Day: May 2, 2011

Don’t lose your heads over the Osama bin Laden killing

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Of course I’m happy our military got him, but he is only a bit player in the overall scheme of things.  My immediate inclination on hearing the news was to see what Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch had to say, and it’s just as I expected.  If you thought this thing (Islamic jihad against the West) would be over when we got OBL and that somehow it was all about Al-Qaeda, forget it!

Here is Spencer at Human Events (Osama gets his virgins), first quoting from a letter from Osama about Islamic supremacy:

“….It is the religion of Jihad in the way of Allah so that Allah’s Word and religion reign Supreme.”

Then this (emphasis mine):

This perspective on Islam wasn’t just bin Laden’s. Millions of Muslims worldwide share it, and that won’t end with the death of Osama. The US is not – and never will be – at war with Islam, as Obama says, but significant elements of Islam are – and always will be – at war with the U.S. Nothing that happened during that firefight in Abbottabad will change that, and Obama’s continued focus on al-Qaeda as if it were a singular and eccentric group of non-Muslim Muslims that is the cause of all our troubles only perpetuates the unreality that has already led to so many disastrous policy errors.

Until Barack Obama and other Western leaders face the fact that Osama bin Laden was operating within the broad mainstream of Islamic teaching, they will be constantly puzzled by the advent of new bin Ladens, and new al-Qaedas, all over the globe. How is it that all these disparate individuals and groups misunderstand Islam in all the same way? Until U.S. officials can answer that question correctly, we will have made no headway, no matter how many al-Qaeda masterminds we corner and kill in Pakistan.

I saw this attitude, this fixation on Al-Qaeda, first hand when I attended the Senate Homeland Security hearings in March 2009 (here) on Al-shabaab and the radicalization of Somali (former refugees) youths in the US.   Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins were visibly relieved when intelligence experts testified that Al-shabaab and Al-Qaeda were not related, as if somehow that made it all o.k.   Of, course subsequently we learned that they are linked.  But, it was as if somehow the origins of their animus toward the West was not from the same source, so it wasn’t quite the same threat.  Well, it was, and it is.

Did you see how many college students were cheering in the streets early today in New York and Washington, DC?  It was both heartening (their patriotism) and a little sad.  Those twentysomethings have lived half their lives since 9/11 and I suspect somehow they think, as some silly commentator said on FoxNews this morning—the curse has been lifted.   Sorry, no.

Comment worth noting: Send Refugee Report to your Congressman

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here is a comment from Gary Henderson.   Mr. Henderson says he is sending the Center for Immigration Studies report that I just mentioned in my previous post to his Congressman.  That is a good idea for all of you who have asked what you can do.   And, just do it whether you have a receptive Congressman or not—send it to your US Senators as well!

I am forwarding your post and Mr. Barnett’s report to my Congressman, Jeb Hensarling. Jeb is an economist and is joined at the hip with Paul Ryan.

In my exchanges with Mr. Hensarling I find that he is genuine and caring about the real concerns of the American people, but his demanding work on the budget takes so much of his time that there is little left to get into the fine details of the enormous problems that immigration forces upon us. I will use this opportunity to fill him in and hope that he will be able to use this information in deciding budget-cutting moves.

I have been heavily involved with illegal immigration on the Texas/Mexican border for more than five years now. Yet, until a relative short time ago I had no idea about the tremendous problems that the Refugee and Asylum “business” has caused dozens of towns and communities, often without their permission or control.

I came upon the Refugee Resettlement Watch site by accident, became an instant avid fan, and am rewarded daily by the insightful, pertinent and informative material that has been so revealing to me.

Thank you for exposing the seedy elements of what, on the surface, appears to be a compassionate effort driven by purely egalitarion motives. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and the same usual suspects are embedded in the czarist activities in our own government, the ruthless Soros organization, our manipulative State Department and the hate-America Cartel that dominates the United Nations.

Citizen Of The USA-Texas

CIS Report: A system badly in need of review

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Just in time for the State Department’s annual review of the size and scope of the refugee program (here), the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) has released a background report by CIS fellow and refugee program expert, Don Barnett.

Barnett calls the program out of control, rife with fraud, and a channel for terrorism into American communities:

One has to be careful when trying to explain the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP). Too much truth and in too much detail leaves those unfamiliar with the program looking at you like you are crazy. Among those unfamiliar with the topic — and therefore unable to completely process and act on information about it — are most of the political elite, especially Congress.

A wide-ranging review is needed of this costly and out-of-control system. It has failed refugees, both by diverting limited resources from overseas assistance and by the sheer neglect of those resettled in the United States by their “sponsors.” The program is rife with fraud, profitable for hundreds of “non-profit” organizations, and is a potential channel for terrorism into American communities.

Barnett and CIS call for a full review of the program (remember Samantha Power was supposed to be doing that in the White House, but nothing has been forthcoming in more than a year).

Among the findings (read them all!) are these that we at RRW find of particular interest because we have seen the problem so frequently:

U.S. Taxpayers Without Borders. The U.S. welfare system is a global magnet, which has been instrumentalized by the international refugee industry. The use of welfare, subsidized housing, Medicaid, and other programs is staggering. Including the cost of ongoing welfare — which is permanent for many refugees — easily raises the cost of the domestic resettlement program to 10 times the official estimates of $1.1 billion annually.

Exploitation for Profit. Refugee resettlement is very profitable for some non-profits. Religious organizations and NGOs involved in the program consistently refuse to commit any of their own resources for the resettlement effort. Instead, these organizations have turned to the refugee program to generate an income stream, abandoning traditional charitable works that do not pay. Most of the second- and third-tier refugee organizations receiving contracts and grants today are run by former refugees themselves, which has put the program on a perpetual growth trajectory.

American Community Impact. Some American towns have been overwhelmed by the arrival of refugees. At no point are these communities consulted. The closed loop of the U.N., the State Department, and NGOs leaves citizens with no voice in events that affect their communities.

Non-Assimilation. The USRAP is increasingly bringing in groups that have stated openly they do not intend to assimilate into American culture. Even those groups with good intentions are coming from cultures so diverse that often little progress is made in assimilation after many years.

Abandonment upon Arrival. Despite PR about supporting refugees, NGOs routinely abandon their charges after four months or less, moving on to the next, more profitable, cycle of recent admissions. NGOs expect the welfare system to take care of refugees.

Please read Mr. Barnett’s entire report and then please, even if you only say a few words, go here and find out how to comment on the refugee program for FY 2012 using some of the points in the CIS backgrounder and some of your own observations and ideas.

I don’t think those who administer the program have ever heard much from average citizens who disagree with how the program has been run for the last 30 years!   I know there are people who have been involved in the program for a long time, and who know there are huge problems, but are in no position to be critical, so it’s up to you!   The deadline for commenting is May 12th!


p.s.  Please also be sure to copy your comments to your Congressman and US Senators because few of them fully understand the program and its impact.