‘Illegal’ still means ‘criminal’
I am a 43-year-old, fifth-generation American and a gay man, and my partner and I are in our 10th year together.
I am disgusted and disturbed that Dallas Voice would defend or group illegal aliens in with me as a legal gay person rightfully and legally in this country ("Immigration is an LGBT issue, too," Dallas Voice, May 5). My great-great-great grandparents came in through Ellis Island with papers in hand, learned the language fought in every war from the Civil War on, and bought and paid for their land. They paid there taxes and never looked to the government for a hand out.
Illegal aliens have no place in this country. The reason they are called "illegals" is they broke the laws of America. They broke into this country and have no right being here, stealing jobs from true Americans, having more unwanted children for honest tax-paying citizens to pay for, educate and feed.
They should all be shipped home and made to come in legally. But to break in, not pay their taxes,then use the schools and hospitals and take jobs meant for legal, tax-paying Americans is a crime. There is no difference than if they broke in to your home, and they should be treated as such. They broke into your country, and this should outrage you and every true American. After all, "illegal" in America still means "criminal."
Larry Lockhart
Dallas
Change your ‘prey’ attitude
Regarding the "hate crime" story ("Community outraged over assault," Dallas Voice, May 21), I have a few thoughts.
When a lady was attacked at the Whole Foods Market at the Preston-Forest Shopping Center several months ago, people were "shocked" that this would happen in the Highland Park area. The same was true when a woman was shot at North Park Mall during a would-be carjacking some time ago.
Yet people are "outraged" (word used in your article) when two men are attacked in Oak Lawn. Do you see my disconnect here?
The formula is quite simple and I’ve been teaching this for 23 years: "People who perceive themselves as predators target people who they perceive to be prey." It’s as simple as that.
So the answer is to do whatever is necessary to avoid this perception. Quick fixes such as pepper spray, stun guns, TASERS, etc., will not do this as they are typically not "visible" to the common passers-by.
How a person carries him or herself, how alert they are to their surroundings and the people around them, how in touch they are with their basic instincts — these are the things that move someone from one category to the other.
If you were a car thief and saw a car alarm blinking on the dashboard of a car or a "club" affixed to the steering wheel of a car, while the car next to it had nothing, which would you target?
The same is true with people. Those perceived to be vulnerable — and that can include many different segments of our population — will be targeted by those who perceive themselves as predators and who think they can take advantage of another person’s vulnerability without consequence.
Obviously, as a personal defense instructor, I do recommend at least "some" basic training for everyone. However this alone is not enough.
It’s not.
There has to be a paradigm shift that takes place deep in the psyche of the individual that simply says, "I am not going to be a target or a victim." You put off an entirely different "scent" when that is truly embedded in your being.
I do understand this is not easy for everyone, especially for anyone who has already suffered harm early in life. But even these individuals can redefine themselves and reclaim their genetic heritage. After all, we as human beings are all engineered as predators. This is why we are at the top of the earth’s food chain.
Unfortunately society has taught us that "predator" is an evil word, reserved only for criminals. This, too, has to change. Mother Nature made us not only "who" we are but "what" we are.
It’s time to embrace this again, otherwise we will continue to read stories like this in the Dallas Voice, the Dallas Observer, the Dallas Morning News and any/every other publication that prints stories dealing with the everyday clashes between "predator" and "prey."
Jeff McKissack, speaker/instructor
DefenseByDesign.com
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This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 28, 2010.
