beejwilson's Blog

My parents retired to a small farm in Emory, TX.  After my marriage ended, I took my 3 children to live in Emory so I'd be closer to my parents.  I worked at the school, and my children spent their most formidable years in that community.  My experience with the children I worked with at the school taught me that appearances can be very deceiving.  That quiet sleepy little town had powder kegs in the school about to blow any time.  I remember telling my parents that I believe that there was more drug abuse per capita in Emory than any big city in Texas.  The kids are bored, their parents drive more miles to work leaving the kids alone longer hours, and there are more remote isolated places for them to gather out of sight from anyone.
I moved away from Emory.  My parents stayed.  In the big city I lived, we were exposed to crime like I'd never seen, and it increased in number over the years.  At the same time, Emory saw a greater increase in the number of crimes during the same period.  My parents lived 1 1/2 miles out of town... a long way when you live in a small town... and things were happening on their street. 
After my kids were grown, I moved back to Emory to care for my ailing mother.  In the five months before she died I had to call the police twice over bored teens thinking pulling pranks on an elderly person was fun.  I stayed in the area for another four years running a business in nearby Alba, TX.  I met and was exposed to more degenerates than I ever met in the big city.
Point I'm making... NO PLACE is immune to these crimes.  Crime seems to be ever present in small towns where you actually know the people committing them.  In the big city, you only have to read it in the news paper.
I now live in another small town about 50 miles from Emory... and I keep my doors locked.

On January 31, around 6pm, there was a wreck on Hwy 198 north of Maybank. I was sitting in the long line backed up after the accident. It was mentioned briefly on Fox 4 at 9pm and at 10pm, only that it happened, but nothing else. I can't find anything online about the accident, not even in the local news papers. I know I'm not crazy, I know it happened... why can't I find anything about it? It appeared to be a really really bad scene, so I know somebody must have reported something on it. FOX, CAN YOU REPORT ON IT PLEASE?

We're taking down our Christmas Decorations today.  Rumor has it, it's suppose to be around 45 degrees on NY day, and that's when we usually take them down.  So, while it's a little warmer today (high of near 60), and hubby's off work, we're taking them down today.  I started on the tree this morning, and am about to put away the rest of the indoor stuff.  Soon, the sun will move around to the front of the house, and we'll put away all the outside decorations.  Then we'll load them all in the truck and take them to the storage building we rent just for Christmas stuff.  We have a lot.  Taking down the decorations is a big event at our house, almost as big as when we put them all up.  It's an all day affair, and we have a good time doing it together... planning next years show at the same time.

When do you usually put your Christmas decorations away?

Once again, Happy New Year everyone.

Yes, in my 57 years, as far back as I can remember, this has been the best Christmas I've ever had.  Heck, I can honestly say, this has been the best year I've ever had.

First I have to tell you just a little background.  My three sons have been fighting for years and years.  They wouldn't go to family occasions if they knew the others would be there.  I always had to have separate get together for each of them, and it always turned out really sad for me.  This year, they all settled their differences, and all came together for Thanksgiving and Christmas at my house... and that was the best gift I could ever have gotten.  Also, my granddaughters have been having their teenage squabbles.  The oldest granddaughter has become a spoiled and bitter princess who never smiles, or laughs, and always has to complain about how imperfect everything and everyone around her is.  In her 18 years, she's become a beautiful and intelligent little BLEEP.  But this Christmas, she's seemed happier than I've seen her in a very long time.  What a really wonderful present that is.  My middle granddaughter (15 years old), who lives in Arizona, actually called me to thank me for her present... which is something she has never, ever done before.  That phone call meant so much to me.  My 14 year old granddaughter has, in the last few months, become introverted.  Spending way too much time in her room away from her family.  She's become moody and depressed.  I took her shopping for her sisters and parents a week before Christmas, and really nothing momentous happened on our excursion except that we seemed to enjoy each other's company.  After I returned her to my son's house, and for the week leading up to Christmas, my son reports that her spirits have been over the top.  She's become excited about the little things again... he asked me what I did to her... and I honestly had no answer for him.  This too was a truly wonderful present.

When they all (everyone of them) gathered at my house for our gift exchange and Christmas party, I witnessed them talking to each other, laughing with each other, clustering together.  Not one arguement was had, not one ill word was spoken. 

