Roanoke, VA refugee director to retire

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Roanoke, VA is the largest refugee resettlement site in that state, partially thanks to the ‘Dragon Lady’ director of Refugee and Immigration Services,  Barbara Smith who will soon retire.    For financial reasons, according to the Roanoke Times , Refugee and Immigration Services will soon merge with Catholic Charities.   I’m bringing you this information and this article simply because it’s a good behind-the-scenes look at what happens in a “blue heaven” refugee resettlement office and it likely parallels what is happening in your city.

One bit of information here that most people don’t know is that it’s up to local government agencies to foot the bill for translators when refugees require services.

So it goes [Smith will get tough] when a federally funded agency or institution fails to provide a translator for an immigrant. That violates the nondiscrimination clause in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Smith can recite it from memory — curtly, if necessary — on her refugees’ behalf.

Why do Turkish leaders want to meet the Meshketian Turks?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Last week just before President Bush left for his Middle East tour, he met with Turkish President Gul in Washington.   Here is an AP story discussing the background of our present relations with Turkey and what those meetings were about.   But, what could the last two paragraphs mean? 

While in the United States, the Turkish president is to meet with representatives of the Meskhetian Turks. A minority group ousted from the Soviet Republic of Georgia, the Meskhetians were bounced around to other Soviet republics until settling in Krasnodar Krai, a territory of Southern Russia.

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The Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program undertook what it calls one of the largest refugee resettlement programs in 2005-2006 to bring as many as 18,000 Meskhetians to about two dozen cities in the United States.

Meshketian Turks came to Hagerstown, MD.  We were told these Turkish Muslims had been persecuted by Christians in Russia and that although Turkish, Turkey did not want them back.   We also heard the rumor that the Bush Administration agreed to take thousands of these displaced persons (displaced at the end of WWII) to help out Turkey, to remove a sticky problem, in the run-up to the Iraq War.   And, by the way, the Meshketians did not live in refugee camps but some had homes to sell before arriving in America.   So, why would President Gul wish to meet with representatives of the Meshketians in the US?  Thought they didn’t want them in Turkey.

In searching around for more information on the Meshketians, I came across a report (scroll down) from the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs which says that the Meshketians did not exist before about 1950 but are a conglomeration of various Turkish ethnic and religious groups (several forms of Sunni Muslim)  that have joined together and are “militantly Muslim” and “anti-Russian.”    The report goes on to say that many want to emigrate to Turkey.    Just great, and so why would the Bush Administration, with the help of contractor Church World Service, feel the need to bring 18,000 to a city near you?

And one last thought, next time you see a Crop Walk in your community think about the fact that you are helping the sponsoring organization, Church World Service, bring more Muslims to America.   What!  Aren’t there enough persecuted Christians in the world needing help?

Lincoln, NE, lament—we have poverty

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here is an article yesterday in the Lincoln Journal Star about the release of a report on the high poverty level in that city.  The article begins dramatically:

Poverty can hide in Lincoln.

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It does not show itself in the form of extensive slums or hordes of homeless people begging on the street.

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Here, it mostly hides inside chilly homes and in the form of late payments, and it’s masked by a variety of community solutions.

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How poverty affects Lincoln, and how each person could help, isn’t an issue that begs for an answer here.
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But Lincoln Action Program is looking for one anyway, and it is challenging the public to help.

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On Thursday, LAP rolled out its part in a nationwide campaign titled “Rooting Out Poverty.”

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With it, agency leaders hope to raise awareness of need in Lincoln, where they said more than 33,000 people live below the federal poverty line.

The article goes on to lament that 53% of those are on Food Stamps (funny that is just about the same percentage nationally of refugees on Food Stamps).   

As you read further down, one wonders what the mystery is all about.  This city has a large immigrant/refugee population that keeps groups like the Lincoln Action Project (with its 20 programs) in business.

It (LAP) helps people like Nabil Shokai, a Sudanese refugee who came to Lincoln in 2005 and took career training at LAP. Today, he is an Americorps volunteer, getting work experience while helping other refugees with paperwork and resettlement.

So, Mr. Shokai is paid by the Federal government (Americorps is a federal program) to help more refugees resettle in Lincoln.    Earth to Lincoln!   You will never get out of your cycle of poverty when you keep importing it!

