Month: August 2009

Somali Community organizers in Greeley praise Swift for caving to Muslim demands

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is how it works, last year community organizer Graen (that is not his real name) Isse arrived in Greeley one week before the walkout at the Swift & Co meatpacking plant, snagged a job with the company and then was among those who was fired, led the protest and talked to the press.  Now he heads up the newly created Ethnic Community Based Organization (ECBO) officially called the East African Community of Colorado (EACC).  Amazing huh! 

Today we learn that Swift & CO is compliant—they gave the protesters bidet toilets, special his and hers prayer rooms, break times to pray and even dates to nibble on.

That is what Alinsky (Obama!) community organizers do.  Isse and his fellow EACC founders are trained agitators.  They have been trained by union strategists to first bring chaos and angry demands to force change.   Nobody likes chaos, crisis and anger, so they give in whether it’s a meatpacking company, your town government, or surprise surprise, the federal government!

Here is the story about everything going swimmingly at Swift this year.   Hat tip:  Jerry Gordon, please go read his excellent post at New English Review today.  He tells you where the funding for the EACC comes from, including a union,  Weld County, and Lutherans.  The EACC hasn’t gotten its direct federal funding yet, but is indirectly receiving federal help from the Lutheran Family Services of Colorado which is federally funded.   I bet at this very moment the EACC is writing a federal grant proposal to the Office of Refugee Resettlement and cynically saying, hey, let’s write a grant to help our women, he! he!

Muslim workers are on bended knee in prayer. Company officials are on their toes.

The result: a ruckus-free Ramadan.

So far, anyway.

“Everything is smooth now, and people are happy, and the company is happy,” said Asad Abdi, vice president of the East Africa Community Center in Greeley.

Abdi and Graen Isse, another East Africa Community Center leader, visited the JBS USA plant on Monday, the first day of Ramadan to fall on a workday, to see how things went at sundown. That’s when Muslims break their daily fast and pause for evening prayers.

“Everyone was saying ‘happy Ramadan, happy Ramadan,’ ” Isse said. “It was very welcoming.”

The company had even put out dates, which are customarily eaten to break the fast, for the workers. At 10-minute intervals, the Muslims were allowed to leave production lines and go to prayer rooms — one for men, another for women.

“The people were working together on the line. They’re covering for each other,” Abdi said. “When one person goes to pray, the other covers his place. … If (JBS) knew it would be this easy, they wouldn’t have had the problems before.”

Some local citizens are standing up and saying “NO!” to the Stealth Jihad.

Some will view JBS’s recent actions as caving to a religion that has a notorious extremist bent. Making concessions for Islam, they fear, will result in its practitioners gaining power until they reach their ultimate objective — global takeover.

The East Africans in Greeley say they have no intention to impose their religion on others. They love their new country, they say, and want to peacefully assimilate.

So, while the workplace tension has ebbed at JBS, the ideological divide between cultures is ever present, if not widening, as Muslims make inroads in practicing their faith on American soil.

The recent emergence of Coloradans Against Sharia Task Force, a local group that demonstrated outside JBS last week on the eve of Ramadan, is evidence that last year’s flare-up has morphed into a new pulse of tension. Michael Gale, the group’s leader, said the fact that Muslim workers walked off the lines last year is telling. “The fact they did walk off the job, they did demand these things, means they’re not moderate,” he said.

Note to radical Leftists and union-types:  You have let the Islamic supremacist genie out of the bottle and you won’t be able to control it.  They are smarter than you are and their goal is NOT the same as yours!

ECBO of the day: Confederation of Somali Communities of MN

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Your tax dollars:

This is the next installment of what will be a dossier of sorts on a federal government program, for Ethnic Community Based Organizations (ECBOs),which I maintain fosters separation of ethnic groups in the US thus inhibiting assimilation and discouraging acceptance of traditional American culture, laws and governance.  They promote nationalism for the immigrants country of origin and add to the extremely radical political agenda of the far Left.   All fine and dandy of course if  THEY USE THEIR OWN MONEY AND NOT TAXPAYER FUNDING!

Today’s ECBO is the Confederation of Somali Communities of Minnesota (CSCM).  By the way Minnesota has 8 such groups, 7 of them are in Minneapolis alone.

This is not meant to be a complete report.  There is so much material on this group, one could write a book.  I’ll just focus on some of the connections I’ve written about recently—community organizing ala Alinsky, workplace demands from Muslims to accommodate their religious practices (stealth jihad),  federal funding and political involvement, union involvement with training ethnic groups in political advocacy, and dhimmis like Norm Coleman!

CSCM got its start in 1994 and one of its original funders was Pillsbury United Communities.   Today it gets financial backing from the following foundations and governments (this is directly from their website click on ‘partners’):

Through partnership, we can all make an even greater difference in our community. CSCM is grateful to the people and organizations that it works with in its outreach efforts.

The United Way and Bush Foundation, in particular has been an invaluable partners to CSCM and our community for years.

