Immigration debate has intensified as of late in Phoenix Arizona. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is regarded as the ultimate law enforcement officer when it comes to illegal immigration. This man seems to go above and beyond the call to harass and intimidate and persecute Arizona’s undocumented population. He is scorned by the likes of the ACLU and other civil rights organizations. But he is hailed as a hero by the hard right who believe that the undocumented alien is affecting the quality of life in the Phoenix area.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio likes to brag that he has been reelected five times in Maricopa County. Unfortunately there is a hard-core racist anti-immigrant faction in Arizona as well as other parts of the country that see Sheriff Arpaio as some sort of hero. I have had the opportunity to listen to
Sheriff Arpaio on several occasions on podcasts news programs and each time during interviews he is very recalcitrant, defensive and most importantly an unrepentant oppressor of undocumented aliens in Maricopa County Arizona.

My question is how much longer this will go on? As long as you have a faction of the population who sees this man is eligible for sainthood in his relentless pursuit of undocumented aliens. It appears that Mr. Arpaio has shredded the United States Constitution and thumbed his nose at federal authorities. This is being perceived by most sane people as extreme anti-immigration persecution.

I believe at some point Sheriff Arpaio will be held to account for these racial profiling type raids that he conducts on anyone looking Hispanic or appears to be undocumented. There’ve been countless reports that Sheriff Arpaio and his goon squad kicked down doors hauling off legal residents as well as some undocumented in these raids. Countless people have come forward showing that they are legal residents of Maricopa County and were unfortunate enough to be in the crosshairs of Sheriff Arpaio’s anti-immigrant posse.

At some point Sheriff Arpaio will cross the line and he will be brought to justice are held to account for his actions. Moreover, it will force the Obama administration to look at and review current immigration policy or reform. The dialogue on immigration has taken a backseat to more pressing issues like two wars the economy and health reform. I’m sure sooner or later immigration reform will be brought back to the fore. Ironically, Mr. Arapaio’s parents were both immigrants to this county! Go figure.

In the wake of Judge Sotomayor’s nominations there has been much ado about her qualifications. One sentence from a remark she made about being a Latina having more insight and sensitivity than a white male has caused a firestorm of controversy. Much to the chagrin of the GOP there’s not much dirt they can dig up on this infinitely qualified Supreme Court candidate.

She has a stellar record on the bench and has sided many times with the prosecution on her cases. Yes, she is a liberal but not some crazed radical that will try to make the law from the bench. She has impeccable credentials and a moving American story. Her rise from the projects out of the Bronx to her rise as an Ivy League judge is no small feat and it plays well in the media.

Given the implosion of the GOP and there need to expand the party, they must tread lightly as they contest her nomination. For Obama’s part, he’s not placating Latino’s. He has their support and is not pandering. The GOP has everything to lose if they go after her too aggressively.

It’s interesting that after 111 Supreme Court justices; all of which have been white with the exception of Thurgood Marshal and Clarence Thomas people would balk at this nomination! All the furor of her using her life experiences to render her decision on major cases. What about Chief Justice William Taney, who in the Dred Scott decision wrote a racist opinion stating that a black man had no rights that a white man was bound to respect,!

It seems like now that the pendulum has swung the other way and people of color have a little power folks are having a cow! We are all the sum of our life experiences. We wouldn’t be human if that didn’t enter into the picture. Bottom line, judge Sotomayor is capable and qualified and would serve with honor and distinction. If we look objectively at her experience and qualifications she is more than qualified and would be an excellent choice to the Supreme Court.

President Obama has shown courage and good judgment in her selection. He is a win win situation. His detractors stand much to lose in try to undermine this selection. If the GOP is sincere about winning latino support, they would be well advised to calm down and play nice.

The more vitriol that they spew the more it helps the democrats. The GOP tent is shrinking by leaps and bounds. The Rush Limbaugh’s of the world are only helping the Dem’s cause. They will need a messiah to repair the damage that has been done. Thankfully, we have our own in Barack Obama!

With recession in Japan and the United States and a slowdown in most developed economies, Japanese companies are eager to do business with Latin America. Last year, Japanese trade with the region grew by 15 percent, spurred by a strong increase with Brazil.

“Considering the economic slowdown in advanced countries, but earlier and faster recovery expected in many Latin American emerging markets in the course of 2009, many Japanese companies are interested in Latin America for the potential business opportunities at this moment,” says Ryoji Watanabe, a Latin America researcher at the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro), a government agency that promotes trade and investment. “Japan is also aggressive in expanding its FTA [free trade agreement] networks to the region. We expect that the economic relationship between Latin America and Japan will be further strengthened in 2009.”

Since commodities are the key import from Latin America, their price development will affect the value of imports this year, he adds. Meanwhile, exports to Mexico – a key market for exports – will be affected by the continued U.S. slowdown. “Mexico, with many Japanese electronics and auto factories for U.S. exports, will continue to be severely affected by the slowdown of the U.S. economy,” Watanabe says. “Therefore, the U.S. recovery will be crucial for Japan’s export to the region to grow.”

Last year, total trade with Latin America reached $68.1 billion, a 15.1 percent increase, according to a Latin Business Chronicle analysis of data from Jetro. Japanese exports grew by 16 percent to $40.7 billion, while imports increased by 13.8 percent to $27.4 billion. Japan maintains a strong surplus with Latin America – $13.3 billion.