Something in the Air

From the AP

Police said more than 500,000 people marched Saturday to protest a proposed federal crackdown on illegal immigration.

Wearing white as a sign of peace, and waving flags from the U.S., Mexico, Guatemala and other countries, they came to show that illegal immigrants already are part of the American fabric, and want the chance to be legal, law-abiding citizens.

Police used helicopters to come up with the crowd estimate. "I've been on the force 38 years and I've never seen a rally this big," said Cmdr. Louis Gray Jr., incident commander for the rally.

In Denver, Colorado, more than 50,000 people protested downtown Saturday, according to police who had expected only a few thousand. Phoenix was similarly surprised Friday when an estimated 20,000 people gathered for one of the biggest demonstrations in city history, and more than 10,000 marched in Milwaukee on Thursday.

The demonstrators oppose legislation passed by the U.S. House that would make it a felony to be in the U.S. illegally. It also would impose new penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants, require churches to check the legal status of parishioners before helping them and erect fences along one-third of the U.S.-Mexican border.

Probably most of you are too young to remember the late sixties when the protests against Viet Nam were gearing up and crowds like this assembled to protest something they really didn't like. This is similarly powerful stuff and the politicians that are trying to switch the focus from gay rights etc. to illegal immigrants better tread lightly.

The thing that most of the people pushing this war against immigrants (them using the "illegal" reference is just a smoke screen they want to punish all immigrants) don't realize is that a good part of the economic engine that is currently powering this country is represented in this group of people. Have you been to hotel, fast food or golf course lately? Have you looked at who is laying the brick and putting down shingles and building the stone walls in all of the ritzy neighborhoods going up around the country?

I am encouraged that these people are standing up for themselves and aren't afraid to let it be known that are not to be trifled with. Good for them.

Photo from the LA Times.com/Bob Chamberlin

The HuffPo has some more on this as well.