Yep, this Christmas has officially been written down as the best Christmas I've ever had.

Oh, yea, and everyone got truly wonderful gifts they really liked too... no complaints from anyone...

MEXICO'S IMMIGRATION LAWS & ILLEGAL ALIENS

John W. Slagle
October 28, 2007
NewsWithViews.com

Recently Mexican President Calderon has been very outspoken, critical on U.S. Immigration law enforcement efforts and supports Amnesty for all illegal aliens from Mexico residing, working in this nation.

Contrary to popular belief, Mexico has very strict immigration laws which are enforced by every police agency in the country. The Bureau of Immigration can call upon any law enforcement officer to assist in their mission. Citizens from the United States traveling in Mexico without proper documents, work permits or non immigrant visas are subject to arrest as illegal aliens.

The laws regarding foreign national visitors, immigrants, non-citizens are as clear and concise in Mexico as are our own U.S. laws which are considered unenforceable by many politicians in Washington, D.C.

As taken strait out of the law book:

* Reglamento de la Ley General de Poblacion (General Law on Population) in Spanish dated April 14 de 2000 Capitulo Quinto --Migracion Seccion 1

Foreigners are admitted into Mexico "according to their possibilities of contributing to national progress."

Immigration officials must "ensure" that "immigrants will be useful elements for the country and that they have the necessary funds for their sustenance" and for their dependents.

Foreigners may be barred from the country if their presence upsets "the equilibrium of the national demographics," when foreigners are deemed detrimental to "economic or national interests," when they do not behave like good citizens in their own country, when they have broken Mexican laws, and when "they are not found to be physically or mentally healthy."

The Secretary of Governance may "suspend or prohibit the admission of foreigners when he determines it to be in the national interest."

Mexican authorities must keep track of every single person in the country:

Federal, local and municipal police must cooperate with federal immigration authorities upon request to assist in the arrests of illegal immigrants.

A National Population Registry keeps track of "every single individual who comprises the population of the country," and verifies each individual's identity.

A national Catalog of Foreigners tracks foreign tourists and immigrants and assigns each individual with a unique tracking number.

Foreigners with fake papers, or who enter the country under false pretenses, may be Imprisoned. Foreigners with fake immigration papers may be fined or imprisoned.

Foreigners who sign government documents "with a signature that is false or different is subject to fine and imprisonment.

Foreigners who fail to obey the rules will be fined, deported, and/or imprisoned as Felons. Foreigners who fail to obey a deportation order are to be punished.

Foreigners who are deported from Mexico and attempt to re-enter the country without authorization can be imprisoned for up to 10 years.

Foreigners who violate the terms of their visa may be sentenced to up to six years in prison . Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of their visa while in Mexico -- such as working with out a permit -- can also be imprisoned.

Under Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony. The General Law on Population States…

"A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of three hundred to five thousand pesos will be imposed on the foreigner who enters the country illegally." Foreigners with legal immigration problems may be deported from Mexico instead of being imprisoned. Foreigners who have contempt against national sovereignty or security" will be deported.

Mexicans who help illegal aliens enter the country are themselves considered criminals .Under the law, A Mexican who marries a foreigner with the sole objective of helping the foreigner live in the country is subject to up to five years in prison.

Shipping and airline companies that bring undocumented foreigners into Mexico will be fined.

The general immigration laws of Mexico are very similar to 8 U.S. Codes of the I&N Act. The review of basic Immigration laws of various nations including Mexico have been researched by various authors including Professor Michael Waller and Reports for U.S. Congress. Open border advocates, special interest groups in the United States do not appreciate this information made public although the facts have been readily available and widely distributed. Condemning U.S. Laws as cruel and inhumane lacks any measure of common sense when the majority of nations in the world including Mexico have very strict immigration policies.

My own question is... Have we become a joke in the eyes of the world on how we enforce our laws regarding immigration?

I say Kudos to Arizona's Governor. I'm anxious to find out how well or how poorly their businesses run without the illegals. It will also be interesting to find out what populations grow as a result of their exodus from Arizona.

All views on this topic are welcome. But please, be nice. Slanderous comments toward other bloggers who attempt to discuss this subject like adults will be deleted.

