say they were citizens but to what avail if they did not have the rights that citizen’s had?

Victor Berger says, “workers ‘of any nationality will endure a certain degree of slavery, but no more’” (Moran 181). The African Americans rise up against their unfair treatment is seen from the very beginning through to the Civil Rights movement. The factory workers rise up against their unfair treatment is seen through their strikes and eventually through child labor laws as well. Women rise up against their unfair treatment from the end of the 1800’s up to the women’s suffrage movement. All these fights for freedom against acts of discrimination had reached a threshold where they would no longer tolerate the injustices thrust upon them. This threshold is “a certain degree of slavery, but no more”.

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Works Cited

Garcia, Matt. Cain Contra Abel: Courtship, Masculinities, and Citizenship in Southern California farming Communities, 1942-1964. Brown University, 2007. Race, Nation, and Empire in American History. 180-200. Print.

Corbould, Clare. Becoming African Americans, Black Public Life In Harlem, 1919-1939. Harvard Univ Pr, 2010. 18-39. Print.

Moran, William. The Belles Of New England, The Women Of The Textile Mills And The Families Whose Wealth They Wove. Thomas Dunne Books, 2003. 171-223. Print.

Today in the United States everyone is legally equal, blacks and whites, men and women, minorities and majorities, Hindus, Catholics, Taoists, Muslims, followers of any religion, belonging to any social or economic group, they are all equal— except immigrants. Immigrants to the United States without passports or visas or “papers” are treated and viewed as a social group that does not belong and that is less important or less deserving than the social group of people who were born in the United States, or who went through the proper channels to be legally allowed to live in the United States.

Legally allowed to live in the United States? To most everyone this is normal, if you want to come to the States from some other country you have to get permission, and if you want to stay, you need even more permission. But everyone who was born here can stay for as long as they like, they have the right to live here and pursue happiness. As the founders of the United States wrote, pursuing happiness is an inalienable right that every man, woman, and child has because they are a man, woman, or child, not because they were born some place, or because they are a certain color, speak a certain language, worship a certain god, but because they are people. Why is it then that people who are not from here, people who have a different social background than us, ​are not freely allowed to pursue happiness in what most Americans will tell you is the greatest country on Earth?

There are a lot of people who want to come to the United States, and some would argue that we cannot possibly let them all in, but why? Someone seeking a better life in the United States has just as much of a right to do so than anyone legally in the country has the right to buy a nicer house. What is the difference between an immigrant seeking a better life here and a citizen seeking a better life across town? Unlike all of my other questions, I will answer this one for you—they are not like us. Someone from another country belongs to a different social group; we do not share a culture with them. That is why people rally for stricter border control while they complain about the wait at US Customs. The United States has a long history of segregating people for being different, and it also has a long history of later realizing its mistake and granting equal rights to those people, but it has always overlooked immigrants.

However, America is not the only country to overlook immigrants. In June of 2009 some Kurds living in Japan were seeking to be granted the legal status of Refugee. The Japanese government was not cooperating and the Kurds staged a 72 day sit-in protest, which ended when they were forcibly removed.  In Japan  “citizens possess an exclusive right to political speech and action. Protests by refugees undoubtedly question citizens’ monopoly of this right” (Shindo).

The protesters were human, and the people who removed them were human, yet they were separated into the two mutually exclusive groups of “Citizen” and “Non-Citizen.” Even though Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states “Everyone has the right to a nationality,” and “no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.” Non-Citizens were denied basic human rights. As refugees without ​legal Refugee status these Kurds had no nationality, and were being denied the right to stay in Japan. On top of this it was popular opinion that, “in retaliation for the sit-in, the Kurd refugees might not only be denied recognition as ‘refugees’, but also be detained for a longer period than others” (Shindo). Because these people were not citizens, it was widely believed that they would receive punishment for doing something which all citizens of the country have the right to do.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a document made by the United Nations, of which both Japan and the United States are members. By being members they agree to the rights granted by this document, yet because there is no United Nations enforcement agency, the rights are free to be trampled upon. In some regions of Mexico, living conditions could hardly be called “living” conditions, where necessities such as food, water, and shelter, are not met. People experiencing these conditions often pursue happiness in the United States, and are subsequently expelled. This occurs despite article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.”

