I'm sure this is all over the blogosphere, but HELL... it's like a new world order, 1984 without the snappy attempts to remake English. This is doubleplus ungood.
************************************\
POT AND DEPORTATION
A Catalina High School student was busted for possession of marijuana at school last week. When police and the boy's parents showed up, the parents admitted the whole family immigrated to the U.S. illegally.
Police called Border Patrol, which they say is standard procedure. The teen, his brother and both parents have now been deported.
Tuesday the boy's friends at Catalina High School took to the streets, angry at the way it all went down.
They marched from the high school to downtown Tucson in protest.
Over the several mile walk, they march, chant and carry protest signs in support of a classmate sent back to Mexico.
"Yeah it makes me mad," says student Erick Quintero.
"We're protesting because they took one of our classmates," says student Joddy Borrego.
TUSD superintendent Roger Pfueffer says he planned to talk with TPD about what happened.
"The police are required to enforce laws, but we're asking immigration laws be not enforced on our campuses," Pfueffer says.
Border patrol says it doesn't raid schools or churches, but if another law enforcement agency calls, they respond and enforce the law.
"In this instance we were called to assist TPD who were in the presence of the first young man," says Border Patrol Agent Richard DeWitt.
TPD says it's looking at changing its policy where it would still contact Border Patrol but would not ask the federal agency to respond to a school.
"I really need to emphasize we didn't not go out there looking to enforce illegal immigration issues. We were there because criminal activity on the part of the juvenile we took proper action, followed our policies," says TPD Assistant Chief Roberto Villasenor.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Tom "Bust em all now!" Tancredo strikes again...
Tancredo being... well, Tancredo
Well, let us not in the days of wonder forget ol' Tom "Turncoat" Tancredo, he of the virulent anti-immigrant stance. Polling no doubt in the low negatives for the GOP, he unleashed the following move:
Candidate Calls for Raid on Immigration Bill Event
By JULIA PRESTON NYTImes
Published: October 24, 2007
Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, a Republican presidential candidate whose fierce opposition to illegal immigration is the center of his campaign, contacted the immigration service yesterday demanding that agents raid a senator’s news conference.
The afternoon event on Capitol Hill was held by Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois and the leading sponsor of a bill that would give legal status to illegal immigrants who are high school graduates, if they attend college or serve in the United States military for two years. The bill is scheduled to come up for an important procedural vote in the Senate this morning.
Mr. Tancredo announced yesterday morning that he had contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency, calling for the arrest of illegal immigrants he said would attend the news conference.
“If we can’t enforce our laws inside the building where American laws are made, where can we enforce them?” Mr. Tancredo said in a statement.
Participating in the news conference were three immigrant students who would benefit if Mr. Durbin’s legislation passed; two were born in Germany, and one was from Costa Rica. All were in the United States on temporary legal status, said Joe Shoemaker, Mr. Durbin’s spokesman.
Mr. Shoemaker said the senator was surprised and offended by Mr. Tancredo’s effort.
“Congressman, have you no shame?” Mr. Durbin said in a statement, indirectly comparing Mr. Tancredo to Senator Joseph McCarthy and his anti-communist hearings in the 1950s.
A spokeswoman for the immigration agency, Kelly Nantel, confirmed that officials had received a letter from Mr. Tancredo and were reviewing it. She said the agency took no action yesterday.
***********************************
Now Goddess only knows what he would say if it WASN'T an election cycle. Of course, when isn't it an election cycle. This pedacito de mierda del GOP truly stuns in his capacity for vileness. He manages to simplify immigration and citizenship to a tiny core of xenophobic hate. The son of an orphaned Italian immigrant, Tancredo has been oddly dismissive of his background in terms of his immigration stance:
"Representative Tom Tancredo, Republican of Colorado, one of the fiercest critics of efforts to legalize immigrants, said his orphaned father was about 11 when he arrived at Ellis Island from Italy around the turn of the 20th century and made his way to the Rocky Mountains.
Mr. Tancredo pondered a bit when asked whether his immigrant background had played a role in shaping his views. Then he thought back to his mother's parents, also from Italy.