 

I just thought I'd pass this on.  I was talking to a neighbor yesterday and commented that her children were well behaved.  She then described to me the method of parenting she uses... and it seems to be working.  I wish I had known this when raising my kids.

Her kids are now 13, 9, and 7... all boys.  When her oldest son started school, I guess around 5 years old, she noticed a change in his attitude.  She felt he was being influenced by his peers to act out, and she didn't like it.  So, she made up this plan for him.  When her other boys became school age, they had to follow suit.

The first three weeks out of the month they are RAD... Respectful, Attentive, Dedicated... to themselves and each other.  Each night before bedtime they get a mark on the calendar for each.  At the end of the three week period they get something special for enough good marks.  Sometimes it's a dinner and a movie, sometimes it's a weekend get away, sometimes it's nothing more than a trip to the mall window shopping (which I think is probably in November so she can get a feel for what they want for Christmas).  And of course, in December it's presents under the tree.

The odd week, she lets them off.  If they mess up, they know there are no marks against them.  But, what she learned is that they didn't like the response and attitude from her and dad or their brothers when they acted out, so they resorted to being Respectful, Attentive, Dedicated again even when they didn't have to.  Now, at the age they are now, RAD is more a habit, and they're BAD less often than most kids.

Don't get me wrong, these kids seem to be very popular.  They all play sports, and the 13 year old is on his junior high football team.  I see their friends come over a lot too.

What a good mom she is.  I just thought I'd pass that on to some of you who care.  Just a positive note in this world of so much trouble.

Amazon.com just paid $4 million for a BOOK.  Sheesh... of course, it's hand written, and it's an original... but its 157 pages... that's something like $25,000 per page.  SHEESH.

Check it out on Amazon.com front page.

If someone in Dallas wants to experience "Road Rage" they just get on a freeway.
If someone in the world want to experience "Blog Rage" they just get on my FOXdfw.com blogs site.

I haven't been here in a while because most of the posts were from people who wanted to start a "Blog war" or "get even" for some cyber war someone else started.  Somehow, I don't believe that Fox intended this blog site to be used in this way.  I'm sorry, but some of you people really need to grow up, or get a life.

I came back here this morning to see if things have changed, and was sorely disappointed.
I'm out of here, I've found more mature people on other blog sites that don't seem to feel that they need to be at "war" with other bloggers.

Ok, I don't know anyone who's been in jail lately. Maybe some of you can enlighten me. Is a "24 hour jail sentence" something common? or is that just for celebrities. Does just 24 hours teach an offender anything? I don't think "the girls" learned anything in the "less than" two hours of their 24 hours they spent behind bars...and I really don't think O.J. will learn anything from that, so why does a judge do that?

To me, it just sounds like a joke.

Yesterday I had to go to a fabric store for a few things.  I was second in line at check out and there were about 8-10 people behind me in line.  An elderly lady with a cane approached a counter where no checker was present and asked if someone could check her out.  The "one" checker told her that register was closed.  The elderly woman appeared to be in distress and trying to catch her breath, apparently needing to go quickly.  She only had 3 small items.  I let her in line before me.  Immediately I heard several voices behind me stating their disapproval of my actions.  One woman was so rude, she yelled "I have to go too, can I cut?"  I didn't respond, or turn around... didn't even acknowledge I even heard her.

I should have felt good about doing a "good thing" for the elderly woman, but the woman behind me took that "good feeling" away from me.  I fumed all night.

RAGE is a terrible thing.  Can't we all just be nice, and consider the fact that others might have a GOOD excuse to need a little help along the way?

Let's consider others who may need a little extra consideration this season while we're shopping.

This article in the New York Times today makes me really proud to be in America... Even with all her problems.

JIDDA, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 15 — A Saudi court on Tuesday more than doubled the number of lashes that a female rape victim was sentenced to last year after her lawyer appealed the original sentence. The decision, which many lawyers found shocking even by Saudi standards of justice, has provoked a rare public debate about the treatment of women here.

The victim’s lawyer, Abdulrahman al-Lahem, a well-known human rights activist, drew the court’s ire because of his strong public criticism of the handling of the case. He has called his client’s conviction unjust and said the sentences of the seven men who raped her were too lenient.

