1 year ago today, I started using facebook.
I was already on myspace, which I started in 2005. At the time, myspace was a still emerging fad, not yet the subject of controversial news stories on stalkers or kids who revel too much info about themselves. I just started using myspace, because when I tried to look up people I was working with at Palama Settlement online, I discovered one of them had a myspace. So I started a myspace page, then I encouraged a few friends to try.
A few years later, I heard about facebook. At first, it was only for those with a .edu e-mail address (given to those attending college), but it was later opened up for everyone. I even remember hearing it had more users than myspace, but I was still too lazy to start a facebook page.
So what finally got me into starting the use of facebook
1) Around April 2009, I sent a bulletin on myspace if anyone had information about my high school's 10 year reunion. One of my myspace friends then sent a bulletin mentioning that our classmates were planning it on facebook. I replied to that person to thank her for the info, then mentioned I was thinking about starting on facebook. However, I kept delaying that!
2) One of my employers in the substitute teaching industry sent an e-mail to everyone on her list to check out some of her photos on facebook.
3) Around the same time as #2, one of my closest friends also mentioned on the phone that he got a facebook page.
4) around the same time as #2 and #3, I was still waiting for additional information about an upcoming reunion.
So on June 10, 2009, I finally decided to start a facebook page, with some pressure from situations #2 and #3, and I was desperate for more info on the upcoming high school reunion and I was hoping that I would get more info on facebook.
On my first few days on facebook, as I was looking up people from McKinley High School, class of 1999, I found some people that I wasn't even able to find on myspace. That was when I realized how true the reports on "facebook having more users than myspace" really was!
I still have my myspace, because it allows for an individualized web-page design, and it's good for looking up music. And I still do occasionally find a few people there as well.
However, facebook started having "status updates" before myspace did! I think myspace started having "status updates" only because they realized THAT was the reason why many had quit myspace and switch to facebook.
Now, my facebook list has 214 friends. These are people from various parts of my life, from elementary school, middle school, high school, college, a few work colleagues, and a few others I met in other phases of my life! You'd be surprised how easy it is to get that many people on your list. In fact, I know people who started facebook later than me, have more people than 214.
Having that many people on the list, and reading their updates on their lives has been very emotionally beneficial for me! Just being connected to them makes me feel good, even on days when I am feeling down. We can also share our joys in our triumphant moments, and we can also console each other in our greatest tragedies. Even if we live miles away and haven't seen each other in person since the previous millenium. I've seen so many of that happening in my 1st year of facebook, and will so more of it soon.
The most heart-warming part of using facebook was reconnecting with a few I haven't seen since elementary school. So much life happened since then, but we still remember each other! I'll always cherish that!
I also remember finding a classmate from my elementary & middle school years, but moved to a high school on the opposite side of the island. So, obviously she missed out in the high school lives of her elementary & middle school classmates! When I found her, I also convinced her to look at my facebook list, and she reconnected with classmates who were once closer to her than I was! That is something I will always be proud of! I also offered others to look at my facebook list to find people too, with varying degrees of success!
And I have used other people's facebook list to reconnect with others as well! Much thanks to them as well!
Also, with facebook, I can advertise my blog posts to more people than I did before! More people exposed to my ideas is always a good thing :) :) :)
If you haven't joined facebook, JOIN IN! You'll reconnect with long-lost friends, and you get to keep up with their lives. You'll wish you done it sooner.
Just be careful what you post on there. People can easily find out what you post on there and can easily take it the wrong way. Just approach facebook like a mature adult, and you'll do fine!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Ben Roethlisberger's case
Earlier this year, Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) was accused of rape. It wasn't his first time!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4970050
(skipped paragraphs)
----------
1) While the local DA didn't pursue a criminal court case, the NFL did suspend Roethlisberger for 6 games next season.
The NFL wanted to show that it doesn't tolerate misbehavior by its players, that playing in the NFL is a privilege, not an entitlement! Also, in earlier case, some people have accused the NFL of racial bias for suspending African-American players like Micheal Vick and Pacman Jones. But guess what? The NFL is also willing to suspend European-Americans guy like Roethlisberger. No racial bias in NFL suspensions!
--
2) Now, back to that article I mention earlier! The following paragraph from that article talked about a woman who met Roethlisberger earlier that night!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4970050
Now, look at what I highlighted in bold print. That shows a disturbing sense of entitlement that too many males have! Too many males have the attitude of "if a girl wants to talk to me, or even smile at me, she better be ready to have sex with me tonight! Or else!"
All that woman wanted was a photo. Yet, Roethlisberger acted as if that woman owed him a lapdance (and even more), just because she asked for a photo!
Look, if a girl smiles at you, or talk to you, that doesn't mean she's ready to hump you tonight!
Even if she gets on the dance floor with you, and wear skimpy outfits, that doesn't always mean she's ready to hump you tonight!
All she expects you to do is enjoy that moment on the dance floor! THAT'S IT!
Mad that she doesn't want to go further with you right now? GET OVER IT! Plus, good things come to those who wait! Maybe if she enjoys being around you for a longer period of time, you might even get lucky and not just have 1-night stand, but a long term relationship! But too many of us expect instant gratification!
Even in you do go to the bedroom, she might say she wants it, but then she changes her mind! Yeah, you may experience disappointment because you want to hump now, but you better handle that situation like a mature man! Plus, you can enjoy the moment together without humping!
The idea that "women should always expect to have sex when they're in a room with a man" is PERVERTED NONSENSE!
Most women have brothers, male cousins, and male friends from the elementary days, so they don't always expect to have sex everytime they're in a room with a male, because they already experienced being around males in a NON-sexual situation! So you can't expect them to have a perverted mindset of "all males want to hump me right away the first second I'm in a room with them alone!
We need to teach boys about that stuff! Right before they enter middle school! Waiting until they graduate high school to teach them about that IS WAY TOO LATE!
Even if Roethlisberger's accuser had non-marital sexual situations before, that doesn't mean she wanted to hump Roethlisberger right away. Chances are, she already had experience with males who were more patient and didn't expect to hump on the 1st night! And chances are super-high that she wanted to go a slower pace than what Roethlisberger expected! If Roethlisberger had more patience, he might've had a chance for consensual sex later on! This is what happens when you have an instant gratification mindset!
-----
3) So why didn't she fight back?
Have you ever seen what Ben Roethlisberger look like? He's 6foot 5inches.
An average size male has no chance in a street fight against a guy that size! What makes you think most women have a fighting chance against a guy that size!
