Hispanics Now Majority of Felony Convictions

Looks like Immigration “Enforcement” is doing for Hispanic communities what Drug “Enforcement” did to black communities.

Anything some folks can do to keep ‘em from voting.

More bad news for black conservatives, as how are they going to sell that black dysfunction pimp driving white fear, and assuaging white conservative guilt…

If black folks aren’t public enemy “number one”?

Looks like there will be a lot of job openings in the conservative “think tank” and “talking head” sphere for “Tio Thomas” lawn ornaments…

And some of the black stalwarts of the right…

Better start looking for honest jobs.

File this one under “Domestic Terrorism”.

Prisons - Now a Cheaper Labor source than in either China or India

Feds: Hispanics comprise majority of all people sent to federal prison for committing felonies

More than half of all people sent to federal prison for committing felony crimes so far this year were Hispanic, a major demographic shift swollen by immigration offenses, according to a new government report released Tuesday.

Hispanics already outnumber all other ethnic groups sentenced to serve time in prison for federal felonies.

Hispanics reached a new milestone for the first time this year, making up the majority of all federal felony offenders sentenced in the first nine months of fiscal year 2011, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Hispanics comprised 50.3 percent of all people sentenced in that time period, blacks 19.7 percent and whites 26.4 percent.

In comparison, last year Hispanics made up just 16 percent of the whole U.S. population.

The commission’s statistics also reveal that sentences for felony immigration crimes _ which include illegal crossing and other crimes such as alien smuggling _ were responsible for most of the increase in the number of Hispanics sent to prison over the last decade.

The demographic change in who is being sent to federal prison has already prompted debate among commissioners and experts studying the impact of expedited court hearings along the border.

“Statistics like this have to start drawing attention to this country’s immigration policies and what we’re doing, if this is one of the results,” said Fordham University Law School professor Deborah Denno, an expert on racial disparities in the criminal justice system. “The implications for Hispanics are huge when you think of the number of families affected by having their breadwinners put away for what in some cases would be considered a non-violent offense.”

Clarence Thomas Financial Flim-Flam… A Felony

If The Legal System in the US Isn't Corrupt... This is What Should Be In Thomas' Future

This (below) from a Legal Blog. Turns out there are other people currently under indictment who did the exact same thing as Thomas did in not reporting his wife’s income.

Why should Thomas be the beneficiary of “Special Justice”? One of the cornerstones of the Justice system is that the Judges obey the laws that they are trying and sentencing people for. If a Judge walked into a bank with a gun and held it up, I think most people would recognize the problem with the impartiality of the  same Judge sitting on a case trying bank robbers. That is exactly the problem Thomas’ misconduct presents.

Back when Hoover was in charge of the early FBI, one of the rules he established was that the behavior and conduct of his FBI Agents had to be beyond reproach. Urban Legend has it he refused to hire FBI Agents with so much as Parking Tickets – because that showed a disregard for the law.

I think it is time that the Justice Department indict Mr. Thomas, for what is clearly a crime – and for Mr. Thomas to step down from the Court.

Clarence Thomas Is Trying To Get Away With A Felony

News reports on the Thomas case generally have referenced 5 U.S. Code app. section 104, which calls for a misdemeanor punishment of up to $50,000 and one year imprisonment, or both, for each violation. Given that Thomas apparently violated the statute for roughly 20 years, he could wind up with a substantial penalty under that law.

But the punishment becomes much more severe under 18 U.S.C. 1001, which also appears to apply in the Thomas case. It is a felony statute carrying at least five years in prison, and a former official with the U.S. House of Representatives currently is under indictment for actions that almost mirror those in the Thomas case. Reports POE:

While 5 USC app section 104 makes this conduct a misdemeanor punishable for up to a year in prison, 18 USC section 1001 is a felony statute carrying at least five years in prison. In fact, Fraser Verrusio, former Policy Director for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, is awaiting trial under section 1001 for not reporting income on his “United States House of Representatives Financial Disclosure Statement for Calendar Year 2003.”

You can read more about the charges against Fraser Verrusio at the link below. It appears that he was given no opportunity to amend his filings:

Indictment in U.S. v. Fraser C. Verrusio

Verrusio once worked for U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-AK), and the casehas received extensive coverage in the Alaska press. The prosecution reportedly grew out of the Jack Abramoff affair.

The U.S. Supreme Court, the very court upon which Thomas now sits, has a history of treating such violations as felonies. Reports POE:

Moreover, in UNITED STATES v. WOODWARD, 469 U.S. 105 (1985), in a case decided by the Supreme Court, the defendant, after checking the “no” box on a U.S. Customs form, was punished for both the false statement (18 USC section 1001) violation and the misdemeanor charge of failing to report the currency itself — all as a result of checking the “no” box.

You can check out the Woodward case at the following link:

U.S. v. Woodward, 469 U.S. 105 (1985)

As we reported in a recent post, domestic icon Martha Stewart and sports stars Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and Marion Jones are among those who have run afoul of 18 U.S.C. 1001. Stewart and Jones already have served prison terms, while the Clemens and Bonds cases are pending.

