THE OTHER SHOE DROPS: Updates To Previous Posts
† What Freedom Of Religion Means To Muslims: Part II: Members of moderate Muslim sect Ahmadiyah were ordered by the Indonesian government to “return to mainstream Islam” or face up to five years in prison “for insulting the country's predominant religion,” reports The Associated Press:
The vast majority of Indonesia's Muslims are moderate, but in recent years an extremist fringe has grown louder. The government, which relies on the support of Islamic parties in Parliament, has been accused of caving in to their demands. …
Indonesia's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but many in the nation of 235 million consider it offensive that the sect does not recognize Muhammad as the last prophet. …
Hard-liners have attacked Ahmadiyah members and torched their mosques since the government said in April it was considering banning the faith. Several dozen religious tolerance activists were beaten at a rally in Jakarta just over a week ago while police stood by.
The Ahmadiyah sect has millions of adherents worldwide, with an estimated 200,000 in Indonesia.
† Oh, Brother!: Anthony Galasso, who pleaded guilty to 22 counts of grand larceny for embezzling $4.3 million from Garden City, NY, law firm Galasso, Langione, Catterson & LoFrumento, where his younger brother, Peter, is a partner, has been sentenced to 2½ to 7½ years in prison and ordered to make $2 million in restitution, reports New York Law Journal.
† How Did We Get From A Knowledge Economy To An Unskilled And Illiterate Economy?: A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis of death certificates, police reports and workers' compensation reports from 2003 to 2006 finds that 2 of every 3 Hispanic workers who died on the job were foreign-born. The annual on-the-job death rate for foreign-born Hispanics is roughly 6 per 100,000, as compared with 3.5 for those born in the U.S. The researchers cited low literacy and inability to speak or understand English, as well as poor training and supervision, as contributing factors.
Meanwhile, Bullard High School valedictorian Arthur Mkoyan, a “shy 17-year-old with a 4.0 grade-point average” and his mother have been ordered to return to Armenia by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, reports The Fresno Bee. Arthur, who left Armenia as a toddler when his family came to the U.S. in 1992 seeking asylum, is hoping to attend the University of California at Davis, where he has been accepted for the fall semester. Rep. George Radanovich (R-Mariposa) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) are looking into what, if anything, can be done to help the family. For its part, ICE magnanimously has allowed Arthur and his mother to remain in the U.S. until June 20th, so he may participate in his high school graduation.
Editorial Note: Arthur is collecting letters of support to bolster his case with Feinstein and Radanovich. If you agree that ICE should preferentially deport low-skill, low literacy illegals who depend on taxpayer assistance to supplement their meager wages before this brilliant young man who has the potential to make a valuable contribution to our country, please drop him a line at: artmkoyan@gmail.com. A mind is a terrible thing to waste and the federal government needs to explain why chain migration is encouraged, yet Arthur and his parents were refused asylum (his father is being held by ICE in AZ and will not be at the graduation ceremony).
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