Turns Out, We Need MORE Illegal Aliens

via firedoglake, a rather compelling reason to open the borders as wide as we can:

…by and large, crime is down across the board. In Arizona as a whole, it has dropped 12 percent in the past seven years. But in major Maricopa County cities with their own police forces — Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale and Tempe — the rate has dropped even faster…

So, Arizona''s crime rate has been falling faster than Mel Gibson's career* for the better part of a decade, but they need stringent immigration laws to protect them from the scourge of . . . lower crime?

It gets better, though. The new immigration law is based on the principles of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has, quite literally, given up on every other crime besides illegal immigration. I wonder how that's working out for the people of Maricopa County (who don't have their own police forces and therefore must depend on the sheriff)?

…the more telling number may be the crime statistics for the portion of Maricopa County that is under the purview of controversial Sheriff Joe Arpaio. According to data compiled by America’s Voice, crime in that area has actually increased 58 percent since 2002.

Ouch. I have a suggestion. Let's change the new immigration law so that it solely concentrates on one man: Joe Arpaio.

*not really, but I like a colorful analogy.

¿Hablas Wingnuttian?

journalista, illegal aliens, undocumented workers, crime, racism, bigotry, wingnut, stupid,
I'm starting to think the journalista chronicle might be a Poe. Surely no one in real life is actually that much of a clichéd Republican. Surely not.

Her latest article begins as a screed against a government website in- ¡gasp!- Spanish. I know, right? It's insane, providing Spanish-speakers with information in Spanish. What kind of communists are we?

Journalista, in case you read this, there are many legal aliens and US citizens that speak Spanish natively, and speak English. However, and I speak from experience here, no matter how fluent you become in another language, no language will ever be as comfortable to you as your native tongue. That's why we provide translations of government notices, etc.- to ensure that nonnative speakers are absolutely clear on what it is we're trying to tell them. Asshat.

What follows next is an admission of both crimes and bigotry.

I have to admit, I don’t mind them being here. I just think that if they work, they should pay taxes like everyone else. And if they aren’t legal, the government shouldn’t be footing their bill. Living in S. California it’s nice to have someone to clean my house and keep up the yard and help me flip my houses for a really cheap price, and most illegal immigrants that I have met are really sweet, but I also don’t think that my tax dollars need to go to individuals who broke the law and came to this country illegally. If they’re here illegally, and don’t pay taxes, then they should not benefit from those of us who do put money into the system…I mean, that have our money stolen from us by the government and put into the system.

Yeah, journalista doesn't mind letting "really sweet" illegals scrub her toilets or mow her lawn or help her make money, but she doesn't want them stealing her tax dollars! How dare the people that help her make a buck quick want to drive on her roads and visit her hospitals and . . . and . . . breath her air? That's Amurkin air! It's for Amurkins!

First of all, journalista, you are committing a crime every time you pay an undocumented worker. Glass houses, my dear. I'm sorry you don't like scrubbing your own toilets, but you're a criminal.

Secondly, how could anyone possibly live in the US and not pay taxes? You pay taxes at the store, at the gas pump, and when you pay your landlord, you're helping to pay their property taxes. Nobody is not paying taxes in this country.

Next, the same person that flips houses and pays someone else to clean up after her is "taxed to death".

Honey, you aren't "taxed to death". For one thing, you're still alive, unless your ghost wrote this little bit of ridiculousness. Secondly, if you have the money to flip houses and hire a maid and a gardener, you're not poor. I'd say come talk to me about being poor, but you have people right at hand to have that discussion with: the undocumented workers you hire.

But I suppose you'd actually have to, you know, listen to them for that.

Michael Vick, My Dog and Second Chances

puppy, happy, abuse, animal, michael vick, eagles, crime,

As you have no doubt heard, unless you've spent the last few days waiting for Lassie in a well, Michael Vick has been signed by the Eagles. And, unless you've spent the last few years in that well, you also know that Michael Vick tortured and killed innocent dogs for entertainment. Some people call it "sport", I call it torturing and killing innocent animals that just want to be your friend.

