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December 24, 2006
:: Merry Christmas 2006!
| From Pierre and Mrs. Pierre, Merry Christmas! Here are a few pics of our holiday preparations and decorations...may you find peace, love, joy, health, and happiness in the New Year! | |
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Posted by pierre at 1:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 18, 2006
:: Huh? Gender Testing Now Reality
Santhi Soudarajan collapsed after winning the womens 800 meter at the Asian Games this month...the problem is, however, that Santhi is a man. AP photo by Jin Man
Bizzare, but a sign of the times...gender testing has now become a reality of high-profile sports. Today in India, a runner was stripped of a silver medal after failing a gender test. She/he had won the silver in the 800 meter run of the Asian Games. From the AP/StarTribune:
Santhi Soudarajan was tested after the race this month in Doha, Qatar.
The Indian Olympic Association said Monday it has been told by the Olympic Council of Asia that the 25-year-old runner was disqualified.
"IOA has asked the Athletic Federation of India to return the medal as desired by the Olympic Council of Asia,'' the Indian Olympic group said.
The IOA also asked its medical commission to inquire into Sounderajan's case and report within 10 days.
There are no compulsory gender tests during events sanctioned by track and field's international ruling body, but athletes may be asked to take a gender test. The medical evaluation panel usually includes a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist and internal medicine specialist.
Posted by pierre at 11:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 13, 2006
:: DHS/ICE Raid on Swift and Co Plants
I had a generally good breakfast this morning - celebrating a long needed vacation - at one of my favorite b-fast joints in the TC Metro (Byerly's). I grabbed a copy of the Strib and sat down with my coffee...read the headlines and felt my stomach turn.
Anyone who has been paying attention to the increasing rate of immigrant influx knows that the immigration system is failing. What made it really go to hell was the aftermath of 9/11 and the absorption of INS into the Dept. of Homeland Security. Like anything else that the DHS got its hands on, the new "Immigrations and Customs Enforcement" (ICE) has been working in fits and starts. Of particular interest to me has always been the evident "dovetail" between the DHS-TSA and DHS-ICE. The TSA, of course, is the bane of every travelers existence these days. Anyone else out there having fun rounding up all the toiletries you can find under 3 oz?
Anyway, I digress...the ICE raided six meat processing plants operated by Swift and Company, the world's second largest producer of packaged beef and pork products, early Tuesday morning. Among the plants was the one in Worthington, MN...a sleepy town in southwestern MN with a population right around 12,000. 20% of that population are Hispanic, according to 2000 census data...and many of them work for Swift, who employs about 2300 at their Worthington plant. The ICE has been investigating identity theft crimes perpetrated by illegal immigrants so that they can get employment in the 'States. Over the last few months, Swift and Co. interviewed around 400 some of their workers that they suspected may have used false identities to get jobs at plants -- and around 450 quit or were terminated as a result...but the ICE was troubled by the findings, and more troubled that the whereabouts of the 450 suspected "illegals" are unknown. So, they took action:
"Witnesses saw 10 buses lined up to take people away, said Alondra Espejel of the St. Paul-based Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network.
The raid began about 8 a.m., witnesses said. The "kill floor" was shut down at 10:30 and workers were taken to the cafeteria.
The detainees were later bused to federal detention centers in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Iowa.
Teresa Ramirez, 42, a legal immigrant, said she saw some workers at the plant bound with plastic cuffs and heard women screaming about who would pick up their children. She said she was not detained.
"Truthfully speaking, they treated us like trash," said Veronica Carabantes Maravilla, 33, whose daughter had to bring her green card to the plant.
"They treated the legals and illegals alike," Maravilla said through an interpreter." -- Star Tribune
Initial reports said that about 400 people were detained and that 230 were shipped off to a prison in Ft. Dodge, IA. Across the nation, ICE detained a total of 1282 people...of which only 65 were charged with identity theft crimes. The balance of the detainees are being held on suspicion of immigration violations, and will face an immigration judge.
So once again, our overzealous administration has used terrorist tactics in trying to stem the tide of terrorism. School children returned to empty homes, and are sleeping in church shelters tonight. Families have been ripped apart. Even the company decried the government actions, saying in a press release "..."Swift believes that today's actions by the government violate the agreements associated with the company's participation over the past 10 years in the federal government's Basic Pilot worker authorization program." The statement was referring to a verification system that allows employers to check job applicants against federal databases. "Swift has played by the rules and relied in good faith on a program explicitly held out by the president of the United States as an effective tool to help employers comply with applicable immigration laws," the company's CEO, Sam Rovit, said.
Mrs. Pierre and I discussed and prayed about the situation tonight over supper. Here we have mainly good hard-working people who just want a good job - and they are willing to work the "dirty jobs" that many blue-blooded, red-necked American citizens would rather not. These are also UNION workers...that's right!! All of Swift's plants are unionized, save the one in (you guessed it) Utah, organized with the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW). In support of their 10,000 workers at Swift, the UFCW had - along with Swift - tried to block the raids in Federal District Court. However, Judge Mary Lou Robinson tossed the reqeust for an injunction citing the results of Swift's internal investigation. (Swift may have had a bad draw - 80-yr-old Robinson is the same judge who handed victory to Oprah Winfrey when Texas cattlemen sued her for libel over disparaging remarks about beef on her show).
"The display of force by ICE agents is totally outrageous," said Mark Lauritsen, International Vice President and Director of the Food Processing, Packing, and Manufacturing division of the UFCW. "We believe they are victims of wholesale violations of worker rights. In effect, ICE is criminalizing people for going to work."
I think that pretty much sums it up...So here is my question: How come Bush's administration seems hell-bent on acting like stormtroopers rather than civil servants? We saw it at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, New Orleans, and in our airports. These people aren't terrorists...they are family-oriented men and women trying to make ends meet in the USA.
Posted by pierre at 9:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack