I happened to be watching Rachael Maddow's show on MSNBC Monday night and naturally my interest peaked when she introduced viewers to the man who she said wrote the Arizona law that allows police officers to ask for legal papers from suspected illegal immigrants.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the law Friday and ever since the state has been subject to ridicule by immigration reform advocates, protests from Mexicans and sanctions from Mexican businessmen shipping supplies into the state.
What Maddow reported may well be true for the most part but linking the bill's alleged author as some right-wing nut likely was a step too far.
He is Kris Kobach, 43, an attorney who has done work for the Federation For American Immigration Reform (FAIR) which she described as a far-right racist organization. Kobach is currently running for Kansas secretary of state.
I can't vouch for FAIR's dubious credentials as Maddow described them. I suggest you first see the video of Maddow's segment on the Arizona law.
In that video she refers to Kobach boasting his authorship of the law on his website. That is not true. What she referred to in fact was a website of the Wichita Eagle. The poltical blog wrote:
"Kris Kobach, the University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor who hopes to win the Kansas secretary of state seat this year, got a big victory in Arizona. Kobach helped write the landmark, though misguided, legislation to turn immigration offenses into state crimes, including giving police powers to stop and arrest undocumented residents. The Republican governor is expected to sign the bill. The Association of Chiefs of Police opposes it; Chris Newman, legal director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, said that “anyone who looks Latino or has an accent can be swept up, arrested and detained while their immigration status is verified.” Kobach told Time: “There are some things that states can do and some that states can’t do, but this law threads the needle perfectly.”
I believe Maddow does a service exposing websites to the sometimes devious creatures supporting them. But, in the case of Arizona law SB 1070 that successful plaintiffs can be reimbursed for court costs and attorney fees does not mean that FAIR would benefit as she alleges.
The FAIR website has no reference to Kobach. Kobac's website has no mention of affiliation with FAIR.
As much as I dislike the Draconian law in Arizona, I think it would be fair on Maddow's part to seek Kobach out and put him on her show. I would like to hear his view on the law, not her spin.
Readers comments are welcome as long as they remain civil. We reserve the right to delete any comments that are vulgar, libelous and totally irrelevant to this posting. -- Jer
5 comments:
Kris Kobach is affiliated with FAIR's legal arm - Immigration Refornm Law Institute (IRLI). This is the entry from their website:
Of Counsel Kris. W. Kobach is IRLI's national expert on constitutional law. B.A., Government, Harvard, Ph.D., Political Science, Oxford University, J.D., Yale. Mr. Kobach is a Professor of Law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. During 2001-2003, he served as counsel to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. He was the attorney general's chief advisor on immigration law.
http://www.irli.org/attorneys.html
also check this from February:
Fox 10 News has posted a 13 minute interview that reporter Steve Krafft recently did with nativist law prof Kris Kobach, the guy who'll be "training" all 881 of Sheriff Joe's gendarmes on immigration law. It's an interesting watch, if only to take note of some of Kobach's disingenuous replies to Krafft's inquiries.
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/bastard/2010/02/joe_arpaios_new_lawyer_kris_ko.php
And this from ADL:
ADL Denounces Sheriff's Choice of Kris Kobach to Train Deputies on Immigration Law
http://www.adl.org/PresRele/CvlRt_32/5706_32.htm
He was on Fox this morning taking credit for this nightmare.What is with Kansas anyways.They export those christianist nutcases to soldiers funerals and now this guy.Do you deny he or organizations tied with him gets money from these right wing anti-white people groups?
No. As the evidence unravels, Kobach is retained to instruct Arizona law enforcement personnel on arrest procedures. I doubt his outside activities will continue if he is elected secretary of state. I still think Maddow's link of Kobach making money off the law as hired legal counsel in pending law suits is unfair. The reimbursement of court and attorney fees is standard practice.
(Editor's Note -- This was sent by my brother, who rather than speaking for himself, attached a circulating Internet emailer making the rounds of people who support the Arizona law).
My comment on the following: This bill is overdue - we have been apathetic for far too long – even those here illegally have become complacent over the years.
You can say anything you want about Arizona's new law, but this is the way these bastards treat OUR country. I'm for that law and all that BS about picture IDs, have you visited your doctor, pharmacist, bank for a loan, asked for a new license, registered your car, got stopped by a police man, gone abroad with out your passport, had something noterized, etc.? The only thing we do not show our driver license for is when WE VOTE! Isn't that interesting. That is why our government is so corrupt. I believe my father & mother are still voting. He's dead over 50 years, died in Jersey City, NJ and Mom is dead 19 years. She died in Hackensack, NJ. You think the Dems in Jersey are not corrupt?
Hi Jerry: I work with the Rachel Maddow Show-- just wanted to respond to your post here: http://themoderatevoice.com/70481/arizona-law-author-not-as-portrayed-by-rachael-maddow/ about last night's segment on Kris Kobach and Arizona immigration reform.
Kris Kobach's bio is here:
http://www.irli.org/attorneys.html
Of Counsel Kris. W. Kobach is IRLI's national expert on constitutional law. B.A., Government, Harvard, Ph.D., Political Science, Oxford University, J.D., Yale. Mr. Kobach is a Professor of Law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. During 2001-2003, he served as counsel to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. He was the attorney general's chief advisor on immigration law.
FAIR refers to IRLI as their legal affiliate, and takes credit for helping to draft the language in the Arizona immigration law here:
http://www.fairus.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=22725&security=1601&news_iv_ctrl=1741
FAIR's legal affiliate, the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) assisted Senator Pearce in drafting the language of SB1070.
I thought you may want to see that, and update your post to reflect it. Thanks so much, and thank you for watching the show.
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