Showing posts with label immigration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label immigration. Show all posts

Monday

America-A land Of Promises And Immigrants



by TIME

America is the land of promise. Perceived promise, broken promise, and most of all promise for the future of all who want to call America home. We are still the country most other people in the World want to come to, to live. Broken promises to be sure, but we have the courage to try and fulfill those promises, even at the expense of the pain and death of our fellow citizens.

Immigrants are the life blood of our society, without which, it would not be America. Immigration is not just a tradition in America, it is the essence of America. Those who want to wall off the flow of immigrants, are anti-American. We are nothing but a collection of immigrants, a society of people who chose to leave their mother land to come to America and seek a better life. We are a true example that collectively we can do better than individually.

It is not the tradition of America to be a wealthy class society. It is in the tradition of America to work to achieve a better position than you had when you started out. It is in American tradition to accept those seeking to escape oppression and lack of opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Capitalism is a system that not only meets the needs of people better than anywhere else in the World, but also allows those who work hard, to keep the fruits of their labor. That system and the people who benefit from that system; does not deny, but engages in and pays taxes for the practice that builds a society for the benefit of all, and most of all, for those less off still working hard to improve their lives. This is not socialism. It is decent people coming together to build a decent society. A society that respects the humanity of all people, rich, poor, any religion, any color.

If liberty, freedom, and free choice are our goals, and is our motto, then we must reject those who claim in the name of patriotism, to deny those rights to anyone in our society. We have learned from our own mistakes the harm we cause by discriminating against those who are new to our country. We need to try harder to fulfill our good words.

France had a clarity of what America was and is, seemingly better than we ourselves comprehend. Maybe because they are on the outside looking in, reflecting what millions around the World understand as the promise of America.














The Statue of Liberty Poem

By Emma Lazarus, 1883

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"



Sunday

Immigration Board Game


Wondering what it is like to seek citizenship in the United States?

Want to dispel immigration myths?

Want to increase understanding of people who are in the process of becoming citizens?

A board game developed by the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations provides such an experience with the goal to obtain citizenship amidst unfolding life events.

Sign in and share how you will use the game before downloading at:

NWFCO (look on the left sidebar of the webpage)

[To our Christian readers: Happy Easter!]
crossposted on Border Explorer

GOLDEN TICKET: US Army Offers Instant Citizenship to Temporary Immigrants in US who know One or More of 35 Languages Excluding Spanish

Breaking News: The US Army is offering A Golden Ticket, Instant (6 mos) Citizenship, to Temporary Immigrants in the U.S. who know one or more of 35 languages excluding Spanish!

PTINEWS.com reports:
New York, Feb 15 (PTI) The US military, stretched thin in Afghanistan and Iraq, will recruit about 550 temporary immigrants, including those from India who know Hindi and Tamil, offering them a golden chance to become US citizens in as little as six months.The pilot programme, for the first time since the Vietnam War, will open the armed forces to temporary immigrants if they have lived in the United States for a minimum of two years, The New York Times reported quoting military officials familiar with the plan.The Army's one-year pilot programme will begin in New York City to recruit about 550 temporary immigrants who speak one or more of 35 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Igbo (a tongue spoken in Nigeria), Kurdish, Nepalese, Pashto, Russian and Tamil. Spanish speakers are not eligible. It will also include about 300 medical professionals to be recruited nationwide. Recruiting will start after Department of Homeland Security officials update an immigration rule in coming days. Immigrants who are permanent residents, with documents commonly known as green cards, have long been eligible to enlist. Recruiters expect that the temporary immigrants will have more education, foreign language skills and professional expertise than many Americans who enlist, helping the military to fill shortages in medical care, language interpretation and field intelligence analysis.

Thursday

Three Things Pro Immigration Reformers can ask President Obama for 2009

Three things Pro Immigration Reformers can ask President Obama in 2009:

1. Stop/Reduce ALL Hate Crimes: Ask President Obama to state he is against All Hate Crimes. Acknowledge the increase in Hate Crimes particularly against Latinos (as the FBI reported), Blacks and Lesbian/Gays. These groups have the highest incidents of occurence. Ask for his public repudiation of Hate Crimes and Ask for his support in ensuring those guilty of these crimes are charged to the fullest extent of the law. This includes the Hate Crimes committed in Patchogue, NY and Pottsville, PA.
2. Stop/Reduce Racial Profiling: All Racial Profiling is wrong. We have seen a significant amount of racial profiling occur in Maricopa County by Sheriff Arpaio under the 287(g) provisions. Several Mayors in Arizona, including the Mayors of Phoenix, Mesa and Guadalupe have written Federal Authorities and requested an investigation. We should ask President Obama to put a hault to the 287(g) provisions and ask Eric Holder to conduct a Federal Investigation on the Mayors charges.
3. Stop the Inhumane Treatment occurring in ICE Raids and Detention Centers: Postville, with their CattleBarn injustice, was a prime example of what can go wrong during an ICE Raid. Ask President Obama to put a halt to these inhumane raids. Additionally ask President Obama to investigate the inhumane treatment in Detention Centers, particularly the Hutto Family Detention center where entires families are jailed.

