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[kyrielle]

Why? Because I can.

Maple popsicle - I want one. They sound so good.

Warning: SAD. Two men killed a teenage girl. One was trying to rape her. The other stood on her and strangled her to death, trying to stop her fighting his cousin. They turn out to be illegal immigrants. One local radio station asks if this changes your view of the case. I find that disgusting: the assessment of and punishment for murder seems little relevant to immigration status. What IS relevant is that the man who killed her had two DUI charges from 2006. It might have been nice if they'd deported him then and kept him out of the country, since I assume he was in the country illegally at that time also (although I don't know - he could have been on a temporary form of some sort or another, the news doesn't say so I assume not). However, while I have relatively little sympathy for illegal immigrants who get deported or get in trouble for that, I don't think your average illegal immigrant is going to strangle a 15-year-old girl (or anyone) to death, either. Or we'd have a lot more news articles about it than we do, considering the number of illegal immigrants.

And a different sort of news story - a truck driver with two trailers of lumber passed out at the wheel, and his nine-year-old son (with some instructions over the CB radio) managed to keep it mostly under control and get it slowed enough that a passing motorist could jump in and get the brakes. That could have turned out so much worse than it did.

I could link an article about the shuttle takeoff here, but I'm assuming most of you have seen that or can find it. :)

Comments

[geordie.livejournal.com]

I see no excuse for murder, I'd like to shoot them both, I don't care that they are illegal. The DHS/BCIS or whatever they are calling themselves these days are requiring employers to ensure that social security numbers are valid in an attempt to dry up the job supply for illegals. The US has purged tens of millions in the past, so they can do it. In Norcal the Mexican drug gangs are growing weed on other people's land and the cops don't dare interfere. Including my friend's land, which is an issue for me next time I go there, I'm going to call the DEA first.

But really, if they weren't illegal they wouldn't be any less scum, so being illegal doesn't make them more scum. I don't expect most people will think about it much though, it'll just be a reason to go off on illegals... who I don't support in any case.

Nice that the truck driver lives to fight another day, or at least I hope he does. He still has the passing out issue.

[kyrielle]

Agreed. The ugly part about the death penalty is "what if you get an innocent guy by mistake" and since Mr. Shoe described why he did it, and thus said he did it, not a concern there. (I suppose he could be lying, but as the forensic evidence also apparently matches up....)

I just found the idea that it mattered if they were illegal or not, after they were murderers, to be absurd. (Though there's one small advantage: if the courts are lenient, they'll be deported next. That's better than back on our streets - if I believed we could keep them out again, which I don't, so much.)

And yeah, if the truck driver's condition is a one-off type of thing, or if it can be treated with medicine (to completely stop the passing out), he needs treated. Otherwise, I'm thinking he needs another job....

[geordie.livejournal.com]

In thye UK the police have shown that they will lie to keep a person they know to be innocent in jail rather than admit they were wrong. With that sort of track record it's just as well they don't have the death penalty. I have more confidence in the UK legal system than the US.

[harpie.livejournal.com]

I'm not completely up to date on the laws, but I don't believe they check your immigration status when you get a driver's license. I'm not even sure you need a social security card. You just need proof of identity. I could be completely wrong though.

But there should be more coordination between local and federal governments to keep track of people that way. On the other hand, the more control you give to the feds, the less freedom everyone has. So we tread these lines...

[kyrielle]

Yes, but. Not a driver's license, a DUI - a crime. Sure as anything we OUGHT to check criminals.