Parts of the world are all a-raged with the story of Saul Arellano, a 7 year old American second-grader and his illegal Mexican immigrant mother, Elvira. She crossed the border illegally in 1997, was sent back to Michoacan, crossed again, got pregnant at some point or another, and gave birth to Saul in Oregon. Sometime after his birth, she and her son moved to Chicago. She was scheduled to be deported back in August but instead of surrendering to authorities, she and her son began living in a storefront church, the Adalberto United Methodist Church.
The trouble had begun with her job as a cleaning woman at the O'Hare Airport. That is how she was found out. She was arrested in December of 2001. After an appeal or two-- who paid for her lawyer?-- she was ordered to report in August of 2006. That is five years almost, well, four and three/quarters, that she remained illegally in Chicago where she still is. The immigration department has not gone to the church to pick her up. They could. But no one has. Why not? Saul is "in therapy" because he supposedly has nightmares about his mother being sent back to Mexico. Who is paying for that?
Elvira says that her son wants to fight for her to stay in Chicago. Saul says he does not want to live in Mexico because he does not want to leave his school and playmates behind. A small contigent of American let-the-illegals-stay activists were with Saul when he went to the Mexican Congress. Are they the ones who helped him make the journey without his mother? Well, no. There is a man who did. His name is Emma Lozano. Lozano is the executive director of Centro Sin Fronteras, an immigrants-rights group in Chi-town. There is also a "sanctuary movement" to content with over here as well. They help illegals stay. How? By relocating them rather than allowing them to get caught and be deported? Did they buy the new tan suit that Saul was wearing when he was speaking to the 500 deputies in the Mexican Congress on Tuesday? Saul and Elvira were depending upon friends to supply food to them while at the storefront church. Elvira still is at the church as far as we know.
Little Saul spoke to the Mexican Congress [Chamber of Deputies] and the result was that the folks there are now asking President Bush 41 to forget about deporting her. They are also asking, in the interest of fairness of course, that any other illegals who are parents of children born here also be allowed to stay and not be deported. In practical terms, that means the illegal parentals of somewhere between 3 million and 4.9 billion kids [depending upon whose estimate one believes] who are also in Saul Arellano's situation would be allowed to stay.
Mom says that deporting her would deprive her son Saul of his rights as an American citizen. Hmmm. What rights would those be? The right to sponge off of our tax money? Oh, I forgot, she had been working. With a fake social security number but no matter. She was working. I should not pick on her for that. Nor for wanting the best for her son. After all, if she is intent upon little Saul receiving an American education and an American upbringing, she could leave him with one of those oh so helpful friends.
Oh, and before I forget, Elvira is not an illegal immigrant-- she is an uncounted immigrant and also an immigrant activist. Maybe I should relocate to Mexico without being counted and have a kid there while I'm at it.
radical sapphoq
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/11/14/news/nation/08_22_7411_13_06.txt
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/world/4332027.html
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2006/11/16/2003336580
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/
la-fg-boy15nov15,0,4430315.story?coll=la-home-headlines
http://www.kpvi.com/index.cfm?page=nbcheadlines.cfm&ID=37661
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
SHOULD WE STAY OR SHOULD WE GO? IRAQ 11/14/06
There is no doubt this morning that Baghdad is a bad place to be. A bunch of men [reports range from 100 to 150] were kidnapped from a Research Building downtown there. [The Research Institute helps Iraqi professors to leave the country]. The men were all thought to be Sunnis. The Minister of Higher Education, having watched the murder of many of Iraq's outspoken professors and academics, decided to close down the universities because of this incident. Apparently, outspoken professors and academics in Iraq live dangerous lives. Over here, a professor can be denied tenure. Over there, a professor can wake up one morning and find himself dead.
Tensions between several key players in the Middle East continue to mount. Over in the UK, Prime Minister Tony Blair sent a secret letter of reconciliation to Damascus. Adding insult to injury, he made a speech yesterday proposing that both Syria and Iran could become his new peace partners. Thanks, Tony. As I used to say at my last job, some people shouldn't have fingers and the rest shouldn't have mouths. Mr. Blair might shouldn't have either.