It is easy for a powerful country like the United States to deny Non-Citizens basic human rights, such as those from Article 13 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights concerning the freedom of movement, which is elaborated on by Human Rights Education Associates.

The right to free movement affects economic migrants, those who have fled their homes not in fear of persecution but in search of a higher standard of living, which would bring increased job and educational opportunities.

Immigrants are directly affected by this freedom due to the fact that ​they have entered a new nation intending to settle there. If they are not allowed into that nation, or the government in any way restricts movement within their new society, then clearly this is in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 

All people have the right to be exempt from expulsion from their country of origin or nationality as well as countries they have immigrated to. This right applies to individuals as well as large groups of people.

It could be argued that merely putting up a fence between the United States and Mexico is denying passage between the two to those who seek it. And because there is no agency or military body to enforce the United Nations’ declaration the United States frequently ignores it.

If illegal immigrants manage to find work in the United States, it is often low paying work that legal residents and citizens do not wish to perform. Food harvesting is often done by illegal immigrants, at wages below state minimum, and it is because of this that the food can be sold so cheaply. Under article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, sub-standard payment is forbidden.

Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

But because this group of people is segregated by the Citizen/Non-Citizen line,​ citizens feel that they can treat the illegal immigrants in this manner. That because they belong to this other group they are inferior people. This is very similar, if not identical, to the views that were held about women and African Americans in the United States until they were legally defined as being equal to all others.

In the United States it is a well established more that immigrants apply for citizenship and not stay illegally. This more is so strong that it is even fashioned into a law, becoming a formal norm. It is from this law that the term “illegal immigrant” derives. A very interesting term, as it labels a person as illegal. It is not their actions or their possessions that are illegal, but their presence. Treating a group differently for demographics they cannot change is discrimination. The only thing that these people have done wrong is having been born in another country, much like African Americans were discriminated against for merely the color of their skin decades ago.

One thing that is very different between immigrants and African Americans however is the law, the formal norm that allows others to inhumanly treat this group of people. African Americans have all the same legal rights as every other citizen, but illegal immigrants are not citizens, and do not have any of the rights of citizens. By keeping this group of people legally distinct from others, it only enforces the more that keeps them from being welcomed into the country.

Referencing back to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights yet again, Article 5 states that, “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Often the first part of this article is cited in cases of prisoners of war, or suspects of treason being tortured and dehumanized into revealing some information that their captors seek. But all too often the rest of this article is left out. It is a human right to be treated as ​human, something that is easily derived. Yet what it means to be treated as human has gray areas, which is why the article adds that no one should be subjected to degrading treatment or punishment. Degrading, while not of perfect diction itself, is a much more defined term. Few people would argue that being deported is not degrading, or that performing labor for a lower wage than a citizen would be given is not degrading, yet the United States government and its citizens continue these practices.

A functionalist approach to this situation would state that the lower earning illegal immigrants are crucial for the economic development of the country, as they enable the cheap production of raw goods. An extended look at this could include the goods produced from the immigrant-harvested food. Something simple and seemingly insignificant can play a large role in the functioning of society. Non-Citizens produce food for the Citizens, and in return the Citizens offer a stable job and some financial compensation, though the two groups often do not interact directly, they rely on each other intensely. Citizens and Non-Citizens are far more likely to be around people of their own group, and it is because of this that Citizens may never know someone who does work for a degrading sum, which brings us to the interactionalist perspective.

