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Hackers target Arizona cops - for the wrong reason by Jay Knott (06/24/11)       ⇌ (Israel and the US)       

The Lulzsec hacker group have released a tranche of secret documents from the Arizona police, because they oppose Arizona's immigration policies. Yes, they think these policies are racist because they target Mexicans rather than Finns.

Like many geeks, their understanding of the real world is limited.

In the first place, the police don't carry out immigration policy. They can't just stop someone on the street because they look like a poor Mexican and therefore might be an illegal immigrant. They have to justify their actions in court.

Secondly, illegal immigrants are a major part of the US economy. This is why they are tolerated, and why the federal government overruled Arizona. Materialist explanations don't lead to moralist solutions. 

Thirdly, the documents the hackers published "primarily related to border patrol and counter-terrorism operations and describe the use of informants to infiltrate various gangs, cartels, motorcycle clubs, Nazi groups, and protest movements". That's quite a range of targets. Surely the issue is the creeping politicization of police power, more than the alleged harassment of immigrants. If their targets include bikers, Nazis and leftists, how are the police being 'racist' as the hackers claim? The police are as prone to excesses resulting from anti-fascist as from fascist politics.

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2081427/lulzsec-releases-arizona-police-files

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Hackers target far-right website and urge us to 'confront the scumbags' who agree with it (02/01/12) by Jay Knott:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/01/bnp-emails-far-right-anonymous