That guy is used to getting tackled by super-large, super-fast guys! He's pretty much immunized to any hits from an average-sized person!
So, in many date rape cases, a woman meets a strong, charismatic, funny guy! The woman wants to be around him because is an entertaining guy to be around. Who wouldn't want to hang around that guy?
But if that guy has a "I'm entitled to sex all the time" attitude, and he's alone with a woman who's thinking "you're a fun guy, but I want to wait", disaster will strike!
And the harshest weapon in any attack is NOT a gun, NOT a knife, NOT big muscles, but THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE!
Someone punches you when you didn't expect it, you're most likely so in shock, so caught off guard, that by the time you figure what to do, IT'S TOO LATE, THE DAMAGE IS DONE!
So if the guy feels entitled to sex, the woman says "not right now", and the guy starts to rip off her clothes, GUESS WHAT? She is so caught off guard, that her minds goes blank. And if that guy is big enough to break her jaw and rip her throat, she isn't going to put up much of a fight!
By the time she realizes "I should've poked his eyes or kicked his ball", IT'S TOO LATE, THE DAMAGE IS DONE!
This is why you need to be careful before you make judgements about a pregnant teens or a woman entering an abortion clinic. You have no idea of what hell they experienced, if they were raped, and if that was why they're in the situation they're in right now.
4) Sports talk show host Collin Cowherd said that Ben Roethlisberger goes to too many bars, then he said that "nothing good happens when NFL players are in the nightclubs"!
MEGA-LAME statements. Media likes to focus on incidents because it sells papers and bring ratings. So they'll talk endlessly of incidents at nightclubs involving Pacman Jones and Plaxico Burress. But every incident like, there's probably MILLIONS OF TIMES when NFL players are in the club and it was a positive night where everyone had fun! But reporting on that doesn't bring much ratings!
5) While we're talking about sexual assaults, I want to talk about someone that I used to hang out with in high school, who's now in prison for a sexual crime!
That person is Justin Gonda!
I met him in my 9th grade PE class, then in the 11th grade, I started hang out with him, Orlando Holbron, Brian Anderson and Russell Siu at our high school's shop building! Sometimes, their other friends came by too! Lots of fun times, fun jokes and people doing funny stuff! If you weren't hanging out nearby, you missed out on a great time, because those were the funnest times of my life.
However, Justin Gonda started to say really stupid things out loud! He started to become a Marrolyn Manson wanabee and repeated Manson-like statements out loud. Everyone in our group started to distance ourselves from Gonda! Though I saw him around, we didn't hang out as much.
After high school, I'd occasionally see him around, but later I lost contact with him.
Then last year, I learned from a former high school classmate that Justin Gonda is currently serving time for a raping an underage girl!
I mentioned it somewhere within last year's high school reunion blog post, because I mentioned that me &; Nicholas used to talk to Justin Gonda.
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-10-year-high-school-reunion.html
Well, Gonda's ex-girlfriend found my blog post, and gave me additional details.
Apparently, Gonda's ex said she talk to Gonda's accuser who said she "led him on" but later became reluctant to have sex. Gonda allegedly ignored her and raped her!
When the case went to court, Gonda was charged with rape, but was only found guilty of sex with a minor!
Now, he's doing hard time at Halawa, expected to come out in 2014.
Very heartbreaking to know about this, a former friend in jail, a former friend who was using drugs, and committed a heinous crime!
All for what? Instant gratification! All because he didn't accept "no" for an answer, all because he couldn't deal with his disappointment with her "no" like a mature adult.
Let that be a lesson to teach the younger generation!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4970050
For the second time in a year, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is being accused of sexual misconduct, with police investigating him Saturday for an alleged assault at a nightclub in a Georgia college town.
Police in Milledgeville were examining the claim of a 20-year-old student, who told an officer that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her early Friday.
(skipped paragraphs)
The case comes as Roethlisberger faces a lawsuit filed last July by a woman who says he raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe hotel and casino, an allegation he strongly denies. Roethlisberger, who was not in custody, has not been criminally charged in either case and has claimed counter-damages in the lawsuit.
----------
1) While the local DA didn't pursue a criminal court case, the NFL did suspend Roethlisberger for 6 games next season.
The NFL wanted to show that it doesn't tolerate misbehavior by its players, that playing in the NFL is a privilege, not an entitlement! Also, in earlier case, some people have accused the NFL of racial bias for suspending African-American players like Micheal Vick and Pacman Jones. But guess what? The NFL is also willing to suspend European-Americans guy like Roethlisberger. No racial bias in NFL suspensions!
--
2) Now, back to that article I mention earlier! The following paragraph from that article talked about a woman who met Roethlisberger earlier that night!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4970050
Amber Hanley, a 21-year-old college student, said she and a few friends were also in the VIP area with Roethlisberger. She said she asked the quarterback to take a photo with her friend, who was a fan, but he seemed disappointed that's all she wanted. Hanley said she rolled her eyes, and Roethlisberger called her an expletive and walked away. Later, Roethlisberger was aggressively hitting on another girl, Hanley said.
Now, look at what I highlighted in bold print. That shows a disturbing sense of entitlement that too many males have! Too many males have the attitude of "if a girl wants to talk to me, or even smile at me, she better be ready to have sex with me tonight! Or else!"
All that woman wanted was a photo. Yet, Roethlisberger acted as if that woman owed him a lapdance (and even more), just because she asked for a photo!
Look, if a girl smiles at you, or talk to you, that doesn't mean she's ready to hump you tonight!
Even if she gets on the dance floor with you, and wear skimpy outfits, that doesn't always mean she's ready to hump you tonight!
All she expects you to do is enjoy that moment on the dance floor! THAT'S IT!
Mad that she doesn't want to go further with you right now? GET OVER IT! Plus, good things come to those who wait! Maybe if she enjoys being around you for a longer period of time, you might even get lucky and not just have 1-night stand, but a long term relationship! But too many of us expect instant gratification!
Even in you do go to the bedroom, she might say she wants it, but then she changes her mind! Yeah, you may experience disappointment because you want to hump now, but you better handle that situation like a mature man! Plus, you can enjoy the moment together without humping!
The idea that "women should always expect to have sex when they're in a room with a man" is PERVERTED NONSENSE!
Most women have brothers, male cousins, and male friends from the elementary days, so they don't always expect to have sex everytime they're in a room with a male, because they already experienced being around males in a NON-sexual situation! So you can't expect them to have a perverted mindset of "all males want to hump me right away the first second I'm in a room with them alone!