Interactionalists would see this as a separation. The two groups hardly interact with each other, a Citizen may only see a Non-Citizen if they are the person who hires them. Often, it is the case that the two groups will not speak the same language, so their interactions would be even more limited. Hand gestures and facial expressions would have to go a long way for these communications. Approval and disapproval may only be expressed as a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. On top of this the Citizen group interacting with the Non-Citizen group may very well view themselves as superior, leading in to the ​feminist view.

Not only are the illegal immigrants treated poorly because they belong to the Non-Citizen group, but also because some of them are women. When it comes to picking oranges, anyone can do it, but employers will often view jobs as suitable for certain genders and selectively hire employees based on that view. This is something which is illegal in the United States, gender discrimination is not allowed in the work place, but when an employer is hiring someone who is an undocumented illegal immigrant, they can be as discriminating  as they want. Feminists would view this as an inequality between genders, as the males pick oranges, their female counter parts clean houses, and without an equal balance of genders doing both jobs it certainly is an inequality. The Non-Citizen group struggles to find work, and is even faced with gender discrimination if work is found. The Citizens and Non-Citizens conflict, taking us to the Conflict view.

From the Conflict perspective, the Citizens are the Haves, and the Non-Citizens are the Have-Nots. The Non-Citizens struggle to increase their quality of life, while the Citizens take advantage of their cheap labor.

Historically, conflict always leads to rebellion, and perhaps one day the illegal immigrants will rebel in large enough numbers with a loud enough voice that the Citizens may feel their plight and realize the extreme discrimination and violation of human rights.

​Works Cited

Shindo, Reiko. “Struggle for Citizenship: Interaction between Political Society and Civil Society at a Kurd Refugee Protest in Tokyo.” Citizenship Studies 13.3 (2009): 219-37. Print.

Gees, Sarah. “Freedom of Movement.” Hrea.org. Human Rights Education Associates, 2003. Web. 20 Oct. 2010.

Alabama State flag (Wikipedia image)

The intention behind Alabama’s immigrant law is of course to crack down on the large number of illegal immigrants in the state, but there has been an unforeseen negative impact of widespread proportions. Many businesses are experiencing problems in their operations stemming from the resulting exodus of workers from the state for fear of harassment. A number of these are illegal immigrants, but not all of them are. There are businesses that close down entirely because of the issues. Farms are some of the worst affected.

One desired effect of the law is to open up jobs to legal residents, although most of the jobs held by immigrants (illegal or not) are of the low-paying back-breaking variety that native-born citizens tend to shun. A grocery owner in Dothan complained that her business took a dive because since the law took effect, hundreds of immigrants have left and she has lost half her regular customers. However, she added that since she also sells bus tickets, most of her business now comes from ticket sales to immigrants who continue to line up at the exit.

The new law has been criticized by many including the Obama administration and various private groups, and has been the subject of much discussion and debate everywhere in the state, from the street, to the classroom, and even the living room. Illegal immigrants are not the only ones affected by the law. Even those who have legally entered the country are burdened with extra paperwork required to prove their legal status when enrolling their children in school or dealing with the government.

But possibly one of the worst effects of the new law is how it has pitted locals against immigrants both legal and illegal. Immigrants report getting suspicious looks from people on the street and in commercial establishments, and also see many online racist comments. Immigrant students complain of harassment by schoolmates.

In separate incidents, two girls reported getting insulted about their nationality by other students. One experienced this while riding the bus to school. The second girl was told by a classmate that she should go home to the country of her parents. The father of one of the girls was very upset because he said his daughter is a US citizen by birth and is very American, adding that she cannot even speak his native language. In the schoolyard, a group of boys some of whom were illegal immigrants were told by a group of local boys they beat at basketball that they should not even be in the US. The Alabama Department of Education (ALSDE) stated they have not received reports such as these, but federal officials say parents would prefer to not report such incidents precisely to avoid contact with the government.

There are supporters of the laws who say these effects are only temporary. They feel that if the presence of illegal aliens had not been tolerated for many years, the problem would not have reached this point.