"I certainly think back on the fact that their greatest desire was to be Americanized," Mr. Tancredo said. "This desire to cut with the old and attach to the new, speak English, stuff like that. If there was anything, maybe that was an influence."
STUFF LIKE THAT?
Ay, que pendejismo....
Well, let us not in the days of wonder forget ol' Tom "Turncoat" Tancredo, he of the virulent anti-immigrant stance. Polling no doubt in the low negatives for the GOP, he unleashed the following move:
Candidate Calls for Raid on Immigration Bill Event
By JULIA PRESTON NYTImes
Published: October 24, 2007
Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, a Republican presidential candidate whose fierce opposition to illegal immigration is the center of his campaign, contacted the immigration service yesterday demanding that agents raid a senator’s news conference.
The afternoon event on Capitol Hill was held by Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois and the leading sponsor of a bill that would give legal status to illegal immigrants who are high school graduates, if they attend college or serve in the United States military for two years. The bill is scheduled to come up for an important procedural vote in the Senate this morning.
Mr. Tancredo announced yesterday morning that he had contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency, calling for the arrest of illegal immigrants he said would attend the news conference.
“If we can’t enforce our laws inside the building where American laws are made, where can we enforce them?” Mr. Tancredo said in a statement.
Participating in the news conference were three immigrant students who would benefit if Mr. Durbin’s legislation passed; two were born in Germany, and one was from Costa Rica. All were in the United States on temporary legal status, said Joe Shoemaker, Mr. Durbin’s spokesman.
Mr. Shoemaker said the senator was surprised and offended by Mr. Tancredo’s effort.
“Congressman, have you no shame?” Mr. Durbin said in a statement, indirectly comparing Mr. Tancredo to Senator Joseph McCarthy and his anti-communist hearings in the 1950s.
A spokeswoman for the immigration agency, Kelly Nantel, confirmed that officials had received a letter from Mr. Tancredo and were reviewing it. She said the agency took no action yesterday.
***********************************
Now Goddess only knows what he would say if it WASN'T an election cycle. Of course, when isn't it an election cycle. This pedacito de mierda del GOP truly stuns in his capacity for vileness. He manages to simplify immigration and citizenship to a tiny core of xenophobic hate. The son of an orphaned Italian immigrant, Tancredo has been oddly dismissive of his background in terms of his immigration stance:
"Representative Tom Tancredo, Republican of Colorado, one of the fiercest critics of efforts to legalize immigrants, said his orphaned father was about 11 when he arrived at Ellis Island from Italy around the turn of the 20th century and made his way to the Rocky Mountains.
Mr. Tancredo pondered a bit when asked whether his immigrant background had played a role in shaping his views. Then he thought back to his mother's parents, also from Italy.
"I certainly think back on the fact that their greatest desire was to be Americanized," Mr. Tancredo said. "This desire to cut with the old and attach to the new, speak English, stuff like that. If there was anything, maybe that was an influence."
STUFF LIKE THAT?
Ay, que pendejismo....
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Sunspots anger China! And fluffy puppies... heh
No offense to the Chinese people, but their government just seems to be the biggest bunch of dopes (ok, ours seem to be too)... among other things, including human rights abuses, environmental terrorism, and incredibly cheesy communist propaganda, there is THIS
Our Fearless Leader met recently with the Dalai Lama, which angered China. His Holiness was awarded the Congressional Gold medal, which angered China. He was well-received in DC, which angered China. Sunspot activity was abnormal yesterday, which angered China.
"The Dalai Lama is in Washington for a week of festivities, including receiving the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony Wednesday at the Capitol and delivering a speech on the Capitol lawn. Bush said he would participate in the award ceremony in his first public appearance with the Dalai Lama during this visit."
What, exactly, has this man done to anger China's government? Other than insist on Tibetan autonomy, not much. Except EVERYTHING seems to anger the Chinese government. It is unfortunate, of course, that we're sucking so hard on the Chinese trade tit that we now seem like a bunch of hypocritical imbeciles when we try to placate Chinese "anger".