He is also known for his past defense of critics of the monarchy.

The victim’s name has not been released. She was raped about 18 months ago in Qatif, a city in the Eastern Province, and has become known in the Saudi media as “the Qatif girl.” She was 19 years old at the time of the assault.

Her case has been widely debated since the court sentenced her to 90 lashes a year ago for being in the same car as an unrelated man, even after it ruled that she had subsequently been raped. For a woman to be in seclusion with a man who is not her husband or a relative is a crime in Saudi Arabia, whose legal code is based on a strict Wahhabi interpretation of Islamic law.

Adding to the charged political nature of the case, the victim is a member of the kingdom’s Shiite Muslim minority.

Mr. Lahem’s license to practice law has been suspended and he is facing a hearing before a Ministry of Justice disciplinary committee on Dec. 5 in Riyadh for appearing regularly on television and talking about the case.

Judges of the Qatif General Court have accused him of trying to tarnish the court’s image by talking to the media.

The young woman’s offense was in meeting a former boyfriend, whom she had asked to return pictures he had of her because she was about to marry another man. The couple was sitting in a car when a group of seven men kidnapped them and raped them both, lawyers in the case told Arab News, a Saudi newspaper.

The woman and the former boyfriend were originally sentenced to 90 lashes each for being together in private, while the attackers received sentences ranging from 10 months to five years in prison, and 80 to 1,000 lashes each.

Mr. Lahem appealed the attackers’ sentences, saying that they were too lenient and that the treatment of the victim was too harsh. In its new decision issued Tuesday, the court increased the victim’s sentence to 200 lashes and six months in jail. It also increased the sentences of her attackers to prison terms of two to nine years.

The woman remains free for the time being and has not yet been lashed.

Lashing is a common sentence under the Saudi penal code, applied for crimes ranging from homosexuality and drinking alcohol to theft and adultery. Usually, lashes are meted out in increments because offenders could not survive hundreds of lashes at once. The administrator of the punishment is supposed to hold a Koran under his arm so he cannot swing the whip too fiercely; lashes are not supposed to leave permanent scars. The sentence is frequently delivered in public, often at the entrance to a jail.

“I don’t agree with this judgment,” Bassem Alim, a lawyer in Jidda, said of the woman’s sentence. “I think it’s overly severe. She should not be punished for going to the media and explaining her case.”

Mr. Alim, a friend of the victim’s lawyer, said the standard punishment for adultery is 60 to 80 lashes, so the sentence was unusually harsh, even for Saudi Arabia.

“I don’t think she was committing adultery in that car,” Mr. Alim added.

Some liberal commentators said her sentence highlighted the justice system’s failure to treat women fairly.

Abeer Mishkhas, a columnist who writes frequently about women’s rights, wrote in Arab News that the woman seemed to have been singled out for particularly draconian treatment. Ms. Mishkhas noted that a Riyadh court sentenced a Nigerian man to six years in prison and 600 lashes for rape, and an accomplice who filmed the offense was sentenced to 12 years in prison and 1,200 lashes.

“What is the difference in the two cases?” Ms. Mishkhas wrote. “The girl in the Riyadh case was not punished though she had been involved earlier with one of the men. The Qatif girl was sentenced to 90 lashes because the court suspected the ‘intention of doing something bad.’”

Mr. Lahem told Agence France-Presse that the court might be subjecting him to pressure because of his past criticism of the judiciary.

He declined to be interviewed for this article. In the past he has occasionally refused to speak to the news media because he said he had been ordered not to by the government.

Mr. Lahem has had run-ins with Saudi authorities since he represented three Saudis who were jailed in 2003 for calling for a constitutional monarchy, a severe crime in a country where the power of the royal family is absolute. He was also jailed at one point for several months and his passport was removed to prevent him from traveling abroad after he criticized the judicial system on Al Jazeera, the television network.

“I am skeptical of the reasoning used by the court in seeking to punish Al Lahem,” Mr. Alim said. “He’s a good friend of mine and I know it is not in his nature to make fun of or belittle the courts. I hope he is cleared at the hearing.”

The victim is now married, and her husband told local reporters that he planned to appeal the verdict.