Hennepin County
Bush Foundation
MN Department of Health
MN Department of Human Services
United Way

What is not listed is their $106,971 grant from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (No. 20 on this list) that they obtained with the help of FORMER Senator Norm Coleman (A lot of good it did him, because Rep.Keith Ellison told all the Somalis to vote for Al Franken.  Didn’t Coleman only lose by a few hundred votes? ).

August 3rd, 2006 – St. Paul, MN – Senator Coleman announced today the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota (CSCM) will receive a $106,971 Ethnic Community Self-Help grant from the United States Office of Refugee Resettlement. The grant will support the work of the East African Women’s Center in contextual language learning, school readiness and parenting in America, the Woman to Woman Connection (a support network to bridge cultures), navigation of the social service and healthcare systems, and a textile cooperative. [I sure hope they are using the grant money for women because that Nashville Somali Community Center fraud involved NOT using the grant money for the women as it was intended.]

[…..]

I am pleased to announce CSCM will receive this grant,” said Coleman. “Minnesota has the largest Somali population in the country, and I have pledged to offer my support for them in Congress. CSCM does fantastic work on behalf of the local Somali community. I was pleased to assist them in obtaining this grant and I applaud the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement for recognizing the importance of CSCM.” 

[…..]

Senator Coleman has worked closely with the Somali community while in the Senate, having most recently secured the extension of Temporary Protected Status for certain Somalis living in the United States. Coleman also has a Somali immigrant, Mahamoud Wardere, on his staff to help facilitate and increase his outreach to the Somali community.

Workplace cultural accommodation

Get this, the CSCM has a few tips on its website to be sure employers know what they have to do to modify their behavior to any Somali Muslim demands.  Just do these things and we will get along just fine!

If your company has Somali employees, here are some tips for working together:
1. Somalis like to work and enjoy working in groups.
2. Somalis are eager to ask questions. They prefer clear instructions as to what their job requires.
3. Some Somalis are in the process of learning basic skills related to working and living in this country, such as: taking the bus to work, writing checks, etc.
4. Social status is important to Somalis. Therefore, a supervisor should reprimand a Somali employee privately.
5. Discourse in all forms is a part of Somali culture. If a Somali employee argues about an issue, this is considered a normal way of interacting among Somalis.
6. Somalis are Muslim and their religion is very important to them. Somali employees may request a short break and private place for prayer during the workday.
7. Shaking hands with a person of the opposite sex is considered rude in Islamic culture. Somali men may feel uncomfortable working for female supervisors because of traditional religious beliefs regarding women.

Political advocacy on your dime!

I mentioned the Confederation of Somali Communities just the other day when their leader, Saeed Fahia, said ‘everyone could just move along, nothing to see’ Somali terrorist recruitment was over in Minneapolis.

Then it was just earlier this summer that CSCM joined a gang of Somali oganizations in defense of CAIR Minnesota when it was accused of blocking an FBI investigation into the Somali jihadist recruitment in Minnesota.

Here CSCM is co-sponsoring with the SEIU (a notorious ‘community oganizing’ union) a politcal activism day at the State Capitol.  Here, they joined with unions to push for a living wage ordinance in the city of Minneapolis, and here they are joining CAIR and other advocacy groups to stop city government from doing away with a civil rights department.   Those are a few of the Leftwing political activities I found CSCM involved in during a quick search.

So, what have I been saying all along—-you are paying for political organizing!   ECBO’s, such as CSCM, are political organizations following the Alinsky-Obama “community organizing” model.  While pushing a hard Left agenda, they are funded by city, county, state and federal  taxpayers.  It is wrong!   We must speak up!

For new readers, I just started a new category a few days ago for ECBO’s.  Go here to learn more about what you are paying for.

Moral of this story: Let Africa take care of Africa

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Right up front, let me say, I have  no intention of getting deeper into the Rwanda issue I brought to your attention earlier this month.  In that story from Buffalo, NY, a former refugee is accused by the Rwandan government of being a participant in the Rwandan genocide that occurred during the Clinton Administration in the 1990’s.

I don’t want to know which side is right.  Here is a very long foot-noted article that claims that Rwanda is sending phoney asylum seekers to the UK and US to hunt down those opposing the present government of Rwanda.

An investigation has uncovered an asylum system scandal where bogus Rwandan “refugees” infiltrate the U.S. and U.K. and work as undercover agents to hunt down critics of the Rwandan dictatorship and legitimate refugees and drag them back to Rwanda. This is yet the latest revelation on how the dictatorship in Rwˇˇanda manufactures and exports terrorism using an ideology of genocide and how the West supports terrorism by backing its Rwanda proxy. Meanwhile, business in Rwanda is booming and the criminal networks of the Kagame military machine continue to plunder the blood-drenched Congo.

That sort of sounds like what is happening with the Buffalo Rwandan former refugee.  Keep in mind we also noted that this silly outfit, Refugees United, exists to help track down missing refugees.  Can’t refugees find family members through safer existing channels within government, NGO’s and the UNHCR?

