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Haha, gotcha!
Why the hell didn't they arrest her when she left the church in Chicago, that's what I want to know.
No, scratch that. What I really want to know is why they didn't go into the damn church in Chicago and arrest her in the first place. The whole idea of taking sanctuary from the government (a foreign government, in this woman's case) in a religious institution has no legal basis that I'm aware of.
Okay, and the other thing? No one is forcing this woman to be separated from her son. No one is saying, "Well, your 8 year old is American, he has to stay here and you have to go home". Nope, she is perfectly OK to take the little tyke back to Mexico with her, and when he's 18 or whatever the legal age is down there, he can come back because he is an American citizen. She is not. Maybe she should have thought about that before she had her kid here.
Isn't that kind of belied by the fact that she was 'hiding' from them in a church for a year?
Nooooo you go back to Mexico, wench. I wonder if she speaks any Ingles. (That's "English" for you gringos.)
Seriously, people. WTF is wrong with this country's idea of sovereign borders and national-freaking-security??
ETA: Here's a quick primer on illegal immigration.
LOS ANGELES — An illegal immigrant who sought sanctuary in a Chicago church for a year to avoid deportation and separation from her 8-year-old American son was arrested Sunday, the church's pastor said.
Elvira Arellano was arrested before 3 p.m. outside Our Lady Queen of Angels church on L.A.'s historic Olvera Street where she had been speaking to reporters, said the Rev. Walter Coleman, pastor of Adalberto United Methodist Church in Chicago where she sought sanctuary.
Why the hell didn't they arrest her when she left the church in Chicago, that's what I want to know.
No, scratch that. What I really want to know is why they didn't go into the damn church in Chicago and arrest her in the first place. The whole idea of taking sanctuary from the government (a foreign government, in this woman's case) in a religious institution has no legal basis that I'm aware of.
Okay, and the other thing? No one is forcing this woman to be separated from her son. No one is saying, "Well, your 8 year old is American, he has to stay here and you have to go home". Nope, she is perfectly OK to take the little tyke back to Mexico with her, and when he's 18 or whatever the legal age is down there, he can come back because he is an American citizen. She is not. Maybe she should have thought about that before she had her kid here.
Coleman said he was with Arellano when she was detained, but declined to provide other details.
"We're trying to determine her situation right now," he said.
It was unclear what law enforcement agency had taken Arellano into custody.
A call to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not immediately returned.
The 32-year-old Arellano arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday, leaving her sanctuary for the first time in a year to campaign for immigration reform.
Arellano has become a symbol of the struggles of illegal immigrant parents and a source of controversy. She had said Saturday she was not afraid of being taken into custody by immigration agents.
Isn't that kind of belied by the fact that she was 'hiding' from them in a church for a year?
"From the time I took sanctuary the possibility has existed that they arrest me in the place and time they want," she said in Spanish. "I only have two choices. I either go to my country, Mexico, or stay and keep fighting. I decided to stay and fight."
Nooooo you go back to Mexico, wench. I wonder if she speaks any Ingles. (That's "English" for you gringos.)
Arellano came to Washington state illegally in 1997. She was deported to Mexico shortly after, but returned and moved to Illinois in 2000, taking a job cleaning planes at O'Hare International Airport.
She was arrested in 2002 at O'Hare and later convicted of working under a false Social Security number. She was to surrender to authorities last August.
She sought refuge at the storefront church on Chicago's West Side Aug. 15, 2006. She had not left the church property until deciding to be driven to Los Angeles, Coleman said.
Seriously, people. WTF is wrong with this country's idea of sovereign borders and national-freaking-security??
ETA: Here's a quick primer on illegal immigration.
part one - read first
Got this interesting email pair of stories today, supposedly both true (not check on snopes):
STORY NUMBER ONE
Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.
Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was his lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.
To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big , but also, Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.
Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.
One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great!
So, he testified. Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street . But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine. The poem read:
The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still.
see 2nd post for #2
part two - read last
STORY NUMBER TWO
World d War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gage and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.
As he was returning to the mother ship he saw something that turned his blood cold: a squadron of Japanese aircraft were speeding their way toward the American fleet. The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron on and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger.
There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet. Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible and rendering them unfit to fly.
Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction. Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft.
This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor
A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29.
His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man
So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located be tween Terminals 1 and 2.
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?
Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son.