Day: June 19, 2009

Our top posts

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Just now as I looked at our most visited posts for the last day or so, I realized I should remind readers that we have a sidebar in the right hand column of this page that tells you too what’s hot at RRW at the moment.   It’s called, not suprisingly, “top posts.”  Notice two of our posts on the IRC make the top ten tonight.

We will be 2 years old in about 2 weeks, and this is post number 2001.  Not bad!

By the way, our search function is pretty good.  I know;  I use it all the time to find long-forgotten posts on a whole host of subjects.

Another refugee family would like to go home to Iraq

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The Christian Science Monitor this week also wrote about the International Rescue Committee’s report that I said was a ploy to get more taxpayer money into the resettlement agencies here.    But, it wasn’t your usual politically correct version of the story—the reporter quotes us!    I’ll let you go and see for yourselves what he says.

How about this idea—a return airfare fund!

What I really wanted to mention is that the Christian Science Monitor reporter quotes one more family that is longing to return to Iraq.  How about a fund paid by the Top Ten (Volag) Government Contractors out of their own money, or money from the Tides Foundation for airfare and a little start-up money to return unhappy Iraqis to the life and culture they are comfortable with in the Middle East?

Yasmin and Othman left Iraq last fall to start a new life in Lynn, Mass. Like many refugees, they had imagined a new life – a good one – for themselves and their four children. But now they live on state assistance and food stamps.

The family’s small, three-bedroom apartment is dingy, despite their attempts to scrub it. On a bookshelf, photographs of the family in their garden in Iraq remind them of better days.

Othman was twice offered a job as a packer at a bread company, IRC officials say, but he rejected it because he wanted to work as a welder. Othman insists that the packer job wouldn’t pay enough to support his family, and he wants to work in his field.

“We came here because we had no safety or security because of the US war in Iraq,” Yasmin says. “But we didn’t think people were allowed to live like this in America…. If we could go back to Iraq, we would.”

Readers should see these unhappy Iraqis as an indictment of the kind of care they are receiving from wealthy agencies like the IRC.

IRC Press Release: unintended consequences?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Two days ago I told you that the International Rescue Committee (IRC) had put out a press release about the plight of the Iraqi refugees coming to the US and how they are suffering here without jobs in our slow economy.   Some Iraqis brought to America are even returning to the “dangerous” Middle East!  What does that tell you?

The IRC’s solution is not to slow down the refugee flow to the US,  but to ask for a taxpayer bailout of the refugees and THEMSELVES.

I’m going to try to keep track of all the papers that swallow the IRC “news” release hook, line and sinker.  One of those I’m seeing this morning is the Houston Chronicle (see article re-published at St. Louis Today).  But, it might be backfiring on the IRC in papers that allow reader comments.  Check out the comments!  Almost every one of those responding is opposed to more refugees coming the US right now.

Here is one very astute comment by reader Huck:

I ….. continue to be amazed at the abject stupidity of liberals as they live in a (for the most part) “do as I say, not as I do” dreamworld. Take a look around at your leaders liberals! None of them are suffering–none are unemployed–none give inordinate amounts of their paychecks to support ridiculous entitlement programs–but they sure as hell expect you to do so, and curse you when you don’t.

This particular story could serve as an anthem for the stupidity of such “generosity” by those who unknowingly are supporting it while the leaders could care less.

Damn right Iranian [Iraqi?] immigrants are gonna have a tough time over here. We all are having a tough time, except again, for the liberal leadership, and until it changes, we are all screwed.

Perhaps we should require that such kindness and support require more accountability. For example, before we let an Iranian family (or any “refugee” for that matter), into this country, some person, group or organization has to declare responsibility for them totally. This includes food, shelter, jobs whatever. And they need to remain legally responsible until the family is self-sustainable. Then let us see how many step up to the plate. I give to such a cause and I am a staunch conservative, but I believe in America’s values. Wouldn’t it be nice to see the Kennedy’s, Kerry’s, Clinton’s, Pelosi’s et al. support this by creating a fund they supported completely? But this will never happen because our liberal government and leadership believes in throwing money away under the guise of “humanity” only to bankrupt the people who earned it and gave it to them in the first place. Tax & spend, do as I say not as I do, and open the flood gates for poor immigrants who expect a free lunch–and usually get one.