If they were constantly that angry, the government of China would have had a heart attack by now. Or at least be on statin drugs.
Can't wait to see what the Olympics in Beijing will bring!
Our Fearless Leader met recently with the Dalai Lama, which angered China. His Holiness was awarded the Congressional Gold medal, which angered China. He was well-received in DC, which angered China. Sunspot activity was abnormal yesterday, which angered China.
"The Dalai Lama is in Washington for a week of festivities, including receiving the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony Wednesday at the Capitol and delivering a speech on the Capitol lawn. Bush said he would participate in the award ceremony in his first public appearance with the Dalai Lama during this visit."
What, exactly, has this man done to anger China's government? Other than insist on Tibetan autonomy, not much. Except EVERYTHING seems to anger the Chinese government. It is unfortunate, of course, that we're sucking so hard on the Chinese trade tit that we now seem like a bunch of hypocritical imbeciles when we try to placate Chinese "anger".
If they were constantly that angry, the government of China would have had a heart attack by now. Or at least be on statin drugs.
Can't wait to see what the Olympics in Beijing will bring!
Monday, October 08, 2007
Amasando la masa
Tortillas de harinaI had an odd moment of either inhuman awareness or understanding this morning. I think it might be speaking to modern ethnic/ gender relations, but I'm not sure...
Yesterday, I had my significant other-- a 51-year-old blue-eyed white boy of Irish-Bohemian and English stock-- help me make tortillas de harina. In a fit of "I wanna get this done and be distracted from a death in the family", I just used Quaker masa preparada for the masa, kneading it to a nice smooth mass. I rolled out the first, almost-always-lopsided tortilla, then told him to get to rolling while I tended the cast-iron skillet for cooking them.
Interestingly, he rolled several nicely round ones. Granted, he also rolled a bell-shaped one and together we mangled one into the shape of Nevada, but he really did very well and we munched em all down with bastardized veggie taco filling, pickled garlic and chiles, and butter.
What I found revealing this morning was how easily he slid into the maternal/ Mexiccan role of tortilla maker. He was even good at it, and this morning it returned me to a grad school space in which I worked on la cocina as a site of resistance to overweening racist patriarchal structures. I even read a bit on it this morning while my kids were doing a test: Tey Diana Rebolledo has a nice chapter on it called "Constructing identities as Writers" in her 1995 book Women Singing in the Snow.
Naturally, at least to me, this bears more on Chicana life and writing than it might for males, but watching Bear work that masa and rolling pin revealed that the kitchen space might also be for men, and not just as a place to break open a Bud. Countless political meetings occur with food, around food, or are about food-- remember pie contests? How many of us have seen politicians eating at some Iowa pork roast or something? Just how much embedded in the kitchen and cooking is politics in our country?
I'm still thinking this over. Meanwhile, I leave you with this:
There is nothing
so lonesome
or sad
that
papas fritas
won't cure.
(Gloria Gonzales, NM poet)
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Miss Meeko B Puggula
Miss Meeko PuggulaWe had to put our 10-year-old puggie, Meeko, to sleep yesterday. She had advanced cancer and abdominal bleeding, and had lost a good deal of weight. She, of course, was feisty as pugs are, but was so anemic she was shivering and it was not going to get better. We only had her for 8 months, since February, but she made a huge impact on all of us and everyone who met her. Blind in one eye, 10 years old,and arthritic, Meeko fought every step of the way, making sure all our cats and our bigger dog Auggie knew who ruled the home. She wanted nothing more than good food (whatever you were eating, of course), organic shredded wheat or peanut butter for a snack, and to be next to you.
We miss her so very much. At the end, the doc agreed we could hold her while we stood outside the vet clinic under a tree--I didn't want her to be alone in a hospital setting. We brought her a tray of that Cesar food she liked to eat, and she ate it right down. I think she wanted to go home, and I wanted her to go home so much too-- her sweet one good eye really was asking to be picked up and taken home. We let her walk around outside in the sun and petted her. It was a nice day yesterday here, not too hot but clear with a nice breeze. Chris held her while they first put in an anesthetic, and she was of course not having people touching her paws! We spoke to her and loved her up until she went to sleep. It was by far the hardest thing I've ever had to do. She knew until the very end, though, that she was adored by us. We held her for some time, and even after we let them take her in, I had Chris ask if we could hold her again. Our sweet little puggie was finally out of pain, but of course the hard part is starting for us.
