Wednesday - June 07, 2006

My Little Pony

Poor Henry Lewis. Not only is he a sick individual but he has PETA jumping all over him. To make matters worse, now Henry’s story is being presented here to the entire world, courtesy of the internet. I’m afraid there will be absolutely nothing in today’s news that can top Henry’s story. I may as well pack it in and go read a good book. You however, may feel free to discuss Henry and his little pony. If you follow the link to the PETA web site you will learn a new word for the day: zoophile. Don’t ask ...

South Alabama Man Facing Bestiality Charge
_{June 5, 2006 08:29 PM}

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA-TV) - The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, is bringing attention to a case of alleged bestiality in Alabama. Henry Lewis of Sweetwater is accused of having sex with a pony.

According to PETA, at least two people witnessed the act about a month ago. A few days later, the pony was reported dead.

“Research shows that offenders who commit bestiality often go on to commit sex crimes against humans,” said PETA’s Stephanie Bell.

“Our belief is that the community should be following this case closely because anyone capable of this kind of cruelty poses a definitive risk to the entire community.”

PETA is urging the district attorney to prosecute Lewis vigorously and require mandatory counseling. An initial hearing in the case was scheduled for Wednesday.

---

PETA Demands Jail Time, Psychiatric Intervention
If Alleged Pony Rapist Is Convicted
Community Should Fear Future Incidents, Say Experts
_{June 5, 2006}

SWEETWATER, Ala. (PETA MEDIA CENTER) - This morning, PETA sent an urgent plea to District Attorney Greg Griggers urging him to vigorously prosecute Henry Lewis of Sweetwater. Lewis faces charges stemming from an incident last month in which he allegedly raped a 6-week-old pony. At least two people reportedly witnessed Lewis’ penetrating the animal, who was found dead several days later by her guardian.

“Studies show that offenders who commit bestiality often go on to commit sex crimes against humans,” says PETA Cruelty Caseworker Stephanie Bell. “The community should follow this case closely, because anyone capable of this kind of cruelty poses a definitive risk to the entire community.”

PETA is asking that¯if convicted and in addition to serving a period of incarceration—Lewis be prohibited from owning or harboring animals and that authorities seize any other animals currently in his custody. PETA is also asking that Lewis be required to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation followed by mandatory counseling.

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/07/2006 at 04:57 AM   
Filed Under: • Animals • Crime • Insanity •  
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Armed Citizenry Report

You have to read between the line in stories like this because there’s always so much they don’t tell you. Here’s my take on this episode: (1) The two punks figured they had an easy mark - bad mistake; (2) the old guy was probably carrying a .22 caliber pistol if none of the injuries was life-threatening; (3) even with a .22 pistol, if the old dude’s eyesight had been a little better the two punks would be in the morgue; (4) somewhere, right now, a sleazy lawyer is contacting the two punks to see if they want to sue the old dude for damages. Add your own crime scene investigation thoughts in the comments ...

Store Owner, 81, Shoots Would-be Robbers
_{June 6, 2006}

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (COURIER-JOURNAL) - Three men were hospitalized — including a liquor store owner — after two men tried to rob him outside his store in the Shawnee neighborhood store late Tuesday afternoon, police said. The liquor store owner shot them after they pistol-whipped him, said Officer Dwight Mitchell, a Louisville Metro Police spokesman.

None of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening, he said. The owner was identified by relatives as James Wilson. Police were called to Wilson’s Liquors, 3804 River Park Drive, just before 5 p.m. The owner was parking his car in a garage behind the business when the two men attacked him and tried to rob him, police said.

He then pulled a gun and shot at the two robbers, who ran off, Mitchell said. Wilson was taken to University Hospital. He was discharged later Tuesday evening, according to a nursing supervisor at the hospital. Police would not say how many times he shot the men or where they had been shot.

Officers later found one suspect five doors down from the liquor store. He also was taken to University Hospital. The other suspect turned up at Jewish Hospital, Mitchell said. No charges had been filed last night.

