Yes, but, the legislators make the law, not the beat cop. Fucking w/ him can be comical but will be ineffective overall.

Meanwhile, the Rockies took two of three from the visiting Florida Marlins. Aaron Cook looks to be back to form, and if this is so, and if Jeff Francis is 100% when he comes back from the DL, Colorado will boast one of the best rotations in either league.

Take heart, Mariners fans. Cliff Lee pitched well in AAA today, so he should be back soon. Also, Felix Hernandez pitches tomorrow night (and not against Zack Greinke) so you ought to get a win. Unfortunately Greinke pitches the next day...

Cops love it when you 'make points' at them.

If you actually want to make a difference and don't want a boot jammed up your ass, carry a video recording device with you wherever you go, and keep it trained on cops when they're doing their jobs. Preferably without them noticing.

Every time you get a job, you supposedly have to "prove citizenship" with birth certificate, social security card and so on...as any contractor knows. This happens all the time in WA State...so is that unconstitutional....I'd sure as hell like to know because I had having to try and find my g-d social security card once every 6 years when i get laid off or fired and have to get a new job.

I wonder how many cops are actually walking around with proof that they aren't illegal immigrants. I you have to show proof, why not start with the enforcers of the law?

Since we're talking baseball, how about if all the Dominican, Hispanic, etc players refuse to play Spring Training in Arizona. Florida is very nice that time of year. And even though he's not Hispanic, I bet Miltie would be willing to lead the movement.

No, Bailo. It's illegal to hire non-citizens who don't have Visas, so employers are required to check for necessary documents. It is, however, unconstitutional for a cop to demand to see a citizens ID just for hanging around doing nothing.

The real consequence of this law is that American citizens are not required to show ID without probable cause. Therefore, the best way for a cop to determine whether someone they stop is a citizen, is if that person refuses to show them their ID. If they do show their ID, then they are not familiar with our Constitution, and should be arrested under suspicion of being an illegal immigrant.

I read that the Arizona cops were against this law. It's the fuck wad Republicans that 'crammed it down their throats'...to borrow a phrase from the Republicans during the health care debate.

The demographic of people who don't get Milton Bradley is much broader than he suspects.

And, I think they know the law in Arizona is unconstitutional and the cops can't really carry through on it. They're just trying to create a point to use during elections. I do like your suggestions.

Lots of animosity towards cops here. Most are good people trying to do a hard job. And really, dicking around with cops won't do a damn thing about a law you don't like. It's very unclear to me why Chicago Fan and some of the commenter's here think it's a good strategy. Benjamin's got it right. Cops don't make the law and they don't get to change it. And I don't think we'd want cops to each decide for themselves which laws they want to enforce.

Chicago Fan, drunk again.

Get a xanga.

Chicago Fan, Cubs games are a better value for the money -- you're always guaranteed a full nine innings.

And Jack Ryan, you're so right. Shooting an unarmed black guy who's handcuffed laying face-down on the ground is such a difficult & hard job, my brain cramps just thinking about it.

@You a fool, should've done that in my original post. Here are two:

"If you actually want to make a difference and don't want a boot jammed up your ass, carry a video recording device with you wherever you go, and keep it trained on cops when they're doing their jobs. Preferably without them noticing." -- sidereal

"I wonder how many cops are actually walking around with proof that they aren't illegal immigrants. I you have to show proof, why not start with the enforcers of the law?" -- MirrorMan

My experience is most cops are good people who do good work. Do some suck? Hell yes. My experience is most don't. But taking out anger about this law on cops won't accomplish the goal of getting rid of the law.

Want rights?

Get em:

http://www.theidshop.com/arizona_fake_id…

@16 - I don't think people are necessarily saying that the cops are power-mad monsters. But police officers have a law-enforcement agenda, not a civil liberties agenda. I admit immediately to basing this perception on my experience in the DC Attorney General's office (and I doubt DC is representative of the whole country), but police officers right to the top of these organizations seem to view the Fourth Amendment as an obstacle to getting their jobs done. And, considering the frequently tight time constraints most cops have to work within, you can't really blame them.

The fact that they do such a difficult, dangerous job is part of the issue. When you're trying to prevent crime and catch the bad guys, all while (at least potentially) putting your personal safety on the line, even the very best of men may lose perspective. I know I sure as hell would. That's why the legal system places so many restrictions and safeguards on police officers. Not because cops are bad guys, but because they're human.

