Day: January 22, 2009

Refugees are promoted to exalted company

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The inauguration festivities included this prayer, as reported in the Christian Science Monitor:

“Bless this nation with anger: anger at discrimination at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people,” said the Right Rev. Robinson at Sunday’s opening of inaugural ceremonies.

That would be V. Gene Robinson, the loudly homosexual Episcopalian bishop whose elevation to that office set off a worldwide rift in the Anglican church. He was chosen for Sunday’s event apparently to soothe the left’s anger at the choice of the Rev. Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation. (The “V” stands for Vicki, by the way. Honest.)

If Robinson is an expert on anything, it’s on which groups are favored by the Great and Good as Official Victims. I think we knew about most of those he listed — people of color, GLBT people, women; yawn. But he put refugees first in his list, and immigrants right after. Is this an omen?  Are refugees and immigrants more worthy victims than the others? We’ll see.

Human Rights Watch to Obama: Bring Gitmo Chinese Muslims to US now

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Human Rights Watch today praised President Obama for saying he will close the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay Cuba in a year.   Of course, in a briefing earlier, Obama couldn’t say (because they don’t know, they are winging this!) where the prisoners will go.

Human Rights Watch said he should demonstrate his resolve by letting 17 Uighers (Chinese Muslims) be resettled as refugees (asylees?) to your town right away.

The executive order does not resolve the fate of the Chinese Uighurs, a group of 17 men who have been cleared of the “enemy combatant” designation, but cannot be returned to China due to credible fears that they would be tortured upon return. [Editor:  That is because China doesn’t want any Muslim troublemakers].  In October 2008, a US federal court ordered the Bush administration to admit these men into the United States.

Members of the Uighur community in the United States and refugee resettlement groups promised to provide the men with housing, and language and job training. But the Bush administration appealed the ruling, and the men have not yet been admitted to the United States.

“President Obama has laid out a long-overdue plan for closing Guantanamo,” said Daskal. “He should jump-start the process by agreeing to resettle the Uighurs in the United States.”

As soon as we know what town they are going to, we will let you know!

And, now that President Obama has shown what nice people we Americans really are (after we got rid of that meany Bush) we will see terrorist recruiting decline worldwide according the Human Rights Watch experts!   

“With the stroke of a pen, President Obama will make great progress toward restoring America’s moral authority,” said Jennifer Daskal, senior counterterrorism counsel at Human Rights Watch. “By shutting down a global symbol of abuse, he will deprive terrorists of a powerful recruitment tool.”

Readers, now that Obama has spread joy and good will to the whole world, we will be eager to see the news accounts of Islamic terrorists laying down their bomb belts and going home to a quiet life with the wife and kids.   When you see those stories, please send us links!

See all of our earlier posts on Gitmo and Uighers here.

Immigrant with TB ordered isolated in Illinois

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The story is short, so far.   An immigrant (likely a refugee) from Congo has been ordered by a judge to wear a GPS tracking device and not leave home for 30 days.  He has already infected his girl friend.   Hat tip:  Blulitespecial

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois — A tuberculosis patient who failed to take precautions to avoid spreading the illness will be tracked by GPS and could go to jail if he violates court orders requiring him to remain isolated.

Champaign County Circuit Judge John Kennedy imposed those conditions Tuesday on 20-year-old Clasance Botembe, who is originally from Congo.

Health officials and prosecutors say Botembe failed to take precautions to avoid spreading the disease. Court records say his girlfriend got TB after being exposed to him.

Botembe is being treated at home. He, the judge and others wore masks during the hearing.

Botembe will be isolated for 30 days. He could be charged with a Class A misdemeanor if he defies the judge’s order.

Since we are allowing refugees to enter the US with Tuberculosis, I expect we will be hearing of more such cases.

Here is a list of all the posts we have written that involve refugees and tuberculosis.  For a variety of health issues involving refugees see our Health issues category.

Obama ‘revolving door’ restrictions should stop NGO’s from taking over refugee program

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update Jan. 23rd:  Guess there isn’t much chance the refugee lobbyists will be kept out when Pentagon lobbyists are already in, see Obama get testy with press here.

 

Ha! Ha!  We will see!  The ‘revolving door’ involving the volags (supposedly voluntary agencies) has been revolving for an awfully long time.    So I am happy to hear that those who lobby on refugee policy will be barred from any work related to their former employer if they take jobs in the Obama State Department or the Office of Refugee Resettlement, that is,  if this is to be believed:

During the presidential campaign, Obama pledged that “no political appointees in an Obama-Biden administration will be permitted to work on regulations or contracts directly and substantially related to their prior employer for two years. And no political appointees will be able to lobby the executive branch after leaving government service during the remainder of the administration,” according to BarackObama.com.

I guess this would also mean that employees of lobbying organizations, like Refugees International, couldn’t be staffing the State Department’s Office of Population, Refugees and Migration.  

Or, since these lobbyists are lobbying for “good” causes in Obama’s worldview will they be exempt from such restrictions?   I can’t wait to find out!

Comments worth noting: most pressing issue of the day

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

We just created this category the other day, comments worth noting, and here, so soon, is another.    From new reader Kateliz:

Just found your blog. I am certain that RRW is among the most pressing isssues of our day. In his book America Alone, Mark Steyn spelled out many alarming trends. In so doing, he was accused by the British Columbia human rights commission of hate speech because he brought these issues to light. I will certainly become a regular reader.

Kateliz, we couldn’t agree more.   We loved Steyn’s ‘America Alone’—a book everyone should read—depressing and humorous as hell all at once!   And, although Pres. Obama has immigration way down his priority list (for which I am thankful in his case), we think how we handle immigration policy, and specifically Muslim immigration, will determine the future safety and well-being of America.

Welcome Kateliz!