Today I read a very sympathetic op-ed piece in the St. Pete Times. Now, the St. Pete Times is our most liberal newspaper in the area and their editorial staff is also very liberal. I usually like the St. Pete Times, even though I'm a moderate. Their competition (The Tampa Trib) just doesn't have the same depth and range of coverage. But this editorial in the Times was so stunningly wrong, that I have to write about it.
The Times gave a very sweet and sympathetic little story about how the mean old American government has all these 'unnecessary' laws that really restrict the illegal immigrants that come here...illegally.
The Times told of this sad little Romeo and Juliet tale of a young 15 year old girl and the 24 year old man who got her pregnant. But when she gave birth, she and the baby were taken into custody because in our country we are so backwards that we still consider her a child (fancy that). Why, we are getting in the way of family! Even their parents approve! In fact, their lawyers approve! Everyone approves! What a shame we can't honor their cultural customs, where girls between 13 and 15 are routinely chosen as brides to much older men.
Make me vomit.
What fools have taken over the editorial staff at the Times? Has no one questioned why all these illegal families involved weren't deported immediately? Has no one considered that other cultures customs aren't customs in America because we think they're wrong? What's next? An editorial suggesting that we should allow those who practice female 'circumcison' (destruction of the female genitalia) to practice it here because they practice it there?
Exploitation of children is still exploitation, pure and simple. If this 15 year old's parents approve, then (as my mother would say) "more fools they". Let's not make the moronic mistake of excusing bad judgement simply due to culture.
(For more information on child sexual abuse, particularly on older men preying on young teens, go to Darkness2Light)
32 comments:
Wow, you're right. And the new story has the same title as the original one that *I* was commenting on.
I know they read this blog, I guess they fixed it as soon as they could to save face? That is really weird.
excuse me,,,but they come here, it is our culture, our mores and our laws. Just as we would be expected to comply if we were in their country, or we would be the "UGLY AMERICAN"
Any one give thought that this illegal couple now are parents to a US citizen?
Mallory, Yes. It is common for illegal immigrants to have a child in the U.S. in order to qualify to remain here legally. However, most of the illegals here don't want citizenship, because that involves paying taxes and no one wants that - not the illegals, and not their employers.
And you're right. As the saying goes: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Saur, I thought you might want to know that I emailed this article to someone at the Tampa Tribune. They might be very interested in this little story!
I work in a hospital. There are many many couples and singles women from ALL countries that come here to have a baby. Then skip out on payment
Anonymous 1: thank you.
Anonymous 2: and thus our ever-increasing health care costs...
Michelle Exactly right! If you want to eat special foods, have special holidays, wear special clothes (as long as they're not concealing your face) then we're fine with that. Just don't say "Well that's the way we did it back home..." to excuse your behavior. If that's the way you did it back home, and we don't allow it here, might I suggest you go back home?
BTW, I have found that the original story is still available (though they're no longer linking to it from their main page.)
You can go here to read about it. It turns out that the writer is not the same writer as the writer of the article which replaced it.
I check another blog regularly:
The Belmont Club.
There was a quote in there the other day is that is applicable here:
When General George Napier was governor of Sind province in India in the 1840s, he vigorously enforced the ban on suttee, the practice of throwing a Hindu widow on to the funeral pyre of her husband. A delegation of Brahmins came to him to explain that he must not prohibit the practice at the funeral of a particular maharaja, as it was an important cultural custom.
“If it is your custom to burn a widow alive, please go on,” Napier responded.
“We have a custom in our country that whoever burns a person alive shall be hanged. While you prepare the funeral pyre, my carpenters will be making the gallows to hang all of you. Let us all act according to our customs” The Brahmins thought better of it, and the widow lived.
We need to be as loyal to our own beliefs.
What a horrible story. I can't believe anyone involved in the law (lawyers, judges) would be sympathetic to a 24 year old man who has committed statutory rape. He, and both of their families, should be deported immediately.
Isn't there a law that if someone here is here illegally, that they get sent back right away? Especially if they break our laws???