All of the pictures in this post are of my best friend, Muggsy. (I didn't name him.) When I brought Muggsy home, he was between 1.5 and 2 years old. His tail never wagged and he didn't grin like that. He did pee himself anytime someone raised their hand, or their voice. Muggsy bit me the first time I tried to put a leash on him. He cried when I tried to pet him. Because someone like Michael Vick thought it would be fun to put out cigarettes on Muggsy's skin. Because someone like Michael Vick thought it was perfectly fine to choke, kick, beat and pour boiling water on a dog. On my sweet, cuddly friend.

It took a long time to get Muggsy to trust me, to understand that I was never going to hurt him, ever. He lacked any kind of "manners": didn't know "sit" or "stay", had never walked on a leash, was barely house trained. I trained without punishment by highly praising behavior I wanted, and punishing bad behavior with lack of attention. It took a while, and some modification of my own behavior*, but it worked.

Now I have a best friend who follows me around like a big, furry shadow. Muggsy can't bear for me to be out of sight, even for as long as it takes me to pee. He'll lay on the floor, nose pressed to the gap between the bathroom door and the floor, and sigh while he waits. When I return, whether from the bathroom or from work, there is celebration. He jumps and dances, tail wagging so hard his whole body wiggles, mouth wide open in a big smile. Muggsy sleeps as near me as he can get (I don't let him on the bed or other furniture), and wakes up to check if I'm still there. Sometimes he'll wake me up in the middle of the night to see if I want to play. Muggsy knows when I'm upset or in pain and his cure is always the same: pet my soft fur, you'll feel better. I always do.

So you can imagine how I felt when my favorite team signed Michael Vick. How dare they! How could anyone give that monster a million dollars? What message does this send about the severity of Vick's crimes, and the children! What message does this send to them?

Then I heard about second chances and regret. Muggsy got a second chance with me- the shelter wanted to put him down. They didn't have the resources to deal with a dog as traumatized as he was. So why shouldn't Michael Vick get a second chance? Maybe Vick was as traumatized at some point in his past as Muggsy. I don't know. Muggsy bit me out of fear and pain, maybe Vick's motivation was much the same.

The honest truth is, I don't know. On the one hand, I want to believe that Vick is truly remorseful, that he really can change. I want to believe that people can learn a lesson and better themselves instead of just sinking further into the muck. On the other hand, I haven't seen too many people who really have changed. Am I influenced by wanting to believe the best about the Eagles? Sure. Am I influenced by my desire to poor boiling water on the person who hurt Muggsy, and really, Vick'll do in a pinch? Absolutely. My motivations are too muddled, my anger too deep to evaluate this situation rationally.

We'll have to see, I suppose.

*I can't leave food out, I have to empty the garbage immediately after placing meat or bones in it, and Muggsy will not bark or otherwise alert me if he needs to go out. He'll just stare at the basement door. If I'm in another room, I can't see that. So, if I haven't seen him in a while, I have to go find him. Sometimes, he's just sleeping. Oh, and he recently figured out how to make the icemaker in the fridge give him delightfully cold and crunchy icecubes, so I have walk across the kitchen floor carefully.

Now You're Just Scaring Me

obama, crime, recidivism, drug, justice, rehabilitation, liberal, conservative, townhall, stupid, religion, atheism,
Mike Adams, of townhall.com, defines the conservative view of humanity in terms that make me truly fear conservatives. I never really liked conservatism, but this just scares me.

The terms “liberal” and “conservative” are bandied about by many who fail to understand the crucial difference between them. that's actually true. those words do get thrown around without any regard for what they mean. i think Mr. Adams is about to add to the confusion. Many believe the difference lies in the liberal’s willingness to support government spending. But that explanation falls short. Conservatives are always willing to spend more on defense. Liberals would rather spend money on social programs. conservatives want to keep you safe from terrorists, liberals want to give welfare queens more money! of course, i could turn that around: conservatives want more pointless, endless wars and liberals want to feed children. we call that framing the argument.

Others believe the liberal is the one who supports “change” while the conservative supports the “status quo.” That explanation also falls short. Ronald Reagan was a conservative. When he came to Washington in 1981 he shook the establishment and brought about change the liberals could not believe in. can we please stop deifying President Reagan? He was deep into alzheimer's by his second term. I have no idea who was running the country from 85-89, but it wasn't him.