We need to teach boys about that stuff! Right before they enter middle school! Waiting until they graduate high school to teach them about that IS WAY TOO LATE!
Even if Roethlisberger's accuser had non-marital sexual situations before, that doesn't mean she wanted to hump Roethlisberger right away. Chances are, she already had experience with males who were more patient and didn't expect to hump on the 1st night! And chances are super-high that she wanted to go a slower pace than what Roethlisberger expected! If Roethlisberger had more patience, he might've had a chance for consensual sex later on! This is what happens when you have an instant gratification mindset!
-----
3) So why didn't she fight back?
Have you ever seen what Ben Roethlisberger look like? He's 6foot 5inches.
An average size male has no chance in a street fight against a guy that size! What makes you think most women have a fighting chance against a guy that size!
That guy is used to getting tackled by super-large, super-fast guys! He's pretty much immunized to any hits from an average-sized person!
So, in many date rape cases, a woman meets a strong, charismatic, funny guy! The woman wants to be around him because is an entertaining guy to be around. Who wouldn't want to hang around that guy?
But if that guy has a "I'm entitled to sex all the time" attitude, and he's alone with a woman who's thinking "you're a fun guy, but I want to wait", disaster will strike!
And the harshest weapon in any attack is NOT a gun, NOT a knife, NOT big muscles, but THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE!
Someone punches you when you didn't expect it, you're most likely so in shock, so caught off guard, that by the time you figure what to do, IT'S TOO LATE, THE DAMAGE IS DONE!
So if the guy feels entitled to sex, the woman says "not right now", and the guy starts to rip off her clothes, GUESS WHAT? She is so caught off guard, that her minds goes blank. And if that guy is big enough to break her jaw and rip her throat, she isn't going to put up much of a fight!
By the time she realizes "I should've poked his eyes or kicked his ball", IT'S TOO LATE, THE DAMAGE IS DONE!
This is why you need to be careful before you make judgements about a pregnant teens or a woman entering an abortion clinic. You have no idea of what hell they experienced, if they were raped, and if that was why they're in the situation they're in right now.
4) Sports talk show host Collin Cowherd said that Ben Roethlisberger goes to too many bars, then he said that "nothing good happens when NFL players are in the nightclubs"!
MEGA-LAME statements. Media likes to focus on incidents because it sells papers and bring ratings. So they'll talk endlessly of incidents at nightclubs involving Pacman Jones and Plaxico Burress. But every incident like, there's probably MILLIONS OF TIMES when NFL players are in the club and it was a positive night where everyone had fun! But reporting on that doesn't bring much ratings!
5) While we're talking about sexual assaults, I want to talk about someone that I used to hang out with in high school, who's now in prison for a sexual crime!
That person is Justin Gonda!
I met him in my 9th grade PE class, then in the 11th grade, I started hang out with him, Orlando Holbron, Brian Anderson and Russell Siu at our high school's shop building! Sometimes, their other friends came by too! Lots of fun times, fun jokes and people doing funny stuff! If you weren't hanging out nearby, you missed out on a great time, because those were the funnest times of my life.
However, Justin Gonda started to say really stupid things out loud! He started to become a Marrolyn Manson wanabee and repeated Manson-like statements out loud. Everyone in our group started to distance ourselves from Gonda! Though I saw him around, we didn't hang out as much.
After high school, I'd occasionally see him around, but later I lost contact with him.
Then last year, I learned from a former high school classmate that Justin Gonda is currently serving time for a raping an underage girl!
I mentioned it somewhere within last year's high school reunion blog post, because I mentioned that me &; Nicholas used to talk to Justin Gonda.
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-10-year-high-school-reunion.html
Well, Gonda's ex-girlfriend found my blog post, and gave me additional details.
Apparently, Gonda's ex said she talk to Gonda's accuser who said she "led him on" but later became reluctant to have sex. Gonda allegedly ignored her and raped her!
When the case went to court, Gonda was charged with rape, but was only found guilty of sex with a minor!
Now, he's doing hard time at Halawa, expected to come out in 2014.
Very heartbreaking to know about this, a former friend in jail, a former friend who was using drugs, and committed a heinous crime!
All for what? Instant gratification! All because he didn't accept "no" for an answer, all because he couldn't deal with his disappointment with her "no" like a mature adult.
Let that be a lesson to teach the younger generation!
Charles Djou & Hawaii political trends
1) Here in Hawaii, we had a free-for-all election for the state's US House District 1. This district extends from East Honolulu to Ewa & Mililani!
Because the political parties didn't have a primary it was a free-for-all. The Democrats had Ed Case & Colleen Hanabusa. The Republicans had Charles Djou.
Hawaii usually votes Democrats, but in this free-for-all, the Democratic voters were split between Case (representing the centrist moderates) and Hanabusa (representing the union vote and other left-liberals). This gave an opening to Charles Djou.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2010/May/24/ln/hawaii5240346.html
Congressman-elect Charles Djou's strength remains in more conservative East Honolulu, but he demonstrated in his special-election victory Saturday night that he may be able to compete with Democrats in central and west side territory that could be critical in the November general election.
While most of Hawaii is pro-Democrat, East Honolulu is mostly Republican. You can compare East Honolulu to California's Orange County! These are upper-class conservative areas that happen to be near liberal cities.
An Advertiser analysis of the vote by state House district found that Djou performed well in potential swing districts around Mililani and 'Ewa Beach. While the combined vote for Hanabusa and Case was still larger than Djou's markers, there is no guarantee all these voters would stick with the Democratic nominee in November.
Hanabusa trailed Case in East Honolulu but did better than the former congressman in every district west of Makiki — an encouraging sign for her campaign against Case in the September primary.
Hanabusa's muscle in the most solidly Democratic territory of urban Honolulu, combined with her expected edge in fundraising and the organizational help from establishment Democrats and labor unions, gives her the advantage in the primary.
In other words, Djou also did well in the suburbs in Ewa & Mililani, whereas Hanabusa did well in lower income areas like Kalihi, Palolo & Waipahu!
----
Case captured the state House district he used to represent in Mānoa but trailed in every other district.
Because the political parties didn't have a primary it was a free-for-all. The Democrats had Ed Case & Colleen Hanabusa. The Republicans had Charles Djou.
