http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=1024248Peter Heck - Guest Columnist - 5/24/2010 7:35:00 AM
Not long ago, I was witness to some pretty flagrant discrimination. It has taken me awhile to find the courage to speak out about the incident, but in light of what is happening along our southern border in Arizona, I think it's time.
It happened two summers ago when I took my wife to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game. When we arrived, I fully anticipated being able to walk right into the stadium without any harassment or nuisance. Imagine my surprise when I found a walled complex with guards stationed at nearly every entrance. And what do you suppose those guards were doing? They were checking everyone's papers...or "tickets" as they called them. And shockingly, if someone was unable to produce such papers upon demand, they were hatefully turned away.
Looking back, though I was fortunate enough to have brought my papers with me, my conscience should have refused to let me enter that den of discrimination. I should have made a public spectacle and led a march of protest on the Reds' front office. How can this be happening in America?
Believe it or not, the Reds organization has actually condoned this practice of turning away undocumented game attendees. And worse than that, their stated policy requires the immediate ejection of all people who are innocently and peacefully watching the game if they are discovered to be undocumented.
Being the committed proponent of social justice that I am, I wrote a sharply worded email to the commissioner of Major League Baseball, asking him to not only renounce these offensive practices, but to call for all other teams to boycott the Cincinnati Reds until they open their borders and start allowing anyone in to their games who wants to come in.
Shockingly, no such boycott will be forthcoming. And why? Apparently the commissioner feels the Cincinnati policy is appropriate. His reasons – get this – were that without ticketing their events and enforcing their rules with security guards, the Reds' organization would be endangering their fans and players, and would suffer economically...to the point of collapse! How ridiculous! Let's take these one at a time.
How could anyone honestly allege that removing security guards at the perimeter of their complex is endangering fans? Oh, I suppose you could make the silly argument that someone might smuggle a weapon or bomb in, or that unscrupulous rabble rousers could make mischief in the stands...but how likely is that? In a major American city? It's a chance in a million.
Do we really want to exchange our right to free entertainment for a quiet, respectful stadium? Of course not. The mere presence of these gun-toting intimidators is an affront to our civil liberties. It opens up the possibility that they will unfairly profile the shady-looking character with no ticket, a trench coat and a bulging backpack. And if there's one thing that we all should demand, it's that those kind of individuals not be inconvenienced by having to show ID, open their coat and reveal the contents of their bags. What makes them any more suspicious than an elderly season-ticket holder?
And even more outrageous than the supposed need for security is the economic argument. Is the commissioner seriously suggesting that there would be any negative financial consequences to a ballclub that allowed thousands of people to walk into their games without purchasing a ticket? The next thing you know, he'll be proposing that people be forced to pay for the various amenities the park has to offer – like concessions, memorabilia and game-day programs. Are these not basic human rights to which all people – those with papers and those without – are simply entitled to?
As disconcerting as this experience has been for me, at least there's reason for hope. President Obama has taken a clear and uncompromising position on this type of Naziesque behavior, condemning the entire state of Arizona for their outrageous expectation that people follow the rules. "We are not defined by our borders," the President has declared. And as always, Mr. Obama practices what he preaches.
Remember the warm and jovial reaction he and his staff had when the Salahi couple crashed the White House party earlier in his term? When it was uncovered that this pair didn't have the legal documentation to be at the event, the President's staff quickly laughed it off and put an end to all security screenings and ticket-checking.
Some will say, "But Peter, the President's secret service and the Reds security staff aren't unlawfully discriminating, they are simply doing their job to protect the innocent." To that I simply point to Arizona and say, "Exactly."
Topic: No more borders, please! (Read 1119 times)