Posted on 03/30/2006 11:38:23 PM PST by beaversmom
Tensions over immigration reform heightened in the Phoenix area's East Valley Thursday when students raised a Mexican flag over Apache Junction High School and then other students yanked it down and burned it. "I know (they) shouldn't have burned the Mexican flag," said Jacob Stewart, a 16-year-old sophomore. "I heard it was raised above the American flag and that just irked me."
He said the turbulence was tied to debates going on in the state Legislature and Congress, where ideas ranging from offering illegal immigrants a chance at citizenship to making them felons are being floated.
Freshman Chelsea Garcia, 15, and junior Brittany Ramage, 16, said the unrest had more to do with long-running racial tensions at the school.
The week's events might have sparked some anger, Ramage said, "but kids aren't too deep about that stuff."
The Hispanic student who brought the Mexican flag said he was responding to a remark directed at him Wednesday. The flag-raising, flag-burning, and shoving match that followed happened before most students arrived at school.
Six students three Hispanic and three white will be disciplined, Principal Chad Wilson said.
Officials with the Apache Junction Unified School District would not specify what punishment the six face.
Wilson did say in a letter sent home to parents that there would be "increased supervision, including additional police officers, on the campus over the next couple of days."
School flagpoles have been lightning rods across the country this week, including an incident in which a Houston high-school principal was disciplined after he flew a Mexican flag underneath his campus' U.S. and state flags.
A new political awareness among students has also been grabbing attention, as thousands have walked out on classes to join rallies in Phoenix and elsewhere. More than 100 students from Mesa's Carson Junior High and Westwood High schools marched in protest on Mesa streets Tuesday.
Yeah i do too. I getting pretty well bashed on these threads lol but I have to think a little sanity needs to come to this. Like I said, I wish the Republicans leadership had gone about this a different way. There is too much disinformation out there that I could have told anyone was going to happen unless we approached this differently. Part of the problem is people think Hispanics, Latinos , people who know illegals(I cant use any term it seems without getting flamed) don't all think alike on this issue. Its further complicated that if one looks at the media and even this board where every negative story is repeated it looks like the whole country is going up in flames.
The main problem is this. Many latinos(including some of my family members) are getting a little uncomfortable. Sometimes the arguments in the heat of the moment come across with a little bit of a ethnic bite. Now, I know that the majority of people don't view this as a race issue. Its really not. But gosh my wife(who is a huge Republican and Pro Life worker) still has memories of not being able to go to the Country Club with her little next door friend to swim in the pool or wasn't invited to certain parties because she wasnt anglo. Now to be fair, she was on the tail end of that and its not like she holds a grudge but hey memories like that still hurt.
The problem comes down to the use of "they". They are taking over. Well many people ask who is "they". Illegals, Mexicans, latinos etc etc. Its a basic human problem of being sensitive to people's feelings and listening. However, it seems to even mention that is to be accused of being a sell out , and a person that doesnt love America.
I will give an example. Lets say that the LEadership had gone into the various aspects of the Hispanic community and listened. Someone says hey I got an Uncle Juan thats been here illegally pretty much 20 years. Now he really wasn't viewed as an invader or some menance to society by the majority of people for most of that time. In fact he was viewed quite warmly by his employer and others. Now perhaps some special consideration can be given to him if he passes some background check etc because he is really not a bad guy and gosh the kid that he has is trying out for the Waco High football team and seems that family is on the right track. That would have been nice. Instead there was no listening but wild proposals of deport them all and make them felons and any family memeber that dare aids them is a criminal too. Needless to say this isnt helpful. Its certaintly not helpful to the many Hispanics that have been involved in the party and now are basically told shut up agree with us 100 percent or go back to Mexico if you like it so much. That is to say a little demeaning. Whats so amusing about this is that many MExican Americans I know have no problem with slowing down this illegal immigration and really don't have a huge problem with building a big wall on the border.
It such a wasted opportunity. Now the crazies from the open border folks are now the face of the opposition to this bill and the deport the "anchor babies"(which is a incredibly offensive term to many) are now the voices on the debate. So in the end no bill will come through while insane Conservatives are cheering on kids battling it out like it was some Friday night football game. Oh well thats my rant lol
You know nothing about me, so I will forgive you for such a statement.
Tell me exactly what burning flags accomplishes? Does it make you feel better? Is it going to prevent more flagpole hijackings?
If you want to do something useful, expel the students and guard the flags. In this case something useful will actually be accomplished. Rallying around a burning Mexican flag is so childish.
Good thoughts, I wouldl like to add one more. Heavy fees for the wiring of money back to mexico.
An easier solution would just be to enforce the tax laws with late penalties. It would probably be easier than arresting illegal aliens for border violations.
Enforce the tax laws for whom? The illegals or employers?
Both. Oh, and any extra costs (hospital care, jails, deportation costs) should be billable to the employer (after all, right now it is billable to the people). Of course, an employer who didn't want to risk this could do the extremely difficult task (sarc) of checking a SSN and photo ID and verifying that it is accurate.
Yes! It's about time. More of their flags need to be burned to send a message. When you burn the Mexican flag, be sure you have plenty of back up. They're going to go nuts.
You may not realize how right you are. This is going to explode soon.
May I ping you to something?
"Violence is just around the corner - the new Paris."
I Agree. Starting May 1, 2006, perhaps earlier.
sure
The illegal aliens and the catholic church are no longer fooling anyone. I've been posting for SEVERAL YEARS that illegal immigration is a huge problem and that the catholic church was aiding and abetting it (do your research). I've been flamed time after time. If you fellas think you can deceive anyone now, you're kidding yourselves. What is happening now is obvious to me and exactly WHY I picked my moniker mene mene tekel upharsin years ago. No one wants to listen. Now it's time to pay the piper. This is going to get rough and whoever doesn't think so is in total denial.
I disagree....
.. "cooler heads" are the ones who actually solve problems like this.
Of course if you like the primitive flag burning mob approach to these issues, you are free to join them. But I say they only cause contention.
I've been told to go back to Mexico (because of my screen name), even though I've never seen Mexico and don't have a drop of hispanic blood. Ha ha
I am not sure what you mean by the Catholic Church is aiding and abetting Illegal aliens. The Catholic Church's job is not to turn away Illegals and try not to minister to them in body, soul, and spirit. You might have had a point with some of the Liberation Theology idiots back in the 80's but they were closet commies.
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