After signing the new law requiring police to check out people who may be illegal immigrants, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer was asked how the cops are supposed to know when someone should be screened. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I do not know what an illegal immigrant looks like.”No kidding. But she has a lot of company in her ignorance. When I called University of Arizona law professor Marc Miller and told him I wasn’t sure what some of the law’s provisions mean, he replied, “Neither is anyone else on the planet.” We will find out what it means after…
from: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/04/29/mysteries_of_an_immigration_law_105352.html
SAN DIEGO — It’s a common case of mistaken identity — and a running joke among upper middle-class Latinos.There are many stories, but here’s just one. A Mexican-American friend of mine who is a corporate executive was mowing his lawn in an affluent and predominantly white neighborhood. He was unshaven and dressed in work clothes when a passerby complimented him on the landscaping job and asked for a business card. “What’s the name of your company?” he asked. My friend smiled and responded: “Sprint.”Welcome to the club. You’re not really Latino until…
from: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/04/29/still_on_probation_105329.html
HOUSTON — Houston faces a crossroads, or to be more precise, a five-level stack interchange. Is it going to nurture compact walkable neighborhoods? Or is it going to do what it has always done — stand back and watch developers build anything anywhere?This, America’s fourth-largest city and quintessence of Sunbelt sprawl, seems ready to encourage more thoughtful development. No one mentions “zoning,” which remains a radioactive word around here. Even “planning” is pushing it.Peter Brown, an architect/urban planner who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2009, wants the…
from: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/04/29/is_the_sunbelt_ready_for_urbanity__105354.html