Many others feel that even as they are against illegal immigration, the law as it stands should be amended. If it is not, they add, it will do a lot more harm than good.

Posted, with permission from Attorney Monica Risam Nicklin, an American law practitioner living in London.

Before he became Prime Minister the small matter of David Cameron’s personal wealth was carefully hidden. Or at least he tried to hide it.

He began by riding his bike to the office. Then it was discovered that his chauffeur was following behind in a limousine, carrying his briefcase. A picture of him in his University days, dressed in the aristocratic uniform of the Bullingdon drinking club, was carefully taken out of circulation. Until it popped up on YouTube. Cameron went on a cosy family holiday to the seaside in the UK – then slipped away to relax on a millionaire’s yacht in the Mediterranean.

Image is vitally important to every politician, especially when you are Prime Minister of a government that is cutting the living standards of voters more savagely than any government since the slump of the thirties. Any mention of Cameron’s privileged childhood or family wealth is banned.

So where did the money come from?

Mainly from the activities of his great, great grandfather Emile Levita, a German Jewish financier who arrived in Britain in 1850. He laid the foundations and rose to the top of the banking world, mixing with the Rothschild dynasty and serving on the board of several financial institutions.

Through the maternal side Cameron is also distantly related to the Royal family, although the link is through the mistress of King William the fourth. Still, what’s the problem with a little extra marital bedding when the Royal family is involved? The current generation of Royals has slept around often enough.

Immigration speech

The question of immigration could be just as tricky as wealth and privilege for Cameron. But he is a politician and in a negative speech about immigrants that was music to the ears of his right wing friends, he warned yet again about the dangers.

What he failed to do was mention his own position which owes everything to his ancestor – an economic migrant to Britain. If the barriers that Cameron would like to erect to immigration had been in place when Emile Levita arrived – he would have been turned away. If the family values he is so keen to promote had been followed by a maternal ancestor – he would not be related to the Queen.

But these are inconvenient facts and will be ignored by the Prime Minister. In the same way that he ignores the problems of millions of families whose prospects and incomes are being destroyed by the unemployment his government is creating. After all, he is just a simple banker at heart. 

Although Columbus Day officially became a federal holiday in 1937, Columbus Day had been celebrated for hundreds of years before Franklin Delano Roosevelt made it an official holiday.  Columbus Day was first celebrated in New York in 1792, to commemorate the 300-year anniversary of Columbus’ “discovery of America,”  on October 12, 1492. The  day continued to be celebrated sporadically until the mid-to-late 1800s, when the waves of immigrants coming to the United States–many from Italy–increased interest in the holiday.  Indeed, one of the main reasons for Columbus Day’s popularity was because it honored the deeds of an Italian, and therefore appealed to the myriad immigrant populations coming to the United States.  During a period in U.S. history in which there was also considerable enmity towards Catholics, the recognition of Columbus Day went a long way towards making the new European immigrants–many of whom were Catholic–feel that their contributions to the United States were being acknowledged.

Nowadays, even the most casual observe of history realizes that Columbus did not “discover” America.  First of all, of courese, there were thousands of indigenous peoples already living in the Americas.  Secondly, it seems certain that Vikings and other seafaring civilizations traveled to the Americas long before Columbus arrived–and even when he did arrive, he landed in the Bahamas, and never set foot in what is now the United States.  (That is why Columbus Day is celebrated in much of central and South America as well).

Moreover, there is no doubt that while Columbus’ discovery, on behalf of Queen Isabel of Spain, opened up the development of the Americas to the various European empires, it also ushered in the start of centuries of mistreatment, abuse, and devastation to the multitudes of Native Americans already living here.  No one would suggest that this dark chapter in America’s history should be held up for adulation; this is why many states and localities now celebrate a version of Native American Day or Indigenous Peoples’ day in place of Columbus Day, and many others just ignore the day altogether.

