You are here: Home / Archives for Ethics

In the Nationwide Immigration argument, Where is Amnesty International?

June 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

Posted 11/21/11

 

A few weeks ago I joined Amnesty international in order to connect with the part of their organization that was dealing with the immigration issue in the United States. I didn’t find much. I had to really search their website to find even an article on the subject. I guess the treatment of illegal immigrants in the United States doesn’t quite rank up there with the personal freedom abuses in other countries.

 

But why is that? Aren’t the numbers good enough? The entire hispanic population of the states with the harshest laws, Gerogia; Alabama; Arizona; South Carolina; and Florida is greater than some other nation’s entire populationthat prominently display the support of Amnesty International. And the Show me your papers or get arrested laws they have recently pushed forward not only affects the hispanic population in their respective states, both legal and not, but as we’ve recently seen with the arrest of the Mercedez Benz executive, the harrassment affects anyone pulled over for any reason

 

Maybe it’s not enough of a social injustice cause? We have politicians getting removed from office for sponsoring bills that invade the freedoms of the people in our country, and others apologizing for their mistake of voting for it so they don’t get removed as well. We have many people referring to the infamous Jim Crow laws when talking about the abuses of a minority in this country. And once again the 16th Street Baptist Church, a famous civil rights symbol from the 1960’s is making the news as politicians meet there to discuss Alabama’s new immigration law. I think that makes a civil rights statement that pretty much everybody understands.

 

Many other organizations, both large and small have lent their voices to the cause of how immigrants are being treated in this country as well. The ACLU along with a coalition of HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS is challenging South Carolina’s immigration law and the National Immigration Law Center has produced a 30 page report accusing government officials of pressuring illegal immigrants to accept quick deportation by threatening long detention if they stayed to fight their case.

 

So I would just like to know what it takes for Amnesty International to put some muscle behind this issue?

Filed Under: Ethics, immigrants, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

What Apple Computers problem with Mike Daisey has to do with our Immigration conundrum

May 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

I have been a big proponent of Amnesty for our immigrants in the country illegally. My reason has always been, “We knew they were here, we bought products made, harvested, delivered by them. We enjoyed many services they provided us and not once did we take a stand and boycott a company because we were getting a good price because of immigrant labor. We are complicit in this whole problem. Our immigration debacle exists solely because of our demand for good prices and the governments inability to create systems to allow our industries to get the labor they need legally. Because of our participation, no, our creation of this problem, we owe it to the immigrants to create a system where they can stay here legally.

 

A recent interview by two reporters discussing the recent Mike Daisey fiasco makes this point very well. Ira Glass from “This American Life” that broke the false story about Apple Computers, and later retracted it, speaks with Charles Duhigg of the New York Times. 1

 

“Charles Duhigg: … do you feel comfortable knowing that iPhones and iPads and, and other products could be manufactured in less harsh conditions, but that these harsh conditions and perpetuate because of an
economy that you are supporting with your dollars.
Ira Glass: Right. I am the direct beneficiary of those harsh conditions.
Charles Duhigg: You’re not only the direct beneficiary; you are actually one of the reasons why it exists. If you made different choices, if you demanded different conditions, if you demanded that other people enjoy the same work protections that you yourself enjoy, then, then those conditions would be different overseas.”

 

 

We are not only the beneficiaries of illegal labor, But we are the reason it exists in the first place. If we would have demanded the U.S. Government get us the labor we needed to supply us with the labor that affords us this lifestyle, we would not have this problem today.

 

Picking on the immigrant and trying to put all the blame on them for this situation would be the same as putting the blame of poor working conditions in China on the laborers themselves. (had there really been poor working conditions) Amnesty or a Pardon, or whatever you want to call it, is really the only honorable way out of this mess. It’s time to stop picking on the worker and take responsibility for this mess, and fix it before it gets any worse.

 

 

 

1 You can read the whole story here   http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/18/apple-and-the-daisey-affair/?hpt=hp_t3

Filed Under: Business, Economy, Employment, Ethics Tagged With: ,