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/07/2006 at 04:32 AM   
Filed Under: • Crime •  
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Ticket To Ride

_{Jim Day - Las Vegas Review Journal}

- Houston Chronicle: “Lawmakers took millions in free trips, study finds”

WASHINGTON - Members of Congress and their aides took free trips worth nearly $50 million paid for by corporations, trade associations and other private groups between January 2000 and June 2005, according to a study released today. Some of the 23,000 trips featured $500-a-night hotel rooms, $25,000 corporate jet rides and visits to popular spots such as Paris, Hawaii and Colorado ski resorts, said the study, by the Center for Public Integrity, American Public Media and Northwestern University’s Medill News Service.

Former House Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay and his staffers accepted about a half million dollars in trips during the period under review—more than any other congressional office, the study said. DeLay resigned as the number two House Republican in the House and will leave Congress this week, after he was indicted of violating campaign finance laws in his home state of Texas. “In many instances, trip sponsors appeared to be buying access to elected officials or their advisers,” the study said.

While some excursions were legitimate fact-finding missions, others appeared to have been little more than “pricey vacations” wrapped around speeches or seminars in which the lawmaker was joined by family members, the study said. The data emerged from a nine-month-long review of congressional travel disclosure forms and coincided with ongoing federal investigations of political corruption and efforts to clean up how Congress does business.

Congressional trip sponsors, the study said, included Microsoft, Time Warner and The Walt Disney Co., along with the Association of American Railroads.

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/07/2006 at 03:41 AM   
Filed Under: • Humor • Politics •  
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   Tuesday - June 06, 2006

Through The Looking Glass

“Las Vegas Night”
-by-
Jon Sullivan

_{(click image for larger 1024x768 image in popup)}

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/06/2006 at 05:14 PM   
Filed Under: • Art-Photography •  
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Cheeky Brits & The Skippers Maid

I’ve been wondering where some of our Brit readers have disappeared to lately. Bulldog, Peiper? What have you guys been up to over there? You’re not working part-time as butlers, are you? That kind of work can be a little “drafty” dont’cha know? Key quote in the story below: “We want them to be cheeky but clean.” I say ol’ chap! Keep a stiff upper ... whatever ...

Half-Naked Butlers Are A Hit In London
_{June 6, 2006 12:07:37 PM}

LONDON, England (REUTERS) - Forget the quintessential image of the British butler as the epitome of discreet decorum “Butlers in the Buff” has proved such a business success as half-naked waiters in Britain that the firm is now off round the world to market the ultimate “male order” service.

The company, whose waiters wear only a bow tie, collar, cuffs and a bottom-revealing apron, is the brainchild of former Royal Marine Jason Didcott who turned entrepreneur after serving in the Gulf and Bosnia.

Determined to find a tasteful alternative to strippers and pole dancers, he lays down strict rules — each waiter undergoes a scrupulous police check and drink-fuelled clients are firmly told to keep their hands to themselves.

“What we are looking for is James Bond in a butler outfit. We want them to be cheeky but clean,” he told Reuters. “At the end of the party they can have their photo taken with the butler but that is as far as it goes. If they have too much wine and try to undo the apron, he says No Touching.”

The waiters readily admit to first night nerves — but they soon conquer them. Butler Dan Atkins said: “I love the job. I couldn’t think of a better way to earn money. At first you’re nervous but you soon forget your bum is on display and you get on with serving drinks and mingling.”

Didcott, and his company partners Will Jones and Stacey Lynn, has 75 part-time butlers on his books to staff hen parties, corporate functions and the fast growing market of gay wedding receptions. The butlers range from actors, dancers and students to personal trainers and even a hypnotherapist. “We are desperate to find more. We never have enough,” he said.

- Web Site: Butlers In The Buff

Personally, The Skipper has no use for a butler, either nekkid or fully clothed, eh wot? However, I have noticed a large accumulation of dust around the Captain’s cabin here lately. Perhaps I need to hire a maid, eh? Something along the lines of this hard-working lass on the right. I am now accepting applications for Skipper’s Maid. You must supply your own uniform which must be similar to what the lovely lady here is wearing. Of course, if yours has less material that’s not a problem. I’m sure we can work out the details later. Apply by e-mail today. Be sure to include in the “Subject:” line the words “Lusty Nympho Maid For Hire”. Only seriously deranged females need apply. The kinkier the better. I will be interviewing later this week.