I hope she's happy and painfree, either in her next life or happily in puggie paradise. Remember to hug your pups and cats today, and spare a moment to remember Miss Meeko B. Puggula.
Monday, October 01, 2007
36 years... wow!
Today I complete 36 years. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I really can't believe I'm still alive! What am I supposed to be doing, anyway??
********************************************
On This Day I Complete My Thirty-Sixth Year
George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824)
’TIS time this heart should be unmoved,
Since others it hath ceased to move:
Yet, though I cannot be beloved,
Still let me love!
My days are in the yellow leaf; 5
The flowers and fruits of love are gone;
The worm, the canker, and the grief
Are mine alone!
The fire that on my bosom preys
Is lone as some volcanic isle; 10
No torch is kindled at its blaze—
A funeral pile.
The hope, the fear, the jealous care,
The exalted portion of the pain
And power of love, I cannot share, 15
But wear the chain.
But ’tis not thus—and ’tis not here—
Such thoughts should shake my soul, nor now,
Where glory decks the hero’s bier,
Or binds his brow. 20
The sword, the banner, and the field,
Glory and Greece, around me see!
The Spartan, borne upon his shield,
Was not more free.
Awake! (not Greece—she is awake!) 25
Awake, my spirit! Think through whom
Thy life-blood tracks its parent lake,
And then strike home!
Tread those reviving passions down,
Unworthy manhood!—unto thee 30
Indifferent should the smile or frown
Of beauty be.
If thou regret’st thy youth, why live?
The land of honourable death
Is here:—up to the field, and give 35
Away thy breath!
Seek out—less often sought than found—
A soldier’s grave, for thee the best;
Then look around, and choose thy ground,
And take thy rest.
AT MISSOLONGHI, January 22, 1824.
********************************************
On This Day I Complete My Thirty-Sixth Year
George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824)
’TIS time this heart should be unmoved,
Since others it hath ceased to move:
Yet, though I cannot be beloved,
Still let me love!
My days are in the yellow leaf; 5
The flowers and fruits of love are gone;
The worm, the canker, and the grief
Are mine alone!
The fire that on my bosom preys
Is lone as some volcanic isle; 10
No torch is kindled at its blaze—
A funeral pile.
The hope, the fear, the jealous care,
The exalted portion of the pain
And power of love, I cannot share, 15
But wear the chain.
But ’tis not thus—and ’tis not here—
Such thoughts should shake my soul, nor now,
Where glory decks the hero’s bier,
Or binds his brow. 20
The sword, the banner, and the field,
Glory and Greece, around me see!
The Spartan, borne upon his shield,
Was not more free.
Awake! (not Greece—she is awake!) 25
Awake, my spirit! Think through whom
Thy life-blood tracks its parent lake,
And then strike home!
Tread those reviving passions down,
Unworthy manhood!—unto thee 30
Indifferent should the smile or frown
Of beauty be.
If thou regret’st thy youth, why live?
The land of honourable death
Is here:—up to the field, and give 35
Away thy breath!
Seek out—less often sought than found—
A soldier’s grave, for thee the best;
Then look around, and choose thy ground,
And take thy rest.
AT MISSOLONGHI, January 22, 1824.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Business-which-will-hurt-us as usual- more habeus note-us
Now, don't get me wrong here. I understand the need to protect a country, one which I still love. But let me propse the following, which isn't brain surgery-- what exaclty do we gain by this behavior when it comes time for an American soldier somewhere to be questioned by his or her captors? Can we expect our enemies to treat their captives better than we treat ours? We are losing so much international credit it's ridiculous, and frankly dangerous. Perhaps, in the long run, more dangerous than our war for oil-- er, freedom? Land? Oh, whatever.