But this may very well be a mistake.  The primary purpose behind making Columbus Day a federal holiday was to recognize the contributions of someone whom  the majority of immigrants coming to the United States at that time could relate to and feel kinship towards. The holiday “Columbus Day” was meant to appeal to–and perhaps appease–the growing numbers of immigrants from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, and was also a day that was already celebrated and recognized by U.S. citizens for hundreds of years.  Thus, the creation of the federal holiday helped “link” the newer immigrant populations with the older, more established ethnic groups already here.

To simply ignore Columbus Day does not change history, or even begin to redress the wrongs done to Native Americans by the European colonists.  However, celebrating the date that Columbus “discovered” America does not mean that we, as a nation, are glossing over the treatment of Native Americans at the hands of the Europeans.  Certainly no one suggests that we should do away with Thanksgiving, even though the English colonists were equally brutal towards Native Americans.  Instead, Thanksgiving is used–in part, at least–as a way to educate people about the importance of the Native Americans to the United States.

The celebration of Columbus Day has generated strong dialog on the issue, which is an excellent reason to justify its continuance as a holiday.  A celebration of Columbs Day could simultaneously be a celebration of the Americas’ indigenous peoples–a joining of two groups of people who helped shape American history.  Simply canceling the holiday does nothing to foster the discussions and awareness that have resulted due to the observance of Columbus Day as a holiday.

However, eliminating Columbus Day as a federal holiday would remove the only holiday that recognizes the contributions of immigrants to our country’s history–and that would be a mistake.  For better or worse, the United States is the country it is today because of the waves of immigrants–European and others–that traveled to our shores and populated the country.  Columbus Day was created, at least in part, to honor their role in history, and that fact needs to be remembered by those who wish to simply eliminate the holiday.  Perhaps the name should be changed, to make it a more generic holiday–Immigrants’ Day, for instance–in order to make the holiday less offensive. But the holiday itself should continue to be recognized, just as the contributions of immgrants–past and present–should continue to be recognized, on Columbus Day and every day.

Preliminary investigation should be conducted if there is a probable cause to make the officer believe that a crime has been or will be committed. Afterwards, the next stage to be taken in the criminal justice process involves arrest. This is usually conducted by law enforcement agencies that have been empowered by law to arrest law violators.

The courts have to issue warrants of arrest upon finding of probable reason that a crime has been committed. The arrested suspect will be put in custody of the law enforcement agency that has conducted the arrest. After the arrest, the next stage is determination on whether formal charges can be filed and instituted in the court against the arrested suspect.

The law enforcement agency has to present all available evidence about the crime in question to the prosecutor who will then decide on whether or not to file formal charges in court.  If no charges are filed, the suspect should be released. During this particular stage, the suspect has a right to remain silent until any formal charges are filed. He is also entitled to have access to legal representation and the suspect should be informed on what crime he is being charged with.

After filing an indictment by the prosecutor at the trial court, the person who is accused is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment whereby he will formally be informed of the charges that have been leveled against him. During this period of arraignment the accused person will be required to take a plea of either guilty or not guilty to the charges leveled against him.

 If the accused person pleads not guilty, the case is then set for trial and after the trial, the accused person is either convicted or acquitted. If convicted, he is given a right to appeal to his conviction, in most cases when the death penalty has been imposed. The convicted person is then sentenced to imprisonment which at times is referred to as incarceration.

The following are some of the main challenges that face the Criminal Justice System:

Corruption

The criminal justice system is the government’s arm that has the responsible of ensuring that a country has in place a social order to ensure that every person receives due justice to enforce the law and order of the land and to prevent criminal activities. The criminal justice system is basically comprised of different personnel like the police who investigate the crime, make arrests and prosecute. The courts are an important part of the criminal justice and constitute of juries who pass judgments and deliver judgments by correctly interpreting the relevant laws. The courts also determine the magnitude of an offence and determine the applicable punishment.

The functions mentioned above point to the great roles the criminal justice officials ‘ play. It is due to the importance of their duties to the nation that the officials serving in the criminal justice system are required to observe ethics in the execution of their duties as indicated in the criminal justice code of ethics.