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/06/2006 at 02:10 PM   
Filed Under: • Fun-Stuff • Odd-Strange •  
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Kelo Eviction!

Well, it has finally come down to this in New London, Connecticut. The madness that SCOTUS wrought last year is in its final phases. The city has moved everyone out of the area that was appropriated stolen for “development” - except for two citizens of these United States who are having their right to own property literally ignored and over-ridden ... by the Supreme Court Of The United States.

Do you want to talk about giving up your rights in time of war? Sure, go ahead. There may be good reasons for that - but what satanic reason can you give me for a local government literally stealing a citizen’s land? I’ve been screaming about this for over a year in various posts and now we’re in the end game and the slimey, sleazy, dastardly bullies at New London City Hall are about to tear down two houses around their owner’s ears - and fine them for not moving.

Conn. City Leaders OK Riverfront Evictions
_{June 6, 2006, 8:48 AM EDT}

NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) - City officials voted to evict two residents whose refusal to give up their riverfront houses helped lead to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that governments may seize property for private development projects. The City Council voted 5-2 in favor of eviction Monday. An attorney for the residents said they are considering continuing to fight.

“You are a disgrace to the city, the state and the nation,” one of the residents, Michael Cristofaro, told council members who voted to evict. The city has been trying for a decade to redevelop the once-vibrant neighborhood at the point where the Thames River joins the sea. Seven homeowners challenged the city’s plans to seize the property and build a hotel, convention center and upscale condominiums, saying eminent domain can’t be used to make way for private development.

But the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 last year to uphold the city’s right to take the homes, saying municipalities have broad power to do so in favor of private development to generate tax revenue. Since then, five of the homeowners have settled with the city and agreed to leave. Two holdouts, Cristofaro and Susette Kelo, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, still refuse to sell.

The vote came five days after a settlement deadline. One resident agreed to a settlement just minutes before Monday’s meeting began, The Day of New London reported. The city attorney plans go to court to seek removal of the remaining two families and obtain the properties in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood, a process that could take three months. Scott Bullock, a lawyer for the residents, said they will consider asking the state to pull funding for the development.

City councilman Robert Pero, who supported the effort to remove the families, noted that the issue has been through state agencies and three courts. “This was a plan that was well thought out,” he said. “The development of this peninsula needs to move forward.” But Charles Frink, one of the two council members who voted against the plan, said supporters should admit their mistake. “I can’t accept a possible reduction in taxes by having neighbors thrown out of their property,” he said. “This is morally abhorrent to me. I refuse to profit from my neighbor’s pain.”

- BizzyBlog has the full timeline of this heinous act ...

- CoyoteBlog has the story on the follow-up to Kelo ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/06/2006 at 11:46 AM   
Filed Under: • Judges-Courts-Lawyers • Oppression • Outrageous •  
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Separation Of Powers

_{Steve Kelley - The New Orleans Times-Picayune}

- Indianapolis Star: “Congress Puts Itself First”

WASHINGTON - In baseball, the hurler intimidates the batter with a brush-back pitch. In soccer, the official warns an unruly player by pulling out a yellow card. Politicians in legal jeopardy thunder and moan, threatening prosecutors while cloaking their pressure tactics in the grand language of constitutional rights and democracy. So don’t be fooled by the hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on the Justice Department’s supposed violation of congressional rights in an FBI search of Rep. William Jefferson’s office in a bribery investigation.

The hearing was dominated by talk of abuses of power by long-dead monarchs and the need of the people’s representatives for untrammeled communication with their constituents. But Rep. James Sensenbrenner’s committee was really sending a message as the House confronts a far-reaching corruption investigation: Nice little Justice Department you have there, Mr. Attorney General. Too bad if anything happened to it. Stop messing with us before we mess with you.

How else to explain this from Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif.: “We have the power to impeach the attorney general. Now I’m not sure that articles of impeachment are going to come out today. I think we’re a couple shakes short of a quorum for that purpose. Although I suspect members would quickly be here if it was brought by the chair.”