I sooo agree with your assessment of our local papers. The Times is a liberal rag. But, the writing in that paper is much better than The Tribune.
This past presidential election, the interesting thing was that The Tribune didn't like Bush all that much, so they didn't recommend anyone. They just couldn't cross the line to "liberal-land." Of course, The Times followed their usual flawed reasoning and endorsed Kerry.
I would suggest you convert this post to a letter and email it to The Times. (I wonder if they'll let you use Saurkraut as your name?)
I’m pretty confident that I know Paul Tash well enough to say that he doesn’t have anyone monitoring your Blog.
I really don’t think this is as much an indictment of illegals as it is the customs that are prevalent in agricultural based cultures. Many Hispanic societies have an agricultural mind set not unlike that of plantation owners in the states at the turn of the 20th century. You can pick a lot more strawberries with 69 hands then 40 hands; it just makes sense in an agricultural based culture to have children as soon as possible.
Hispanics are following a similar path that the Indians (India) took. Large families helped cover the 24 hr lifestyle at 7-Eleven. The children of the 7-Eleven generation now live in Kent Place. The Hispanics will travel through this agricultural / road crew period and evolve into an intelligent and dominant segment of the American society.
Thanks for the thought provoking Blog.
They can change the article online, but they can't take it out of my newspaper. Very interesting that they changed it.
I urge everyone to contact your senator and congressmen and express your thoughts about the security of our borders and what this country's tolerance should be toward illegal aliens who are living now living here.
My personal opinion is we should seal the borders NOW. I do not believe we should be giving illegal aliens amnesty. I am not opposed to work permits, but strict enforcement of the permits and BIG penalties to businesses who do not monitor the permits according to federal law.
If you are in this country, you must follow our laws.
Oh dear.
A nation built on immigration, on welcoming all, now decides that it must turn its back (of course the fact the economy is in a bit of a pinch at the moment and that the crappy jobs the illegal immigrants have always done are now needed by white folk who were born there has nothing to do with it) and hide behind some perverse Nationalism.
The sad thing is I've seen this before in Europe, who when affluent allow all the illegal immigrants to flood in and take all the crappy jobs the white folks won't do. Soon as there's a down turn there's trouble and its time for them to go home.
I see scapegoats being made, we've done it in the UK with asylum seekers and frankly, it disgusts me.
Ah but Daniel, it isn't a question of perverse nationalism. We were indeed a nation of immigrants, but they were legal immigrants. Illegal immigrants harm us in many ways. They deprive legal citizens of the chance to have jobs, they pay no taxes to the government that could go toward paying for their healthcare, and they have stained our healthcare system to the max. They are also indulging in behaviors which we find unacceptable (such as statutory rape).
...er, that was strained our healthcare system...
I'd argue about the definition of legal, the US needed immigration to survive as a Nation.
All economies exist on a black market in human labour but the only time it ever gets mentioned is when there is a pinch in the economy.
I still say scapegoats are being made.
If they got married in their country, we have no right to intervene now. If they got married here, that's a different story. We can't punish people in this country for what they did somewhere else.
Polanco,
Would you consider these 2 people (the 15 and the 24 year old) to be consenting adults?
Polanco, I agree, but they can't do it here. And from the way that this article is structured, apparently she got pregnant here. However, IMHO they should've gotten married in Mexico if they got pregnant in Mexico. That could have forestalled the whole mess.
Daniel, I appreciate where you're coming from, but in my case at least I have always felt that we needed to stop illegal immigration and many others have been saying the same thing for years. The only reason it perpetuates is because Bush is in the pocket of Big Business and they profit greatly by this.
Well, since it happened here, that's a totally different story. Following the laws of the country you're in is always a plus.
Polanco, *LOL* True.
B2B interesting! Thanks for sharing!
I like the new pic. Saur.
I believe that we have a state or two that will allow marrage at this age, but only one or two states, and of course the parents of the minor have to give concent.
Even though this is legal, I still think it is sick! I don't care if they have a different way of living where they are from, they are here now and must follow our rules, or they should not have come.
