They are all criminals

Criminal deportations spike in Pacific Northwest
New federal data shows that deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records from Alaska, Oregon, and Washington this past year spiked by nearly 40 percent, while overall removals dropped slightly.

...removals of people with criminal records went from more than 3,100 to nearly 4,500 - a jump of 39.7 percent.

ICE spokeswoman Lorie Dankers says the agency its putting its resources into what it sees as the bigger threat to public safety, and that is illegal immigrants with criminal records.

A burglar who hasn't been caught yet doesn't have a criminal record yet we would think that it was ridiculous if law enforcement didn't pay attention to it.

The illegal alien who is using a false or stolen social security number to take a job that he can't legally have is a criminal just the same. It's not as high profile as the guy bringing in the trunkload of meth but I'm guessing that the person whose identity was stolen and the other person who was turned down for that job would appreciate it if our government would enforce it's laws.

Public safety is a dish best served cold

Serial arsonist tries his hand at early release
A serial arsonist was in court today, pitching his case for early release under Oregon's possibly-short-lived state bill 3508.

But is this prisoner deserving of less prison time for good behavior? That was the question in a Marion County court Wednesday as convicted arsonist Jerry Nicholson Jr. tried to take advantage of a new state "early release" law.

Ninety-year-old Cleathel Knox of Stayton, Ore., went before a Marion County judge asking the judge not to release the man convicted of trying to burn down her house - while she was inside.

Nicholson, meanwhile, speaking to the judge by phone, pitched his case: "I'd like to say that me, myself, I don't think I'm a threat to society if I get out early."

So a 90 year old women has to beg a judge to keep the guy in jail who tried to burn her house down. Thankfully when it comes to public safety we do still have Lily Caceres.

Her job?
Minority Services Hispanic/Latina Coordinator
Office of Minority Services
Oregon Youth Authority

I know what you are thinking, isn't public safety better served by keeping arsonists in jail rather than pandering to racial groups of juvenille delinquents?

I would have thought so to until I read this "thank you letter" that she got:

I want you to know how much I appreciate Lily Caceres’ assistance in navigating and setting up an appointment with the Mexican Consulate. It was wonderful to have Lily’s help to facilitate the meeting. Lily continues to work very hard at bridging gaps between systems like the consulate in Portland and OYA. She assisted my youth in obtaining his Oregon I.D. and Mexican I.D. I thought you should pass this information on to her supervisor to let her know she is very much appreciated.

I am willing to tolerate a few burned down houses if it means that juvenille criminals are getting help aquiring their foreign ID.

But they are so hardworking

GOOD NEWS... FOR PARENTS WITH IMMIGRANT CHILDREN!
You do not have to be a citizen to apply for your children or people in your home. Your income will be used to decide if your children can get food stamps.

You will not have to give the Social Security number or immigrant status of anyone who is not getting food stamps.

The food stamp office will not contact INS with any information from your child’s application.

Your family is not a “public charge” if you only get non-cash help. This includes food stamps, WIC, school meals and the Oregon Health Plan.

This is an oldie but goodie DHS flyer. Please keep in mind that when you are the victim of a criminal who got released early it was so that our state government could use your tax dollars to advertise services to illegal aliens and their anchor babies.

Some parents thought that is what you wanted

What tired Oregon teachers say (when parents aren't listening)
Oregon teachers would like parents to set down their cell phones for five minutes and pay attention to their kids.

They'd also love more parents to act like parents, or at least allies, if teachers are going to make it through the school year.

"Most teachers accept the fact that yes, we are raising these children, and other people are raising ours," says Laura Shingleton, a middle school teacher in Salem. These kids need order and support, she says, more than their preoccupied parents and overwhelmed educators may realize.

Step 1: government tells parents that the school will feed their children breakfast and lunch, the school will provide clothes for their kids, the school will provide health care for their kids, the school "will assist in feeding and changing diapers" for their kids, (current job opening for that position, see link) and the school will provide classroom supplies for their kids.

Step 2: Lazy parents truly come to believe that the school will raise their kids.

Step 3: Good teachers who actually believe that their role is reading, writing and arithmatic get upset because parents don't want to do their job.

Step 4: We can hopefully rein in government. Take away the crutch that bad parents are using to avoid their responsibilities.

These are a few of my favorite things

Welcome to Dignity Village's website.
As we face the winter months, with the cold weather we rely on your support to see that we can offer a warm place for other homeless people out there,with over night stays and with your warm gift of giving we know that we will be here to provide this service to the homeless people outside the village. Please ask for Joe, if you would like to donate to help us along , or need info as to what we are looking for as for donations of items we can use.

Get the begging out of the way...

Now that all that was said , I want to let everyone know that we are having a Christmas Bazaar Dec 05-06 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm in our Commons Buildings, We will have tables and tables of stuff. We will have Door prizes, and a grand prize, and a bake sale of Cookies, Cakes, and Coffee etc, just to let some of the fun out Come on out and support the Village . Have a tour , and view our Holiday Lights, yes lights, we are having a festive lighting and the viewing will be open to a Donation of your choice at the gate . a guided tour will walk you around the decorated houses.