My hubby and I talked this morning at some length over coffee (we solve a lot of world problems over morning coffee), and have agreed on a possible solution.  Probably won't happen, but in our minds, it would work.

Problems:

Crime rate is up.  Illegal aliens are part of that problem, but not all of it.  Our prisons are over crowded with every ethnicity as we have here.  So, Let's send home all the prisoners that can not present a "valid" green card, and deal with the American Citizen population in our prisons until we have that under control.

Illegal aliens who are not in Prison:  Wheather they are trouble makers or not, they're already breaking the law just by being here illegally.  So, solving that problem might take a lot of effort from "John Q. Citizen".  I truly think that there is enough American Citizens that can envision their lives being better if the illegal aliens weren't here.  We wonder if we had volunteer task force, under the direction of the police departments, and with the cooperation of INS, with a sole purpose to search out the illegals, verify their green cards are legitimate, then either release them or deport them.  Keep records of who we deport.

Now, we take some of that money we're saving from not housing prisoners, welfare, health care, housing, etc., and we could set up a "school" of sorts someplace
Then, when we have things here in America under control again... we allow a limited number of aliens here at a time.  We send them to the established "school".  Starting with the ones we deported, do background checks on them, make them go through all the process to become "legal", THEN and only THEN release them on society.

It would be a monumental undertaking, but we have to believe it's doable.  We think this would cost society less than what we're paying now, cut down on the number of illegals coming here since we'll be making it more difficult, and allow those really serious about being an asset to our society a chance to prove themselves.

It took us two pots of coffee to come up with this, probably a wasted morning, but I can really see possibilities
.

So, this might be beating a dead horse, but I'd be interested in knowing some of your views.

Here's mine.
Only in America.  What other nation will allow people to cross their borders to enjoy the fruits of their labors, educate their children, provide them translators, heal them of their illnesses, support them financially, and house them during housing shortages.  I'm not blaming every bad thing that is going on in the US on immigrants, but if they weren't here, wouldn't we have less prisons, less national and state debt, less traffic, and the list goes on. 

True story:  My handicapped son lived with me for five years since his accident.  When he recovered enough to be independent, he applied for a subsidized apartment, and was on the waiting list for two years.  He finally got his apartment last year.  Three of the 38 units were occupied by non-English speaking families from Mexico.  In the five months he lived there, one of the foreign residents caused another resident to be hospitalized, another foreign resident harassed an elderly man until the man moved to his daughter's house out of fear.  My son answered his door one day to one of the foreign residents speaking to him in Spanish and my son replied "Speak English, I don't understand".  No response from the man, he still rattled on in Spanish.  My son closed the door.  Later, same day, the man came back and knocked on the door.  My son answered the door and the man reached for the screen door.  My son shouted, "Go away man, I'll kill you."  Then he slammed the door.  Next day he received an eviction notice stating the he made "terrorist threats" to another resident.  The non-English speaking residents are still living there.

I was in the car with my daughter in law the other day and feared for my life while she was "texting" while driving.  I know my grandchildren do it to while they're behind the wheel, and they are brand new drivers.  Since people have become so dependant on Cell Phones, and insist that they can't drive without "reaching out to touch someone"... and with all the news reports about how dangerous it is to be distracted by talking on the cell while driving... we should come up with a solution. 

Here's one:

Car makers should implant a device in automobiles that disable cell signals when the car is running. That way, on long trips people have to pull over, turn off the car, and check for voice mail or make a call before starting the engine again. Short trips they'll probably not bother. Remember when we didn't have seat belts in cars until law enforcement agencies discovered that most people who died in accidents would have lived if they were wearing one? They made it a law, and all cars had to be outfitted with seat belts to pass inspection. Well, I think the time has come to outfit all cars with "cell phone disablers" to pass inspection.

I've been reading a lot about the predictions of the destruction that they say is going to happen on December 21, 2012. It seems as though scientists, historians, astronomers and The Bible all seem to agree that the events that are happening now are leading up to some serious destructive events that will change or destroy the world as we know it. Has any one else here been looking into this? I'd like to hear your take on it.

Also, if in fact this prediction does come to happen... which of the presidential candidates do you think can lead America into that type of disaster? Given the potential "end days" scenario, this may be the most important election that has ever taken place.