Illegals Are People Too

http://thepinkflamingo.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/13/3689821.html

Ten Percent of Postville Arrested in One Day

By Contributing Editor S.J. Reidhead

ILLEGALS ARE PEOPLE TOO

"We are at the beginning of a national crisis," stated Ester R. Shapiro, a professor at UMASS Boston and a researcher at the Gaston Institute who contributed research for the report. "Homeland security guards told these mothers that DSS had already taken their children, that they had already lost their children.” Shapiro continued, “A detainee told me the worst night of her life was spent listening to the weeping of mothers who thought they had already lost their children. That is torture, and we have to take a …”stand against that."

No, they are not here legally. Yes, they are breaking the law – a misdemeanor. Some are involved in identity theft (fake documents) and yes it is illegal. On the other hand, they are paying money into that social security account they will never see. For the most part they entered the country illegally. They are on the lam, so to speak, hiding from the authorities. Many are being underpaid, but do you even care about that? They are the target for any sort of harassment and criminal activity because they are now afraid to call the cops. They are using emergency rooms instead of making legit doctor’s appointments. They are easy prey for abuse. Many do not speak English.

They are human beings. They hurt. They love. They are born and they die. They are just as frail and fragile as those of us who are fortunate to be American by birth or naturalization. They are doing jobs people here won’t do – and you know it. They have families. They have children. They have all the same normal feelings that you and I have . They are people – humans – who need to be treated decently and with respect.

There is a difference between a CRIMINAL who is here illegally and a migrant worker who is here illegally. They are not the same thing, and to imply that they are is a canard - a lie. I do not want criminal illegal aliens deported - at all. I want them incarcerated - no parole. Depending on the crime, once they have "paid their debt to society" they can be deported. There are some offenses that need a life-time of incarceration (child molestation and rape). But then, the offenders here who are "legal" need the same sentence. Are children in - say - Mexico any less important than the ones here. Don't they need to be protected just as much as American children? "Red or yellow, black or white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world" - not just America.

Funny how a speeding ticket is a misdemeanor but no one denigrates speeders. I speed. You speed, we all speed. Jaywalking is a misdemeanor. No parking zones are misdemeanors. There are a number of misdemeanors out there.

“…A misdemeanor, or misdemeanour, in many common law legal systems, is a "lesser" criminal act. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than felonies; but theoretically more so than administrative infractions (also known as regulatory offenses). Many misdemeanors are punished with monetary fines. Usually only repeat misdemeanor offenders are punished by actual jail time.

In the United States, the federal government generally considers a crime punishable by a year or less in prison to be a misdemeanor.[1] All other crimes are felonies. Many states also follow this.

The distinction between a felony and misdemeanor has been abolished by most other common law jurisdictions (e.g. Crimes Act 1958 (Vic., Australia) s. 332B(1), Crimes Act 1900 (NSW., Australia) s. 580E(1)). Those jurisdictions have generally adopted some other classification, e.g. in Canada, Australia, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom the crimes are divided into summary offences and indictable offences.

In some jurisdictions, those who are convicted of a misdemeanor are known as misdemeanants (as contrasted with those convicted of a felony who are known as felons). Depending on the jurisdiction, examples of misdemeanors may include: petty theft, prostitution, public intoxication, simple assault, disorderly conduct, trespass, vandalism, and other similar crimes. In the United States, misdemeanors are crimes with a maximum punishment of 12 months of incarceration, typically in a local jail (again, as contrasted with felons, who are typically incarcerated in a prison). Those people who are convicted of misdemeanors are often punished with probation, community service or part-time imprisonment, served on the weekends.

Infractions are the least serious, are punishable only by fine (and a command to reverse the behavior), and never carry a formal social stigma (examples of violations include parking and minor traffic offences, late payment of fees, and building code violations).

Misdemeanors usually do not result in the loss of civil rights, but may result in loss of privileges, such as professional licenses, public offices, or public employment. Such effects are known as the collateral consequences of criminal charges. This is more common when the misdemeanor is related to the privilege in question (such as the loss of a taxi driver's license after a conviction for reckless driving), or when the misdemeanor involves moral turpitude -- and in general is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

One prominent example of this is found in the United States Constitution, which provides that the President may be impeached by Congress for "high crimes and misdemeanors" and removed from office accordingly. The definition of a "high" misdemeanor is left to the judgment of Congress….”

The constant refrain that “they are breaking the law just being here” – well it is a misdemeanor. If someone speeds, they are breaking the law. If they illegally park, they are breaking the law.

They are human beings and deserve to be treated as such. Just being on American soil allows them access to our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. If not, then those sacred entities are absolutely no good. What are those who oppose illegal aliens afraid of? Are they afraid these precious laws will be extended – equally?

Why do they fear “anchor babies”?

These people are human. They have the same feelings we all have. Their children, who are legal American citizens have feelings. Do you think they are sub-human and have no cognitive thought? They can be hurt. They have hearts that can be broken. They have the same capacity for love and hate we all have. And this is the problem. By destroying these families – either sending these children to a country where THEY HAVE NO LEGAL RIGHTS and are illegal invaders themselves – or by deporting their parents – our anti-immigration supporters are breeding an entire generation – several million – young people who will hate this nation. They will be able to vote. Ten years from now, when they start coming of age en masse it isn’t going to be pretty.

This is how you create a generation of terrorists.

It is important to think things through before you act. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. There are going to be unintended consequences of these mass deportations, and the children who are left alone – here. We are going to be paying for those consequences for many decades to come.

There are greater laws than those man creates. Christ taught us how to care for people – with love. Our anti-immigration supporters are acting with hate.

Deal with it.

HOW TO DESTROY A TOWN

Fully 10% of the residents of Postville were arrested yesterday. Today a third of the students were not in school. There are about 2 weeks left of school. There’s no reason for them not to finish the year. Iowa is sending in state agencies (at the cost of millions of dollars) to try and assist the community, which could be destroyed over the raids. Mayor Bob Penrod is furious.

“…"They've had investigations before, but not in such a magnitude that it would disrupt the whole town like it has," he said.
 
Penrod fears that Agriprocessors might shut its doors.
 
"If Ag leaves, it'll be a ghost town here," he said. "It's not like Swift in Marshalltown. When that happens here, it has a huge, huge impact. We didn't need this. This literally blew our town away."
 
Penrod said he and other city leaders will seek government help in renewing the immigrants' green cards and also money to help the immigrants cope with lost wages because of the raid…”

HUMANE TREATMENT? ICE is saying that people are being treated “humanely” but are being denied access to telephones, their children, and as of this morning, had not been allowed to eat anything.

Read the rest of the article at the link: http://thepinkflamingo.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2008/5/13/3689821.html

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