What is it going to take before we realize that the liberal democratic party has hung a “For Sale” sign on this country?

Huck, whoever you are, I agree wholeheartedly!    I would add Biden and Obama to the list  of hypocrites as well.  Do you remember that when Biden was running for President, we learned he had given virtually nothing to charity.  Obama also hadn’t given much (until he ran for President). 

Did you know that Kennedy and Biden were among the chief sponsors of the Refugee Act of 1980 (Carter signed it!) that put this whole racket in place?    To this day, Biden’s home state of Delaware takes a paltry number of refugees.   See one of several posts I’ve written on Biden’s hypocrisy here.   And, besides starting the whole program, Kennedy successfully attached a bill to expand the number of Iraqis entering the US here, but it’s no surprise, none will go to Hyannisport.

Reform needed!  I loved Huck’s reform idea, it is worth repeating!

….before we let an Iranian family (or any “refugee” for that matter), into this country, some person, group or organization has to declare responsibility for them totally. This includes food, shelter, jobs whatever. And they need to remain legally responsible until the family is self-sustainable.

Thank you Huck!

Rohingya News: Thai Prime Minister warns against linking Rohingya to Islamic extremism in south

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Apparently three Rohingya Muslims were arrested in Thailand and a linkage was quickly made to the violent Islamic separatists in southern Thailand.  Abhisit said all the facts are not in.   From the Bangkok Post:

The government is taking a cautious line over connections between three Rohingya arrested this week and reports they helped terrorists and the southern insurgency movement. 

[….]

Police were unsure about the precise links and were conducting more inquiries, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday.

 Just run of the mill human trafficking or terrorism?  Who knows!

Mr Abhisit said the men might have made money from human trafficking, without it reaching the separatist movement in the far South.

He also dismissed speculation that al-Qaeda terrorists had slipped into the country to whip up violence in the region.

The government was working with intelligence agencies overseas to make sure that did not happen, the prime minister said.

Several groups were involved in the southern strife and the government knew who they were, he said. 

If you are a new reader, our interest in this subject is that there is a growing public relations campaign by resettlement agencies and lobbyists for the refugee industry to resettle Rohingya in the West and the US.   Note how the Refugee Council USA (a coalition of most of the advocacy groups involving refugees) now lists the Rohingya on its home page as one of several important issues they are lobbying about.

The Rohingya will be here, in the US, before more than 99% of Americans ever hear their name.   See our whole category, Rohingya Reports (here) to learn more and be in that tiny minority who understands the implications of these potential new neighbors.

Iraqi asylum-seekers continue to be deported from Denmark

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Note to readers:  My computer is up and running again this morning (for  now!)—I’m sorry to disappoint commenter “M” (here).

I’ve got a bunch of stuff to catch up on and this is one from the Copenhagen Post:

Five Iraqis refused asylum will be held in custody until they are returned to their homeland

Below is the whole short article.  I thought it was interesting to see that Iraq must decide who they are willing to take back.  I wish I knew for what reasons some would be rejected.

Five Iraqis refugees due to be deported have been taken into custody by police on the grounds that they have not complied with asylum centre requirements, reports TV2 News.

Hans Viggo Jensen, a spokesperson for the National Police, said the five will be held in custody until their return to Iraq.

According to Jensen the five are part of a group of 25 whose cases have been reviewed by the Iraqi authorities. Of those, 15 were accepted and those refugees will now be sent back to Iraq. He added the other 10 cases were given a temporary denial, meaning they have to be examined further before a final decision is made.

In all, around 250 Iraqi refugees are slated to be deported. Jensen said documentation for 100 of those has already been sent on to the Iraqi authorities.

Around 70 of the Iraqis refused asylum are being sheltered at Brorson’s Church in Copenhagen.

I guess Denmark has been a bit skittish about Iraqi refugees after discovering in 2008 that three interpreters given asylum turned out to be spies.  See Judy’s post of last year, here.