Because letting them in is just not enough

Read this article and literally feel your blood pressure increase. Yesterday I read the first notice of a Marine's (and his girl friend's) death (after suriving a tour in Iraq) at the hands of a drunk driver with a hispanic surname. At the time, I sarcastically stated to DH Jeff that the killer was probably an illegal. And I was right (but, heck, we love all our hard-working, law-abiding, brown peasant-serfs, and besides they're a protected class nowadays).

But there's even more fun in this story! Turns out that this menace had been charged with drunken driving earlier this year, but the Howard County cops evidently couldn't find their way out of a jar. Read on:

Morales-Soriano then refused to take a breath test, which should have led to the suspension of his license for 120 days. But the police accidentally gave Morales-Soriano all the copies of the form that was supposed to have been sent to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration to begin the suspension, McCrone said. (WaPo, 11/30/06)

Uh-huh. So, the perp who should not have been in this country AT ALL to begin with, is issued a valid driver's license, drives drunk, gets off scott-free because of the cops lack of evidence and gets behind the wheel drunk, AGAIN, to murder some law-abiding Americans (not to mention, a serviceman). Why not? I doubt it would deter this guy if he didn't have a valid driver's license. But it gets better:

Police said Morales-Soriano's blood alcohol level was four times the legal limit when he slammed into the back of the car carrying the couple. (WaPo, 11/30/06)

What's the legal alcohol limit? Since I don't have a car, the distinctions are sort of academic, but for the sake of our little consideration here, let's say the limit is .08 and then times that by four, which is .32!!! Even I know that's falling down drunk.

I wonder if this damn illegal will even serve any time before they [maybe] deport him or more likely, just release him into our public again. Expect more of this sort of thing, since there don't seem to be any negative consequences to be suffered. And, we can count on the total incompetence of the folks whose job it is to serve and protect US.

PS: I thoughtlessly forgot to give a hat tip to the place I found this article, The Stein Report, which has daily links to immigration-related articles. Dan Stein is from FAIR, Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group working actively for better (by which I mean tighter, more effective, border-controlling) immigration policies. Check out The Stein Report - very good!

Technorati topics: immigration

Our tax dollars hard at work???

Evidently, the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) "lost track of" 111,000 citizenship applicant background files...but continued to make citizenship decisions (some affirmative) on applications, that is, without having reviewed the pertinent background information. Read the whole frightening, dismaying story here.

So, we're paying taxes to support this agency's work, which is supposed to be about carefully regulating the quality of those they grant citizenship, yet clearly flying blind to the tune of 100,000 applications. That the GAO has found out about. Plus these folks are so incompetent, that historically, officers haven't even noted in applications if this background file has been reviewed. Evidently, it's just been assumed.

FYI, the GAO (Government Accountability Office - I know, I know, think of the jokes) initiated this investigation/review of the USCIS after an applicant with known and noted ties to Hezbollah was granted citizenship. Wow. I really feel so safe and glad that I'm flushing my tax dollars down the toilet.

As a side note, I went to the USCIS web site and found this warning (emphasis mine):

USCIS Warns of Potential For Immigration Fraud
Although Congress has been debating immigration legislation, all customers should be advised that currently no temporary worker program exists for aliens unlawfully present in the United States. Congress has not passed any legislation that would create a temporary worker program. Therefore, there are no benefits currently available because this program does not exist. Customers should not pay any fees or fines to any person or organization claiming they can help apply for or receive benefits for a temporary worker program. Be wary of persons or organizations that claim they can assist in applying for benefits that do not exist.

I was actually wondering if the warning was intended for applicants or employees.

A little rant from my mom...

...on a subject that pops up (oops!) from time to time.

TO ALL GOOD MOMS ALL OVER THE USA!

I am SICK and TIRED of listening/looking at all these damn programs about the latest complaint~~

BREAST-FEEDING

What in the world is all the fuss about???? For that matter, what is wrong with the USA??!!??

I mean, REALLY!! To be complaining about mothers breast-feeding on airplanes~~or anywhere else, for that matter. BIG DEAL!

