::headdesk to infinity::
And again, my ability to be shocked and surprised has been tested nearly to destruction. I...I'm not sure I can even type this without degenerating into all-caps. Report Finds Some Federal Judges Put Off Swearing-in New Citizens. Why? ::deep breath::
Federal judges in some parts of the United States are delaying the swearing-in of new citizens, apparently so that courts can keep millions of dollars in naturalization fees paid by immigrants, according to a new government report and immigration analysts.
I'd say that's a new low, but this country has gone so low that we've come out the other side and are hurtling into space.
I also don't know if anyone on my flist has been following the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme story, but I've been following it somewhat. It's...well, it's a Jewish thing. I think that other minorities often have this thing as well, where "one of ours" does something wrong and we get more upset and more angry and feel guilty. Although obviously I don't run in the same circles as Madoff (although I'm closer than you might think!), I still feel responsible for his actions. Because Madoff is one of our boys and we should be better than that, damn it.
There's an added fillip to the story, in that, yeah, he defrauded a lot of people and a lot of institutions, but many of his connections were within the Jewish community, so there's a metric ton of Jewish organizations and Jewish charities that have lost a lot of money. My BIL at Yeshiva University passed on an e-mail from the university president (who was invited to Avi and my wedding and would have been there except his son was being bar mitzvahed--told ya I wasn't that far off) saying that they had lost a substantial amount of money but they weren't in major financial disaster. However, I've also read that some small Jewish charities have been knocked out of business by this.
Ooooh, thanks to sabra_n, I have a link to Avatar Racefail Bingo! Below the bingo card there are also some links to great protest icons. I have to figure out if I've got an open slot for one, because they're awesome.
And now I will take more drugs and try to get some more sleep. Wish me luck.
ETA: Up again at 4 am thanks to sproglet. Have obviously found a slot for an Avatar protest icon. But have lost pronouns. Wah?
Federal judges in some parts of the United States are delaying the swearing-in of new citizens, apparently so that courts can keep millions of dollars in naturalization fees paid by immigrants, according to a new government report and immigration analysts.
I'd say that's a new low, but this country has gone so low that we've come out the other side and are hurtling into space.
I also don't know if anyone on my flist has been following the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme story, but I've been following it somewhat. It's...well, it's a Jewish thing. I think that other minorities often have this thing as well, where "one of ours" does something wrong and we get more upset and more angry and feel guilty. Although obviously I don't run in the same circles as Madoff (although I'm closer than you might think!), I still feel responsible for his actions. Because Madoff is one of our boys and we should be better than that, damn it.
There's an added fillip to the story, in that, yeah, he defrauded a lot of people and a lot of institutions, but many of his connections were within the Jewish community, so there's a metric ton of Jewish organizations and Jewish charities that have lost a lot of money. My BIL at Yeshiva University passed on an e-mail from the university president (who was invited to Avi and my wedding and would have been there except his son was being bar mitzvahed--told ya I wasn't that far off) saying that they had lost a substantial amount of money but they weren't in major financial disaster. However, I've also read that some small Jewish charities have been knocked out of business by this.
Ooooh, thanks to sabra_n, I have a link to Avatar Racefail Bingo! Below the bingo card there are also some links to great protest icons. I have to figure out if I've got an open slot for one, because they're awesome.
And now I will take more drugs and try to get some more sleep. Wish me luck.
ETA: Up again at 4 am thanks to sproglet. Have obviously found a slot for an Avatar protest icon. But have lost pronouns. Wah?