by Diane on July 20, 2008
Welcome to my home base.
I’m now incredibly proud to announce my association with Creators Syndicate, one of the nation’s largest purveyors of quality opinion columns, is now distributing my weekly crime and justice column, which I post below every Monday. I’m also a contributing writer for The Daily Beast.
The Albuquerque Journal will continue to be the paper of my childhood and my home base for as long as they’ll have me.
My columns here are always different. Sometimes I’ll simply tell you a story. Sometimes I’ll share my opinions, praise or criticism, other times I’ll hold a mirror up to our society and ask you to form your own opinion. I hope the columns will give you something new to think about each time you visit. It’s a complicated world out there, full of situations of good versus evil, right versus wrong. My job is point them out.
If you’re interested in running my column here’s the Creators Syndicate link or call (310)-337-7003.
Contact me here.
by Diane on July 26, 2010
When is the Spread of Aids Criminal?
You are the judge and jury on this one. There are a lot of numbers to take into account here so read carefully.
A man who knew he was HIV positive admitted to having unprotected sex with dozens of women and girls as young as 14. Health officials put the number of his potential HIV victims at 75. It was discovered that at least 13 of those females had been infected with the HIV virus, including the 14 year old. In media interviews after the man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to twelve years in prison for statutory rape and reckless endangerment, he boasted that he’d actually had up to 300 sexual partners.
Now, this man’s prison sentence is coming to an end. He’s just about served his time. But prosecutors in New York say Nushawn Williams has shown no remorse and has a mental abnormality that will likely lead to him to commit more crimes after he’s released. The state wants to continue to hold Williams [click to continue…]
by Diane on July 19, 2010
Did We Fail the 'Barefoot Bandit' Too?
Across the country these days – in every village, town, city and state – there is a collective effort to slash operating budgets. That’s probably a wise thing given the state of the economy. But as we make choices about what gets cut back and what doesn’t, I hope we remember the children.
19 year old Colton Harris-Moore underscores my point precisely. You may know him as the so-called Barefoot Bandit, the catchy little name the media applied to what is obviously a very troubled kid. If Colton’s home state of Washington had had enough money and determination to protect him from a sub-standard upbringing way back when, scores of people might never have been victimized by this kid.
His childhood reads like something out of Dickens. [click to continue…]
by Diane on July 12, 2010
US Marshal's Serve Warrants
At any given time in America there are one million outstanding arrest warrants pending … give or take a few. These are court approved documents allowing members of law enforcement to take into custody any suspect with their name on such a warrant.
In other words there are one million scared people in America. These are people who spend a part of their lives looking over their shoulder wondering when the law will catch up with them and they’ll be punished.
Some of these outstanding warrants are for scofflaw traffic infractions or minor drug offenses from years ago. Other warrants seek people who are suspected of committing violent crimes like rape and murder. [click to continue…]
My American Heroes!
This is the America I told my daughter we lived in when she was growing up.
“If you’re ever in trouble, honey, just ask your neighbor for help. Find a policeman if you can.”
On a bright sun-shiny day in Chapel Hill, North Carolina a few weeks ago there was no time for a girl we’ll call Sally to ask for help. As this 18 year old daughter jogged along the streets of her university town she was suddenly set upon by a fiend. A car rolled up, a would-be kidnapper jumped out and hit Sally in the face with a blast of pepper spray.
She didn’t have time to ask for help but Sally’s neighbors stepped up anyway. Two brothers, Joey and Freddie Shelton ran to her aid. They are American heroes in my book. [click to continue…]
by Diane on June 28, 2010
The Catch 22 of Immigration Reform
Dateline: June 28, 2010
It’s a terrible Catch-22. For years now the powers that be in Washington have done next to nothing to help define and refine the nation’s immigration laws. So states and municipalities have started to tackle the job themselves. However, when the ‘locals’ are finally exasperated enough to take action they’re hauled into court for encroaching on the federal government’s purview!
Let me get this straight. The Feds won’t act to fix our immigration mess but the states can’t do anything either because it’s the Feds’ job? Oh, what a paralyzed mess we’ve become in this country!
We’ve all heard about what Arizona did. [click to continue…]
