"What I hope will happen is that the Arizona law is enforced with the same single-mindedness

[pampango]

of the TSA's approach to airport security. Once all Arizonans are required to present their papers daily to every law enforcement officer that crosses their path, will people wonder whether this cost is worth the "benefit" of a society that is free of undocumented foreigners? Will Arizonans who feel that they are "obviously" not illegal aliens begin, I don't know, sporting American flag lapel pins at all times, or wearing a sign around their neck saying "I AM AN AMERICAN"? It won't work, of course, because such accessories will quickly become popular with bona fide illegal immigrants as well. Maybe Arizona could pass a new law requiring American flag lapel-pin suppliers to verify the immigration status of anyone who buys one, or maybe we'll have to carry a special permit that entitles us to wear lapel pins or signs around our neck. It sounds pretty awful, but that's the price of liberty."

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/04/arizona-and-china-compare-and-contrast/39531/

Something tells me that Arizona police wont show the "same single-mindedness of the TSA's approach to airport security". Reactions of "Arizonans who feel that they are 'obviously' not illegal aliens" would cause such a political blow-back that politicians will backtrack so fast it will make heads spin.

I kind of like the idea of an "I AM AN AMERICAN" pin with the requirement that suppliers have to check citizenship or immigration status of anyone who buys the pin. ;)

[mwb970]

1. Why don't they just put police checkpoints on every street corner?

Then force EVERYBODY who passes by to show their ID papers or be arrested on the spot. What could be fairer?

[Confusious]

2. Don't let the facts

Get in the way of your two minute outrage.

[pampango]

3. The letter writer is showing how ridiculous it would be for Arizona to be as single minded in its

enforcement of this law as the TSA is in its enforcement. My take is that she is not suggesting that Arizona will actually have the same approach as TSA, just speculating on what the reaction of the public would be if it did.

Arizona's law is supposed to help law enforcement find and detain illegal aliens. TSA's goal is to find and detain potential "terrorists".

What "facts" are you talking about? Do you disagree with the writer's speculation?