Raping Immigrants...acceptable practice in the U.S.?

During my time away these last few months, I noticed a Law & Order: SVU episode that got me to wonder how important or unimportant the rights of immigrants are in the United States.

In a paper addressing the rights of immigrants, the ACLU references a ruling by the Supreme Court that honors guarantees by the Constitution for every person within U.S. borders including those who are in the country illegally. Therefore, people who are in the U.S. and are undocumented have the right to the same freedoms as the country’s actual citizens. These rights include the right to be treated fairly. With that in mind, I considered the disgusting nature of this one particuilar Law & Order: SVU episode to be something that many U.S. citizens should carefully weigh when it comes to what is right and what is wrong.

This episode included a trial where one police officer was accused of being involved in a double rape and murder of one teenage girl about one decade prior to the trial. The second teenage girl (who was now a young adult) testified against the cop who raped and murdered her friend, she mentioned that he raped her as well. His defense attorney then called her legal status in the U.S. into question by asking her how long was she a citizen of this country. By the witness's reaction, it became easy to conclude that she was still not a legal citizen of the United States.

While her citizenship may be irrelevant to the case, this dirty cop's defense attorney still brought it up. It seemed as if there was a point to make that she could be lying in exchange for a U.S. citizenship, claimed by the defense to be offered to her by the prosecutor. Instead of discussing this episode further, I'll get to the point that is veyr disturbing. The cop not only won the case, but he got to remain part of the police force and the legal system. Even though Law & Order: SVu is a fictional television show, this scenario is all too real. It depicts just how police officers and other officers in the legal system can go ahead and committ the very crimes that they are paid to uphold and are nor held accountable for them.

It is also disgusting that the cop on this episode had a grin on his face the whole time, as if he did not care about raping this female witness. In one way, his defense attorney bringing up her legal "status" makes this a very uneasy realization of how many people view immigrants in the U.S. which is not too important. It is like implying that rapists have an easy pass if they are violating someone who is not a citizen of this country. Do immigrant women not have rights? Should we care or not care about what happens to someone based on his or her legal status? At the end of the trial in the Law & Order: SVU episode, the girl who was raped as a teenager was deported immediately after the trial.

Where is her justice? A cop rapes a woman and still gets to keep his job and doesn't even have to go to prison while this young woman gets kicked out of a country that she has lived and worked in for years, after her friend was raped and murdered without even getting a chance to go through the process of becoming a citizen. That is veyr disturbing. So, it seems that when it is mentioned that Americans take many things for granted and should not complain so much, there can be some truth to that in many circumstances such as this one. Women who are raped and are citizens can seek out as much justice as they want while females who are non-citizens are questioned more about their legal status than the actual crime committed against them. That is so disturbing and even if there were not any laws to protect immigrants who are in the U.S., what about HUMAN rights?

A teenage girl is a teenage girl no matter if she is a citizen or not. Rape is a crime and those who committed it should suffer all due conequences for their actions. Letting people get off scott free is like saying that it is ok to violate the human rights of immigrants in this country. That is so terribly wrong, many people who believe it should be ashamed.

I welcome all opinions on this matter.

Should immigrants have the same rights or at least basic human rights in the U.S.?
If someone commits a crime against them, should they be able to take legal action against their offender, even if they are not a legal citizen of the U.S. ?

Leave your comments below.

Photo By Beleto

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Out of WGA Strike drama and into pure TV bliss?

The Writer's Guild strike caused shows to cancel production, go into reruns and send many TV viewers into a long state of confusion. In all of this time, we were also subjected to countless reality TV shows...some new and some just additional versions of their original program. Now that an agreement has been made between the studios and the Writer's Guild of America that ended a long and difficult strike, we can get back to enjoying TV.....or can we?