If there is one thing that separates the conservative from the liberal it is his view of human nature. wait for it . . . The conservative sees man as born in a broken state. oh dear. This tragic view well, yes, it would be of human nature sees man as selfish and hedonistic by design. headdesk. Given his nature, it is no wonder a man chooses crime. It is a wonder he ever chooses conformity. except that most people do not choose crime. most people do choose to obey the laws. i suppose asshat's answer to that is that the jaysus makes them that way, except that atheists act like everyone else, so clearly not.

This tragic view of human nature also explains why conservatives often speak of religion and family values. so it's not a cynical ploy to get conservative christians to vote for you against their own self interest? Given his selfish nature speak for yourself, asshat, man must internalize some reason to behave in pro-social ways. maybe you, not me. i cae up with on my own. That fact that he falls short of these values does not mean he is a hypocrite. The one who does not even believe what he says is the hypocrite. The one who believes what he says and falls short is merely human. (thus excusing the sexipades of many a republican hero.)

This is the fundamentalist christian view of mankind: everyone would be raping their children to death with chainsaws if it weren't for jaysus! that's ridiculous. of course we wouldn't. those commandments about not murdering and not stealing and not lying? those are societal rules common to all societies, including societies that never heard of jesus.

If that truly is how conservatives view mankind, that's just scary. It certainly explains conservative efforts to make official Years of the Bible, and affirm the US as a christian nation. Since the only thing holding them back from raping and pillaging is jaysus, they assume the rest of us need, for everyone's protection, jaysus, too. Look, Mr. Adams, we're not all hairtrigger psychopaths like you. Most of us don't want to rape and pillage. We don't need jaysus to tell us not to.

The conservative knows in advance that he (and others) will fall short of what religion expects of him. But his solution is not to give up on religion. His solution is to implement a back-up plan. In the context of crime, that back-up plan takes the form of a criminal justice system focused on punishment.

to rephrase: jaysus works, and when he doesn't, jails do!

let's review the recidivism rate, shall we?

Rearrest within 3 years

67.5% of prisoners released in 1994 were rearrested within 3 years, an increase over the 62.5% found for those released in 1983

The rearrest rate for property offenders, drug offenders, and public-order offenders increased significantly from 1983 to 1994. During that time, the rearrest rate increased:

- from 68.1% to 73.8% for property offenders
- from 50.4% to 66.7% for drug offenders
- from 54.6% to 62.2% for public-order offenders

The rearrest rate for violent offenders remained relatively stable (59.6% in 1983 compared to 61.7% in 1994).

Wow, prison's just the way to go, isn't it? works great. just like jaysus. (Look, don't ask me what to do with violent offenders, but nonviolent drug offenders, i.e., some guy caught with a few joints, are about 25% of all inmates. States spent approximately $17,110,415 per day to imprison drug offenders, or $6,245,301,475 per year. That can't be the answer.)

According to the conservative, effective punishment is that which produces fear of transgression. except that prison clearly does not do that. the recidivism rates are over 60%. That means that 6 out of 10 people released from prison ended up back in prison within 3 years. these are people who know exactly how bad prison is, and they're still not all that afraid of ending up back in prison, obviously. Fear of transgression occurs when the punishment is swift, certain, and severe. i.e., the death penalty. except that even the death penalty doesn't deter anyone. In sum, the conservative believes we should first try to love people into conformity. scariest sentence ever. If that does not work, we should scare people into conformity. no, sorry, this is the scariest sentence ever. But the liberal sees things differently. not so much on the conformity and the scaring, more on the loving. Everyone is born “good” with a blank slate. has this asshat met a baby? babies are the ultimate atheists. they're morally neutral. seriously, spend time with a baby. To the extent that people become “bad” it is because “society” corrupted them. he's not really stating the "liberal" position very well. Nowhere does the liberal explain how combining many good people makes a bad society. ummm, why would i have to explain that? it's just a total non sequitur. don't respond to non sequitors, it just encourages more of them.

