Month: July 2009

Cultural Orientation abroad: what does it entail?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Nothing earth-shattering to report.  I just wanted to add to our ‘where to find information’ category something we know little about—what sort of cultural orientation do refugees receive before getting on the plane for the US.  I know to some of you—-dealing especially with Somalis—-you are wondering if they had any instruction on how Americans live.

Readers can go to this website, Cultural Orientation Resource Center, and order a “Guide for Refugees.”

This resettlement guide, revised in 2004, was funded by the Department of State, Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). It resulted from numerous meetings and the work of a special Cultural Orientation Task Force convened by the State Department/PRM. The Task Force, comprised of PRM staff, staff of national and local refugee resettlement agencies, state refugee coordinators, overseas orientation implementors, former refugees, and the Center for Applied Linguistics was formed to undertake a review of overseas pre-departure orientation/briefings to make sure the orientation refugees were receiving was relevant to their needs as identifed by resettlement agencies and by refugees already in the U.S.—and to ensure that each U.S.-bound refugee receive consistent information about resettlement.

I hope to have time to look into this further and research this website because I continue to be puzzled by reports that Somalis are trying to set wood fires on top of  kitchen stoves, or that Iraqis are somehow getting such erroneous information about what to expect with American life.  They uniformly say they hadn’t been told about lousy jobs and slum apartments.  Who is doing the teaching?

Utah National Guard seeking to help Iraqis settle in, many still leave

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, some members of the Utah National Guard are getting together with Iraqi refugees to help them settle into life in Utah.   I was surprised to see the large number of refugees that have already returned to the Middle East disgusted with life in America,  however, some plan to stick it out here especially as more violence is predicted.

But others have concluded that there is no future for them here. Since arriving in Utah, more than a dozen Iraqis — disappointed by the support system they found in America and often struggling to find work in a bad economy — have returned to their war-torn nation or other countries in the Middle East.

Refugees reported that they anticipate stepped up violence in their homeland as Obama pulls troops out of Iraq.

While Iraq is significantly less violent right now than it was at the time that many of the refugees left, some believe that Tuesday’s withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraqi cities — and a full withdrawal planned for 2010 — will spark a new round of sectarian fighting, including the tit-for-tat murder sprees that marred the nation from 2005 to 2007.

“People are going to start fighting again,” said Niaz Rashid, who arrived in Utah last month. “It is certain.”

Off topic, but I’ve wondered if when Obama pulls us out and if violence returns will Obama be blamed for losing Iraq?  Just wondering.  And, if refugee numbers increase will they be Obama’s refugees?

Fracturing America with out of control immigration is the goal

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here is a piece by Frosty Wooldridge that lays out the facts, spells out what we know—-that at the present rate of immigration there is no way we are going to survive as a nation, at least not as a nation like the one we have known and loved.  Ecologically, economically and culturally we are doomed.   Importing poverty and cultural practices that are horrific affronts to western values will fracture America and turn us into a third world hell hole.   But that is the goal.  I know it seems so counterintuitive, but we must wrap our heads around that FACT—it is the goal!

I don’t any longer beat my head against a wall trying to understand how that obviously logical end to our wonderful country, via out of control immigration, isn’t clear to our leaders.   It is clear, and to those driving the agenda, the far left Progressives, this is exactly what they want.  One must tear down our borders and our capitalist system to reach their Socialist/Fascist nirvana.

Don’t get me wrong.  Mr. Wooldridge’s piece is informative and will persuade other logical people, but it isn’t enough.   As we fret and try to point out the obvious logic of what is happening, they (the enemy, liberal fascists) are working every minute to rend the economic and social fabric of America (using poor immigrants, while hiding behind their professed humanitarianism) to implement their plans.   Our job now is to expose them, which won’t be easy since the mainstream media is suckered by them, but we must find a way.  We must!

Connecticut: Food stamp fraud alert!

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Regular readers know that an issue that interests me ever since we had a food stamp scam bust where we live—Mohammad Khan is now in prison—is the issue of immigrants from a certain region of the world scamming the US taxpayer by ripping off the food stamp program.   Today’s report comes from Connecticut and is small peanuts compared to some of the scams we have noted in our archive on food stamp scams.

A Hamden couple who swindled the federal Food Stamp Program was sentenced in federal court in Bridgeport Monday. The couple owns and operates the Lucky 7 corner store at 253 Davenport Ave. in the Hill.

Abdul Hakim Musaed, 45, and Nadia Ali Haider, 29, pleaded guilty to “one count of conspiracy to commit Food Stamp fraud,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. He was sentenced to four months in prison. She was sentenced to four months’ home confinement.

The couple allowed Food Stamp recipients to buy ineligible items, including beer and cigarettes, as well as redeem their food stamps for cash, from a period between Aug. 2005 and Jan. 2007, according to court records.

U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall ordered the couple to pay the government over $56,000 in restitution.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Henry Kopel.

The gist of the scam is that immigrants from a certain region of the world open up ‘mom & pop’ convienence stores and small gas stations (I swear this is organized abroad! They probably give seminars in how to do it!).  People who want cash instead of stamps offer their stamps for sale at 50 cents on the dollar.  They get 50 cents and the scammer turns the stamps in for the full one dollar from the feds (well, us, the taxpayer).

Notice anything suspicious?  Report it to your local police and follow-up on whether they reported it to federal authorities.  All it takes is a little vigilance on the part of local citizens!

Group of Somali Americans to protest against terrorism in Somalia

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here is a press announcement from a group of Somalis in Minneapolis planning a protest against terrorism, suicide bombings and al Shabaab in Somalia.   There is a split as we revealed recently in the Somali “community” in Minnesota and it isn’t clear to me who exactly is putting on this event.   We will just have to watch for news accounts as the event unfolds.  However, if CAIR Minnesota is supporting this event, you can be sure it is bogus.   If it’s the Somali group that is accusing CAIR of blocking the FBI investigation into the Somali missing youths, then they deserve a thumbs up!

Thousands of Somali Americans in Twin cities are expected to protest Suicide radical Islam, suicide bombing, terror attacks In Somalia this Friday July 3rd 2009, from 3:00 PM- 6:00 PM.

[….]

Somali community public relations organizers are requesting that the protesters bring signs. Organizers state: The Somali-American Community in Minnesota is taking a stand and we want the world, the mainstream Community and the Somalis in the Diaspora to know our stand and strong opposition to these terrorists. The Somali-American Community in Minnesota will release a press release and voice the community stand on issues related to suicide bombings and terrorism in the protest. The Somali-American Community in Minnesota is requesting you to attend and cover the protest and to join us in the condemnation of the violent extremists and their suicide bombings.

[…..] 

Suicide bombings, acts of terrorism and violent militant Islam are new and scary development unheard and unseen in Somalia and it´s an alien to the tolerant and moderate Islam Somalis practiced for centuries. Many believe the Al-Shabaab militants are allied with Al-Qaeda terrorist and trained by them.

Somalis all over the world and specially Somali-Americans in Minnesota strongly oppose these suicide bombings and acts of terrorism.