Only in America can you get "door prizes" from the homeless. And since the taxpayers of Portland are funding their electric bill the lighting should be as spectacular as a Griswold family Christmas!

Thank you

My beer summit with Kaelri

Kaelri is a frequent commentor here and unlike most of my detractors he refrains from attacking me personally. Since I have a policy of not commenting on my own blog I am going to respond to his last couple of statements in this post. Kaelri comments in italics.

Incarceration has exactly one purpose: to prevent and deter people from endangering the community.

Wrong. Incarceration has two purposes: to prevent and deter future crime AND to punish.

Statistically, most of the released inmates will have been there for drug-related charges, which, since drug law enforcement doesn't work anyway, I'm not gonna lose any sleep over.

What part of "drug law enforcement doesn't work?" Is it because people still use drugs? People still murder but no one is claiming that "murder enforcement law doesn't work." When you make something illegal then fewer people do it.

But again, the only reason to keep him locked up - the only reason the government should do anything with other people's money, for that matter - is if it will do some good.

Demonstrating punishment does good. If people think that there is not a larger consequence for fleeing the scene of an accident and leaving someone to die then that is the more likely response. Why hang around if you are driving drunk when you can flee and have a the chance to escape?

Just curious: how much do you think an American citizen should pay in order to "earn" the police cruiser that comes when that burglar breaks into his house? Or the fire truck that comes to stop it from burning down?

So let's send you a bill every month - your full, equal share of the government services you not only have, but take for granted.

They do send me a bill. It's called property taxes. It's itemized to include both police and fire service. Law enforcement and criminal justice is actually a job of government. It's one of the few things that they must do since we are a country of laws.

A policy that lets a government-funded insurance company compete with private insurers in a free market? To spur innovation, destroy oligopolist practices and drive down costs, all while giving individual Americans the right to choose whatever insurance option they want? If any? A true communist would be apoplectic.

Government funded really means taxpayer funded. So I would be paying for a system to compete with the one that I currently use? And the company that currently supplies me with health insurance doesn't get to set regulations? Doesn't get to create mandates? Has to worry about a profit? This is not competition. And a government that can't come out and say they want socialism has to take baby steps and work under the guise of "fairness" and "helping the poor."

If you think George Washington would have put up with this preexisting condition shit, you're out of your mind.

The preexisting condition argument is the one that I find the most ridiculous. Of cours INSURANCE doesn't allow preexisting conditions... EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE. You can't wreck your car then get insurance. But you can get a job that provides health insurance, which is how most people get their health insurance, and because it is a group plan then your preexisting condition is accepted.

Ahem. Forty years on, Medicare is one of the most popular and successful government-run programs of all time, and the senior population would pretty much lynch anyone who tried to take it away.

The "first in" on a ponzi scheme will always support the program. And if you define "success" as "out of money and rife with fraud" then I'm not sure what to say.

I like you Kaelri and I know you once said that you enjoyed reading Atlas Shrugged. I'd suggest re-reading it and remembering where Ayn Rand came from. I take the side of less government because that always means more freedom.

Save a diversity manager: punish crime victims

Mom condemns 'good-behavior' law for inmates
Earlier this year, Oregon lawmakers found a way to save about $3 million annually by releasing thousands of well-behaved prisoners early.

But the emotional impact of that law hit home in a Portland courtroom Monday.

More than three years after a driver struck her 23-year-old daughter and left her to die, Janet Tremain pleaded with a Multnomah County judge not to lop 30 percent off the killer's sentence. A law that took effect in July increased the amount of time off inmates can receive for good behavior from 20 to 30 percent.

On July 14, 2006, McDaniel was jogging on the shoulder of a road near Interstate 84 and Dodson when Corona-Rosales, then 24, veered into her, which knocked her into blackberry bushes. She lay bleeding for nearly 30 minutes until two passers-by spotted her. She died in a hospital 30 hours later.

Doctors told her family that McDaniel might have had a 40 to 50 percent chance of survival if she had been flown to a hospital immediately after impact.

Corona-Rosales was convicted of criminally negligent homicide and hit-and-run driving. He received nearly five years in prison -- 20 months of that sentence was for hit-and-run. Under the new law, he is eligible for 30 percent off the 20 months.

Because he is an illegal immigrant, he will be deported when he is released.

Perhaps state legislators should be required to be present at these hearings. They should look into the eyes of parents who had a child killed by an illegal alien that now wants out of prison early.

When they walk out of the public courthouse they can look at whatever piece of crap sculpture that is outside required by Oregon's Percent for Public Art program. Do you think that the crying mother of a dead child will appreciate the piece as she passes by?

The legislature is saving $3 million by punishing crime victims and endagering public safety but they spent half a million dollars on WES commuter rail art.

Public Art on WES Commuter Rail
The project has allocated $500,000 to fund the WES Public Art Program based on 1.5 percent of eligible project costs.

But I'm sure that any legislator could explain to the parent of a murdered child why it's more important to preserve public art than keep a killer in prison.