German POWS in America treated better than illegal aliens...

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L. Kafka
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German POWS in America treated better than illegal aliens...

Post by L. Kafka »

That's my response to supporters of the 80 year old Arizona county sheriff Joe Arpaio. Did German POWs in Arizona, or any other U.S. locale, have to wear pink uniforms and live in tents? Not from what I've heard.

I just wonder how many German POWs in America ended up being illegal aliens in the States after the war.
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Re: German POWS in America treated better than illegal aliens...

Post by Tom Houlihan »

The tent thing started way back when US servicemen were engaged overseas. He decided that if the country's best had to live in tents in the desert, then it didn't make sense for criminals to live in comfort. So he put them in conditions similar to what the troops lived in.

Personally, I applaud the decision. I have an inside view, and I think that jails and prisons have overall become too lenient. It used to be that they were places you didn't want to go. Nowadays, with mandated entertainment, overblown commissaries, and other amenities, jails and prisons are more of an inconvenience when you get caught. The Detroit Free Press ran a series of articles a couple of years ago, decrying the amount of money spent on state prisons in comparison to state universities here in MI.

I think it's deplorable that convicted criminals have more lavished on them than people who work for a living, obey the laws and mores of the community, and try to improve themselves. I certainly don't encourage "abuse," but no TV doesn't fit the Constitutional requirement for "cruel and unusual punishment," in my book. Nor does having to live in an un-air conditioned tent like US servicemen and women.
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Re: German POWS in America treated better than illegal aliens...

Post by lwd »

L. Kafka wrote:.... Did German POWs in Arizona, or any other U.S. locale, have to wear pink uniforms and live in tents? Not from what I've heard.
No pink uniforms that would have been in violation of the conventions I believe. However at least some of the POW's sent to the US lived in tents. I was reading an article about it yesterday. When the camps were first being established there were more POW's than barracks for the and to conform to the conventions their guards also lived in tents until the barracks were complete.
See: http://www.historynet.com/german-pows-c ... ar-you.htm

From the tone of your post I am some how under the impression that you think the above is a bad thing though.
I just wonder how many German POWs in America ended up being illegal aliens in the States after the war.
There were a few. It's not clear how many and technically of course they weren't "illegal aliens" they were escpaded POW's unless they returned here illegally after being repatriated.
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L. Kafka
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Deputy, not all in jail are convicts, as you well know...

Post by L. Kafka »

Many men and women are stuck in jails because they can't come up with bond money. Someone might be held for weeks or months before going to trial, while someone with money remains free for the same situation.

For a glimpse at civilian Japanese jails see Senator James Webb's website for his Parade Magazine article. It may be dated as it was written in the 1980s. I like the Japanese approach to inmates where talking is restricted and that they must cut their hair very short. The idea of unheated cells, something that Amnesty International has criticized, is not something I would endorse.
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Re: Deputy, not all in jail are convicts, as you well know...

Post by lwd »

L. Kafka wrote:.... I like the Japanese approach to inmates where talking is restricted and that they must cut their hair very short.
So someone that hasn't been convicted of a crime is forced to cut their hair and their ability to communicate is severlly curtailed?
The idea of unheated cells, something that Amnesty International has criticized, is not something I would endorse.
That would very much depend on where, for how long, and how well equipped with cloths and sleeping gear would it not? People camp out for extended periods without heating.
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Re: German POWS in America treated better than illegal aliens...

Post by Ronald Lameck »

As a former corrections officer, I am frequently astounded by the egregious mistreatment of others that is often espoused by too many pseudo-experts. It must be remembered that inmates of a remand centre have not been convicted of anything. They may well be perfectly innocent, but were among the "usual suspects" routinely rounded up by lazy police forces who want to provide the illusion that they are actually competent and doing something. Remember: police are not gods. They are a bunch of (usually not very well educated) people we hire to do a job. They make mistakes, sometimes by accident, sometimes by incompetence, and sometimes by malicious intent.
Even among those who are convicted, a large number are innocent - as the reports of thousands of people convicted of murder or other serious crimes, but later exonerated by D.N.A. evidence has proven. And those were only in the serious crimes category, where a great deal of time and money is exhausted to find the real truth. How often does one who is accused of a lesser crime suffer the violation of freedom merely because no one has - or will take the time - to prove the error that has been made? Why is it that basic respect and dignity for all - which, as John Locke wrote centuries ago should be the naturla right of every human being - is so hard won and yet so easily discarded?
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Good post, Richard...

Post by L. Kafka »

Your take sounds like...modern thinking. :up:
"What are they going to do, send me to Vietnam?"
A oft heard GI refrain in Vietnam in '68.
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