In any event, this law in Arizona does place a lot of discretion - I'd argue too much discretion (especially if you look at Supreme Court cases like Terry and Morales) - in the hands of police officers. And when that's the case, then yes, civil disobedience is going to, at least in part, be directed toward the cops themselves.

You should ask to see the long form copy of the birth certificate of any elected Arizona person.

And also every business owner.

If they don't have it, phone the cops and report them.

driver's license is NOT proof of legal residency or citizenship! you would have to show a birth certificate or green card.... are people really supposed to carry around their birth certificates in AZ? especially lame since they don't (to my knowledge anyways) issue a birth certificate card here like they do in Ontario....

That is some of the worst legal advice I've ever seen.

The Mariners are going to lose a lot of games when they run out lineups like that one. Bradley's one of the only guys on the team who can hit a little. The Griffey/Sweeney tandem is worse than the Sexson/Vidro one was, partly because there's just no friggin' reason whatsoever for either of them to have jobs at all. None of that is Bradley's fault.

@11. true, though small-town cops tend to be dickheads on power trips. That being said, though, @23 Wow, you're an idiot.

70% of Arizonans approve of this law. I doubt there is a critical mass of white people who would resist the law inside the state. White people like it when their landscapers and janitors are too scared of the authorities to get uppity and ask for a raise.

"Rasmussen Poll Says 70% of Arizona Residents Support Illegal Immigration Bill"
http://tinyurl.com/27fppd9
(link goes to an anti-immigrant site, FYI)

Giving a cop the Nazi salute isn't going to change anything, it will just piss off a cop — which I realize can be pretty satisfying sometimes, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily effective.

Fnarf@22

You are totally right. Griffey DH'ing forces Bradley to play the outfield which doesn't work because he isn't and never has been durable. He's far and away a better hitter than Griffey. This dynamic was predicted and is playing out exactly as predicted, only a little earlier than expected because they had Bradley playing way more games in the field over a short time than anyone predicted.

This post would have been a lot better if it didn't contain any tiresome whining about Milton Bradley, who is not the reason the Cubs have been a horrible team for the last century or so. Seriously, CF shut up about the guy. You're a lot more tolerable that way.

Oh, and if you think that laws that are on face unconstitutional never "go into place," you should spend less time being the worst baseball writer ever and more time reading history.

Rather than actively irritating cops, why not just dress in the same supposed attire as illegals. It'll help if you have a swarthy complexion. That way you're only imposing yourself on the cops douchey enough to enforce this law. I don't know what kind of attire that might be, but apparently Arizona is so overrun with illegals that it won't be hard to find some examples.

Wait a minute....saying "sieg heil" to a cop won't get you tasered? Well, maybe not, but someone's going "downtown."

My guess is that cops will very rarely use/enforce this crappy law, except when there is some 'nuisance' they are dealing with; e.g. some other vague shit like 'vagrancy', which can be a free pass for hassling somebody.

But in terms of 'community relations', this thing is a fucking disaster, which is why most cop-groups are against it.

#27, yes all of us white people have "landscapers and janitors". There's simply no such thing as a poor or working class white person. We're all rich and powerful. Why, at one point, we even all owned slaves!

Ooh, I love it when you get all condescending, Furious Anonymous Sock Puppeteer! Get 'em!

Has anyone here actually LIVED in Arizona and delt with Arizona cops personally?

I didn't think so.

Arizona cops are notorious for abusing their power, harassing people who have done nothing wrong, and lying in court when confronted with their actions. This new law will let them have a field day. Not only will they have the ability to target brown people, but they'll also pull over guys with dreds to see if they might have pot, or use the opportunity to bust some sorority girls for underage drinking. This was already prevalent, but I fear that this new law will seriously empower these douchebag cops to exploit it to the furthest degree.

Now, I know that it is likely that not ALL cops in AZ are power-hungry cunts who abuse their power, but they represent the majority my friends and I have encountered. In 2006 I personally had two police officers violate my 4th Amendment and perform illegal search and seizure, then sexually harassed me in my front yard while I was in handcuffs. What was the reason? Oh, just that a drive-by went down (nobody was actually shot) right in front of my house while I was doing homework. Did they go after the guys with guns? No, they thought they would have more fun harassing the pretty white girl in her PJ's. My friends have had far worse encounters.

That being said, the Seattle cops I've run across in my time here have been friendly, unbiased, and helpful. They almost make me want to trust law enforcement again.