Senate Rejects Expanding Detainee Rights
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 19, 2007; 12:42 PM
A Republican filibuster in the Senate today shot down a bipartisan effort to restore the right of terrorism suspects to contest their detentions and treatment in federal courts, underscoring the Democratic-led Congress's difficulty with terrorism issues.
The 56-43 vote fell short of the 60 needed to cut off debate and move to a final vote on the amendment to the Senate's annual defense policy bill. But the measure did garner the support of six Republicans, a small victory for its supporters.
The Senate then moved to the first big showdown over Iraq war policy of the fall, taking up a measure by Sens. James Webb (D-Va.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to guarantee that troops receive home stays at least as long as their last combat deployments before being sent back to war. ****I happen to think this is good, and not just because I have students out there right now.****
The detainee rights bill was an effort to reverse a provision of last year's Military Commissions Act, which suspended the writ of habeas corpus for terrorism suspects at the military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other off-shore prisons.
The Supreme Court had previously ruled that such detainees did have the right to appeal their detentions in federal court, but the court invited Congress to weigh in on the issue. At the urging of the Bush administration, the Republican-controlled Congress last year voted to sharply limit detainee access to the courts. ******Why did the court ask that stupid question? THEY'RE the highest court!********
The authors of last year's bill staunchly defended that decision this morning, saying advocates of habeas corpus rights for detainees would open the federal courts to endless lawsuits by the nation's worst enemies.
"To start that process would be an absolute disaster for this country," said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), an Air Force Reserve lawyer who was instrumental in crafting the provision in last year's bill. "I cannot think of a more ill-advised effort to undermine a war that I think will be a long-standing effort."
But advocates of habeas corpus rights, led by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and the Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican, Arlen Specter (Pa.), argued that Congress should right an historic wrong perpetrated last year. Leahy charged Congress had acted out of fear and had subverted the Constitution.
The Senate's action "calls into question the United States' historic role of defender of human rights in the world. It accomplishes what opponents could never accomplish on the battlefield, whittling away our own liberties," Leahy said. "This is America?" ***THANK YOU! Hello!!****
When Democrats took control of Congress in November, liberal activists and civil libertarians assumed the new Democratic majority would be quick to tackle what they have seen as excesses in President Bush's "war on terror," including the suspension of habeas corpus rights, wiretapping without court warrants, and the maintenance of the offshore prison in Guantanamo Bay.
But none of those has been reversed. Indeed last month, Congress extended and expanded the administration's wiretapping program for six months.
Still, the American Civil Liberties Union -- which has been highly critical of Democratic leaders on such issues -- praised this morning's vote. Every Democrat voted to break the filibuster, along with Republicans Specter, Hagel, Richard G. Lugar (Ind.), Gordon Smith (Ore.), Olympia J. Snowe (Maine) and John E. Sununu (N.H.). The only senator absent for the vote was Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.).
An effort by Specter last September to strike the habeas corpus suspension from the Military Commissions Act garnered only 48 votes, just three from Republicans.
"Today's vote was a victory for those seeking to restore both the rule of law and our nation's Constitution," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU's Washington Legislative Office. "The Military Commissions Act of 2006 stripped away one of our most fundamental rights -- to challenge your imprisonment by the government. While the amendment ultimately was not filibuster proof, a majority of senators have made it clear that they want to restore the right of habeas corpus."
After the vote, the Senate moved directly to the Webb-Hagel amendment, which could limit the number of troops in Iraq by stretching out their training and home deployments. A motion to break a filibuster on the measure attracted 56 votes in July, but this time, proponents are tantalizingly close to success.
Webb this morning presented an unusual endorsement of the amendment by the Military Officers Association of America. And he made changes to the measure to ease Republican concerns, giving the Pentagon 120 days to implement the policy, exempting special operations forces from its requirements and allowing troops who volunteer for quick redeployment to return to war.
"We cannot continue to load on to 1 percent of our society all the burdens, all the sacrifices," Hagel said this morning. "It's wrong."