Army Birther Doc Gets Jail

Not sure what this guy was thinking about, other than having a Sarah Palin moment – but the Army Doc who refused deployment early this year unless he was allowed to guage the legitimacy of the President by seeing his birth certificate…

Is no longer in the Army… And is on his way to jail… And will lose his retirement benefits for his service, facing a felony conviction and a Dishonorable Discharge. I don’t know if he keeps his Veteran’s benefits for himself and his family. What a waste of an apparently otherwise Honorable 18 years of service.

Here is an interview by Anderson Cooper earlier this year. Looks to me Col Lakin got sucked in and used by the radical right. Now Col Lakin and his family get to pay the Piper…Alone.

‘Birther’ sentenced to six months in prison, kicked out of Army

Just hours after being found guilty at his court-martial, Army Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin said he was ashamed and remorseful over his decision to refuse deployment to Afghanistan earlier this year, but he hedged on questions about President Barack Obama’s citizenship.

“I don’t want [my career] to end this way,” a tearful Lakin said to military jurors during the sentencing phase of his trial Wednesday afternoon. “I want to continue to serve … It crushed me not to be on deployment. I can be on a plane tomorrow. I’d truly do that.”

Lakin, a 17-year Army physician, was sentenced to six months in prison and dismissal from the service on Thursday after being found guilty of disobeying orders and ignoring his deployment orders. In April, Lakin posted an online video declaring he would not return to Afghanistan with his unit until questions regarding Obama’s birth certificate were answered to his satisfaction. The move made him an instant hero to the birther movement, which helped him raise money for his legal defense.

NAACP Reverses Position on Shirley Sherrod, Asks Administration to Rehire Her

Which raises the question – knowing where the original video came from, and Brietbart’s established reputation to lie and creatively edit…

WTF did the Obama Administration go chickenshit?

This was truly a “High-tech lynching!”

And no less criminal than the old lynching.

The New conservative lynch mob...No so different from the old lynch mob.

NAACP Reverses, Asks US to Rehire USDA Worker

NAACP leaders are calling on the Obama administration to reconsider its ousting of a black Agriculture Department worker who was pushed out of her job over racially tinged remarks, reversing their previous criticism of the employee.

NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous said in a statement that the group was “snookered” into believing that USDA

employee Shirley Sherrod expressed racist sentiments at a local NAACP meeting in Georgia earlier this year. Jealous said conservative activist Andrew Breitbart, whose website posted video of Sherrod’s remarks, deceived millions of people by releasing only partial clips. He said the full video makes clear that Sherrod was telling a story of racial unity.

Now that the NAACP has watched the full video of Shirley Sherrod’s speech, it has retracted its criticism of the former USDA employee and called on the government to restore her job, reports AP. The group, which initially professed to be “appalled,” says it was “snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias,” notes Politico.

Brietbart NAACP Shirley Sherrod Story Explodes!

Brietbart and Faux News’ lies have cost this poor woman her job. The tape of Shirley Sherrod speaking before the NAACP was manipulated. Here, in this CNN interview a few hours ago, the wife of the white farmer who supposedly was mistreated by Mrs. Sherrod calls her a dear friend without whose help, they would have lost their farm.

Breitbart’s Sherrod/NAACP story disintegrates |…, posted with vodpod

I repeat my call for the DOJ to criminally charge Mr. Brietbart, and anyone participating in this criminal conspiracy,defamation, and  assault such as Faux News against Mrs. Sherrod, and prosecute them to the fullest extent of Federal law.

LT Innocent of Rape Charge?

Evidence is mounting that LT did not actually have physical sex with the 16 year old prostitute he has been charged with raping. If so – what Taylor did do is morally offensive (financially supporting prostitution), but not a hell of a lot worse than guys who buy a lap dance in a strip club – or buy memberships to Internet porn sites to wank their man meat…

But certainly not a felony.

Further – the girl admits to telling Taylor she was 19 – which backs his story.

Teen Hooker Told Friend She Didn’t Sleep With LT

The teenage prostitute Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor is accused of raping told a friend that she “didn’t even have to f— him,” the New York Post reports. The friend, who drove the girl to meet Taylor at a hotel in Suffern, NY, on May 6, says the 16-year-old told her it was “easy money” because Taylor simply paid her $300 after masturbating. “They didn’t have sex, she’s lying, and he’s innocent,” said the friend, a stripper who lives with the hooker and her accused pimp. The friend’s sworn statement could make a big difference for LT. “This is reasonable doubt,” a source told the Post, adding that if true, it would clear him of third-degree rape, a felony. Taylor’s lawyer declined to comment on the development, but last week he said LT “didn’t have sex with anybody, period.”

Tea Baggers Can’t Get Anything Right!