The problem with this new law isn't just that it's a violation of rights to be stopped and investigated by the police just for looking "illegal." Imagine being an illegal alien who has been robbed or raped or whose house has been burglarized. Are you going to call the police and risk deportation for you and your entire family or are you going to suffer in silence. What about those who witness crimes? Are you going to call 911 or walk away? This law will have devastating consequences for victims.

@42: So apparently, if you're breaking the law, you can be the victim of arbitrarily many crimes and still be the bad guy.
A tax-paying American citizen rapes and murders an illegal immigrant. Who's the victim?
The point is, if we stop obsessing over the illegal aliens, maybe immigrants (legal and illegal) will be more likely to call the police when a crime is committed, allowing the police to catch the bastard(s) responsible. Or should we let crime rates bust through the roof in highly immigrant areas? That hurts American taxpayers a bit more, I think.

It's amusing that the supposed illegal immigrants can spell better than the "native" Americans ...

@ 17 - They don't look like that anymore, but awesome website. It made me smile. Az IDs last for 50 years so it's pretty easy to find an extra one.

@ 39 - I live in Az and deal with the cops every day. It's nice to see a comment about it somewhere other than the local news sites, which are over run with reactionary and judgmental people. As a white woman, they've been nothing but sugar to me. But yes...our cops & jail guards can be violent & anger easily. I mean fuck, they're out there in 115 degree heat in full uniform dealing with traffic accents and heat reflecting pavement all day. And there's a lot of political pressure to arrest Mexicans here. I can see so many of my neighbors calling the cops because of this. "Officer! I think there's a Mexican in my 65 + living community! I'm scared!" I bet they don't like it. AND, a lot of cops here are Mexican. They're not only picking veggies, people, they're a part of every workforce. So, that must be an awkward day at the office.

you do realize that the cops can't just stop you on the street and ask for you papers, right? You need to have been committing a crime- traffic/speeding violation, shoplifting, drug use, ect. If you are caught committing a crime, THEN an officer can ask for your proof of citizenship (which is just a drivers license, no matter what your race) You seem to think Arizonans are just looking at a way to punish Mexicans or people of Mexican descent . nothing could be further from the truth. They are trying to protect our borders, because the federal government doesn't seem interested.

Incorrect, AprilShowers. What you describe is the current law in Arizona, but SB 1070 makes it legal for police investigate the citizenship of anyone they come into contact with and think might be here illegally. Get informed:

http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/su…

I'm sorry that you had misconceptions about the law, but you should learn more about it (especially as a fellow Arizonan!) and the civil rights violations that will happen as soon as someone targets a citizen or legal resident.

Also, a driver's license isn't proof of citizenship, as you don't have to prove citizenship to get one-- just provide proof of identity and residence. A license is not sufficient proof of citizenship when crossing a border, so it's certainly not going to end an investigation.

From the looks of it, no one has been going to Mariner games anyway. And why would they? They have 2 players worth watching and 1 of them is a pitcher. It's a Seahawks town, deal with it.

April, being in possession of an Arizona driver's license that doesn't expire for another 40 years, I can tell you that you absolutely do not have to prove citizenship to get one-- check out the ADOT MVD page. How would foreign students, expatriate workers, and other non-citizen residents who need to drive here be licensed? Your visa can lapse long before your license expires-- in fact, it's a common way of staying in the United States and working illegally. In those cases an illegal resident could easily have a valid license. (Many illegal workers do pay taxes out of their income, but of course that doesn't support the narrative that they are dangerous and harmful.)

"Banging down doors and barging in houses" is an immigration raid. Those already happen here and they have nothing to do with this bill. This bill is about stopping people on the street or in a car; it's about a law that gives police the power to arrest others based on their skin color, accent, and appearance. Some people prone to using hyperbole to make their point might say the "fear and hate" surrounding illegal immigrants that pushed the legislature to suspend civil rights for Mexican people in Arizona is Nazi-like; others just recognize that it is wrong and un-American. Either way it's difficult to defend, as you note. Americans around the country are angry at the subset of Arizonans who support this law. Of course we're not all like them, but some Arizonans are definitely filled with irrational fear and hate and a desire to take away the rights of a minority group in the name of national security. And they are a dark cloud over our beautiful, friendly state.

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Ben Franklin.

I hear Arizona wants to quarter troops in my house.

What should I do?

@ 55 - Hate to break it to you, Will, but the Third Amendment hasn't been incorporated against the states - except in the Second Circuit (New York, Connecticut, Vermont). You may be screwed.