Let me tell you a few facts from first-hand experience:

1. When a mom is ready to breast-feed, it is because of nature/baby's schedule. Mom knows it's time, because her breast are full and ready to "explode", AND are hurting terribly.

2. Baby also know his/her's schedule and is looking for food~~they aren't going to wait for the "right" place or circumstance. IT'S TIME!! DAH!!!!

3. Mom's pain relief comes when she is able to nurse, regardless of where she is. But still..., at the beginning, it is no fun and games for mom. Let me reassure you, It is painful and uncomfortable. Most moms do it because they feel that it is most beneficial to their child.

BUT..., In all these TV programs I've seen so far, they have failed to inform the public of the above~~three very important factors. This is all very natural and a wonderful thing, I might add, to both mom and baby. The bonding and the nutrition is NO comparison to "the bottle."

I've breast-fed you Renee [this author], on air-liners~~Japan to USA~~that was in 1966-67. Nobody complained, and no one even noticed! On top of all this, the air attendants were most helpful! Furthermore, I also breast-fed your brothers, thereafter, AND I'm one proud mom!! I might add, it was done in good taste and complete discretion.

BTW: Where are the protesters/complainers who think this is soooo terrible, but who most probably/likely frequent the "go-go" night clubs, where women are either dancing with all their breast hanging, and/or serving drinks plus??!!??

Last week, flying from LA to SA, I noted some mom's breast-feeding at the airports~~a "sit-in." At the time, I didn't know what was going on, OR I would have said, "what are you doing there, sitting on the floor!! Please get up and take my seat."

Down the toilet...

...our country goes. I really hate to say it, but I TOLD YOU SO. Heather Mac Donald at City Journal has a very disturbing (albeit not surprising) piece on the little Hispanic breeders and what this means for us. Do check out the whole thing while I go cry.

Hat tip to, well, Heather Mac Donald at the Immigration Blog.

Oh, for your reading despair, here are a couple of choice quotes from the article:

Hispanics now dominate the federal Women, Infants, and Children free food program; Hispanic enrollment grew over 25 percent from 1996 to 2002, while black enrollment dropped 12 percent and white enrollment dropped 6.5 percent. Illegal immigrants can get WIC and other welfare programs for their American-born children. If Congress follows President Bush’s urging and grants amnesty to most of the 11 million illegal aliens in the country today, expect the welfare rolls to skyrocket as the parents themselves become eligible.

and:

But it’s the fertility surge among unwed Hispanics that should worry policymakers. Hispanic women have the highest unmarried birthrate in the country—over three times that of whites and Asians, and nearly one and a half times that of black women, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Every 1,000 unmarried Hispanic women bore 92 children in 2003 (the latest year for which data exist), compared with 28 children for every 1,000 unmarried white women, 22 for every 1,000 unmarried Asian women, and 66 for every 1,000 unmarried black women. Forty-five percent of all Hispanic births occur outside of marriage, compared with 24 percent of white births and 15 percent of Asian births. Only the percentage of black out-of-wedlock births—68 percent—exceeds the Hispanic rate. But the black population is not going to triple over the next few decades.

and:

A case manager at a program for pregnant homeless women in the city of Orange observes the same acculturation to the social-services sector, with its grievance mongering and sense of victimhood. “I’ll have women in my office on their fifth child, when the others have already been placed in foster care,” says Anita Berry of Casa Teresa. “There’s nothing shameful about having multiple children that you can’t care for, and to be pregnant again, because then you can blame the system.”

Technorati topics: immigration

CSI - compelling, but not really all that balanced

Last night I was watching some episodes of the sixth season of CSI (the original, Las Vegas show - the others are crap), provided to me by DH Jeff. This one episode involved an organization that matched unused frozen embryos (from fertility clinics and such) to women willing to have the embryos implanted and carry them to term - i.e., adopt them. Kathryn Willows, upon meeting the head of this organization, proceeds to brow beat her with what the [Catholic] church has in the far past considered "life," i.e., way past fertilization. I thought, geeze, they're usually a bit more balanced in these shows than that...then I remembered that Law and Order (Fox) usually provides a more balanced view of various issues - not CSI (CBS). Aha.

First, if she were a real investigator, Willows would have been way out of line - her job is to get information regarding her investigation - not antagonize those with whom she disagrees (especially if she expects them to cooperate with her). Second, she then justifies her actions (huffily) to Grissom, stating how pro-choice she is (i.e., as a progressive, liberated woman, she had no choice but to brow beat the head of this backward-thinking and dangerous organization). Um, huh?

Here's what it comes down to: anyone who considers an embryo (or for that matter, any fetus who hasn't fully gestated) worthy of protection, or any consideration at all besides medical experimentation, is dangerous because this may abridge women's "right" to abort at any time for any reason. Now, this reminds me of the NOW (I think) chapter who objected to the legislation that considered a fetus murdered as a result of fatal violence done to his/her mother (re: Connor Peterson), i.e., a double homicide.

One must wonder what these folks are smoking to object to either situation. But you & I both know the rationale. Sad.

Technorati topics: entertainment, abortion

Movie Review: Harsh Times

This weekend I saw the movie Harsh Times, starring Christian Bale, who looks hot and buff (and not emaciated like in The Machinist). But, ok, how did I feel about this movie…? Bale gave his usual intensity to the part of an Army Ranger returning from Afghanistan a changed man – and not for the better. Good supporting performance by Freddy Rodriguez as his old buddy from the ‘hood. But…I didn’t like the movie. Why? Hmmm. Maybe because I’ve seen Bale in other “man-on-the-edge” roles in other movies that were a lot better. Like American Psycho. In that, Bale actually brought humor to a really extreme role (that I understand didn’t originally call for humor). Maybe because his performance in this movie, although good, seemed a little forced, as noted by a reviewer on this site. Maybe because for a film on the cusp of two hours, it seemed to go on and on without a real point. This is definitely a one-time view.

If you like Christian Bale, I’d recommend some other of his films besides those mentioned above:

Reign of Fire (about the takeover of dragons)
Equilibrium (dystopic future)
Batman Begins (you know what this is about)

Tell me this: how come British and Aussie actors have no problem with the American accent, but we have few who can pull off a British/Aussi accent? What’s up with that?

Technorati topics: entertainment

Oooh, this is good one!

Ahem, do any of you remember when Jeff & I got married & I said, "it's so easy & cheap to get married in Arlington?" Well...top story on the front page of the Post this morning is about a huge wedding scam perp'd by illegal Ghanians marrying U.S. citizens. And where was the hot spot for this scam? Why Arlington Country Courthouse, the same place where we got our marriage license & eventually our marriage certificate. Some alert clerks noticed funny behavior in license applicants - such as not even sitting with their intended or appearing distant to same. Then started noticing those same couples returning shortly for divorces - including paperwork with the same mistakes as others. Hmmm. Provocative. Evidently, not only State but Federal gov't got involved in catching these guys & prosecuting (which is ongoing at this moment). This surprises me to no end as I know (and have stated on this site) that Arlington is soft on immigration law enforcement.

This quote says it all:

"Along the East Coast and all the way to West Africa,...the word had spread: If you are in the United States illegally, go to Arlington. It's easy to get married in Virginia, because marriage laws are relatively lax." (WaPo, 11/13/06, pA1)

Yeh. Well, I guess Ghanians are "bad" illegals and the hordes of hispanics are "good" illegals? No?

Technorati topics: immigration

Shopping with Marilyn Manson...[warning: profanity & despair!]

...is a good way to tolerate the vast number of boneheads and humanoid cockroaches at Whole Foods this Sunday morning...although frankly, if I had waited until say 4pm, the vast number would have increased by a factor of ten. Would you NOT leave your cart smack in the middle of the aisle when you KNOW that you're not the only shopper at this time? Ditto the stroller with your "beloved" offspring? Please pick a direction! And no paying by checks, mkay? Kindly drag your sorry, confused ass into the 21st century - it's called "plastic." It chafes less, you see. Ok, I wasn't REALLY shopping with Marilyn Manson, but he was singing profanities in my ears (yes, I hear voices in stereo! Ok, that's a little nod to the movie Copy Cat, in case you didn't catch it).

