Going through MEMEORANDUM the other day, I came upon this article from Hot Air, AGAIN, OFF-DUTY COP KILLED BY ILLEGAL ALIEN DRUNK DRIVER, by Allahpundit. An off-duty police officer was on his motorcycle when struck by a drunk driver and dragged some distance. The drunk driver attempted to flee the scene but was tackled by a witness.

Ramon Felix Pineda stood mute in 52-2 District Court before Judge Kelley Kostin, who denied bond based on the severity of the charges and his status as an illegal resident of the United States. “I don’t find any comfort the bond would give Mr. Pineda the conviction to show in court,” Kostin said.

Pineda is alleged to have been illegally living in the United States for the last 10 years under false identities, including a cousin who lives in Mexico. He is being charged with seconddegree murder, operating while intoxicated causing death, leaving the scene of an accident causing death and driving with a suspended license…

Oakland County Sheriff ’s Lt. James Ahearn told the court Pineda admitted to drinking seven beers before getting behind the wheel of the Camaro and was driving too fast to slow down.
Ahearn also told the court Pineda gave them several false identities. Oakland County Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Chard said Pineda has two bench warrants out of that district court dating back to 2001, stemming from traffic violations…

Pineda didn’t mean to hurt anyone, but only wanted to run from the scene because of his illegal resident status, [defense attorney Arthur] Greenstone told the court.

Allahpundit recommends another article by Patterico, Deport the Criminals First: The First Ten Installments, and it is indeed a sobering listing of just a few instances of people dying needlessly.

I borrowed one of the photos (shown at top) because as horrible as the death was of Maria Ortiz, her daughter, and unborn grandchild, the remains of the vehicle resemble a car bomb. We all KNOW this happens in a bad accident. But this wasn’t an accident; it was murder.

Let me bring forth the memories of the famous (or infamous) Mariel Boatlift (Wikipedia). Between April and October 1980 upwards of 125,000 Cubans entered the United States. President Carter came under a lot of criticism for allowing this influx. But why? Because, a large number of these people were criminals. Castro took the opportunity to rid his country of some scumbags, mixing them in with honest, hard-working Cubans. It would not be too big of a stretch to suggest that disenchantment with the incompetence of the Carter administration over this had a great deal of bearing upon his election loss to Ronald Reagan.

Upon arrival, many Cubans were placed in refugee camps, while others were held in federal prisons to undergo deportation hearings. Some were later discovered to be violent felons released from Cuban prisons, but only 2% or 2,746 Cubans were considered serious or violent criminals under U.S. law and therefore were denied asylum

The 2% were discovered and sorted ONLY because those arriving were vetted by the government. I find it ironic that a situation that got Jimmy Carter into so much trouble is a non-issue for George W. Bush. The Democratic Party not only doesn’t seem to mind, but is waiting for 2009 to fully implement an instant legalization process.

So rather than screening people for undesirable characteristics (violent felons, terrorists, rapists, child molesters) the entire United States is a giant proving ground. Regulating the immigration of an individual is the ONLY way to separate the wheat from the chaff.

There are two fallacies that constantly are put forth by extremists. One is that all these illegal aliens are scumbags and a burden on all of us. The other is that illegal aliens are good, hard-working people who just want a better life. Both stances are rubbish because they do not allow for ALL the facts.

Without a doubt, the vast majority of illegal immigrants are hard working. They are (or want to be) law-abiding.

But taking a criminal element of just 2%, as in the Marielitos, what number of violent felons/drunk drivers/rapists/murderers are in this country right now? Take 2% of 12 to 20 million and you have a lot of scumbags who are NOT representative of illegal immigrants. They stand on their own, though, in a category that belongs behind bars.

And here is a typical government answer: North Carolina’s Governor Michael Easley signed a law the other day that will require all cigarettes sold in his state to be self-extinguishing. Easley proudly announced that this measure will save 50 people each year.

My mind emits a quiet Ben Stein “wow” at this. Someone might whisper to Governor Easley that a lot more than 50 people in his state die each year in a way that is not tobacco-related. It is criminal-related. And it is entirely preventable.

Citizens, legal aliens, and illegal aliens are all at the mercy of a malignant neglect of the law. Whether it be federal, state, or local, governments are NOT doing their duty. To perform their duty will require offending those who adhere to a party line that is just as ridiculous as the communist zealots were years ago.

Should you, God forbid, ever lose a loved one to a criminal act carried out by someone who never should have been here in the first place, take a look at all the authoritarian moves to rub out tobacco, fatty foods, obesity, non-seat belt use, and the like.

What the hell is the point of protecting me from myself when you refuse to protect me from others?

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This post also at Michael Linn Jones.com
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This post kindly featured at MemeOrandum

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