The article in Free Uganda, a publication of a self-proclaimed group of “Revolutionaries,” goes on to say:

There are many charities and non-government organizations from the U.S. and U.K. that run large money-making operations that claim to benefit Rwanda. These charities complete the circle of propaganda and seal the doubt of public opinion by legitimizing a terrorist government under the unimpeachable veneer of humanitarianism and goodwill.

These charities work the media system, providing expert spokespeople and framing issues for the mass media. The media system works the charities, using them to institutionalize ideology and further their select political agendas. Like the media, the charities peddle the establishment line throughout, meanwhile claiming that they are “not political.” But it is always the same: like Praxis, they unflinchingly adhere to the upside-down mythology which turns victims into killers and killers into victims with very little middle ground in between.

I guess these revolutionaries have no faith in non-profits either!

Again, I am not posting this to pick sides.  I have no clue what is really happening in Rwanda, or DR Congo, or Uganda, or Somalia or Kenya for that matter, and neither do you!

We have already determined that immigration fraud is widespread among refugees from Africa—heck the US State Department’s P-3 family reunification program is still closed as far as I know.   That was because of immigration fraud primarily among Somalis and Liberians.  This article tells us there is additional fraud among Rwandan refugees and asylees.

The moral of this story!  We don’t need to worry about which side is the right side, as I said in my title, let Africa take care of Africa.  Let us take care of America.

Ethnic Community Based Organizations (ECBOs): Rules and Regs

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is today’s installment on ECBOs we first told you about here and here the other day.

Now, here is the link at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement where you can find the rules for seeking grants as an ECBO.  I maintain that the proliferation of ethnic “community organizing” groups such as these foster a continued division in American society.  It is only natural that instead of protecting rights of all Americans they will seek to work for their “own people” while all the rest of us pay the bills. 

We will be writing a lot about ECBOs in the future, but two little aspects of the rules and regulations that interested me today are as follows.   First, I wondered if an ECBO must be a federally approved 501(c)3 organization—a designation that requires a significant amount of documentation and is a very time consuming and detailed review of the group and its goals.  If 501(c)3 status was a requirement to receive hundreds of thousands in federal grants, it could help protect the US taxpayer to some degree.   But apparently that is not required.   One need only supply the following document issued in the group’s home state:

A certified copy of the organization’s certificate of incorporation or similar document that clearly establishes non-profit status.

So that means, for example, that the East Africa Community of Colorado where four Somali men paid $50 and created an organization with a simple form may now turn around and apply for a grant under this program.   I will bet you a buck that is their plan.   See other Somali community organizing groups that presently have such grants in this list.

But check this out!  Got a problem with one in your community getting involved in politics, politics of their country of origin, or maybe pushing their culture or religion? They could be breaking the law if they are using grant money for these purposes.

Funds will not be awarded to applicants for the purpose of engaging in activities of a distinctly political nature, activities designed exclusively to promote the preservation of a specific cultural heritage, or activities with an international objective (i.e., activities related to events in the refugees’ country of origin).

See anything like that going on, start keeping a record!  I’ve heard this is happening with ECBOs—getting involved in politics here and abroad—let’s see if we can start documenting any rule breaking!

People doubt non-profit group ethics; no kidding!

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Just this a.m. I was reading an article about how Catholic Charities was letting down Hispanics in Chicago here.   Ho hum, so what else is new.  But that isn’t what got my attention, it was a comment by someone responding to the story who was directing readers to this May 2009 report from Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.

Entitled “Ethics and Non-profits,” it talks about the erosion of confidence in for-profit businesses and the virtually equal erosion of public confidence in the non-profit sector.  Here are a couple of paragraphs.

Employee surveys similarly suggest that many American workplaces fail to foster a culture of integrity. Results vary but generally indicate that between about one-quarter and three-quarters of employees observe misconduct, only about half of which is reported. In the 2007 National Nonprofit Ethics Survey, slightly more than half of employees had observed at least one act of misconduct in the previous year, roughly the same percentages as in the for-profit and government sectors. Nearly 40 percent of nonprofit employees who observed misconduct failed to report it, largely because they believed that reporting would not lead to corrective action or they feared retaliation from management or peers.

Public confidence in nonprofit performance is similarly at risk. A 2008 Brookings Institution survey found that about one third of Americans reported having “not too much” or no confidence in charitable organizations, and 70 percent felt that charitable organizations waste “a great deal” or a “fair amount” of money. Only 10 percent thought charitable organizations did a “very good job” spending money wisely; only 17 percent thought that charities did a “very good job” of being fair in decisions; and only one quarter thought charities did a “very good job” of helping people. Similarly, a 2006 Harris Poll found that only one in 10 Americans strongly believed that charities are honest and ethical in their use of donated funds. Nearly one in three believed that nonprofits have “pretty seriously gotten off in the wrong direction.” These public perceptions are particularly troubling for nonprofit organizations that depend on continuing financial contributions.

My suggestion to all readers who wish to help refugees and immigrants, do it privately.  Find a local family and help them directly.  Most of the agencies (not all, but most) of the agencies ostensibly helping new immigrants have become primarily political organizations with substantial taxpayer funding to boot–avoid them! 

Here is a list to help you get started figuring out which to avoid.