Hawaii usually votes Democrats, but in this free-for-all, the Democratic voters were split between Case (representing the centrist moderates) and Hanabusa (representing the union vote and other left-liberals). This gave an opening to Charles Djou.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2010/May/24/ln/hawaii5240346.html
Congressman-elect Charles Djou's strength remains in more conservative East Honolulu, but he demonstrated in his special-election victory Saturday night that he may be able to compete with Democrats in central and west side territory that could be critical in the November general election.
While most of Hawaii is pro-Democrat, East Honolulu is mostly Republican. You can compare East Honolulu to California's Orange County! These are upper-class conservative areas that happen to be near liberal cities.
An Advertiser analysis of the vote by state House district found that Djou performed well in potential swing districts around Mililani and 'Ewa Beach. While the combined vote for Hanabusa and Case was still larger than Djou's markers, there is no guarantee all these voters would stick with the Democratic nominee in November.
Hanabusa trailed Case in East Honolulu but did better than the former congressman in every district west of Makiki — an encouraging sign for her campaign against Case in the September primary.
Hanabusa's muscle in the most solidly Democratic territory of urban Honolulu, combined with her expected edge in fundraising and the organizational help from establishment Democrats and labor unions, gives her the advantage in the primary.
In other words, Djou also did well in the suburbs in Ewa & Mililani, whereas Hanabusa did well in lower income areas like Kalihi, Palolo & Waipahu!
----
Case captured the state House district he used to represent in Mānoa but trailed in every other district.
While Manoa is similar to East Honolulu in that both areas tend to have a lot of upper-class people, many of European and East Asian ancestry, Manoa has a more liberal vibe. The University of Hawaii is located in Manoa, and many UH professors are left-leaning liberals who live nearby. You'll also find some hippie-ish people hanging out at Manoa Marketplace and in Mo'ili'ili. So while East Honolulu is Hawaii's version of Orange County, Manoa is Hawaii's version of Seattle/Portland/Berkeley.
While Manoa was a former home to the moderate Ed Case, it is the home of the left-wing Neil Abercombie who is quitting Congress to run for governor. It was also where Barack Obama spent a part of his childhood! So that area does have a liberal legacy.
---
There will be another election for this same seat later this year.
Some predict that Hanabusa will win the Democrat primary, and those who wanted Ed Case in the Democrat primary might switch to Republican Charles Djou in the general election.
But I'm thinking Ed Case's former Manoa neighbors will stick with the Democrats in the general election, because I think many are too liberal to vote for Djou.
But I think Ed Case's supporters from other neighborhoods (ie. Ewa, Mililani, East Honolulu, downtown) tend to be more pro-business and would choose Charles Djou over Colleen Hanabusa in the general election.
former students; making us proud & disappointed
1) As a substitute teacher, I come across so many students at different stages of their young lives. We've seen the good and the bad, sometimes all in one day!
Sometimes, we predict the students would make great achievements. But we also worry that many will get into bad situations where they make wrong life-altering decisions!
----------
Last Sunday (5/23/10), I attended a graduation ceremony for my high school alma mater - McKinley High School. Not only did I get to visit my alma mater, I get to see some of my former students that I used to teach when they were at Central & Washington Middle Schools.
Some remembered me, others I had to remind them who I was! Took a few photos.
This was a proud moment, to see those who I knew as middle schoolers, now about to enter adulthood! A memory to cherish.
---
However, the day after, I read in the newspaper that another former student, Jordan Arturyo, has been arrested for a home invasion in Palolo Valley.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100525/NEWS01/5250320/Suspect+s+elder+kin+shocked+by+arrest
I remember Jordan Arturyo from back when he was an 8th grader at Washington Middle School. It was in May 2005, and I had to help supervise students who didn't attend the school's banquet.
I remember he was staring at me, mocking my speech patterns, and I yelled at him, then he wanted to fight me. Lucky thing another teacher was there!
That was my 1st semester working as a substitute teacher, so I obviously, I learned a lot since then about dealing with such situations.
Yelling might scare some into submission, but it doesn't work with tougher students. They want to show their friends "I'm not scared of the teacher" and it evolves into a no-win situation. Teachers have to be stern to be taken seriously, but they need to be calm so that things don't get out of control.
I should've just sent that kid to the office with a referral or talk to the other staff members if things got worse. That would've been a better way to dealing with the situation thant yelling at that kid!
---
I havent' seen Jordan Arturyo since that day, but his involvement in a home invasion doesn't surprise me! Chances are, if a student is mean to the teacher, that student would be even meaner to their peers! Even more so when adults aren't around!
While some student mature as they get older, others get more involved in violent activities. It is obvious that Jordan Arturyo went into the more violent route!
Sometimes, we predict the students would make great achievements. But we also worry that many will get into bad situations where they make wrong life-altering decisions!
----------
Last Sunday (5/23/10), I attended a graduation ceremony for my high school alma mater - McKinley High School. Not only did I get to visit my alma mater, I get to see some of my former students that I used to teach when they were at Central & Washington Middle Schools.
Some remembered me, others I had to remind them who I was! Took a few photos.
This was a proud moment, to see those who I knew as middle schoolers, now about to enter adulthood! A memory to cherish.
---
However, the day after, I read in the newspaper that another former student, Jordan Arturyo, has been arrested for a home invasion in Palolo Valley.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100525/NEWS01/5250320/Suspect+s+elder+kin+shocked+by+arrest
I remember Jordan Arturyo from back when he was an 8th grader at Washington Middle School. It was in May 2005, and I had to help supervise students who didn't attend the school's banquet.
I remember he was staring at me, mocking my speech patterns, and I yelled at him, then he wanted to fight me. Lucky thing another teacher was there!
That was my 1st semester working as a substitute teacher, so I obviously, I learned a lot since then about dealing with such situations.
Yelling might scare some into submission, but it doesn't work with tougher students. They want to show their friends "I'm not scared of the teacher" and it evolves into a no-win situation. Teachers have to be stern to be taken seriously, but they need to be calm so that things don't get out of control.
I should've just sent that kid to the office with a referral or talk to the other staff members if things got worse. That would've been a better way to dealing with the situation thant yelling at that kid!
---
I havent' seen Jordan Arturyo since that day, but his involvement in a home invasion doesn't surprise me! Chances are, if a student is mean to the teacher, that student would be even meaner to their peers! Even more so when adults aren't around!
