This week, readers sent us comments about Arizona’s S.B. 1070, Obama’s birth certificate and FactCheck’s official seal of approval.
In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the e-mail we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.
Immigrant Arguments
I believe your bias is showing. Stating this as "Arizona’s ‘Papers Please’ Law" [June 3] is in my opinion disingenuous. The headline makes it sound like an officer of the law could come up to anyone and ask to see their papers, which is not the case. Isn’t this really a law against illegal immigration, not an “immigration law” as you state below? A minor but important difference and in my opinion again part of your bias.
Barry Kitay
Tucson, Ariz.
If our elected officials at the local, state and federal levels spent half as much time and effort helping generate solutions to stop the bleeding and securing the borders as they do about spewing all of this racial profiling and hatred, Arizona would not have to take this critical situation into their own hands!
If these people are here legally they don’t have to worry about being asked to show me your papers!
Bill Bible
Havre de Grace, Md.
It seems odd to me that you would try to divide people crossing the Mexican border illegally in to groups, drug runners and illegal immigrants. They are all aliens that have entered our country illegally. In my opinion, they are all criminals. Who is to say that the drug runners and illegal immigrants are not one in the same.
Steve Dorset
Batson, Texas
I know it may be a moot point, but Mexican crime cartel members come into the U.S. as illegal immigrants. How can you make the claim that they are different? Many of us don’t like any person entering the country without legal permission to do so simply because they are violating our laws. To most of us it does not matter if they are cartel members or not. If these people believe they can violate our laws because they want to be an American, what other laws are they going to ignore? Contrary to the Mexicans’ belief, it has to do with all races, not just Mexicans. I am sure you have heard this before, but when asked, I show an ID just like all Americans. You have to be in the country legally in order to legally obtain a drivers licence. So what makes the difference if they are asked to show a green card?
Ronald Smith
Zapata, Texas
FactCheck.org responds: The law in question targets those trying to live and find work in the United States, not criminals moving back and forth across the border.
FactCheck Seal of Approval
I think your organization should offer a certification service to political candidates.
Here’s how it would work:
A candidate would submit their ads/campaign material to you for review.
If you agree that the material is not misleading or false, they get to put a label on the material that says it has been “Certified by FactCheck.org.”
If one candidate started doing it, the others would almost be forced to do it or they would look guilty by omission.
Stephen Caggiano
Chester Springs, Pa.
Fed Up with Birthers
How much does one have to go through to prove that they were born in the U.S.A.? Even the president is being harassed. I think it’s disgraceful for this to continue on this long, why hasn’t someone with a little clout picked this up and dealt with it? I am disgusted and embarrassed for our country for this to go on with those that are ignorant. I have seen and read a copy of President Obama’s birth certificate, and it certainly looks okay to me. Looks like a copy of mine does!
Nancy Leclerc
North Woodstock, N.H.