But this is what the liberal thinks. no, it's not. And it is why he sees the criminal justice system as one which should focus on rehabilitation. clearly punishment isn't working. If people were taught to be bad then, surely, they may be taught to be good again. There are two victims for every crime: The victim of the crime and the criminal himself. i can't even address that. i guess it depends on a lot of things. look, not that i think pedophiles should be let loose to abuse any child they can get their hands on, but most pedophiles were abused as children themselves. and what about drug offenses? who's the victim there? crime and punishment are extremely complicated issues, that everyone tends to view in black and white. maybe the liberal viewpoint could be better explained as "we don't view complex issues in terms of simple, ineffective solutions" or "if all we have is a hammer, we don't view a bolt as a nail, we get another tool."

the rest of this article wanders off into foreign policy (US good! rest of world bad!) and economic policy (obama's a socialist!), and i'm just not up to subjecting my brain to that.

Post #200: Drinking the Kool-Aid(tm)

atheism, atheist, atheophobia, theocracy, religion, fundamentalism, evangelical, evangelism, evil, stupid, ten commandments, crime

Well, I got a good one for Forever in Hell's celebratory 200th post!

Lately, the atheosphere has taken notice of all the xtians who say "I used to be an atheist like you". First of all, atheists number less than 5% of the population of the US, so exactly how many exatheists can there be? Secondly, does reciting the sinner's prayer actually cause involuntary conversion? That would explain a lot.

Anyways, The Society for the Practical Establishment and Perpetuation of the Ten Commandments, SFTPEAPOTTC, gives us Exposing the Atheist. It was written by an exatheist! (Doesn't say which exatheist.)

The following articles are samplings of principles that demonstrate that atheism is pure heathenism and error. To be fair, Mirriam Webster defines a heathen as a person who does not accept the god of the bible, but heathenism includes atheism and paganism and islam and hindu and buddhism, which are all entirely different belief systems. They present some of the reasons why you should turned turn away from atheism and nonbelief - to a staunch belief in the Almighty GOD. I ask you to examine these articles very carefully. don't worry about that, buddy.

The best way to understand the nature of atheism is to understand its author. satan is its author. yeah. we're not satanists, we're atheists. and there is no author. we don't have a holy book. (no, we do not worship The Origin of the Species. stop it.)

It's important to remain conscious of the fact that satan had his origin in heaven, and is thoroughly familiar with the fact of the existence of God, heaven, the angels, hell and etc. and this pertains to atheism how? we don't believe in god, satan, heaven, hell or angels. if a police officer pulls you over and asks you if you know why you were pulled over, do you start talking about that episode of House where they nearly cut off that girl's arm? just as relevant. Thus despite what you have been previously deceptively taught nobody taught me atheism. i was actually raised a good catholic. (this guy probably thinks catholics are devil worshippers, too, but that's a different story.) and despite the deceptive dictionary's is there a nondeceptive dictionary? we're all in on the conspiracy, including the dictionary! meaning of atheism, atheism is properly defined as a denial of the existence of God in the midst of full knowledge that the true God does indeed exist.

Yeah, isn't it fun to win an argument by redefining commonly understood words? I can prove that you're actually muslim if I redefine "muslim" as "follower of christ". wasn't that fun? if you have to redefine commonly understood words, you don't have an argument. sit down and shut up.

Atheism knows God exists atheism is a belief system, it doesn't know anything.; it is quite familiar with that fact, but it says "under no circumstance or situation will I admit to God's existence." i don't believe in god. do not. sorry to burst your bubble, but i don't. and if the person who wrote this always secretly did believe in god, then they weren't an atheist, they were an agnostic. totally different thing.

Atheism clearly perceives the fingerprints of God on all of creation, but refuses to admit He is the Creator. no. Atheism perceives the divine authorship of the TEN COMMANDMENTS no., but refuses to admit that God is their Author. no. Atheism perceives the decorousness and perfection of the TEN COMMANDMENTS, no. but refuses to admit they are superior to all other laws. the stupid, it burns! Atheism clearly perceives the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, but refuses to admit His divinity. no, i freakin' don't. If an atheist could see the wounds in the body of Christ and actually feel them with his hands, he would deny that the wounds are there. first of all, EW! second of all, no, I wouldn't. trust me, if god gave me an indisputable sign of his existence, i'd get down on my knees and worship in an instant. i'm an atheist, not an idiot. Atheism is deliberate effort to never admit the existence of God. no, just a lack of belief in god. what is so hard about that?