While some student mature as they get older, others get more involved in violent activities. It is obvious that Jordan Arturyo went into the more violent route!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Follow-up on the previous immigration post
More thoughts on the Arizona immigration controversy and related topics
1) Mexico's government has put out an alert to its citizens visiting Arizona
http://www.sre.gob.mx/csocial/contenido/comunicados/2010/abr/cp_121eng.html (English version)
U.S. anti-immigration fanatics reacted to this advisory by pointing out that Mexico has really harsh anti-immigration laws!
So, while the anti-immigration accuse Mexican immigrants of "making the US more like Mexico", it's the anti-immigration fanatics that want to make the U.S. more like Mexico, the same country so many try to escape!
Meanwhile, Mexico does need to change its abusive immigration laws! Mexico's authorities have been known to be abusive to immigrants from the Central American countries. Mexico's authorities have also been known to harass US American visitors into giving them bribes!
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/may/03/mexicos-illegals-laws-tougher-than-arizonas/
More on Mexico's immigration laws at
http://www.vdare.com/awall/070516_memo.htm
So, yes, many within the Mexican-American community need to be more outspoken against Mexico's immigration laws. That will give them more credibility!
But the anti-immigration fanatic's attitude of "Mexico does it too, why can't we?" is lame!
2) Now, many in the US love to say "why can't those Mexican illegals just learn to just do it legally?"
People who ask those questions act as if the legal immigration policy is an easy process to go through! As easy as for someone to migrate from North Carolina to South Carolina!
It's not!
(by C. Coville)
http://www.cracked.com/article_18552_so-you-want-to-be-american-5-circles-immigration-hell.html
The author went on to go over all the red tape and bureaucratic hassle a person has to go through in order to legally immigrate to the US. The process is too long to go over in my blog, but if you click on that link above, you'll have an idea!
When entrepreneurs or medical patients have to go through such similar red tape, many Tea-Party types call it "government oppression", but they're OK so such government bull-stuff when it comes to immigration. Inconsistent and hypocritical!
With all that bureaucratic bull-stuff, running through the desert is civil disobedience as far as I'm concerned!
Jeff Jacoby said it best
http://jewishworldreview.com/jeff/jacoby051010.php3
3) In my previous blog post, I mentioned that racial profiling and police abuses DID NOT REDUCE CRIME in LA during the late 1980's-early 1990's.
I mention that those who had bad experience with police officers who treat any young non-white persons as criminals, would be less likely to talk to the police when they're a victim or witness to a crime.
I got additional proof, thanks to an LA Times article discussing the recently deceased LAPD chief Darryl Gates.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-domanick18-2010apr18,0,1691456.story
The author talked about Gate's time as LAPD chief from 1978 -1992, then wrote the following
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gates-20100427,0,3591563.story
So, let that be a lesson to those in Arizona who thinks "SB 1070, racial profiling, and abusive policing would make Arizona safer", because the people of Los Angeles LEARNED THE HARD WAY that such tactics doesn't make us safer, in fact, it makes things worse!
4) Basic ways Arizona's SB 1070 can be abused
http://reason.com/archives/2010/05/11/the-bogus-constitutional-argum
-----
Or another example! A loud late house party night party. Of course, those things are inconsiderate to the neighbors who got to wake up early to go to work!
But if that house party is attended by European-Americans, the cops would be like "everyone, just go home already! And call a taxi if you're drunk!"
But if the house party is attended by Mexicans or Central Americans, the police reaction under SB 1070 would NOT BE "everyone, just go home already!" It would be, "Everybody on the floor, and you better have your papers in your pockets!" But seriously, who the hell would bring important papers to a house party? And even if you did have those papers with you, this whole situation is a waste of time! And if you're a US born Latino who has been mistaken as an immigrant, you could be sent to the police station and treated like someone who needs to be deported, when in reality, you don't have "immigration papers" because you're not an immigrant!
If you're one of those being abused by such double standards, it is understandable if you're less likely to talk to police if you're a victim or witness to a crime!
1) Mexico's government has put out an alert to its citizens visiting Arizona
http://www.sre.gob.mx/csocial/contenido/comunicados/2010/abr/cp_121eng.html (English version)
U.S. anti-immigration fanatics reacted to this advisory by pointing out that Mexico has really harsh anti-immigration laws!
So, while the anti-immigration accuse Mexican immigrants of "making the US more like Mexico", it's the anti-immigration fanatics that want to make the U.S. more like Mexico, the same country so many try to escape!
Meanwhile, Mexico does need to change its abusive immigration laws! Mexico's authorities have been known to be abusive to immigrants from the Central American countries. Mexico's authorities have also been known to harass US American visitors into giving them bribes!
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/may/03/mexicos-illegals-laws-tougher-than-arizonas/
Under the Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony, punishable by up to two years in prison. Immigrants who are deported and attempt to re-enter can be imprisoned for 10 years. Visa violators can be sentenced to six-year terms. Mexicans who help illegal immigrants are considered criminals.
The law also says Mexico can deport foreigners who are deemed detrimental to "economic or national interests," violate Mexican law, are not "physically or mentally healthy" or lack the "necessary funds for their sustenance" and for their dependents.
More on Mexico's immigration laws at
http://www.vdare.com/awall/070516_memo.htm
So, yes, many within the Mexican-American community need to be more outspoken against Mexico's immigration laws. That will give them more credibility!
But the anti-immigration fanatic's attitude of "Mexico does it too, why can't we?" is lame!
2) Now, many in the US love to say "why can't those Mexican illegals just learn to just do it legally?"
People who ask those questions act as if the legal immigration policy is an easy process to go through! As easy as for someone to migrate from North Carolina to South Carolina!
It's not!
(by C. Coville)
http://www.cracked.com/article_18552_so-you-want-to-be-american-5-circles-immigration-hell.html
Hard core anti-immigration types in places like, say, Arizona, say it's not about racism. It's the fact that the people crossing the border are breaking the law. Sure, America is awesome, but the country lets in a lot of immigrants through nice legal channels, right? Why don't these Mexicans just try it that way?
Well, having gone through immigration myself in 2009 (the legal way), I can tell you right now there's a reason. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying breaking the law is the way to go. But I am saying that when you make the legal pathway to something long, baffling and infuriating enough, many people are going to skip it in favor of the easy option. Even if choosing that option makes them a criminal.
The author went on to go over all the red tape and bureaucratic hassle a person has to go through in order to legally immigrate to the US. The process is too long to go over in my blog, but if you click on that link above, you'll have an idea!
When entrepreneurs or medical patients have to go through such similar red tape, many Tea-Party types call it "government oppression", but they're OK so such government bull-stuff when it comes to immigration. Inconsistent and hypocritical!
