Day: July 2, 2008

Big refugee pow-wow ended today in Geneva

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Today refugee resettlement advocates from around the world ended their annual 3-day meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.   (I wonder if they discussed Switzerland’s problems with refugees?)

GENEVA, July 2 (UNHCR) – Representatives from 34 countries gathered this week in Geneva to coordinate international efforts to help the hundreds of thousands of refugees who continue to be at risk in the countries where they have sought asylum.

The three-day Annual Tripartite Consultations on Resettlement, which wrapped up on Wednesday, brought together government representatives, members of non-governmental organizations and experts from the UN refugee agency. This is the largest and most important event of its kind in the world.

Here are the numbers from last year.  Notice the evil US is leading the pack in saving the world (again!).

Last year, UNHCR submitted 99,000 cases for resettlement, 83 percent more than in 2006. Some 75,300 refugees were admitted by 14 resettlement countries in 2007. The main resettlement countries were the United States (48,300 cases, including family reunions), Canada (11,200), Australia (9,600), Sweden (1,800) and Norway (1,100).

The main countries of origin of resettled refugees last year were Myanmar (20,200), Burundi (6,300), Somalia (5,900), Iraq (3,800) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2,500).

The meeting concluded with a vow to do more, and bring more refugees to western countries—what else!

 

More on the tensions (racism?) within the Black Muslim community

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is a follow-up to my post last week about tensions in the American Black Muslim community apparently exacerbated by the increasing Somali presence in many American cities.   I came across this  blog simply called Tariq Nelson.   Here is how Mr. Nelson describes himself and what his blog is about:

Born in Sardis, Mississippi, but currently live in the DC area. I have traveled to many Muslim communities (as well as overseas) and covered a lot of bases in my life. I have lived in small town USA and the big inner city. I have friends that are rich and those that are dirt poor.

I post various thoughts about the problems faced by different groups within the American Muslim community as a whole and the Ummah in general in hopes of creating some dialogue to solve the problems.

I discuss a lot of taboo subjects and typically look at things from an angle that others will not. Please check all emotional baggage at the door.

Languages: English, Arabic

Religion: Islam

Nationality: American 

I am glad Mr. Nelson is so willing to take on taboo subjects because he gives us a window on what is happening in the Ummah.    You must go and read this post entitled, “The Tension between Black Americans and Somalis.”   Be sure to read the comments and you will be amazed that all this squabbling and angst is happening among practicioners of the religion of peace.

Obama’s faith-based initiative not aimed at religious right

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Your tax dollars:

When President Bush first came out with his faith-based initiative I didn’t give it much thought, but naively had a generally positive view of it—what an idiot I was.   I hadn’t at that point seen the many hands of the left-wing churches, like the Virginia Council of Churches, in the taxpayers’ pockets.   Groups like VCC could not exist without taxpayers’ money—without your money.   They get money from all sorts of federal and state grants to administer a wide variety of social welfare programs, including refugee resettlement.   And, to top it off they are not accountable.  Last I checked VCC didn’t even have to file a Form 990 with the IRS to show where the money went.  Why?  Because they are a “church” and exempt from filing a tax return.

Here is how one news report on Obama’s intiative begins:

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Taking a page from President Bush, Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday he wants to expand White House efforts to steer social service dollars to religious groups, risking protests in his own party with his latest aggressive reach for voters who usually vote Republican.

Obama contended he is merely stating long-held positions — surprising to some, he said, after a primary campaign in which he was “tagged as being on the left.”

On Tuesday, touring Presbyterian Church-based social services facility, the Democratic senator said he would get religious charities more involved in government anti-poverty efforts if elected.

Obama is a smart dude!   He knows this faith-based taxpayer rip-off will help his leftwing causes.  I challenge readers to send me the name of one conservative, “right wing” Republican, faith-based organization getting federal grants!  If such an animal existed it wouldn’t be ‘conservative’ and ‘right-wing’ as I define those words.   He may reach a bunch of people in the middle, who don’t follow these issues closely but are religious people and are as naive as I was, and who think this is a nice thing to do.

For Obama this is just an expansion of his Chicago Community Organizing where taxpayer money helped “organize” leftist (some faith-based too) causes.  See my post in March entitled, “Obama and the taxpayer money trail.”

I wonder how taxpayers will feel when their hard-earned money flows to every religious group under the sun to do all sorts of “charitable” work.  And, I can’t believe I am saying this—I support the views of the Separation of Church and State people on this one.   What happened to good old-fashioned real (private )charity?

Here is a more detailed article about Obama’s plan.