Ethics can be defined as a set of rules and standards which spell the dos and don’ts in a particular profession. Codes of ethics are necessary in order to reign in errant professionals who are prone to act unprofessionally if not controlled.

Corruption is one of the greatest ethical problems that are currently bedeviling the criminal justice system. Even though corruption in the criminal justice is very rampant, corruption incidences tend to be more prevalent in some professions of criminal justice than others .A case in example is that it can be pointed out that the police force and lawyers are the most corrupt in the criminal justice system.

However, it is a difficult task for one to draw comparisons on who is more corrupt than the other in criminal justice system .This is so because even though the police and public prosecutors are always accused of bribery, juries are more prone to allegations of unfairness, which is usually based on factors like impartiality due to racial background. The Criminal Justice system departments are very important all over the world.

The society is always looked upon the Justice System for direction, arbitration and for interpretation of matters that the community is unable to find solutions. A well managed Justice System can bring unity in purpose to a diverse society because every member of the community wants truth, guidance, liberty, guidance and compensation from the Justice System when one has been offended.

A Justice System that intervenes in cases of disputes that pit members of the society against each other is very critical and essential to the functioning of the executive and the legislature which are important arms of the government. Therefore for the people to have faith in the Criminal Justice System, the autonomy, dignity and independence of the System are guaranteed and upheld at all cost.

Discrimination

Criminal and justice systems as provided by many constitutions are required to offer fair and equitable treatment to every citizen. Despite this mandate, the criminal justice system while dealing with the public is marred with many disparities and discrimination which in most cases are influenced by racial factor.

The society is made up of people from diverse origin and culture that at times comprise of the natives and immigrants who are the minority. In the U .S, the growth of African American and Latino immigrants who are the minority has led to a large extend of discrimination in criminal justice system. Disparity and discrimination is a product of stereotypical mentality of US people concerning the social and racial status in regard to immigrants and the natives.

Everyone regardless to race, social class and religion should be free from crime victimization and able to access protection offered by the criminal justice system in the society. Gelsthorpe (2003) points out that it is difficult to define discrimination when compared to disparity because at times it shows good judgment .He goes further to say that there can be positive and  favorable discrimination .

But according to a criminal justice context, it is usually taken to mean treatment that is unfavorable that is based on an individual’s gender, race, ethnicity, disability, social class, sexual preference, language, religion, age or any other improper reason (Gelsthorpe 2003). Discrimination is always associated with the concept of social prejudice, whereby a particular group or people in the society are referred to be inferior. For example, the Criminal justice of the United States has always been accused of regarding African Americans as people who are difficult to deal with and associating them with crimes compared to their white counter part.

Gelsthorpe (2003) also asserts that discrimination witnessed in the criminal justice system often occurs due to permissive of law. He argues that discrimination can also occur in situations where guidelines on decision making are that the process of making a judgment is sometimes made on subjective judgments.

According to criminal justice system, disparity is mostly associated with the actual sentencing and the practice of giving differing sentences for similar offences that have been committed, but it also has a wider relevance where the o victims and offender being treated a bit differently and unequally all through the criminal justice process when the prevailing circumstances are similar (Gelsthorpe 2003). Criminal justice system by law is required to showcase equality before the law of the land.

But when there are cases of disparity arising in the criminal justice system, justice is then viewed as an abstract and therefore unable to offer equality in the process of criminal justice system. In a nutshell , discrimination and disparity are mostly concerned with  the outcome of the criminal justice system than the process that gives equal treatment .Gelsthorpe (2003 )has  argues that there has been perceptions  that fairness basically involves treating alike like case . Equality in treatment of all parties in a criminal justice system involves impartial employment of the rules and procedure
no matter the outcome

The 1990s saw an increase in Information technology and communications. These new communications networks have provided tools for criminals to carry out their activities in a more sophisticated manner. Internet growth in particular has opened new opportunities and highways for criminal activities. This has created challenges to the criminal justice system.

Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is the first ever computer-related criminal law in the United States. This Act targeted people who interfered with computer networks. Later, focus changed to the different kinds of information that are available on the Internet. This was because of availability of new high-speed techniques that are used to gather, process, and disseminate information on various subject matter. This led to lack of privacy and confidentiality because personal information about people became easily accessible on the internet. Controlling the usage of this information posed a very big challenge to Law agencies.

Concerns over the state of privacy became paramount. This was also caused by the explosion of readily available information that negatively affected patents, trademarks and copyrights laws.  Copyright allows authors and artists of particular works to have the right in determining how their creations can be used, including how their works are performed, reproduced or distributed. Trademark laws are important because they allow manufacturers to be able to assign specific symbol that identify their products.

This prevents any other business from using that particular symbol. On the other hand, Patent laws give inventors the exclusive rights to produce, operate and sell their products and services. It has been virtually an impossibility to enforce these three laws which in most cases have been violated through use of the Internet. For example, there has been a massive copying and reproduction of songs off Internet sites instead of people buying the music.

This has prevented artists from receiving royalties due to them. Despite the government through its law enforcement agencies trying to penalize these criminals, free internet music download sites that are able to conceal the downloader’s identity have jeopardized fighting this crime.

Other serious issues that pose a challenge to criminal justice involving the Internet are the distribution and sale of child pornography through Internet. These criminal activities are prevalent all over the world. New technological advancement has enabled criminals to operate in a global economy where there is no existence of boundaries. The twenty-first century has witnessed criminal justice system struggle to keep pace with the technological advancements which currently continually redefine the state of crimes and criminals.

Conclusion

There are continuous pressures on the criminal justice system to stand up and take up roles which the system is ill equipped. Given the constant widespread belief of the world being under siege from hardened and technologically advanced criminal organizations, these pressures are bound to increase. It is true that the world is facing new criminal threats that have redefined and reincarnated themselves into a more dangerous vice. New crimes due to technologically sophisticated crimes are on an increase. This requires the criminal justice system to re-invent itself in order to respond to the new threats.

The 20th century saw a number of structural changes that have characterized the world economy. These changes have been ultimately been caused by exponential breakthroughs in technology through advancements in information Sciences and Telecommunication, Globalization has brought many countries together in to a so called global village.

These developments have created opportunities and risks in the society. Organized criminal groups that are now operating across borders and perpetuating heinous crimes are now prevalent. These crimes have taken myriad dimensions that are enormous and multi dimensional in nature. These have been a threat to the society.  This phenomenon requires the Criminal Justice System to get out of its traditional and conservative cocoon and set in place policies and structures to fight these crimes.

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References

Gelsthorpe, Loraine and Padfield, Nicola (2003). Exercising Discretion: Decision-

Making in the Criminal Justice System and Beyond, Portland: Willan Publishing,

Moreover, due to increasing globalization,  the children of  every country will have to cope with this accelerated interconnectedness. In this changed global situation, it is quite indispensable that our children are aware of the cultures of different nations, geography, creeds and religions from all parts of the world.

 Octavio Paz  aptly remarks: “What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and peculiarities, by eliminating different civilizations and cultures, progress weakens life and favors death. The ideal of a single civilization for everyone, implicit in the cult of progress and technique, impoverishes and mutilates us. Every view of the world that becomes extinct, every culture that disappears, diminishes a possibility of life”

We should avoid the temptation of restricting the children’s knowledge only about their specific country. This cross-cultural awareness will prevent the children in future from indulging in the vice of discrimination and injustice. This will inspire the children to develop the habit of different perspectives. If we nurture this belief in the plurality and diversity of society, we can hope to create an ideal world based on love and brotherhood. 

 All people should know that  diversity is nothing but a splendid plurality.  In our globalized society, it is necessary to remember that each nation has its own perspective.