With all that bureaucratic bull-stuff, running through the desert is civil disobedience as far as I'm concerned!
Jeff Jacoby said it best
http://jewishworldreview.com/jeff/jacoby051010.php3
But there is nothing thoughtful or admirable about insisting that a foolish or counterproductive law be enforced at all costs. In Montgomery, Ala., in 1955, Rosa Parks broke the law that mandated racial segregation on public buses. For refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger, Parks was arrested, fingerprinted, and fined. As she was being removed from the bus, she asked the arresting officer, "Why do you push us around?"
"I don't know," he replied. "But the law is the law and you're under arrest."
Of course respect for the law is important. But when laws are foolish, perverse, and repugnant to American interests and ideals, they should be resisted and replaced. Republicans and conservatives should be leading the fight for real immigration reform. How sad that so many of them would rather fight immigrants instead.
3) In my previous blog post, I mentioned that racial profiling and police abuses DID NOT REDUCE CRIME in LA during the late 1980's-early 1990's.
I mention that those who had bad experience with police officers who treat any young non-white persons as criminals, would be less likely to talk to the police when they're a victim or witness to a crime.
I got additional proof, thanks to an LA Times article discussing the recently deceased LAPD chief Darryl Gates.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-domanick18-2010apr18,0,1691456.story
The author talked about Gate's time as LAPD chief from 1978 -1992, then wrote the following
Gates believed that he and the LAPD were doing the city's most important work, and that they should be accountable to no one but themselves. His troops were arrogant and aggressive in their policing, and the cost was catastrophic. Many unarmed suspects were killed by officers, who rarely had to answer for their actions.
Among the many problems with these tactics were that they simply didn't work. During the '80s, for example, violent crime in L.A. grew at more than twice the national average. In 1986, Los Angeles had the highest number of reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents and the highest number of property crimes.
Unable to control the Bloods and Crips gangs, Gates began massive South L.A. "sweeps," in which thousands of black men were indiscriminately arrested. When Rodney King was beaten by LAPD officers, who were then acquitted for their actions, the anger finally exploded. The 1992 riots that followed lasted four days. When they were over, 45 people were dead and 2,300 were injured. Insured losses totaled $1 billion.
The cost to the department was also immense. The LAPD became a worldwide symbol of all that was bad, bigoted and brutal in big-city policing. The world, after all, had witnessed not only the beating of King on grainy footage played over and over on television but also the LAPD's failure to react swiftly to defend the city in the first crucial hours when the rioting might have been stopped.--
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-gates-20100427,0,3591563.story
Critics, however, view him as a man who pursued an antagonistic, paramilitary approach to policing, in which officers treated the city's poor, minority communities as occupied territories. He was, they say, a man prone to racially insensitive remarks, either blind or impervious to the rising animosity many Angelenos felt toward the LAPD. That tension snapped when riots erupted in South L.A. after the acquittal of officers put on trial for the beating of Rodney King. Gates, who blamed those beneath him for the department's failed response, was nonetheless roundly criticized for the debacle. He resisted calls for his resignation for months after the riots, but eventually stepped down in June 1992In that same article, it mentioned that most of the LAPD officers during Chief Gates era are no longer on the police force. There is more diversity in the LAPD, and more importantly, less scandals.
So, let that be a lesson to those in Arizona who thinks "SB 1070, racial profiling, and abusive policing would make Arizona safer", because the people of Los Angeles LEARNED THE HARD WAY that such tactics doesn't make us safer, in fact, it makes things worse!
4) Basic ways Arizona's SB 1070 can be abused
http://reason.com/archives/2010/05/11/the-bogus-constitutional-argum
Under the new law, Arpaio [Pablo's note: Arpaio's an anti-immigration sheriff in Arizona] could troll Hispanic neighborhoods demanding the papers of anyone breaking, say, a local pooper-scooper law while walking their dogs. If they can't comply on the spot, he could haul them to a police station while their immigration status is checked. If it turns out that they are here illegally, they could be arrested, pending deportation. This means that the same pooper-scooper violation that would produce nothing more than a small fine for unaccented white folks—since they would not raise any “reasonable suspicion” that would justify an inquiry into their immigration status—could well result in a lengthy police encounter for Hispanic citizens or Hispanics with valid visas—and deportation for anyone who had overstayed their visa by even a day. “If this doesn't raise equal protection and Fourth Amendment concerns then what does?” asks Cecillia Wang, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union.
-----
Or another example! A loud late house party night party. Of course, those things are inconsiderate to the neighbors who got to wake up early to go to work!
But if that house party is attended by European-Americans, the cops would be like "everyone, just go home already! And call a taxi if you're drunk!"
But if the house party is attended by Mexicans or Central Americans, the police reaction under SB 1070 would NOT BE "everyone, just go home already!" It would be, "Everybody on the floor, and you better have your papers in your pockets!" But seriously, who the hell would bring important papers to a house party? And even if you did have those papers with you, this whole situation is a waste of time! And if you're a US born Latino who has been mistaken as an immigrant, you could be sent to the police station and treated like someone who needs to be deported, when in reality, you don't have "immigration papers" because you're not an immigrant!
If you're one of those being abused by such double standards, it is understandable if you're less likely to talk to police if you're a victim or witness to a crime!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Arizona immigration law & racial profling
Last week, Arizona governor Jan Brewer signed a new law that allows law enforcement officers to stop and question anyone they suspect to be an illegal alien.
Brewer claims that she's not encouraging racial profiling, but reality as it is, it's not likely that an illegal immigrant from Norway or Poland would be stopped for questioning!
So, most likely it will be a hunt for Mexican illegal aliens.
Sure, many Arizona residents can tell who which Latino person is an immigrant or a local, just like many in Hawaii can tell which Asian person is an immigrant or local. But even most of us can guess wrong!
Many conservatives (many who ironically protest government oppression when it comes to taxes, guns, or incidents involving European-American religious cults) scoff at the notion that government power (in this case, local cops or immigration officials) could be abused!
Of course government power can be abused! Government is force! Government oppression isn't just some bureaucrat with a bad attitude, it is also an arrogant law enforcement officer with big size, big ego and multiple weapons! A government bureaucrat with a bad attitude is annoying, but a law enforcement officer carrying weapons have the ability to kill! Yet, many Tea Party conservatives are only concerned about the government bureaucrat with a bad attitude!
So, yes, it could easily lead to law enforcement officers using their authority to bully anyone who is Latino or looks Latino!
