The Defense Perspective
Can you give us a case where someone has been put to trial without an interpreter? Just a case number or name and the jurisdiction? Because my experience is that the courts bend over backwards and spend huge sums of money to provide interpreters for everyone, no matter what language they speak.
Just last year a couple from Zimbabwe was prosecuted for abandoning their child in Brazos County. I represented the husband who spoke English as his second language. His wife, however, with whom he had a conflict of interest, was not fluent in English. Rather, her native tongue was Shona. I never saw a Shona interpreter in the courtroom at any time to assist this women. Rather, the court relied upon the husband to help interpret for her. He was, of course, not a certified interpreter.
Yes, I can see that there wouldn't be too man Shona interpreters in Brazos County. I wonder if the couple was here legally? I guess we are just terrible people because this couple came over here speaking a rare, exotic foreign language and we couldn't handle it, although I wonder if it occurred to anyone to contact the nearest Zimbabwean consulate or Embassy to help her. Did you contact them? Or is it just easier to sit at a computer and slam the US for not catering to everyone that comes over here, no matter what they do, at enormous cost to taxpayers? Perhaps you don't mind paying for it, but I do. Have you ever traveled or lived in a foreign country? Newsflash, they don't care if you don't speak their language, and they don't pay through the nose to make sure you understand theirs. And guess what, no one hates them for it, and no one criticizes them for it. Its just the way it is.
The couple was here on a student visa and very much legal. And yes, I have traveled to China, Mexico, and other countries where English was not the primary language. And you may be right. They might not care whether we speak their language. But as Americans, we should damn care that people coming here from other countries get fair treatment. Your attitude is short-sighted, self-absorbed, and a big reason why our justice system fails many. Our country is different from others and we should think and act differently.
My attitude is short sighted? Why is that? So they were here on student visas, but she can't speak or understand English? Didn't that make it sort of hard for her to go to school? Or did they have Shona ESL for her? Hell, maybe abandoning their child wasn't really a crime, it was some sort of Zimbabwean cultural ritual? Maybe they were teaching the kid to find its way home by celestial navigation? Its always amazing to me how you libs that abhor the thought of America being a superpower or of being a world leader or of having the premier military in the world are always so anxious for us to be the super nanny state of the world and provide cradle to grave everything to everyone, regardless of whether they belong here or not or regardless of whether we can afford it or not. The only good thing about it is that American taxpayers are starting to get tired of their wallets being raped daily to pay for all this liberal crap. The easiest way to solve that problem would be to put the bunch on the nearest plane bound for Zimbabwe and get their visas revoked. End of our problem and it saves money too. And now you are going to whine about oh their rights might be violated. Wrong, having a student visa is not a right, its a privilege and it can be revoked at any time. Bottom line, if I break the law, I get arrested for it and my life is messed up bigtime. Foreigners that come over here legally and break it should be sent home as soon as possible. People here illegally need to do their 6 months federal time and then be criminally deported so they can get 20 years federal time if they get caught here again. I wonder if you have looked into those border areas where illegals caught are jailed for 6 months? Amazing how illegal border crossings in those areas have dramatically decreased. But I bet you would probably lose money representing these people if any of that happened, right? We have a duty to treat our own citizens fairly, and perhaps if we weren't shelling out to support the citizens of so many other countries, we might actually have the funds to take care of our own problems.
Wrong again, Anon. I voted for George W. and Sarah Palin. I don't believe water-boarding is torture. Global warming is a lie and cap-and-trade is an unreasonable tax on American business. Stimulus packages don't work. The government is too big. Hannity and Limbaugh are right most of the time. I watch Fox news and believe the networks are in bed with the president. I believe this country was founded on Christian principles and that we are a Christian nation. I was against closing Guantanamo and believe the president is pushing a socialist agenda. Now, the difference between our positions is that I get to know these people as human beings. You obviously don't. I take time to understand their needs, their fears, their wants, their side of the story. You obviously don't. Your position is simple bigotry. I feel sorry for you because your hate prevents any self-fulfillment you might have hoped for in life. Good luck. I'll pray for you.
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