Murder of the Pregnant Marine: Would Cesar Laurean Be Extradicted From Mexico?

Of course, here in San Antonio everyone is checking out everyone else -- in grocery store lines, at the gas pump, in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

We're close to Mexico, and we've got a huge Hispanic community as well as a large military population. Cesar would fit right in here.

Does that guy look like Cesar Laurean? What if you discount the red hair and the glasses and the limp, then could it be him? What was the reward again?

Maybe it's because we all remember the manhunt for Jose Del Toro, the young man who left here for Florida to kill San Antonio Quad Mom Sheila Bellush, and made it into Mexico before being found and extradicted.

Yes, a deal was made with Mexico for Del Toro's return - no death penalty. He's currently serving two consecutive life sentences in Florida.

It Took Almost 2 Years to Get Del Toro Extradicted

Over the 20 months that the extradition deal was being negotiated, Del Toro sat in a Mexican prison after being located by Mexican authorities. That negotiation took lots of time, and involved both the U.S. Congress (there was a congressional hearing on the matter) and the Mexican Supreme Court (Del Toro appealed in the Mexican courts) in the decision to allow Del Toro back into U.S. jurisdiction for trial and sentencing. Del Toro's decision to admit guilt was purportedly a factor in his return to the States.

Laurean Might Well Win a Mexican Extradiction Fight

If Cesar Laurean has made it across the border, and if he is discovered in his native Mexico, then it's going to be a big legal fight to get him back here. If Del Toro's case is any gauge, Laurean could be remain in Mexico for a very long time.

I'm thinking that not only will Laurean not take responsiblity for murder, as Del Toro did, but that Laurean is also a Mexican native - which Del Toro was not. Two big factors that might sway the Mexican courts to keep him in Mexico, unlike their Supreme Court decision in Del Toro's case to allow extradiction.

Tom Cruise Scientology Video - What All That Lingo Means

I'm assuming by now that you're heard about the Tom Cruise Scientology video, and that odds are high that you've seen at least excerpts from it. This means that you've heard Tom Cruise mention such things as "KSW" and those darn "SPs" -- insider lingo, right?

Well, those folks at MTV.COM are so very helpful.

They've posted a nice explanation of the Scientology language used on the video, their "Tom Cruise Scientology Video Glossary," which is entertaining in its own right.

Check it out.

Britney Pregnancy Watch - Maybe I Should Go to Vegas

One day after I posted my prediction that Britney Spears will be pregnant by April 2008, look what shows up in People magazine and over at Fox.com --

photos of Britney shopping for a pregnancy test with her new paparazzi-boyfriend. Woooooooo -- Scarey.

I'm Betting Britney Spears Is Pregnant Before April 2008

Having worked with enough mothers facing termination of their parental rights, which is different and more serious that a custody fight in a divorce case, I have a different take on all the Britney Spears hoopla.

I've seen mothers shave their heads, and all their other body hair. Why? To avoid a hair follicle test which would reveal their alcohol and drug usage over the past 3 months.

I've seen mothers not see their babies for weeks, or months, at a time. It's not a big issue for them, it's a different perspective.

And, no, I can't say that I understand it. And, yes, lots of these women have serious issues - sometimes, it's mental (bipolar disorder, schizophernia, etc.) and sometimes it's physical (alcoholism, drug additions). Sometimes, it's both. Many folk suffering mental illness tend to self-medicate with booze and drugs. There are also the ones who don't fit into these categories, and just aren't fazed by the separation. There's no easy explanation for this category of mom....

Here's the thing: I've seen a lot of these CPS-case mothers simply get pregnant again. Sometimes, it's with the same husband or boyfriend (the lingo is "paramour" in the courtroom), sometimes it's someone new.

And, having watch Britney's behavior - especially over the last few weeks - I'm betting that she will be pregnant very soon. Without a husband this time.

And, I'm betting that California's Department of Child Protective Services will become involved at that juncture ....

Let's see if I'm right.