More: Arizona's Illegal Immigration Law

"If you look or sound foreign, you are going to be subjected to never-ending requests for police to confirm your identity and to confirm your citizenship," said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, which is exploring legal action.

Really? What evidence is there of this? You cannot challenge something that "may" happen in court, your challenges must be of something that has already occured. Or, if it's a constitutional issue. Do we REALLY believe the Phoenix police department has the time or resources to beging going around asking everyone for their papers? NO, I do not. The whole world is jumping on this bandwagon, I am, most definitely - NOT and so are a LOT of other people just like me. The bandwagon of claiming that racial profiling will occur.

BTW, Hispanics are HARDLY the only illegal aliens in this country OR Arizona for that matter. Look at all the boatloads of Cubans that try to come over here on a regular basis. Look at the containers that come from China and other Asian nations of people looking to get a piece of the American pie. Where is the outcry from the Chinese/Asian community? Admittedly, there are FAR more Hispanic illegals here than any of it, so what? It's already been outlined that law enforcement officers will go through specialized training in order to enforce this law LEGALLY, without violating a person's constitutional rights.

Of course, besides God-given rights, illegal aliens HAVE no constitutional rights in this nation. Note that nowhere in this bill does it say "to only pick on Hispanics, everyone else is okay", yet you would think that it MUST say such verbage for the heat that is coming because of it. The rhetoric continues to pour in. What I find amazing is this representative or senator, whatever he is, that is from our state telling the world to boycott Arizona because of it. This man is condoning hurting the Arizona economy, INCLUDING that of the illegals - so how does THIS help ANYONE in Arizona?

Lol.

Today. Driving all day long, including a trip to Miami, AZ. PERFECT rocks - well they're small boulders, but whatever - for my waterfall in the yard of the place I was at. No, they weren't free, but they're just rocks and didn't cost that much. They are Shiraz, I think it's spelled - absolutely gorgeous. Perfect for a waterfall.

I am going back up there to a different jobsite on Thursday, hopefully there will be time to take my break up there and grab some more "regular" rocks laying around - good stuff though - to shore up the waterfall project. I would like to put this project into high gear this weekend and get this thing going before the searious (spelling intentional) heat gets here and my progress will be greatly slowed.

New tenant paid today. I wasn't expecting it today, so that was totally cool. Other tenant is behind - but only $70 - and is leaving for that training soon. I really don't want to hold that room for her for 2 months if she is not serious about coming back. I don't know that one way or the other. I have had limited interest in the room on a temporary use basis. I also wonder how often these extended training exercises are going to occur and no, this is the first and only time I will do it, after that, she would either have to pay the rent or "move out".

Mother's day coming up. Gotta do something for mom. Almost forgot about it until I saw an internet ad. One time when seeing and ad was a GOOD thing.

Dogs not happy about being left outside during the day because it is heating up. However, the temps are coming WAY down on Thursday, and the holes for a shade area have been started. Not JUST a shade area, but an area with a mister and hopefully finding an cheap old evap cooler somewhere. THAT will keep them sufficiently cool during the summer, cost very little in energy and keep my house "undefiled". The other alternative would be a very long gate in the kitchen to keep them from the rest of the house.

I have almost enough saved up to get the AC fixed in my car. Within the next month I will be having it repaired as I am not a person that likes to work in the heat all day and THEN have to get into a searing hot car and endure that heat all the way home.

Just covering things here. I sat on the east side of my house enjoying the handiwork I have done over there in the last 2 years. The ponds are sitting in the ground - not QUITE where they need to be but still, it was easy to envision water and water plants, a waterfall making soothing sounds and some fish meandering around in the water. The effort will be worth it. When will it be done? Never, apparently, from what I have read, it is an on-going thing that you constantly adjust and move things around and such. But, to pour water in there? Dunno. I think that waterfall is going to be a challenge. I don't HAVE to have it to put water in the pond and I will probably go ahead and fill them up - BUT - I MUST have that bio-filter built and in operation first.

I have definitely decided on building my own - a small version is MUCH cheaper than anything I could find at the stores.

Yup, I'm easily entertained. Give me a project that is alluring to me and I will go for it. Especially cool when the challenge involves just GETTING the stuff to make it happen, which is definitely true in this case. Top that with financial issues and it's a real hoot. On the cheap doesn't have to equate to on the junk.

My neighbor left a little while ago. I will have to take a pic of this situation to give you an idea of what I am having to look at on a daily basis. He bought this giant, 40 foot long RV trailer some time ago. It is parked from the front of his property to almost the middle, along my fence, totally blocking my views of ANYTHING towards the west. I am SURE he said he was either going to get rid of it or move it back to the back of his property when he left. Well, he didn't and I didn't know he was leaving today.

I have his phone number and will be discussing this with him. I refuse to have to be subjected to such a huge eyesore indefinitely. He should know I don't like this kind of junk going on - I can deal with some of it, I have with him for a long time now, but this thing is HUGE and blocks out most anything to the west of me.

Well, amazingly, the day is getting close to done. Long work days do that. It didn't bother me a bit to spend half a day committed to work from the time I left until the time I got home. Wish I could get a LOT more hours like today and yesterday.

Well, time for bed.

G'nite.
ben

Tuesday

I find it quite humorous the rhetoric, slamming and new-found ways to use old phrases. "Arizona The New Nazi State". All Mexicans everywhere, apparently or at least according to these people, are totally against this immigration reform bill that is signed into law.

Now, the state is being boycotted by all kinds of corporations, the City of San Francisco and leaders all over the country decrying this "abusive" law. There is now a petition drive to get a referendum putting the law to ballot.

"Kris Kobach, a University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor who helped write the Arizona legislation, said he anticipated legal challenges and carefully drafted the language. He said the state law is only prohibiting conduct already illegal under federal law."

Of COURSE they knew this thing would be challenged. Note that this professor states that the law only prohibits conduct ALREADY illegal under federal law. Interesting. As the news continues to pour in about this, I continue to be amused. People actually believe the Phoenix police department is going to start going around asking everyone for their papers. If this were an abortion debate, then yes, I would be getting heated up about as I am strictly, totally and staunchly against abortion. You would think this bill that was passed was of the same "caliber" as that, but it is, in reality, just a law making it illegal for illegal immigrants to be in our state. It's ALREADY illegal for them to be here, the part that is getting people riled up is the push to get law enforcement to ask for documentation - WHEN THERE IS REASONABLE SUSPICION TO WARRANT SUCH.

I am supposed to take a trip to Miami today. I dunno if it's going to happen or not. I WANT to go - it would be the last thing on today's agenda and I could stop on the way back, take my 30 minute break and see if I could find some nice rocks for the waterfall. I'm not even sure if I'm still going, though. It's still in our truck routing system, but things can and often-times do change.

Our branch is having a MUCH better month than previous months in terms of sales and it's only going to go up the rest of this coming work week. That's good news, indeed.

Umm, I woke up this morning to find that Prince - the giant, black Great Dane, had had 2 accidents. 1 on the carpet, the other in the bathroom. Yuck. He woke me up in the middle of the night to go outside - a simple thing to do, really, when all one has to do is open the bedroom door and he lets himself out through the doggie door. Finding THAT on your bathroom floor when about to take a shower? Doesn't exactly give you that "clean" feeling, lol. Which - set me behind today on my pre-work rituals, meaning it's time to get offa here, cause' it's almost 6:00 am.

G'day.

ben