Why would House Republicans be so concerned with Jefferson, a Democrat from Louisiana who, according to prosecutors, kept $90,000 in cash in his freezer? One answer is high principle. The more plausible answer is that Republicans are worried that the next shoes to drop in the congressional probes will belong to Republican members. Using a Democrat’s case now to protect Republican members in the future is not so much clever as transparent.

If Wisconsin’s Sensenbrenner and his fellow Republicans had shown an exquisite concern with civil liberties and accountability in the past, their challenge to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales might be seen as a part of consistent, libertarian sensibility.

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/06/2006 at 09:11 AM   
Filed Under: • Crime • Politics •  
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DCLXVI

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/06/2006 at 01:15 AM   
Filed Under: • Religion •  
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   Monday - June 05, 2006

Through The Looking Glass

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/05/2006 at 05:59 PM   
Filed Under: • Stoopid-People •  
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Marine’s Father Sues Westboro Baptist Church

Hit them where it hurts - in the pocketbook. Sure, as the witch says in the quote below, they have freedom of speech. However, if that speech is abusive, harassing and/or demeaning, it will cost you. I would dearly love to be on the jury for this trial. I think damages in the $10 billion range is sufficient - and while we’re at it, when is someone going to investigate where Phelps and his crew get their money from?

How can they afford to travel all over the country harassing decent people unless there is some big money backing them. If anybody has any information on the source of their funding, I’d sure like to hear about it. In the meantime, I am requesting all members (and readers) here contact Mr. Snyder and give him your support in whatever way you can. It’s time to bring these spawn of Satan to account for their actions and words.

Marine’s Father Sues Funeral Protesters
_{June 5, 2006, 3:30 PM EDT}

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) - The father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters from a fundamentalist Kansas church filed an invasion-of-privacy suit against the demonstrators Monday.

It is believed to be the first lawsuit brought by a soldier’s family against Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., whose members routinely demonstrate at military funerals around the country.

Albert Snyder of York, Pa., the father of Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder (pictured at right), is seeking unspecified damages. The younger Snyder, 20, died March 3 after an accident in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. He was buried in Westminster, Md.

“We think it’s a case we can win because anyone’s funeral is private,” Snyder lawyer Sean Summers said. “You don’t have a right to interrupt someone’s private funeral.”

Members of Westboro say the military deaths in Iraq are God’s punishment for America’s tolerance of gays. They typically carry signs with slogans such as “God Hates Fags” and “Thank God for IEDs,” a reference to the roadside bombs used by insurgents.

The church has inspired dozens of state laws banning funeral protests, including a Maryland law that did not go into effect until after Snyder’s memorial.

Shirley Phelps-Roper, a spokeswoman for the small congregation, said it is the first time Westboro has been sued by a soldier’s family. “We were exercising our First Amendment rights,” she said.

- View a copy of the complaint (PDF) here ...

- Read about Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder here ...

- Visit the Snyder Family’s website here ...

- If you really insist, you can view Reverend Phelps hate-filled web site here ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/05/2006 at 04:03 PM   
Filed Under: • Judges-Courts-Lawyers • Military • Stoopid-People •  
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Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day (so far)

UNBELIEVABLE! Simply unbelievable. Woman goes to abortion clinic to get an abortion. The clinic screws up the abortion and a child is born with a hole in its heart and messed up lungs. So the mother sues the abortion clinic for damaging her child? You gotta be kidding me. Having an abortion is stupid enough but to sue the clinic when they mess it up?

It’s things like this that make me more and more convinced that abortion is wrong, very wrong. I’ve been on the fence on the abortion issue for decades. Personally, I do not consider it a choice for any child fathered by me but I’ve been willing to let others make the choice for themselves. Now I’m starting to change my mind. It’s time to repeal Roe v. Wade. This lunacy has gone far enough.

Court OKs Child’s Abortion Suit
_{June 5, 2006}

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER) - A state appeals court has ruled that a Birmingham abortion clinic can be sued over an unsuccessful abortion that a woman blames for damaging her child’s health. The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals reversed a lower court ruling that had blocked a lawsuit filed by a woman on behalf of herself and her child. In a decision released May 26, the appeals court said the woman, identified only by her initials L.K.D.H., can sue Planned Parenthood of Alabama on behalf of her child.