I have taken this time to decide whether some of the TV shows affected by the WGA strike (by being canceled, postponed, etc.) are really worth cheering for as they gain the ability to go back into production:

House
This show, which airs on FOX is really good. It has lots of elements that make for an entertaining hour of television. House features a cast of great actors who help to bring some of the strangest stories to life. This TV program showcases some of the weirdest medical conditions that one can imagine. While they can make you question "What is that?" on almost every episode, House has been a fascinating program that temporarily stopped airing new episodes earlier this month because of the WGA strike. This is a TV show that we should definitely welcome back.

CSI: New York
Much like House, This CBS show ran out of new episodes during the first week of February. The last new episode of CSI: New York aired on February 6, 2008. While this isn't much of a downer because the reruns are just as entertaining, one can only go so long watching the same episode of CSI: New York. Sure, this particular installment in the CSI franchise is dark and at times make me wonder where they come up with these far-fetched storylines. However, CSI: New York is a TV show that I am glad has a chance to come back to TV now that the writer's strike is over.

Grey's Anatomy
Who can live without Grey's ? It seems that anyone who watches TV on a regular basis....young or old likes Grey's Anatomy on ABC. It is not too difficult to guess why. This show has enough drama to make even the most stessed or depressed person believe that they have everything straightened out in real life. People are having extramarital affairs, sleeping with their bosses, dumping their parent's ashes in a sink and almost everything in between. Grey's Anatomy is like a prime-time soap opera that we know we shouldn't be watching (as it adds nothing of good use to our real lives) but we just can't help ourselves. I look forward to the new episodes of Grey's Anatomy.

30 Rock
If I acted like I knew lots about this NBC show, that would be a lie. All that I know is that it stars funnyman Tracy Morgan, the lady who used to be on Fox's Ally McBeal and Tiny Fey...the woman who did news with Jimmy Fallon on Saturday Night Live. 30 Rock appears to be popular. If it isn't, you could have fooled me because it has received a lot of buzz. Since I haven't watched this show much before the WGA strike, I probably won't be watching it now. Therefore, it's not worth recommending. The best news to take from this if you like 30 Rock is that new episodes of the show can now be produced and aired.

Friday Night Lights
New episodes of Friday Night Lights lasted pretty long, despite the writer's guild strike. It's last new episode aired nearly a few days before the WGA strike ended, making it an easy transition for fans and those involved with the production of Friday Night Lights. If it were say....24, cast and staff members would probably be wondering about their paychecks. However, that may not be the case with Friday Night Lights. When I first saw the commercial before it's premiere in 2006, I thought that this show was another one of those good ideas with an even more exciting attempt at action packed TV that would eventually flop. However, Friday Night Lights has been entertaining. Although it is a drama, Friday Night Lights has some comedic moments and there are at least a few characters that you can relate to. This show was reportedly cut off temporarily, so hopefully it will be back on TV soon.

CSI Miami
This is one of the most entertaining shows on TV right now, or shall I say....one of the most entertaining shows was WAS on TV. The last new episode of CSI Miami aired in January and while reruns are enjoyable, they left us with a cliffhanger that should be resolved at least by the fall. Horatio has just started to build a relationship with his long lost son, but the detective's baby's mama is suspect, so that might cause lots of problems. Did you see that witness in the pond? If that isn't foul play, I don't know what is. I am glad that the WGA strike will not interrupt CSI Miami too much.

Ugly Betty
It is a shame that the WGA strike has affected the new ABC show, Ugly Betty. New episodes stopped airing in January, but the show as been very popular among fans and award organizations alike. Ugly Betty is funny and combines a great cast, including the lovely America Ferrera. I'll be happy to be able to check out new episodes of Ugly Betty thanks to an agreement that ends the writer's strike.

CSI
This show stopped in early January, not too long after the new year came in. I will be glad to see new episodes of this show not only because it is entertaining, but also because I am tired of watching the same rerun where Warrick Brown gets drunk and then flirts with a stripper who ends up dead in his car. That was not an attractive episode, as it didn't show him in the best light. The most important thing here is that CSI will be back with fresh episodes. We can continue to see the gang of crime scene investigators at their best.......who are you? who, who, who, who!