Atheism is the ultimate of satanism. no, satanism would be the ultimate in satanism. Ask satan does God exist and he will deny it. do you often speak to satan? Ask him does satan exist and he will deny his own existence even while in your presence. this is getting a little scary. i've met satanists, and even they don't claim to talk to satan. Atheism holds the Bible in one hand, but deny its existence by denying its truth with the other. first of all, my hands don't deny truth, and no, i am currently not holding a bible, though i do frequently read it.

In order to properly understand the nature of atheism, one must understand the natures of righteousness and sin. why? atheism is the lack of belief in a supreme being. one need not understand righteousness or sin to understand that. The two principles are antithetical to one another. Since sin is antithetical to righteousness, its very antithetical nature seeks to nullify righteousness. the second antithetical was totally unnecessary. Since it is an antithetical what's with him and this word? principle to righteousness, it must remain true to its nature even in the most insane instances. what? a + b =c therefore b=29,876,275,49.12? Therefore it must hate God even though God is righteous and has given it no just cause for its hatred. i'm guessing you don't understand the meaning of antithetical, huh? It is this antithetical principle, called "the law of sin" show your work! which is at work in the hearts of atheists causing them to reject God. i like to think it's my logical, rational nature. or, i'm just not good at the worshipping. meh. The law of sin is none other than the law that governs satan's kingdom. so it's like the opposite of the ten commandments?

Below are articles I've presented in effort to expose the true satanic nature of atheism, true satanic nature of atheism is the most stupidest thing i've seen in a while. the great harm it is doing to the american society and the world community SHOW.YOUR.WORK. and to prove and demonstrate that atheists and all other nonbelievers in the true God are the actual criminals of the world community. felony or misdemeanor? there is no proof, anywhere, that atheists commit more crimes than anyone else. in fact, the parts of the US associated with high rates of religious activity, the South, for example, have higher rates of crime. (do i think religion causes crime? no. I think the socioeconomic factors associated with higher rates of fundamentalism are also associated with higher rates of crime.). I hope these articles will enable people to see that atheists are extremely dangerous people. yeah, i'm just a triple homicide waiting to happen. (as soon as someone replaces every joint from the shoulder down in order to allow me to fire a gun.) Therefore laws should be made against them by all the governments of the world community. see, this is what atheists have to deal with. we don't hate jesus, we just hate asshats like this.

Women Want the Dick

feminism, feminist, rape, women, crime

(This is from Feministing, a website that everyone, male or female, should check out.)

Normally, I do not reprint other people's posts, however, this is so horrifying, it needs to be made as public as possible.

Colorado State University Police Chief Dexter Yarbrough was suspended on a litany of charges, like falsifying police documents - but it was this quote that stuck with me:
Yarbrough told students in a class lecture that "women want the dick, even when they say 'no.' They want the dick."

In fairness to Sexual Predator Yarbrough, I do want his dick- bronzed, in a trophy case, under a sign that says, "No Means No." (Anyone know a discrete trophy manufacturer?

1200 Women

I love football, don't get me wrong. Love the Eagles, though they sucksucksuck.

However, during the game you're ready to commit suicide over, 1200 women were raped.

That's right, throughout the course of that one game, 1200 women became someone they never met before. 1200 women were changed forever. None of those women will ever entirely get themselves back. Some of them will never get back at all. For some of those women, that was their introduction to sex. Some of those women weren't women at all, they were girls.

Footbal is just a damn game.

Justice for Cheney

Check out this post by FireDogLake. The essence of it is, Dick Chency admitted to comitting war crimes on national television. We need to bring him to justice. This page lists the contact info for every Senator in the US. This one lists the contact info the Representatives. I am contacting them all with a simple message:

Dick Cheney comitted war crimes. He admitted it on national television. Bring him to justice.

I know you think you can't do anything about it. I know you think Darth Cheney is beyond justice, that he will never pay.

Only if you let it happen. If enough of us call for his head, we'll get it. Keep trying.