That's right, even "looking Mexican" can get you profiled! Many Filipinos & Polynesians from Hawaii have mentioned they have been mistaken as "Mexican" when they visit the continental US!
--------
Some say that racial profiling reduces crime!
BULL-NONSENSE!
Proof? Look at Los Angeles in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There was a lot of police scandals involving European-American officers harassing African-Americans and Latinos. Young teens, who weren't involved in gangs, whose only sin was staying out too late and making noise were treated as if they committed violence and were logged in the police department's gang database!
Driving certain cars could get you stereotyped as a drug dealer! Even if they found no drugs or weapons, YOUR TIME IS WASTED!
So don't give me this, "if you did nothing wrong, you got nothing to hide" or "if you get your ID, you shouldn't worry about being deported" stuff! HELLO, stopping people for "looking illegal" or "driving Impalas" or "wearing baggy khaki pants", even if they're not doing anything wrong WASTE PEOPLE'S TIME! Even worse when the officer has an arrogant attitude that implies "don't ask me questions or you'll be the next Rodney King"
Did crime go down in LA during that time? HELL NO!
Why was that?
Think about it, when you were a kid, if a school official was mean to you, would you talk to that person about your problem? OF COURSE NOT, because chances are, that person wouldn't care or would just laugh at you!
If a police officer stopped you even though you did nothing wrong, would you talk to that same officer if you were a victim of a crime?
And yet people act surprised when many people wouldn't talk to police about crimes they were victims of, or crimes they have witnessed!
So who in LA benefited from police using racial profiling? The Gangs!
The gangs know they can get away with stuff if their victims are reluctant to talk to the police! They know their victims won't talk to police if their victims already had bad experience with cops who treated them as bad guys from being young, black or brown!
Sure, gang members may not like being stopped by cops, but they are happy when others of their race get stopped by cops for driving a nice car, or wearing hip-hop fashion! Because now their victims will be reluctant to talk to police!
So guess who's going to benefit from the new Arizona law allowing police to stop & question anyone who looks "illegal"? THE GANG MEMBERS WILL BENEFIT MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE!
This was why LA was so dangerous in the late 1980s and 1990s! Gang members could get away with anything, because their victims fear the cops too!
And this was why in 1992, after 4 European-American cops beat an African-American drunk driving suspect Rodney King, there was a large-scale riot in Los Angeles!
That riot was a wake-up call for Los Angeles. The city government became more vigilant about who is in their police force, and how they interact with the public!
While the LAPD isn't perfect, its public relations has improved! There hasn't been much scandals from that department lately. Less profiling, less brutality! And crime in LA has declined!
Even with all the hype of South Central LA's population going from mostly African-American to mostly Latin American, and all the hype surrounding the gang violence between both ethnic groups, still the overall crime rate there has decreased! That's because people there are now less reluctant to talk to police about crimes they experienced or witnessed.
So, do the people of Arizona want a large-scale riot to eventually pop-up in Phoenix? Because the people of California learned the hard way what can happen if too much police officers abuse their authority and treat anyone who is young & non-white as a suspect!
-----
John McCain calls himself a "maverick" and was once willing to speak up for Mexican immigrants! He even supported a law that would make it easier for illegal aliens to eventually become US citizens. However, that got backlash from the far-right and JD Hayworth is challenging McCain on this issue. So this "maverick" has turned "chicken" and supported this stupid law!
----------
Anti-immigration fascists love to exploit crimes committed by Mexican immigrants.
The most recent one was the murder of a farmer who lived near the Arizona-Mexico border. Illegal Mexican immigrants have been suspected in this case!
But do illegal aliens really make us unsafe?
http://reason.com/archives/2010/04/22/how-immigration-crackdowns-bac
-----
I also wrote about that issue back in October 2009, blog post titled "More Immigrants, Less Crime"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009_10_01_archive.html#5969634862924242439
-----
While anti-immigrant fascists like Pat Buchanan, Glenn Beck, and Michelle Maglalang Malkin love to emphasize immigrant criminals violating the non-immigrant, they are silent about the murder of Brisenia Flores.
Brisenia Flores was a 9-year old girl of Mexican ancestry who was brutally murdered by white supremacists in Arizona. Her father, Raul Flores, was also killed in that attack!
http://www.theliberaloc.com/2010/04/27/the-crime-conservatives-dont-want-you-to-know-about/
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2009/06/15/nativist-leader-arrested-for-double-murder/
How many more people will end up like Brisenia Flores? How much longer will this be ignored?---(skipped paragraphs)(skipped paragraphs)
Brewer claims that she's not encouraging racial profiling, but reality as it is, it's not likely that an illegal immigrant from Norway or Poland would be stopped for questioning!
So, most likely it will be a hunt for Mexican illegal aliens.
Sure, many Arizona residents can tell who which Latino person is an immigrant or a local, just like many in Hawaii can tell which Asian person is an immigrant or local. But even most of us can guess wrong!
Many conservatives (many who ironically protest government oppression when it comes to taxes, guns, or incidents involving European-American religious cults) scoff at the notion that government power (in this case, local cops or immigration officials) could be abused!
Of course government power can be abused! Government is force! Government oppression isn't just some bureaucrat with a bad attitude, it is also an arrogant law enforcement officer with big size, big ego and multiple weapons! A government bureaucrat with a bad attitude is annoying, but a law enforcement officer carrying weapons have the ability to kill! Yet, many Tea Party conservatives are only concerned about the government bureaucrat with a bad attitude!
So, yes, it could easily lead to law enforcement officers using their authority to bully anyone who is Latino or looks Latino!
That's right, even "looking Mexican" can get you profiled! Many Filipinos & Polynesians from Hawaii have mentioned they have been mistaken as "Mexican" when they visit the continental US!
--------
Some say that racial profiling reduces crime!
BULL-NONSENSE!
Proof? Look at Los Angeles in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There was a lot of police scandals involving European-American officers harassing African-Americans and Latinos. Young teens, who weren't involved in gangs, whose only sin was staying out too late and making noise were treated as if they committed violence and were logged in the police department's gang database!
Driving certain cars could get you stereotyped as a drug dealer! Even if they found no drugs or weapons, YOUR TIME IS WASTED!
So don't give me this, "if you did nothing wrong, you got nothing to hide" or "if you get your ID, you shouldn't worry about being deported" stuff! HELLO, stopping people for "looking illegal" or "driving Impalas" or "wearing baggy khaki pants", even if they're not doing anything wrong WASTE PEOPLE'S TIME! Even worse when the officer has an arrogant attitude that implies "don't ask me questions or you'll be the next Rodney King"
Did crime go down in LA during that time? HELL NO!
