Refugees or displaced persons?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here is an article today from the Houston Chronicle; another article about Iraqi refugees—this time in Egypt.  The article jumps back and forth between Iraqis who are happy to learn they are going home to Iraq, happy that Saddam is gone, unhappy with the Americans for not keeping them safe and unhappy because they can’t get to America or Australia this minute.  Frankly, it’s a bit hard to follow.   However, this line caught my attention and made me think about something Judy said the other day.

They do not look like typical refugees found in camps throughout the world. They are clean, well groomed and not starving.

That’s right they don’t look like typical refugees,  but those advocates in the refugee industry (and the liberal press) want you to have that image in your mind—the starving camp image.   These are displaced persons as Judy (and Derbyshire) said in this post yesterday.

Derbyshire notes that many of the people called refugees would have been called displaced persons in earlier years. I am struck by this, because the two terms have different connotations and sometimes call for different solutions. Ann and I have always advocated more emphasis on resettling refugees in their countries of origin or neighboring countries that have offered to take them in (and sometimes been refused by the UN agency). In the past, displaced persons were seen as a group that needed to be resettled in an ethnically similar place. For example, the ethnic Germans who lost their homes in other countries as a result of World War II were taken in by Germany. Nobody suggested that we should take in small groups of Germans and scatter them around our small towns. I’d like to bring back the term “displaced persons.”

But you see, the term ‘displaced person’, doesn’t illicit the same emotional response that ‘refugee’ does.  And, besides, the ‘refugee’ label is important because it entitles the immigrant to a grab bag of American welfare goodies when they get here.

Vanishing American on Shelbyville!

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Go over to the Vanishing American blog and read the excellent post on Brian Mosely’s Opinion piece on Shelbyville Somalis entitled, “Is there a method to the elites’ madness?”

Wow. I am stunned to find such an honest story in any newspaper; I commend the writer, Brian Mosely, for his honesty. How does it happen that a newspaper dares to deviate from the approved PC template? It’s unheard of.

And then this further down in the post.

I remember too vividly the TV news images of Somalis dishonoring the half-dressed corpses of the troops who were shot down by those warlords [Black Hawk Down]. At the time I was still quite a liberal, but I experienced a visceral response to the sight of American boys’ remains being trampled and dragged by these savages. And savages is the appropriate word. If we can’t apply the term ‘savage’ to them and their behavior, we may as well drop the word from our lexicon.

________

So those people I saw on TV, jumping up and down on the bodies of dead Americans, are the kin of the people we are now having to welcome into our communities.

Read it all here.

UPDATE December 31st:   VDARE blog posted on Shelbyville here.

Shelbyville opinion piece

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Today reporter Brian Mosely penned a column to wrap up his series on Shelbyville’s Somalis and here is how it begins:

Over the past few years, this community has given a helping hand and opened their arms to the new arrivals from Somalia.

________

In return, many of these refugees have given Shelbyville the finger.

I guess that gives you a feeling about how the rest of the column goes.  Read it here.

To have babies or not to have babies, that is the question for American women

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Who would think that author and columnist Mark Steyn would be in free speech hot water for writing about who is and who isn’t having babies.   Apparently Canadian Muslims complained to the Canadian Human Rights Commission when Macleans magazine published a chapter from Steyn’s book “America Alone.”   Us or Them blog describes the issue involving European demographics that has infuriated Muslims.  Read all about it here.   This is the gist of what Steyn said that prompted the action taken by the “five whiney muslims”:

A fertility rate of less than 2.0 means you are not replacing your population with each generation. When less than 2.0, your demographic group is in fact losing population and growing smaller exponentially.

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Steyn’s book goes on to explain how muslim’s fertility rate is closer to 3.8. Add to that a proudly and loudly declared European Union open immigration policy in favor of muslim nations and you have a recipe for demographic conquest and the Islamification of Europe. America Alone is about the potential for muslims to conquer the entire European continent without having to fire a single bullet.

Earlier today I posted on recent statistics from the US Census Bureau that indicate the US population is increasing and a large part of that is due to immigration.

The Washington Post reported last week that the US population had indeed grown due to a complex set of factors including immigration.   But, women in America are still having babies.

For the first time in 35 years, the U.S. fertility rate has climbed high enough to sustain a stable population, solidifying the nation’s unique status among industrialized countries.

______

The overall fertility rate increased 2 percent between 2005 and 2006, nudging the average number of babies being born to each woman to 2.1, according to the latest federal statistics. That marks the first time since 1971 that the rate has reached a crucial benchmark of population growth: the ability of each generation to replace itself.

What I would like to see is a further breakdown.  Which women are having the babies?

Dhimmiwatch a few days ago reported that Sweden’s population is increasing as baby-producing immigrants pour in and the Swedes move out giving credence to Steyn’s thesis regarding Europe’s future and his ultimate conclusion that America will be alone.  Go to Us or Them now where the whole chapter from Steyn’s book that is causing the controversy has been posted and don’t miss the last paragraph!  

Judy and I have both read “America Alone” and recommend it to you.  You will laugh while you’re crying.  

For more on Sweden’s refugee problems, we have posted a number of times here.

American Education if Somalis had their way

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Here is another shocking bit of information that came to our attention through the investigative work done at the Shelbyville Times-Gazette.    You will be blown away by this!    Hassan Mohamed gives a detailed description of how we need to change our educational practices to accomodate Somali students.  This document is linked on a St. Paul K-12 site, read the whole thing here.   Mr. Mohamed concludes:

In conclusion, these components which relate to the Somali tradition and the Somali student’s background will help the staff of the American schools get a suitable and successful education system for these new Americans.

What?  “…..get a suitable and successful education system for these new Americans.”   I know many of us aren’t wild about the education system we have but we sure aren’t going to support changing it to fit all the demands of Somali culture and religion as outlined in this document.  Imagine changing school policies to accomodate problems “circumcised girls” have, or printing the lunch menu in Somali so students will know that Americans don’t eat dogs (Hot Dogs on the menu).  

 BTW, anything to do with dogs is pretty much taboo in Islam, so get a dog or two!    I can just see it now, dog owners of America united against the jihadis.