Law & Order: SVU
Of all of the TV shows that the writer's strike had affected, it would have been very depressing if Law & Order:SVU was cancelled for a long time. Since the strike has ended, there shouldn't be any intteruptions to this TV show. The new season just started not too long ago and Detective Benson is sporting a hot new hairstyle.....we need Law & Order: SVU in our lives. The last episode was about stolen embryos, but hit close to home when the discussion of women putting their careers before children surfaced within the hour. It seems that the pressure for women (OR, women who want more than being just barefoot and pregant in the kitchen) to have everything in a certain amount of time never ends. If you're a woman and want a meaningful and satysfying career, but would also like to have a family, it seems that there is a timeframe on that if you want to do it the usual way. After that time passes, it seems that you will have to pay thousands of dollars for it....or at least a portion of your dream family.

Now that I have digressed a bit too much during the Law & Order: SVU update, it's time to wrap this thing up. Stay tuned for the next post that continues with additional shows affected by the writer's strike and whether or not they are worth our TV time.

Which TV show will you be glad to see return after the Writer's Strike? Which TV show were you glad to see canceled during the Writer's strike? Leave your comments below. If you haven't already, Subscribe to Madlab Post.

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Mariska Hargitay and Peter Sittin' in a Tree.....

For all of the dedication I try to give to Law & Order:SVU (That stands for "Special Victims Unit for those of you who do not know), it is obviously not enough. I thought that I have done well keeping track of the award winning stars, but Mariska Hargitay's marriage to a fellow Law & Order:SVU actor slipped right past me. Maybe that is because I do not keep up to date with the personal lives of Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Richard Belzer or any of the other stars on this TV show. It was however, very interesting to find out today in a drugstore that Mariska Hargitay is married to actor Peter Hermann. The two met while Peter Hermann appeared on Law & Order:SVU, married in 2004 and had their first son, August Miklos Friedrich Hermann a few years later.

Now that I think back to the season where Detective Elliott Stabler had a new and out of control partner with long and wavy blonde hair named Detective Dani Beck, I should have been trying to find out what happened to Detective Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) instead of just going with the flow on the new storylines like an average TV fan. Detective Dani Beck was played by Connie Nielsen, filling the space while Mariska Hargitay was on maternity leave. While I am totally late on this news, I must give Mariska Hargitay her due props when it comes to romantic unions. She surely knows how to pick 'em well. Peter Hermann, who has a recurring role as defense attorney Trevor Langan is a looker. With a hot Momma and Dad, their son August (this name must be really hot for boys right now. Remember August Rush?) might have to fight off the ladies when he gets older.

Ok, it's time to get off of the TV fan bent and consider the professional angle with Mariska Hargitay and her hubby Peter Hermann. I have read countless chapters on filmmaking that discourages dating (or more specifically, "Sleeping with") members of the cast, crew or anyone else who is working on the same film as you. Hollywood has not received this Memo. We have all watched entertainment news shows and read magazines where reporters discussed the new and budding relationships with co-stars. Dating someone who works on the same production is nothing new. What seems to also be a pattern though, are the many breakups that happen afterward. That may show us that TV/Film production romances may be hot, but they do not always last much longer after the director yells "cut".

While I have known of some Hollywood post-production romances that fell flat (Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn; Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan to name a few), I hope that Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann's union can prove that relationships between co-stars or co-workers on a TV/Film production can work out well and last much longer than the other fly-by-night romances. Now, I am not saying that I plan on sexing up my coast or crew memmbers, but it is good to know that some relationships that come from these TV/Film productions actually lead to something greater. Cheers to Mariska Hargitay and Peter Hermann! May they have a long lasting, happy marriage and lots of joyful memories with their son August.

What is your favorite Law & Order: SVU episode? Leave your comments below!
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