ADELE FERGUSON - Hikers, border law, police stomp fuel comments

ITEM—The mothers of three American hikers jailed in Iran for spying when they were arrested at the Iraqi border last July visited them and asked their captors for their release. The three said they were hiking in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region and inadvertently crossed the border. Iran officials say they might be open to a prisoner swap.

COMMENT—What are three guys from the U.S. doing hiking on the border of Iraq and Iran? That’s like the idiots who want to reach into a zoo cage and pet the lion and are shocked at pulling back a stump. I’d like the swap idea if we had wide range in selecting our three to send. May I suggest Nancy Pelosi, Barbara Boxer and Arlen Specter?

ITEM—Mexican President Felipe Calderon was feted at a spectacular state of the state dinner by President Obama and responded by slamming Arizona’a new law adopting the federal directive on dealing with illegal immigrants, although it was tightened up over the feds’ effort by allowing police to question possible illegals only when they’ve been stopped for something else. Our president sided with his guest by calling the law “a misdirected expression of frustration over our broken immigration system.”

COMMENT—Our president missed a perfect opportunity to inquire of his visitor, “Say, are you missing about 11 million of your people? Because they’re all up here, taking jobs our folks could make use of” Yes, I know the usual spiel is that the Mexican illegals are needed for stoop labor that Americans don’t want to do, but that was before the recession. I think a lot of jobless Americans would be happy to stoop to work.

ITEM—A video showing two Seattle police officers kicking a prone detainee prompted minority organizations to form a coalition aimed at police accountability. On April 17, police detained three men suspected in a robbery. One of the officers was heard telling a Latino man lying on the sidewalk, “I’m going to beat the (expletive) Mexican piss out of you, homey. You feel me?” Another officer stomped on the man’s hand while other officers stood by, watching. The man was later released. The coalition wants those involved fired.

COMMENT—The most disturbing thing about the video wasn’t the language. It was the fact a woman officer joined in the stomping for no reason at all and a group of other officers stood by and did nothing. Both the officer who let loose the tirade and the woman officer should be fired and the ones who did nothing to stop it given suspensions and required to attend classes in dealing with prisoners.

ITEM—The Supreme Court has ended the practice of sentencing juveniles to life imprisonment with no chance of parole for crimes short of homicide. Justice Anthony Kennedy, who wrote the opinion, said life in prison without the possibility of parole gives no chance for fulfillment outside prison walls, no chance for reconciliation with society, no hope, and is a violation of the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

COMMENT—I don’t know. How many times haven’t you read someone’s criminal history and asked what was this guy doing out of jail? Case in note, one of the four would be robbers of an Edgewood man they called on after he advertised a diamond ring for sale on Craigsllist. He wound up shot to death. One of his assailants had a lengthy record of offenses that dated back to when he was 13. It’s likely the Edgewood man would be alive today if we’d thrown the key away on the robber when he showed as years went by that he was incorrigible.

(Adele Ferguson can be reached at P.O. Box 69. Hansville, Wa.., 98340.)