Meanwhile, back at home, another Tony briefing the press yesterday stated that there is no official timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. He let it be known that we will not leave until the war "is won." President Bush continues his commitment to bringing democracy and freedom from terrorism to the Middle East was the message that the press who were present did not want to hear. After reading the lastest briefing, I understood why my friend JeremyCrow hates the press. If I were Tony Snow, I would hate them too.
Democrats continue to call for withdrawing US troops from Iraq. They are complaining about the whole war thing. Un-notable Cindy Sheehan turned author has fired off another one of her brilliant missives to Senator Pelosi and Senator Conyors [or at least to her e-mail alert list; letter appears nowhere on her website] proposing that "we the American people" want President Bush to be impeached and are offended that now the democrats wish to work with the republicans who naturally are all a bunch of liars and rather immoral for keeping troops in Iraq. Iraqi President al-Maliki meanwhile continues to take advantage of the US military presence in his country to train his own troops and strengthen his police forces.
This is the sixth week of the oops! not-so-secret Pentagon Group which is studying all of the tactics involved with the Middle East military manuevers. That group is also looking at terrorism and possible ways that the United States can deal with it more effectively. The folks gathered as part of the Pentagon Group are considered to possess brilliant minds. So far, they have not had any joint meetings with the Iraq Study Group-- a group that nominee Robert Gates to the Secretary of the Defense position was a part of until his nomination. President Bush had his meeting this week with the Iraq Study Group, a bi-partisan group of which Bush family friend James A. Baker is the co-chair. The President also had a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert who in turn felt it necessary to threaten Iran with fear. Iran threatened Israel back with promises of a crushing nature should Israel dare to take any military action against Iran.
The problem with Iran is that Iran will not do what some other countries want Iran to do. Iranian Madman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicated recently that when the United States changes its' attitude, then Iran will be ready to talk. The United States demands that Iran cease and desist from its' nuclear highway before negotiations can be arranged. Iran continues to play with uranium enrichment and in fact is "nearly done." The Madman has stated that Iran is going to build up to 60,000 centrifuges and plans a plutonium dumping station, regardless of UN funds or un-funds. A satellite photo published on-line by FOX shows unexplained plutonium by-products. Ahmadinejad also promises to send the American people "a message" regarding his views this week. He maintains a blog at: http://www.ahmadinejad.ir/. [For some reason, the addy refused to be translated into a link so the curious will have to copy and paste the website
http://www.ahmadinejad.ir/ into their own browsers to view the site].
While some folks hold out hope that Syria and Iran will quit their evil terrorist ways in order to bring peace to the Middle East, in fact the Hama and Fatah parties have both come to an agreement over the next Prime Minister of Palestine, Mohammad Shubair has a doctorate from the University of West Virginia. Fatah President Abbas of Palestine is the one who will have the final say in the appointment. Current Prime Minister Hasniya is of the Hama and has agreed to step down from his post in order to end sanctions against Palestine. Even so, the new Palestine Unity government will not recognize Israel as a country in its own right. Or, maybe it will under President Abbat's leadership be able to have a working compromise between the ideology of the Hama and the more moderate position of the Fatah. Or maybe the new combined government will act as a puppet for the Hama. Only time will tell.
Quite honestly, I have no trust that the governments of Iran, Syria, Lebanon, or Palestine will do anything that they say they will. Iran has nuclear capacity which is building and will probably bomb the crap out of Israel, whether Israel makes good on that "fear Israel" threat or not. Palestine will continue to be run by the Hamas covertly. Syria is Iran's buddy, Tony Blair notwithstanding. Lebanon just had several key governmental officials quit and is not stable enough to help in waging war for peace or freedom in any event. And let's not forget that Iran's Madman of the Hour looks incredibly like one of the student-leaders-turned-terrorists of twenty-seven years ago. I only hope that his promised message to the american people is not a bomb, biological warfare, or other such goodie. If it is, he will lose his american fans over at his blog site and no dictator of a bloody regime can afford that.
radical sapphoq
Tensions between several key players in the Middle East continue to mount. Over in the UK, Prime Minister Tony Blair sent a secret letter of reconciliation to Damascus. Adding insult to injury, he made a speech yesterday proposing that both Syria and Iran could become his new peace partners. Thanks, Tony. As I used to say at my last job, some people shouldn't have fingers and the rest shouldn't have mouths. Mr. Blair might shouldn't have either.
