Call # 11: Howard Berman’s Earmark for Gang Tattoo Removal; UPDATED WITH RESPONSE FROM BERMAN
UPDATED BELOW
Apparently, Maureen Dowd and John McCain think helping gang members escape their former criminal careers so they can become contributing members of society is an “offensive bipartisan pork” project, but i wasn’t so sure. So I called Congressman Howard Berman’s office to investigate: he;s the one who obtained that earmark.
While I’m waiting for a callback (the legislative aide was uncomfortable commenting on the record, and is calling the press secretary on my behalf), you can read some information of why this may be an important and worthy expense at this nonprofit tattoo removal website:
When a gang member gets smart and wants to get out of the gang and find employment, he or she finds it nearly impossible to do so. Tattoos turn off employers. “People just look at me and know I was a gang member,” said a 19-year-old from Ojai when he went for an unsuccessful job interview.
Tattoos are a stigma that follows them through life. They find it difficult to get a job. They find it difficult to have a lasting relationship. They find it difficult to become a productive member of society.
When people begin to regret their tattoos, many resort to drastic measures. A Fillmore High School student used a knife to gouge a gang insignia from his hand. He was afraid the tattoo might provoke gang members to attack him. An 18 year old single mother held a flame under a kitchen spoon, heating it “for a long time.” Then she pressed it against her cheekbone, just below her left eye. Infection and scaring resulted, and there is still a trace of the three dots at the corner of her left eye. These extreme measures to remove gang tattoos illustrate the steps our youth will take to get out of gangs, hoping to lead productive lives.
Now, I’m not sure what Representative Berman’s office is going to tell me, but I can’t see why funding a program that helps Bloods and Crips escape thug life and become productive law-abiding citizens is an example of “offensive bipartisan pork”. Is Maureen Dowd a Blood or a Crip? Does she think that drug-dealing, drive-by shooting, and extortion rackets are good for communities? Why does Maureen Dowd hate our legal system? Why does Maureen Dowd support criminal activity?
UPDATE
Right after I shut down my computer, Stephanie Williamson, who handles media inquiries for Representative Berman called back. After confirming pretty much everything I wrote above about the program, she gave me the nuts and bolts about the $200,000 for gang tattoo removal. Williamson told me the majority of the funds go for a new laser tattoo removal tool, which is necessary because the current tool is 10 years old and obsolete. The program includes 20 doctors and several clinicians, all of who donate their services to help reformed gang members leave the past behind and become law-abiding, productive citizens. The program has 3 paid positions: if funded, the part-time career counselor woll become full time; a program coordinator will be hired, and a part-time administrator will be hired.
I don’t know if Maureen Dowd or John McCain have ever worked for a non-profit, but $200,000 is not a lot of money by any measure. If Maureen Dowd has an objection to crime prevention and rehabilitation, she should do her own research to explain why she feels this way. Twitters from John McCain, who lost the election to the person writing this budget, aren’t good enough: anyone with even rudimentary common sense would realize Mr. McCain has a specific agenda. If Dowd is too thick or too lazy to recognize this, she should resign her position at the Times.
March 5th, 2009 at 3:48 am
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