Why was that?
Think about it, when you were a kid, if a school official was mean to you, would you talk to that person about your problem? OF COURSE NOT, because chances are, that person wouldn't care or would just laugh at you!
If a police officer stopped you even though you did nothing wrong, would you talk to that same officer if you were a victim of a crime?
And yet people act surprised when many people wouldn't talk to police about crimes they were victims of, or crimes they have witnessed!
So who in LA benefited from police using racial profiling? The Gangs!
The gangs know they can get away with stuff if their victims are reluctant to talk to the police! They know their victims won't talk to police if their victims already had bad experience with cops who treated them as bad guys from being young, black or brown!
Sure, gang members may not like being stopped by cops, but they are happy when others of their race get stopped by cops for driving a nice car, or wearing hip-hop fashion! Because now their victims will be reluctant to talk to police!
So guess who's going to benefit from the new Arizona law allowing police to stop & question anyone who looks "illegal"? THE GANG MEMBERS WILL BENEFIT MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE!
This was why LA was so dangerous in the late 1980s and 1990s! Gang members could get away with anything, because their victims fear the cops too!
And this was why in 1992, after 4 European-American cops beat an African-American drunk driving suspect Rodney King, there was a large-scale riot in Los Angeles!
That riot was a wake-up call for Los Angeles. The city government became more vigilant about who is in their police force, and how they interact with the public!
While the LAPD isn't perfect, its public relations has improved! There hasn't been much scandals from that department lately. Less profiling, less brutality! And crime in LA has declined!
Even with all the hype of South Central LA's population going from mostly African-American to mostly Latin American, and all the hype surrounding the gang violence between both ethnic groups, still the overall crime rate there has decreased! That's because people there are now less reluctant to talk to police about crimes they experienced or witnessed.
So, do the people of Arizona want a large-scale riot to eventually pop-up in Phoenix? Because the people of California learned the hard way what can happen if too much police officers abuse their authority and treat anyone who is young & non-white as a suspect!
-----
John McCain calls himself a "maverick" and was once willing to speak up for Mexican immigrants! He even supported a law that would make it easier for illegal aliens to eventually become US citizens. However, that got backlash from the far-right and JD Hayworth is challenging McCain on this issue. So this "maverick" has turned "chicken" and supported this stupid law!
----------
Anti-immigration fascists love to exploit crimes committed by Mexican immigrants.
The most recent one was the murder of a farmer who lived near the Arizona-Mexico border. Illegal Mexican immigrants have been suspected in this case!
But do illegal aliens really make us unsafe?
http://reason.com/archives/2010/04/22/how-immigration-crackdowns-bac
The state has an estimated 460,000 illegal immigrants. But contrary to myth, they have not brought an epidemic of murder and mayhem with them. Surprise of surprises, the state has gotten safer.
Over the last decade, the violent crime rate has dropped by 19 percent, while property crime is down by 20 percent. Crime has also declined in the rest of the country, but not as fast as in Arizona.
Babeu's claim about police killings came as news to me. When I called his office to get a list of victims, I learned there has been only one since the beginning of 2008—deeply regrettable, but not exactly a trend.
Truth is, illegal immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native Americans. Most come here to work, and in their desire to stay, they are generally afraid to do anything that might draw the attention of armed people wearing badges.
El Paso, Texas, is next door to the exceptionally violent Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and easily accessible to illegal entry. Yet it is one of the safest cities in the United States.
-----
I also wrote about that issue back in October 2009, blog post titled "More Immigrants, Less Crime"
http://pablowegesend.blogspot.com/2009_10_01_archive.html#5969634862924242439
-----
While anti-immigrant fascists like Pat Buchanan, Glenn Beck, and Michelle Maglalang Malkin love to emphasize immigrant criminals violating the non-immigrant, they are silent about the murder of Brisenia Flores.
Brisenia Flores was a 9-year old girl of Mexican ancestry who was brutally murdered by white supremacists in Arizona. Her father, Raul Flores, was also killed in that attack!
http://www.theliberaloc.com/2010/04/27/the-crime-conservatives-dont-want-you-to-know-about/
http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2009/06/15/nativist-leader-arrested-for-double-murder/
The leader of Minutemen American Defense (MAD), a nativist extremist group that conducts vigilante patrols on the Arizona-Mexico border, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder Friday for her alleged role in the May 30 slayings of a Latino man and his 9-year-old daughter in Pima County, Ariz.
Also arrested were MAD Operations Director Jason Eugene “Gunny” Bush, 34, the alleged triggerman in the murders, and Albert Robert Gaxiola, 42, a local member of MAD. Along with the two murder counts, Forde and her two associates were charged with one count of first-degree burglary and one count of aggravated assault.
According to investigators, Forde and at least two armed men broke into a trailer occupied by Arivaca, Ariz., resident Raul Flores, his wife, and their daughter Brisenia. Bush allegedly shot and killed Raul Flores and Brisenia before Flores’ wife, who was also shot in the incident, returned fire, wounding Gaxiola. It’s unclear whether the alleged killers found any money or drugs.
How many more people will end up like Brisenia Flores? How much longer will this be ignored?---(skipped paragraphs)(skipped paragraphs)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Coming soon
So many thoughts, not much time to blog it out!
1) The controversial Arizona immigration law, allowing police to stop anyone who they suspect to be an illegal alien. This is racial profiling, and despite what some conservative correctness people say, it doesn't reduce crime! In fact, it encourages crime
Trust me, I have tons to write about that! It's just that some of these blog posts take 1-2 hours to write & edit and I don't always have that much free time
2) The Ben Rothlisberger rape case. No charges filed, but lots to talk about!
------
3) As for me, currently I work part-time as a para-professional tutor at a local middle school, and I work as a substitute teacher on the other days.
1) The controversial Arizona immigration law, allowing police to stop anyone who they suspect to be an illegal alien. This is racial profiling, and despite what some conservative correctness people say, it doesn't reduce crime! In fact, it encourages crime
Trust me, I have tons to write about that! It's just that some of these blog posts take 1-2 hours to write & edit and I don't always have that much free time
2) The Ben Rothlisberger rape case. No charges filed, but lots to talk about!
------
3) As for me, currently I work part-time as a para-professional tutor at a local middle school, and I work as a substitute teacher on the other days.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)