I'm SO TIRED of everything:

- school - I'm sick of studying, so very sick & tired and as usual, wondering if any of the time, effort & mostly money is worth it. And it's going at such a glacial pace!

- work - glad to have my job, just not very motivated - and did I mention that it exhausts me? And not in a good way.

- my need for continuous work - i'm pretty much at the point where I'm just going to get a full-time, regular job & continue on at said glacial pace with my education (that is, part-time), or change majors to accounting - at a cheaper school (still at said glacial pace). Gaack. I'm such a rebel. I bet you were thinking - thank God! She's finally turning to a life of crime! Maybe now she'll be interesting!

- My 40-year-old body (Yes! 40! I'm now officially middle-aged!) - so far it's biologically hanging together pretty well despite the alcohol and saturated fats (and hydrogenated foods! can't forget the hydrogenation!) I've imposed upon it. That said, if i'm not going to have any children, my body had better start looking spectacular. No, don't placate me with oh, you look fine. "Fine" just doesn't cut it.

- Meaningless honor societies - I mean, at the last ceremony we were told that much is expected of us - to which I respond [in my head] you mean more than superior grades, a truck-load of money surrendered to this institution and no guarantee of meaningful employment afterward? Did I mention the horrendous two semesters spent in a class wherein the professor (yes! a full PhD!) was completely incompetent? And employment in the field only if I expend a lavish amount of time & energy (lavish because I don't have it) applying and interviewing and showing enthusiam for a job that will involve a significant pay cut just to get my feet wet? Just cut the crap & give me money so I can finish this fucking degree, already. I forked over $35 for the particular honor of listening to that & receiving a crummy certificate in the mail that they couldn't manage to actually package properly - so it was crumpled.

- illegals & their little helpers. in our government(s). - Although I've always had a particular hostility for the open-borders crew on the left, I reserve my truly quality fury for those who call themselves "conservatives" and "Republicans" -and who not only DO NOTHING to resolve the issue, but actively encourage it. Who sign bills that are worse than nothing. Who hamstring any efforts to stop illegal immigration, and demonize those who do do make legitimate efforts in that direction. But, you know, I live a Arlington County, Virginia, which has a motto of "Never an illegal we didn't love and abett," and thus, when I went into Macy's (former Hecht Co.) to do some power shopping (I succeeded at that) - all I heard was Spanish. Except for the token English-speaker, who was mercifully a native-speaker & also strangely well-versed in customer service. I think he was a replicant. So unseemly.

- fat people who think I need to see their stomach rolls. hanging out between their clothes parts. or brazenly displayed with a bare midriff (not joking). or ass cellulite vividly outlined through those off-white stretch pants. who are STANDING right in the middle of the metro escalator, blocking any movement past.

- Chortling Democrats & their chortling (DC) newspaper of record (Washington Post, duh) - just normally - but especially after the Dem win of House & Senate. Keep in mind, folks, that lots of real conservatives were pissed off at those weren't real & decided to teach them a lesson. at all of our expense. thanks. but, more to the point - this cannot be taken as a sign that America has turned liberal, morons, so don't get too excited.

- Islamists & all their widdle supporters. There's always some Moslem who's getting sparked up about something and killing someone (nuns, film-makers, Israelis, etc, etc), blowing up discos, supermarkets, public transportation, flying into buildings, burning cars, performing essential honor killings of their females (not to mention everything else that is imposed on said females), cowing Westerners by their violence, etc, etc. First, I don't care about your religion or your widdle feelings about it. Second, the West should get some gonads asap and put you down like the rabid dogs you are before we're in real trouble. Mkay? So, actually, Islamists, this isn't about you - it's about us & how we will overcome you and anyone who threatens our existence.

Basically, all this is just saying I'm fed up with my life & my total lack of clarity about where I'm going except it can't be more of the same. Also, my DH Jeff is away and I miss him - so there.

I could go on, but I gotta go study some more. Gaack.

Technorati topics: mental breakdown, islam, politics, manners, immigration