Day: October 1, 2010

Human Rights First urges greater protection for LGBTI refugees

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

According to this press release yesterday from Human Rights First the United Nations isn’t doing enough to protect refugees who are escaping persecution because of their sexual orientation.

Washington, DC– As a group of representatives from governments, civil society and academia meet in Geneva today to participate in a Roundtable discussion on how to better protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) refugees, Human Rights First urges the UN refugee agency – UNHCR – to continue to undertake concrete steps to ensure LGBTI refugees and asylum seekers are protected on the basis of equality and dignity.

“Every day, refugees from all corners of the world are forced to flee their homes on account of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Human Rights First’s Jesse Bernstein, author of Persistent Needs and Gaps: the Protection of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Refugees, a report that will be presented today at UNHCR’s Roundtable in Geneva. “By definition, all refugees are vulnerable,” said Bernstein. “Yet LGBTI refugees often face particular challenges in accessing protection and assistance resulting in needs which frequently go unaddressed.”

Chickens all! Bok! Bok! Bok!

This issue raises lots of questions.  However, the point I want to make and that really ticks me off is the way groups like Human Rights First and the United Nations refuse to say where the persecution is primarily coming from.   Like most Leftists they are afraid to point a finger at the real problem—gays, lesbians etc. are permitted and even encouraged to be persecuted by Islamic extremists because Allah said it was O.K. to do so.

Just check out the report, and I challenge you to find the word ‘Islam,’ ‘Muslim,’ or even ‘religious’ in the text.   The closest they come is in footnote 6 where five countries and portions of two others are listed which have the death penalty for such sexual behaviors.  They are Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen and parts of Somalia and Nigeria.  What do they all have in common?  Islamic governments and/or fundamentalist Islamic control!

I would have so much more respect for the Left, especially Leftist women, if they had the nerve to speak out about human rights abuses by Islamic fundamentalists without dancing around the subject.

UK Somali youths hooked on khat

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here is a BBC story from Slough (yes, I had to look it up here , btw 13% of the population is Muslim) about how the favorite drug of some Africans and Middle Easterners, including Somalis in the UK is khat.   Somali families are worried about its effect on young people.

A drug which is sold legally in Britain is causing problems for Somali families in Slough, according to a voluntary group in Berkshire.

Khat is a plant which can be chewed and is used as a stimulant by people living in Yemen and Somalia.

The Slough Somali Women’s Organisation says the drug is to blame a range of problems such as truancy and anti-social behaviour in young people.

The drug is banned across America and most of Europe but legal in Britain.

Causing family breakdown

Faisal Aashour is part of the Somali community in Slough and works for Berkshire Education and Sports Centre – a voluntary organisation set up by Somalis.

He said that Khat use was causing a “family breakdowns” in Slough.

“Young people overdo it,” he said.

“It’s a highly addictive drug used in Somalia and Yemen. Its stimulant properties are similar to but less powerful than amphetamine.

“There’s a lot of Somalis who chew it in Slough.”

There is more, read on.

Khat is illegal in the US, but nevertheless khat is used here and is becoming an increasing problem.  Here are several posts we have written about the drug’s use in the US.

Fox News owner, Rupert Murdoch, says illegal aliens should be given amnesty…

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

….and they will add to the economy. Others say, not true!

Nothing much new here.  We reported previously that Murdoch had joined New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a new organization called Partnership for a New American Economy to join forces in lobbying for amnesty.

Murdoch told a House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration*** this week that:

“A full path to legalization–requiring unauthorized immigrants to register, undergo a security check, pay taxes and learn English–would bring these immigrants out of a shadow economy and add to our tax base,” said Murdoch.

He continued, “According to one study, a path to legalization would contribute an estimated $1.5 trillion to the Gross Domestic Product over 10 years.”

Center for Immigration Studies director of research, Steve Camarata, begged to differ.

In contrast to Murdoch’s and Bloomberg’s testimony, Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, told the subcommittee that the economic losses caused by illegal immigrants outweighed the benefits.

He pointed out that the National Academy of Sciences has examined the fiscal impact of immigration.

“They found that the fiscal impact was enough to eat up the entire economic gain,” said Camarota. “So if you put the economic gain with the fiscal impact, you get no benefits at all, it would seem.”

Camarota also testified that illegal immigrants take jobs from Americans while also lowering wages. He said that the wage loss is 12 times bigger than the benefits.

Murdoch did say he wanted to close the borders.  Here is what I don’t get, why not just close the borders NOW and then review all available options for the illegal aliens who got in before the complete closure?

The Stephen Colbert “joke”

***The majority members, specifically Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren, of the  House Judciary Subcommittee on Immigration (look at the Democratic line up) that held the hearing which included the testimony of Rupert Murdoch and Steven Camarta (above) was also responsible for the fiasco of inviting comedian Stephen Colbert to testify in comedic character recently.  One of several groups furious with Colbert’s joking testimony are families of Americans murdered by illegal aliens.

I wondered how Lofgren came to invite Colbert in an astonishing show of poor judgement and found this explanation:

In July, Colbert interviewed United Farm Workers (UFW) President Arturo Rodriguez on his show.

UFW works to legalize the millions of illegal immigrants working in the agriculture sector, and Rodriguez promoted one of their projects, “Take Our Jobs” which offers Americans the chance to try working in the fields if they really think good jobs are being lost to illegals.

In the interview, Colbert challenged Rodriguez with playful caricatures of anti-illegal immigration groups, for instance telling him that “They’re taking our jobs! Those jobs belong to American farm workers!”

Rodriguez replied, “Americans don’t want to work in the fields. It’s very difficult work, it requires a lot of expertise, and the conditions are horrid,” describing a recent day in which the temperature was in excess of 100 degrees.

Colbert retorted, “it was over 100 degrees this entire week here, I did my show, 22 minutes a night!”

Rodriguez then touted the Take Our Jobs initiative.

“It’s inviting American citizens that want to work in the fields, that want to take those jobs, that want to do that agricultural work, to come out and do it. So we put up a website, takeourjobs.org and we’re inviting Americans throughout the United States to come and try to work in agriculture if they believe that immigrant farm workers are taking away good American jobs.”

Colbert asked how many people had taken up the offer. The answer was three, so Colbert said “Make that four, I’ll do it.”

Since then Colbert reportedly participated in Take Our Jobs, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, chairman of the immigration subcommittee, was there for that day.

Sources said the plan for Colbert to testify arose out of Colbert and Lofgren sharing that day together.

One happy thought!  If Republicans return in January as the majority party in Congress, Zoe Lofgren will be OUT (publicity stunts and all) as Chairwoman of the subcommitee that, by the way, is responsible for refugee issues as well.