***So much more about all this is wrong, Senator.*****
Senate Rejects Expanding Detainee Rights
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 19, 2007; 12:42 PM
A Republican filibuster in the Senate today shot down a bipartisan effort to restore the right of terrorism suspects to contest their detentions and treatment in federal courts, underscoring the Democratic-led Congress's difficulty with terrorism issues.
The 56-43 vote fell short of the 60 needed to cut off debate and move to a final vote on the amendment to the Senate's annual defense policy bill. But the measure did garner the support of six Republicans, a small victory for its supporters.
The Senate then moved to the first big showdown over Iraq war policy of the fall, taking up a measure by Sens. James Webb (D-Va.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to guarantee that troops receive home stays at least as long as their last combat deployments before being sent back to war. ****I happen to think this is good, and not just because I have students out there right now.****
The detainee rights bill was an effort to reverse a provision of last year's Military Commissions Act, which suspended the writ of habeas corpus for terrorism suspects at the military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and other off-shore prisons.
The Supreme Court had previously ruled that such detainees did have the right to appeal their detentions in federal court, but the court invited Congress to weigh in on the issue. At the urging of the Bush administration, the Republican-controlled Congress last year voted to sharply limit detainee access to the courts. ******Why did the court ask that stupid question? THEY'RE the highest court!********
The authors of last year's bill staunchly defended that decision this morning, saying advocates of habeas corpus rights for detainees would open the federal courts to endless lawsuits by the nation's worst enemies.
"To start that process would be an absolute disaster for this country," said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), an Air Force Reserve lawyer who was instrumental in crafting the provision in last year's bill. "I cannot think of a more ill-advised effort to undermine a war that I think will be a long-standing effort."
But advocates of habeas corpus rights, led by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and the Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican, Arlen Specter (Pa.), argued that Congress should right an historic wrong perpetrated last year. Leahy charged Congress had acted out of fear and had subverted the Constitution.
The Senate's action "calls into question the United States' historic role of defender of human rights in the world. It accomplishes what opponents could never accomplish on the battlefield, whittling away our own liberties," Leahy said. "This is America?" ***THANK YOU! Hello!!****
When Democrats took control of Congress in November, liberal activists and civil libertarians assumed the new Democratic majority would be quick to tackle what they have seen as excesses in President Bush's "war on terror," including the suspension of habeas corpus rights, wiretapping without court warrants, and the maintenance of the offshore prison in Guantanamo Bay.
But none of those has been reversed. Indeed last month, Congress extended and expanded the administration's wiretapping program for six months.
Still, the American Civil Liberties Union -- which has been highly critical of Democratic leaders on such issues -- praised this morning's vote. Every Democrat voted to break the filibuster, along with Republicans Specter, Hagel, Richard G. Lugar (Ind.), Gordon Smith (Ore.), Olympia J. Snowe (Maine) and John E. Sununu (N.H.). The only senator absent for the vote was Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.).
An effort by Specter last September to strike the habeas corpus suspension from the Military Commissions Act garnered only 48 votes, just three from Republicans.
"Today's vote was a victory for those seeking to restore both the rule of law and our nation's Constitution," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU's Washington Legislative Office. "The Military Commissions Act of 2006 stripped away one of our most fundamental rights -- to challenge your imprisonment by the government. While the amendment ultimately was not filibuster proof, a majority of senators have made it clear that they want to restore the right of habeas corpus."
After the vote, the Senate moved directly to the Webb-Hagel amendment, which could limit the number of troops in Iraq by stretching out their training and home deployments. A motion to break a filibuster on the measure attracted 56 votes in July, but this time, proponents are tantalizingly close to success.
Webb this morning presented an unusual endorsement of the amendment by the Military Officers Association of America. And he made changes to the measure to ease Republican concerns, giving the Pentagon 120 days to implement the policy, exempting special operations forces from its requirements and allowing troops who volunteer for quick redeployment to return to war.
"We cannot continue to load on to 1 percent of our society all the burdens, all the sacrifices," Hagel said this morning. "It's wrong."
***So much more about all this is wrong, Senator.*****
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)