The language barrier thing they are talking about in the article.... I think it is rediculous that we are spending our tax money to hire translators! If you come to our country to visit, I don't think you should be expected to speak our language. But if you are living and working here I think you should be able to speak our language. It is wrong to expect us to have to learn yours, or accomodate you, when you have made a choice to move to our home.
Smilesalot, thanks! I like it too. I'll keep it up for a while! Or maybe longer...? And you and I are on the same page. I think if you choose to move to a country, learn to speak the language.
It reminds me of when I was in a European country years ago (I went to college there). Everyone said "Oh, don't bother learning the language before you go. Everyone speaks English." Well maybe they did, but they sure as heck didn't want to let me in on that. I learned snippets of their language as quickly as possible to get by. But by god, I learned what I could. I didn't start up a rebel community of English Only immigrants.
Alchemical Romance, OK, and 200 years ago we had high child mortality, child labor, raging disease, no deoderant, slavery, and many other problems. What happened 200 years ago is irrelevant.
As for stupid, spoiled little princesses, I don't know what planet you come from, but speak for yourself and your own culture. Feel free to stay in your own country, by all means. Please.
I wonder how many of you would be screaming "I am an American citizen, I want to speak to someone at the American Consulate / Embassy" if you were caught in unawares for violating a culturally unacceptable law in someone else’s country
Well, duh. But that wouldn't mean that we would be given a free pass, either. I remember a friend of mine who was in Saudi Arabia in the early 80s on a military base. Though he didn't know it at the time, his wife had a little bottle of vanilla extract she kept in her spices to make foods with.
The Saudi police broke in one day, found the extract, and accused them of having alcohol in their home (a big no no).
He was dragged off and kept in a Saudi prison where he was tortured almost daily for six months (that includes beating him on the soles of his feet). The American consulate didn't help him whatsoever, because he had (inadvertently) violated another country's laws.
And a bottle of vanilla extract is a hell of a lot less wrong than an adult male taking advantage of a child.
As for who else will pick our produce, why don't we try legal aliens, or american citizens?
Hey, Alchemical. Looks like you've been dipping into your own stash, dude. Stop sniffing the glue and save what little brain cells you have left.
Alchemical... "stupid, spoiled little princesses" is such an ignorant comment. I don't know how you grew up, or who you grew up with, but if you have only experienced those types of kids/young adults then you yourself must be a stupid, spoiled little princess. I was raised in a VERY wealthy family, BUT, by the age of 15 I was working, full-time summers and part-time during school. By the age of 17 I was working a full time job and going to school. I speak from experience when I tell you that you are wrong sir/mam!
I'd like to add that my first job was not a cake job! I was away from home with an equestrian, and I was her "stable girl." I tacked, I cleaned, I fed, I medicated, and I slept on the couch. I worked 12-15 hour days and I don't know if you have ever worked with horses, but it isn't easy "princess" work.
I'm sorry that you think that all American girls are like Paris Hilton and Nocole Richie (who by the way aren't stupid at all, they have to show that stuff to keep people watching their idiotic shows), but you are wrong. The majority of the US of A is made up of the WORKING CLASS.
Our society seems to make sex offenses almost ok. It's disgusting the way we see sex everywhere. We are inundated with the images and the sounds of sex and kids are having sex younger and younger. They are often exploited and abused and the abusers walk freely amoung us. This disgusts me the most. I think that sex offenses against minors and especially children under 14 should be a death penalty case. It ruins peoples lives forever. Bunch of sickos!
Oh, and the Princess comment by the idiot who doesn't know a thing about American's.....He's stupid. What constitutes being spoiled? I worked at Burger King for 3 bucks an hour when I was a teen. I will force my kids to perform this type of labor also. My parents didn't buy me a brand new car or indulge me like TV shows stereotypically show us "lazy American's" being. Lets just go ahead and continue making snap judgements....Why is it ok for the rest of the world to judge us Americans but we can't judge anyone else? Double standards!
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