Each of these three items are Humane, they can be completed without legislation and they can be accomplished this year.
If he does them, this will serve as a significant message to all of his Latino and Humanitarian supporters that he supports our message and his Latino supporters.
God Bless America
God Bless our President

Monday

A Fable Explaining Why the Magic Negro CD Is Offensive!

Hi,
My name is Dee. I write the Blog "Immigration Talk with a Mexican American." On my blog, I write about Immigration and Politics and allow commenters from all sides of the issues to comment as long as they remain civil.
I am an America loving Liberal. I am a Humanitarian. I long for Peace in the World.
My husband and I have been married over 30 years. We have 2 sons and 2 grandsons.
I am a Proud Latina.
The Editors of "The Peace Tree" have invited me to post here once a week.
For my first post, I am sharing a Fable I wrote which explains why Rush Limbaugh's Magic Negro CD is Offensive and cannot be considered "just a parody or a joke."

Let me know what you think.
Your New Friend,
Dee

---------------------------------------
The FABLE of the GOB


Long, long ago in a land far, far away, lived a group of colorful people led by men who called themselves the Good Ole Boys or GOB for short. The GOB always married perky, pretty, "real women." What most people didn’t know for sure was the GOB quickly made their "real women" wives disappear and replaced them with perky, pretty robots who did their every bidding.
The Real People were always suspicious of the GOB and their robotic wives. Even though they suspected the GOB´s deviltry, the Real People had very little say since the GOB was in charge of their government.
Through the decades, the GOB controlled the movies and the media. Often, the starring role in many of their movies was one of their Stepford Wives. In the movies, they were not only pretty and perky, they had magical powers which, with a twitch of the nose, provided magical perks for their GOB husbands who were always the heroes of the movies.
Over the years, the Real People including the Real Women (RW) grew in numbers. Soon there were several RW in government and in films, although they were still outnumbered and led by the GOB. Occasionally, an RW would speak out her own views. One renowned RW Movie Director, Penny Lee, spoke out in an interview. She said, “In my neighborhood, we look up to real women, smart women, women with hearts and guts enough to stand up for themselves, not bow down to the GOBs.” Then she lamented, “The Magic Stepford Wife does not help RWs. They offer an image that promotes a step and fetch-it mentality, a safe image for the GOBs."
Finally, as the country advanced, a Real Woman, Jennifer Grandhome, was nominated for President. In the early months of her campaign, she was not well known. All anyone could see was, she was a pretty, perky woman who spoke, some felt, scriptedly, to the crowds attending her rallies. One RW Journalist, Kitty Cure-it, opined, “Although I don´t know her, I see she is pretty and perky and well scripted. I hope she is not a Magic Stepford Wife!”
As candidate Grandhome continued her campaign, the public learned more about her and found she was an extremely intelligent, charismatic, well qualified, "Real Woman" candidate. As the crowds grew, the statistics illustrated the country´s support for her. She became the candidate that could win.
The GOB was in a frenzy. Their loudest media bully, Rutt Limpbutt, pounded and attacked Grandhome in every way possible! Limpbutt, a cigar chomping, overweight blowhard was a GOB media attack dog. He yowled, howled, twisted and spun his attacks. He latched on to the Magic Stepford Wife reference by Journalist Cure-it. Limpbutt had his soundman create a CD with a man mimicking the voice of Betty Freewomen chanting:
“Jennifer the Stepford Wife lives in D.C...cause she´s perky but not authentically.”
Rutt and his Soundman attacked and attacked Grandhome and published the CD on his website, promoting it endlessly, planning on ending Grandhome´s campaign!! Real People tried to tell Rutt his plan was not working but Rutt did not listen. He never did. Finally, election day came. The RWs and all of the Real People came to realize Jennifer Grandhome was not only a Real Woman, but the most qualified candidate that could change the nation! Therefore she received the most votes and won the Presidential election. Additionally, ironic though it was, some GOBs voted for her because they thought she was a Stepford wife.
The GOB was out of power at last! It was clear Rutt and the GOB were in a real rut. Real Women and the Real People no longer listened to Rutt or the GOB. The REAL PEOPLE did not like the GOB attack tactics! They wanted a Change!!
The GOB mourned their loss and they scratched their heads wondering why they lost. Several GOB leaders grunted, “Perhaps we have to change and LISTEN to the REAL PEOPLE and welcome them to our party!” The rest just oinked and shrugged their shoulders.
Rutt Limpbutt didn´t change. He continued his rants against the new President. He continued the promotion of the CD on his website.
One GOB candidate, Salty Chip, sent the vile CD to all of his comrades at the GOB with the note, “I look forward to working together in the New Year, Please enjoy the enclosed CD by my friend Soundman from the Rutt Limpbutt Show.” Salty did not understand how offensive this CD was to Real Women and to the Real People.
Once the Real People got wind of Salty´s gift to the GOB, they were angry and proclaimed to the GOB, “if you don’t refute Salty´s message, we will never vote for you again!” The next day, the Chairman of the GOB, aghast by the response of the REAL PEOPLE, announced, “This election was a wake-up call for the GOB to reach out and bring more people into our party. I am shocked and appalled that anyone would think this is appropriate, as it clearly does not move us in the right direction."
Salty still did not get it. He responded to the GOB Chairman´s announcement, “It was a Joke!” Salty did not understand the RWs found out about the years of terror and death their RW wives experienced and how reprehensible the Stepford Robot replacements were to all Real Women! The RWs had every right to question and oppose their existence. The vile CD making a joke of the Magic Stepford Wives was certainly nothing for Limpbutt or the GOB to joke about!
LimpButt did not get it either. He continued to yowl, howl, twist and spin his attacks against President Grandhome.
Meanwhile, the Real Women and the Real People of the country simply turned off Limpbutt´s radio show. And most important of all, Real Women never married anyone from the GOB again.