Steps to create a movement–#2 form groups and coalitions

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

This is the second in a series on creating a grassroots movement for immigration reform.   Of course, this group formation is already happening and organizations concerned about immigration are proliferating throughout the country.   There are old established groups like FAIR (now a distinguished hate group), NumbersUSA, Grassfire and so on.  Then there are little state and local groups.  In Maryland the grassroots group, Help Save Maryland, is on a roll and starting local chapters throughout the state.  I suspect the same is happening from coast to coast.  

It’s the local groups that are of interest to me here.  In Step 1 (research) I pointed out the importance of getting your facts which you will use in various parts of this campaign, but it’s especially important for the group formation stage.   You want to lead your fellow citizens and they will want to know that you know what you are talking about before they will follow.

Find like-minded people by talking to the people around you, in your neighborhood, town, at work.  You will be surprised how many people across the whole political spectrum feel the way you do about the need for immigration reform.  So, talk!  Start sharing information about the issue and about the situation in your town or city.  Identify those who are an impediment to reform and gather facts about the individuals, elected officials and groups that are blocking reform.

Have small meetings in peoples’ homes and make friends.  This is very important because it’s going to get rough when the opposition attempts to divide you by tactics like the “racist” namecalling and you will need the moral support of your new friends.

Choose some reasonable political goals and divide the work load.    Remember this is not about you, it’s about changing America, or better still restoring America.

I’ll talk more about the group action in coming posts on creating a movement, but do want to make this last point before this gets too long and no one reads it.

The more groups there are, the better off we will be!   Look at the Enviromental movement as an example.  There are hundreds and hundreds of groups promoting environmentalism across a wide spectrum and every one, large and small, has its own issues and concerns.  Sometimes they get down and dirty with each other, but they all march in the same general direction.  And, when the big issues come along, such as an important bill in Congress, they will meet and plan joint strategies.  The message they send out is tailored to the interests of their members but it is generally the same message.

We need  now to build coalitions.   We need to continue our individual group projects, then groups large and small need to be connected so that communication can happen quickly.  Someone needs to pull together, in one location, contact info. for all the groups, local, state and national (and don’t forget to link individual activists who might not have formed a group).     Obviously when action is needed the word goes out and each group contact person sends the message to its members.  

And, finally don’t forget to form coalitions with groups that have a tangential interest in immigration reform.  Groups that come to mind are taxpayer groups, groups concerned with the spread of radical Islam, gun owner groups and so on.

Note:  We have a new category called ‘creating a movement’.

They are really cranking up the “racist” labeling machine

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update  January 22, 2008:  Here is FAIR’s response to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The extreme leftwing Southern Poverty Law Center last month gave one of its most distinguished awards for racism to The Federation for America Immigration Reform (FAIR) by placing this old established group on its “Hate groups” list.   (Hat tip:  Dennis)

Dec. 11, 2007 — The country’s leading anti-immigration organization — whose leaders have testified repeatedly before Congress and are frequently quoted in the media — has ties to known racists and a long track record of bigotry, according to a new report released today by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

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The SPLC today added FAIR to its list of hate groups operating in the United States.

I went to FAIR’s meeting this past fall, and no offense FAIR, but I thought it was populated by kind of a reserved,  old-line, well-connected group of men and women from a broad spectrum of America— even included some grassroots activists from the environmental movement.  I had no idea I was among a bunch of radical, xenophobic, hate-mongering racists.  Wow!     

Since we are talking about the “R” word, check out Jerry Gordon at the American Congress for Truth for the story on the Florida Seminole Chronicle calling the United America Committee (UAC) “racist.”    And, then the really funny thing is that the newspaper chickened out and took its comment section down when they started getting flooded with comments criticizing the newspaper for trying to silence people with the racist label.

If after you read the ACT post and wish to let the Seminole Chronicle know that the “racist” name-calling isn’t going to silence you e-mail  editor@SeminoleChronicle.com.    But, be polite about it!

I think I smell a rat!  The extreme leftwing thinks that it can silence us by that old name-calling tactic and they have obviously begun some sort of orchestrated talking points campaign.    If you are one of millions of Americans who want to see immigration policy reformed in this country, get ready to be called names.  Lets have a little fun with it.  I’m not very clever with names but lets have an award of sorts, maybe an honor roll.  If you or your group is called a “racist” in print (“bigot” will count too) send it to us and we will place you on the honor roll.    Suggestions for names for this distinguished award?