Hey, want to get pissed off? Come on, of course you do. Read on.
You know how we all feel so much safer now what with the fantastic Department of Homeland Security heading up all those agencies protecting us from terrorists and other scumbags who want to get in?
(Not to forget the genius behind that color-coded threat chart thingy. Excellent safety measure thought up there, and so pretty, too!)
But were you aware that some 83 immigrants have died (tallied thus far, anyway) while being detained by the DHS for interrogation? I had no idea, until I happened to be reading some of the deceased's post mortem stories today. Blood boiling and even scary.
This recent example, though, of border protection gone terribly awry is the one that most notably caught my attention and made my ears blow steam.
A brief synopsis of the sequence of events follows:
You know how we all feel so much safer now what with the fantastic Department of Homeland Security heading up all those agencies protecting us from terrorists and other scumbags who want to get in?
(Not to forget the genius behind that color-coded threat chart thingy. Excellent safety measure thought up there, and so pretty, too!)
But were you aware that some 83 immigrants have died (tallied thus far, anyway) while being detained by the DHS for interrogation? I had no idea, until I happened to be reading some of the deceased's post mortem stories today. Blood boiling and even scary.
This recent example, though, of border protection gone terribly awry is the one that most notably caught my attention and made my ears blow steam.
A brief synopsis of the sequence of events follows:
- Michael Tony Futi was born in January of this year at a hospital in American Samoa, by birthright an American national if not quite really a bonafide citizen.Don't you all feel so much safer now? Me, mostly just pissed off.
- Mikey it turns out wasn't doing so well and was found to have a heart defect, so the hospital made the necessary arrangements to have him flown to another hospital in Honolulu.
- He was expected to "live a normal lifespan" after getting treatment there.
- Two weeks old, the baby flew to Honolulu with his mother and a nurse. Mom had the appropriate travel documents and the nurse was a naturalized U.S. citizen with a U.S. passport.
- The plan was for them all to head straight to the hospital once they had landed, which should have taken only between 10 and 15 minutes.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection guys took the group and locked them up in a room instead.
- Mom, who spoke fluent English, tried to explain to Homeland Security officials that the baby needed to get medical treatment but they refused to let them go.
- The room was overheated and stuffy and the baby began developing breathing problems.
- Mom and nurse beat on the locked door, begging for assistance, while officials shouted back through the door for them to remain calm and to just relax.
- Paramedics were eventually called hours later to transport the infant to the hospital, in critical condition.
- Michael Tony Futi died later on that morning.
That is the saddest thing I've ever heard. Makes a mother cry...
ReplyDeleteA dad here, too.
ReplyDeleteThis is just awful! Too sad for words. I really despise what this country has become.
ReplyDeleteI concur with all above comments. Pissed off? Tom Ridge as MCain VP---PISSED OFF. Will FEMA be his spirtiual advisor?
ReplyDeleteSince when does a liberal give a crap about a baby?
ReplyDeleteWell, Todd, I obviously do.
ReplyDeleteTodd, Republicans only care about the fetus when it's inside the womb. You know they have mommy issues and like to try and control women. Once the baby is born and it's a functioning human being, they don't give a damn how and if it survives. Which is why they are against programs like Medicaid and Wic.
ReplyDeleteAnd it was the conservative administration's policy what killed this one, so yeah. That was kind of a loaded question.
ReplyDelete