Sunday

The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus: The Illegal Immigrant!


I saw Santa today.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
Working so hard, Working to save!
Sending home dollars and always so brave!

I think he was illegal though I didn’t know for sure.
All I could see was his motives so pure.
No passport. No papers. He just dropped in.

I could hear the ANTIs say, “How dare him!!”
All the families received him just fine!
They embraced him and offered him wine.
I wondered if he heard all the rants!
Accountable for all illegals´accidents.
The Antis were angry! Would they post a website!
Would they call in Arpaio or ICE Raid tonight?
Thrown in a Detention Center with torture to bear?
Or jailed and forced to wear pink underwear?
I need not have worried. He was a wise man
This globalized guy. He did understand.

When he finished his work.
He filled all the stockings and turned with a jerk.
Then waving a finger, aside of his nose.
And giving a nod.
Up the chimney he rose.
And as I heard him exclaim, as he drove out of site,
he said, “Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.”

This piece originally appeared on the blog Immigration Talk with a Mexican American by Dee who composed it herself.
I've been following her blog recently; it looks like a great resource for people interested in immigration issues. Gracias, Dee!

Thursday

The Border

Introducing a friend of Peace, Sherry, of Sherry Chandler.com.

~
Here is an observation by Gary J. Bass in his review Everybody Everywhere:

"When one's loyalties extend to all of humanity, one has reached the climax, and perhaps the limits, of moral sympathy. Humanity, after all, is as much an abstraction as a reality. How concrete must ethical obligations be? Is a species too vast to be a meaningful moral object? Or is it the other way around: are our commitments in the particular premised on the possibility of universalism? These are also political questions, of course. The greatest dividing lines in today's world are certainly the ones on the map: I mean state borders. Orwell, trying to understand why Germans were bombing him in World War II, argued, "One cannot see the modern world as it is unless one recognizes the overwhelming strength of patriotism, national loyalty." Patriotism -- loyalty to the state -- is the doctrine that on this side of the line, you should care intensely, and on that side, you should not at all.

This review of Lynn Avery Hunt's Inventing Human Rights: A History originally appeared in The New Republic and is currently available from Powells.com.

Here is what our border with Mexico is looking like these days.


Is this our way of drawing the line that marks out who is human and who is not? Is this ugly, wild-life destroying thing really what we want to see when we look south? Are we this frightened of our neighbors?

Reagan, bad as he was, tore down walls. In the Bush years, we're building more and more, walling "the good guys" into enclaves in Israel, in Baghdad, and now in the United States.

Emma Lazarus must be spinning in her grave.

~


Please visit
Sherry Chandler's website.

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