Eric Johnston, a Birmingham attorney who has helped write many of the anti-abortion bills considered by the Legislature, said the decision is significant because it holds that a health care provider can be held responsible for injuries caused to a child in the womb. “The fact it was during an abortion doesn’t change that,” Johnston said. Larry Rodick, state director of Planned Parenthood, declined comment. Planned Parenthood attorney Eric Hoaglund said the decision is still under review and no decision has been made about the next step. He declined further comment.

The case involved a woman who went to Planned Parenthood’s abortion clinic in Birmingham. The abortion procedure was unsuccessful in ending her pregnancy, and she blamed the unsuccessful abortion for resulting in her daughter being born with injuries that included a hole in her heart and an inverted tube leading from her lungs to her heart, “causing her body not to be able to receive enough oxygen.”

Circuit Judge Robert Vance Jr. issued summary judgment in favor of the abortion clinic. The appeals court agreed with him that the mother couldn’t sue on her own behalf, but the five judges said she can sue on behalf of her child. “Neither the United States Supreme Court nor the Supreme Court of Alabama has ever ruled that a medical provider, or for that matter a mother, can engage, with some blanket of constitutional protection, in negligent or reckless conduct that deforms or injures a child so long as the deformity or injury is inflicted on the child before it leaves the womb,” Judge Glenn Murdock wrote.

To embrace that position would allow abortion clinics to operate “as carelessly or recklessly as they wish without bearing any responsibility. ... It would be hard to imagine a more troubling development in our law,” the judge wrote. Johnston said the ruling opens a narrow window because other Alabama court cases have held a woman can’t sue over a successful abortion and a child born healthy after an unsuccessful abortion can’t sue over “wrongful birth.”

The woman’s case was originally appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court, but the court transferred it to the Court of Civil Appeals. At least one member of the Court of Civil Appeals questioned the transfer in a concurring opinion. Judge Craig Pittman wrote that the state law providing for the transfer of cases says the Supreme Court should not transfer a case that presents a “novel legal question” that has “significant statewide impact.” Murdock, who wrote the main decision, is running in the Republican primary for the Alabama Supreme Court.

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/05/2006 at 03:29 PM   
Filed Under: • Abortion • Judges-Courts-Lawyers •  
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Nobel Prize Candidate?

I see only one problem with this new beer that might keep its inventors from receiving the Nobel Prize for Medicine ... it’s non-alcoholic. C’mon guys! What good is it doing any of us if we give our women beer that helps them act rational and sane but at the same time we don’t take advantage of the moment and get them drunk? 

Face it! When they’re going through menopause they’re impossible to be around. Why fix the menopause in the first place if we’re not prepared to take the next step and boldly go where ... never mind. Now if we could only find a beer to cure the similar affliction in men of a certain age, commonly known as “mental pause”, then we’d be in business ...

Scientists Brew Menopause Beer
_{Friday, June 02, 2006}

(HEALTH-24) - Czech scientists say they have created a new non-alcoholic beer that contains 10 times the normal amount of phytoestrogen, intended to help women suffering from the menopause. The beer, developed by the Czech Republic’s Research Institute for Brewing and Malting, is intended to relieve menopausal symptoms and maintain bone density by tackling a lack of the oestrogen hormone in many Czech women.

The development marks a sizeable breakthrough in the realm of functional beer, at a time when functional foods are becoming more popular in many markets. Oestrogen levels drop significantly in women at the onset of the menopause and remain low from then on. Studies have linked a lack of the hormone to increased risk of various health problems, including heart disease and osteoporosis.

“Czech women lack oestrogen in their diet, so we wanted to solve this through beer because the Czech Republic is number one in the world for beer consumption,” Karel Kosar, managing director of the brewing research institute, told Cee-FoodIndustry.com. Czechs drink an average 161 litres of beer each every year, compared to 121 in Germany, 84 in the US and around one litre in India.

Scientists have known for some time that hops used to make beer naturally contain phytoestrogen, a form of the oestrogen hormone found in plants. Kosar said he and the team had used newly developed technology to make the beer.