Tea Party of Nevada candidate hit with felony bad check charges, also facing home foreclosure

A Nevada asphalt contractor who faces a legal challenge to his Tea Party of Nevada candidacy for U.S. Senate was hit Friday with felony theft and bad check charges in Las Vegas that allege he bounced a $5,000 business check last year.

Scott Ashjian is one of a record 22 candidates, including 12 Republicans, running for the seat held by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is seeking a fifth term.

Bernie Zadrowski, head of the Clark County district attorney’s office bad check unit, said he would seek an arrest warrant Monday in Las Vegas Justice Court. Ashjian could face up to 14 years in state prison if convicted.

Uhhhhhh… Baglette – You are not supposed to do all that writing bad checks, stealing stuff, and getting convicted…

Until AFTER you are elected. Wish you guys would actually sit down and read the Constitution…

And get with the program!

NY Test Case – The Right to Counsel

This one could be the beginning of a much larger movement. To avoid draconian sentences, defendants are often encouraged to make a deal to plea guilty in exchange for lesser sentences. This has resulted in the vast majority of cases never actually being tried, and defendants convicted of crimes they may not have committed – or in this particular case, convicted of a “crime”, a felony, which doesn’t exist in the legal code.

You have only to look at the prison population to see how this impacts minorities.

The Right to Counsel: Woman Becomes a Test Case

Kimberly Hurell-Harring was represented by Patrick E. Barber, left, in a case that could change the system.

SHE was poor and in trouble. He was the public defender appointed to represent her.

She was Kimberly Hurell-Harring, a nobody in the courts, a nursing home worker and a mother of two who had done something stupid. He was Patrick E. Barber, a lawyer with a silver stubble of a beard, paid by the county and state to help make the criminal justice system as fair to the poor as it is to the rich.

At his urging, she pleaded guilty and went to jail for a felony that turned out not to be a felony at all. “It seemed like he was on the D.A.’s side,” she said later.

He said recently that he had done what he could: “They had her dead to rights.”

Usually, such a minor case would go unnoticed; a little test of the constitutional right to a lawyer, results unknown. Instead it has made Mr. Barber an emblem of the problems of the state’s ramshackle system of providing lawyers for indigent defendants. On Tuesday, New York’s highest court is to consider a class-action suit, filed by civil liberties lawyers in Ms. Hurell-Harring’s name, that seeks broad changes in the state’s frayed network of public defenders, who are routinely unmonitored and often overwhelmed. Her case, now being pored over by some of the state’s leading lawyers and judges, offers a window into the everyday corners of the legal system, where no one is usually watching.

It began two and a half years ago, in October 2007, in the Washington County Court here, not far from the Vermont border. In an area of the state where prisons are an industry, Ms. Hurell-Harring pleaded guilty to trying to sneak her inmate husband three-quarters of an ounce of marijuana in a condom she had hidden in her vagina.

From the courtroom benches, the few spectators saw a frightened woman who had never been in trouble before and a public defender who was not fighting for her. “She was sitting there looking stunned and confused,” said Daniel J. Freeman, a recent Yale Law School graduate who had been sent to observe by the New York Civil Liberties Union. “I didn’t see him interacting much with her.”

The story of this one defendant and her public defender, assembled through interviews and court records, is about a woman who was barely making it before the legal system helped shove her off track.

And it is also about a small-town lawyer and part-time public servant sinking in personal and professional quicksand that few people knew about when he showed up to represent Kimberly Hurell-Harring. Least of all her…

ACORN Fake Pimp Becomes Radioactive to Republicans

Tapping, or tampering with a Congressman or Senator’s phones is a Federal Crime. A Felony punishable by 10 Years in prison and a $250,000 fine. There  is ample precedent for this going back to the days before cellular phone service was encrypted and digitized, where a couple managed to overhear and record a conversation by then House Speaker “Neut” Gingrich. The couple were fined $5,000.00 each – not because they were able to overhear the conversation (which was legal) – but because they recorded it.

Entering, or attempting to gain entry to a Federal Building with a false identification is also a Felony.  Making the actions of O’Keefe and his accomplices even more serious. Of course, one of the co-conspirators, Robert Flanagan’s,  father is the acting US District Attorney (Bill Flanagan) for Western Louisiana – so these white boy criminals will likely get “special justice” – walking away with a hand slap instead of prison time.

But it could be “Hard Out There for a Pimp”, having to spend time in a real prison, with real pimps…

Today, Republicans are running away from O’Keefe.

• O’Keefe was supposed to be the keynote speaker at a Salt Lake County GOP fundraiser on Feb. 4. But county GOP Chairman Thomas Wright told the Salt Lake Tribune: “We’ll be announcing a new speaker shortly.”
• Rep. Pete Olson, R-Tex., is on the defense for introducing a resolution honoring O’Keefe for exposing ACORN. He told the Hill that he doesn’t condone unlawful behavior, as On Deadline reported this morning. There were 31 cosponsors on that resolution, so you can expect Democratic challengers to use that resolution against their GOP opponents in this fall’s midterm elections.  Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., is identified here as a cosponsor of that resolution.