It’s About Making Babies!

Jane Galt is exactly right. Jane states that she thinks the immigration reform bill is “dumb as a box of rocks”. I cannot argue with her statement, that this is what she thinks. She explains, “But mostly because I don’t think there’s a huge problem out there needing to be fixed”. I don’t agree, but that doesn’t maker me right, or Jane wrong.

On her blog, “Asymmetrical Information, An opinion-ridden free-for-all“, Jane has stated a strong position on immigration, which Jane considers a libertarian point of view. And she is catching flack, from commenters angry about her views.

With 10 million refugees in our country, we need to count them and account for them. They need security, because we sure as snot don’t want to be creating social predators specializing in illegal refugees. We need to deal with the problem also, to protect Latino citizens, because the brouhaha over illegal immigration is certainly spilling over to legal citizens, as systematic racial bigotry spills over. Regardless of the fact that not all Mexicans, and not all illegal refugees are decendents of plains tribe and other native peoples (Mestizo), the stereotype is part plains tribes.

Instead of building fences, we need to be billing Mexico for expenses by what amounts to special economic agents she has fielded, to the tune of 10-12 million refugees. Many refugees are sending money home, to care for family and to fuel graft and corruption in national and local Mexican governments.

I have seen harsh judgments of employers that hire illegals, or that suspect but refuse to check citizenship. If we want to stop the flood of refugees, we have to reflect a cost to Mexico, instead of letting Mexico continue to plunder her citizens and benefit from money earned by refugees here in the US. First we have to take a strong foreign policy stand, something the White House has refused to consider, to publicize and criticize Mexico for abusing her people to the point of forcing a substantial portion of her population out of their homes and their nation. Stalin made a name for himself killing Russians; look at the vast number of people and families Mexico has displaced — an is still a ‘valued NAFTA’ member and probably ‘most favored nation’ trading party. We need to put an end to that, until the flood of refugees stops.

Corruption and atrocities of Mexican governments and police on her people are well known, documented, and considered so common they are nearly jokes here and in Mexico. Why is Mexico considered ‘civilized’ and eligible for trade status, while continuing to abuse her people? Why aren’t the illegals and their supporters protesting Mexico, and American policy towards Mexico?

I agree with Jane that this immigration bill is a bad approach to the problem. But I think there is a problem, and things that need to be done.

About poor Miss Paris. Angelina on Dustpan Alley is upset about Paris Hilton. Depending on which wave of media hype you listen to, Paris must be the villain of all villains, the poster child of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the biggest corrupter of American Justice since Al Capone. That, or a rich girl doing what her peers do, and bewildered by all the anger. And don’t forget the headline-grabbing judge, micro-managing the county jail and incidentally grabbing a few more front page mentions for himself.

Anyway, Angelina is upset “Like the image of me permanently shackling Paris Hilton to her prison cell.”

Actually, each day we all die, and a new person comes forward. According to my Sunday worship book, anyway.

If Paris thinks her life is over, I say that is good. If her former life of unhealthy behavior, sex for entertainment, being inebriated in public, and living as a symbol of affluence is over, that might be true. If the Paris that emerges builds a new life, instead of returning to her old life, there may be room for some maturity, some social responsibility.

It could happen! Well, I guess it would take a few more seasons in Arkansas to knock the glitter off her .. appendages.

As I followed the story, 40% of those convicted in the county for the jail they sent Paris to, spend about the 4 days Paris spent the first time. That was not special treatment, that was simply an underfunded sheriff’s department trying to move the expense of the media circus off his budget. More than 80% ever serve as much as the 22 days or so Paris is looking at, total. I imagine there is a case to be made that her judge might be open to charges about abuse of office, and at a minimum interfering with administration of the county jail. And let’s see, if Paris spends an extra 18 days, that is 4 offenders that don’t even have to spend their 4 days, and another that only has to spend two. Sounds like a plan to me.

What runs through my mind is not how many days/weeks/years someone spends in jail, but the reason they are there. Parents know that a spank needs to last until you get a change, an acceptance, a release of resistance. The beginnings of change. We don’t do that with prison time. It seems to me that unscrupulous politicians and rabble rousers have grabbed the notion that the more the crime offends them, the more time the criminal should be in jail. We make a little allowance, but allowing ‘time off for good behavior’, I guess assuming that good behavior under supervision means the criminal is now socially responsible and a good citizen.

But what if that happens sooner? What if going behind bars for a day, just the trauma of in-processing, achieves that fundamental acceptance, that change in awareness that makes change possible? Longer time just increases despair, bitterness, and a justified hatred of the judge, the courts, the process — and the intent behind the law. I would have to meet and observe Paris Hilton, to form an opinion whether she had served enough time or not.

I will say, that I think the judge jumping into the sheriff’s procedures, overturning the release to house arrest, amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Completely unwarranted. If Paris had initiated the change from cell time to house arrest, the judge might have held her in contempt. Since no contempt charges were filed, I can only figure the judge meddled. And that meddling was unnecessarily cruel and unwarranted. If the Sheriff hadn’t released her that might be different. Probably the only reason Paris was headed for house arrest instead of outright parole was because of her money and the judge’s shameless publicity seeking.

I might be maligning the judge’s actions and intents, but he sure looks vain, meddlesome, and petty from my seat in Ponca City, OK. I might also be cutting Paris Hilton more slack than she deserves, but I haven’t seen her do anything warranting the hounding and kangaroo-court antics as they have been reported. But then I would require Paris to complete a drivers education course and public service before getting a license to drive. Call me vindictive, too.

I understand Paris is scheduled to give a ‘first interview’, for $1M, the day after her release. I would hope she instead went into retreat for a couple of months, and then let us know how she feels about life, laws, and her experiences. She needs time to decide what parts of her old life to let go, and what she has to build for her new life. And we need to let the flaming media folk *give it a rest*.