He said the technique should also enable them to make the beer non-alcoholic yet preserve taste by maintaining the same levels of hops and malt as a normal alcoholic lager. The scientists now plan to expand the research to bring their new beer closer to its market debut. Funding could be a problem, however. “We are looking to do more research, but everything costs money,” said Kosar.

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/05/2006 at 09:54 AM   
Filed Under: • Medical • Science-Technology •  
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Tech Support

Microsoft Windows Vista Beta 2 Available

Windows Vista Beta 2 is now available for IT professionals and developers with MSDN and TechNet subscriptions. In the coming weeks, Microsoft will start the Windows Vista Customer Preview Program (CPP) for developers and IT professionals who are not members of the subscription services.

The Windows Vista CPP will also be available to technology enthusiasts that want to install and test a copy of Windows Vista Beta 2. You can get a head start on your Windows Vista CPP preparation by visiting the Get Ready section of this site and downloading the Windows Vista Product Guide.

Getting ready for Windows Vista, available in early 2007, means choosing the edition that’s right for you and ensuring that you have the right PC to enjoy the experiences you want.

_{Disclaimer: The cartoon and news announcement above are totally unrelated. They just appear to have something in common. Appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes.}

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/05/2006 at 08:35 AM   
Filed Under: •   
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The Unwelcome Guests

Still think a “guest worker program” is a good idea? Read the story below and think again. Nearly half of illegals in the country right now came here legally with a work visa and ... never left. How’s that for a cold slap in the face?

Here you thought they were crawling over the fence and swimming the river and it turns out they are just walking in with our government’s permission and that same government then conveniently forgets about them.

Yes, that would be the very same government that will hound you or I to the grave over $100 in back taxes. That rotten, no-good, useless government in DC keeps millions of records on legal taxpaying citizens so they can find us in a flash ... yet they seem to have lost six million Mexicans.

Are you angry enough yet to do what needs to be done and vote every one of those fat, overpaid, bloviating politicians in DC out of office?

Millions of Visa Overstays Overlooked
_{June 5, 2006, 7:47 AM EDT}

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Millions of illegal immigrants in the United States never jumped the U.S.-Mexico border where Congress wants to erect impenetrable walls and President Bush is sending National Guard troops to patrol. They never sneaked in at all.

The little-acknowledged reality is that nearly half the estimated 12 million undocumented foreigners in the United States entered on bona fide U.S. visas—and simply never left. Authorities call them “overstays” who have been largely overlooked in the vitriolic debate on immigration.

“The southwestern border gets all the attention, but it’s staggering the number of people who come and overstay their visa,” said Dean Boyd, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Washington. “It’s a very large-scale problem.” A study by the Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center last month indicated that 45 percent of the undocumented migrants in the United States overstayed legal visas.

Confirming those findings or knowing the home country of those who overstay their visas is tricky because U.S. authorities don’t track the problem. Immigration authorities also generally don’t compare entry and exit information to see who should have left the country. “There’s no annual reports published on visa overstays because obviously these people are hiding and don’t want to be found,” Boyd said.

Ana Luisa certainly doesn’t, so she asked that her last name not be used. The Mexico City native lives in Dallas with her husband, 13-year-old son and 5-month-old daughter—who was born in the United States and is an American citizen—and volunteers at a middle school. When she moved to the United States, she made sure to return to Mexico every six months to renew her tourist visa. But the trip soon became a chore and she let her visa lapse a year ago. Now if she returns to Mexico again she likely won’t be able to get another U.S. visa.

“I’m illegal, but I’m someone who is trying to help with my work,” she said in a phone interview. Ana Luisa said she would never have sneaked across the border to get into the United States, and didn’t see the harm in overstaying her visa. In Dallas, she said, her son is able to get a better education than he would in Mexico.

“I wouldn’t risk my life in the river or in the desert like thousands of others do,” she said. Many borrow the social security numbers of legal residents or use falsified documents to build what appear to be legal identities, making it difficult for employers to know when someone is undocumented. Others work informally, as maids, gardeners or in other jobs where employers rarely require paperwork, despite federal law.

- More on the story here ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/05/2006 at 07:57 AM   
Filed Under: • Illegal-Aliens and Immigration •  
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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