[guest post by Dana]

If you’re currently worn out from the ongoing saga that is #MemoGate and hating politicians in general, here’s a little diddy for you: You may not be aware that cannabis became legal in California last month. And you may not be aware that frequently after smoking pot one develops a raging case of the munchies. Goodies must be secured and devoured. Tapping into this nascent market of cookie monsters, a clever strategy was employed by one little Girl Scout and her father who made a killing selling Girl Scout cookies outside of a marijuana dispensary:

The girl and her father, both who remained unidentified, told ABC 10 News that they sold 312 boxes over the span of a few hours for two days during the Super Bowl weekend. Travis Rice, a reporter for 10 News, posted video of the girl and her father with a cart full of cookie boxes outside the dispensary.

Word of the Girl Scout cookies sales outside Urbn Leaf, a recreational marijuana dispensary near Mission Bay, spread after the business posted a photo on Instagram.

Unfortunately, the inevitable buzzkill came when a Girl Scout official questioned whether it was permissible for the Girl Scout to sell in a “commercial” area:

Officials were trying to identify the girl and talk to her family because she was in a commercial area, which is not allowed, council spokeswoman Mary Doyle said in an email Monday.

…

When asked if Girl Scout cookies are allowed to be sold outside marijuana dispensaries, representatives for Girl Scouts San Diego said there are rules in place for cookie sales outside businesses.

Girl Scouts can set up booths to sell cookies outside a business only if they get the proper permit from the business owner and only if it is done between Feb. 9 and March 11, said Mary Doyle, the organization’s communications director. The dispensary is not an approved site for booth sales, she added.

However, given that Girl Scouts are allowed to sell from wagons when accompanied by a parent and this little girl was selling from a wagon and her father was with her, Alison Bushan, of Girl Scouts San Diego determined that “they were right within the rules”.

As officials of the Girl Scouts of San Diego debate whether the little girl broke the rules or not, it’s instructive to note that when a similar situation like this occurred in Northern California in 2014, a Girl Scout official wisely determined that such decisions should be left up to the parents:

To date, we have not attempted to list either “permitted” or “prohibited” locations and have relied on parents and volunteers to make wise decisions for their girls,“said Dana Allen, Director of Marketing and Communications of the Girls Scouts of Northern California, the region Lei belongs to. “As always, we evaluate our policies and procedures at the end of each cookie sale and will consider whether further guidelines will be beneficial regarding booth site selection.

(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)

–Dana

For years, I collected stories of preventable killings by illegal immigrants, under the tag Deport the Criminals First. My last post under that tag was about the killing of Kate Steinle in June 2015. Although I stopped writing about the issue, the killings keep happening. The latest example occurred this weekend, ending the life of an NFL player and his companion. CNN:

Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and another man were struck and killed in a suspected drunken driving accident early Sunday morning.

Indiana State Police say the man they believe hit them is an undocumented immigrant who has been deported twice.

. . . .

Police identified the driver of the F-150 as Manuel Orrego-Savala. Police said he gave them an alias at the scene — Alex Cabrera Gonsales — and attempted to flee on foot. He was taken to the Marion County Jail, accused of driving without a license and on suspicion of intoxicated driving.

Detectives said Orrego-Savala is a citizen of Guatemala who is in the United States illegally and was deported twice, in 2007 and 2009. They’re working with US immigration officials, who have placed a hold on Orrego-Savala.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement released a statement late Monday saying Orrego-Savala was previously convicted of driving under the influence in Redwood City, California, in 2005. He has other “misdemeanor criminal convictions and arrests in California and Indiana,” the ICE statement said.

Stories like this outrage people not because illegal immigrants are worse criminals than citizens — they’re not — but because they are not supposed to be in the country to begin with.

For example, the reason that the killing of Kate Steinle was such an outrage was because it was totally preventable. Had San Francisco officials simply returned her killer to the custody of ICE (which had been preparing to deport him), rather than kicking him loose onto their streets, that beautiful young woman would be alive today. Similarly, if we had any semblance of border protection, maybe Edwin Jackson and Jeffrey Monroe would still be alive.

I’m sure I’m preaching to the choir here, but this all illustrates the need for real border security. The fact that this is obvious does not make it less true. It’s a security issue for multiple reasons, not the least of which is that when we fail, Americans die as a direct result.

[Cross-posted at RedState and The Jury Talks Back.]