Meanwhile, back at home, another Tony briefing the press yesterday stated that there is no official timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. He let it be known that we will not leave until the war "is won." President Bush continues his commitment to bringing democracy and freedom from terrorism to the Middle East was the message that the press who were present did not want to hear. After reading the lastest briefing, I understood why my friend JeremyCrow hates the press. If I were Tony Snow, I would hate them too.
Democrats continue to call for withdrawing US troops from Iraq. They are complaining about the whole war thing. Un-notable Cindy Sheehan turned author has fired off another one of her brilliant missives to Senator Pelosi and Senator Conyors [or at least to her e-mail alert list; letter appears nowhere on her website] proposing that "we the American people" want President Bush to be impeached and are offended that now the democrats wish to work with the republicans who naturally are all a bunch of liars and rather immoral for keeping troops in Iraq. Iraqi President al-Maliki meanwhile continues to take advantage of the US military presence in his country to train his own troops and strengthen his police forces.
This is the sixth week of the oops! not-so-secret Pentagon Group which is studying all of the tactics involved with the Middle East military manuevers. That group is also looking at terrorism and possible ways that the United States can deal with it more effectively. The folks gathered as part of the Pentagon Group are considered to possess brilliant minds. So far, they have not had any joint meetings with the Iraq Study Group-- a group that nominee Robert Gates to the Secretary of the Defense position was a part of until his nomination. President Bush had his meeting this week with the Iraq Study Group, a bi-partisan group of which Bush family friend James A. Baker is the co-chair. The President also had a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert who in turn felt it necessary to threaten Iran with fear. Iran threatened Israel back with promises of a crushing nature should Israel dare to take any military action against Iran.
The problem with Iran is that Iran will not do what some other countries want Iran to do. Iranian Madman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad indicated recently that when the United States changes its' attitude, then Iran will be ready to talk. The United States demands that Iran cease and desist from its' nuclear highway before negotiations can be arranged. Iran continues to play with uranium enrichment and in fact is "nearly done." The Madman has stated that Iran is going to build up to 60,000 centrifuges and plans a plutonium dumping station, regardless of UN funds or un-funds. A satellite photo published on-line by FOX shows unexplained plutonium by-products. Ahmadinejad also promises to send the American people "a message" regarding his views this week. He maintains a blog at: http://www.ahmadinejad.ir/. [For some reason, the addy refused to be translated into a link so the curious will have to copy and paste the website
http://www.ahmadinejad.ir/ into their own browsers to view the site].
While some folks hold out hope that Syria and Iran will quit their evil terrorist ways in order to bring peace to the Middle East, in fact the Hama and Fatah parties have both come to an agreement over the next Prime Minister of Palestine, Mohammad Shubair has a doctorate from the University of West Virginia. Fatah President Abbas of Palestine is the one who will have the final say in the appointment. Current Prime Minister Hasniya is of the Hama and has agreed to step down from his post in order to end sanctions against Palestine. Even so, the new Palestine Unity government will not recognize Israel as a country in its own right. Or, maybe it will under President Abbat's leadership be able to have a working compromise between the ideology of the Hama and the more moderate position of the Fatah. Or maybe the new combined government will act as a puppet for the Hama. Only time will tell.
Quite honestly, I have no trust that the governments of Iran, Syria, Lebanon, or Palestine will do anything that they say they will. Iran has nuclear capacity which is building and will probably bomb the crap out of Israel, whether Israel makes good on that "fear Israel" threat or not. Palestine will continue to be run by the Hamas covertly. Syria is Iran's buddy, Tony Blair notwithstanding. Lebanon just had several key governmental officials quit and is not stable enough to help in waging war for peace or freedom in any event. And let's not forget that Iran's Madman of the Hour looks incredibly like one of the student-leaders-turned-terrorists of twenty-seven years ago. I only hope that his promised message to the american people is not a bomb, biological warfare, or other such goodie. If it is, he will lose his american fans over at his blog site and no dictator of a bloody regime can afford that.
radical sapphoq
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