I attended an advance screening of a new documentary which debuts tomorrow night (October 12) on Iowa Public Television at 7 PM, entitled Train to Nowhere: Inside an Immigrant Death Investigation.
If you live in Iowa, I simply want to say: "Don't miss the train."
If you don't access IPTV (and I realize that most of the world does not) you are not out of luck. The DVD is available for purchase for a measly $15 on the film website. It is well worth it!
I reviewed it this morning, and will send you over to Allvoices if you care to learn more about this intersection of Iowa and the national immigration debate. The film trailer sits atop this post.
Train to Nowhere collaborators, Colleen Bradford Krantz and Paul Kakert, led a Q & A after the Davenport, IA screening yesterday with an appreciative crowd of about 150. The nonjudgmental approach, a path they chose and consistently insisted upon throughout the making of the film, bore fruit in this 60 minute tool that groups will find most productive because it promotes dialogue and understanding, two elements sadly lacking in an emotionally charged national debate on immigration.
In a move apparently designed to take all the fun out of the Executive Office, The Center For Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the American Civil Liberties Uniontoday filed a brief in federal court. It responded to the Obama administration's claim that no court should be able to limit the executive's authority to use lethal force against U.S. citizens if the executive has unilaterally determined that those people pose a threat to the nation. It seems that these two spoilsport groups had the nerve to challenge the government's claimed authority to carry out targeted killings of U.S. citizens outside the context of armed conflict who do not pose an imminent threat. I guess some certain people must not even trust the government!
"If the government's arguments were accepted, the current administration and every future administration would have unreviewable authority to carry out targeted killings of Americans deemed to be enemies of the state," said Jameel Jaffer, Deputy Legal Director of the ACLU. "While that power would be limited to contexts of armed conflict, the government has argued that the armed conflict against al Qaeda extends everywhere, indefinitely. This is an extraordinary and unprecedented claim, and one that we urge the courts to reject unequivocally. The courts have a crucial role to play in ensuring that the government's counterterrorism policies are consistent with the Constitution."
The groups responded specifically to the government's claim that the executive's targeted killing authority is a "political question" that should not be subject to judicial review and to its claim that litigation of the case would require the disclosure of state secrets.
"While the administration has publicly declared global war powers to target and kill U.S. citizens and others wherever they may be, when it comes time to defend and explain its breathtaking claims in court, the administration dodges the issue and raises the specter of national security to persuade the court that it should not – indeed, cannot – inquire further, and to trust the executive," said CCR attorney Pardiss Kebriaei. "The court should reject the notion that it has no role in determining the constitutional rights of a U.S. citizen and in defining the constitutional parameters of the president's asserted power."
For more information on the case, including fact sheets and legal papers, visit:www.ccrjustice.org/targetedkillings and www.aclu.org/targetedkillings. ----------- Photo caption: Whoops! Billie, distracted while the posing for the photo shot, failed to notice that the executive unilaterally determined that she posed a threat to the nation! (Pay better attention next time, Billie. You could be the target of something more than a photo shot.)
-- Block Fixes to Broken Immigration System but Benefit From Its Dysfunction--
The news that Lou Dobbs relied for years on undocumented labor on his sprawling New Jersey estate highlights the rank hypocrisy that characterizes many immigration reform opponents. The Dobbs revelations, coming soon after similar charges levied against California Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman, highlights an uncomfortable truth: many of the same people who block progress toward fixing the broken immigration system are exploiting its dysfunction for their own benefit.
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America's Voice, "Lou Dobbs has a Meg Whitman problem. Not only is it incredibly hypocritical that those calling for greater immigration enforcement and blocking sensible reform are prospering from undocumented labor themselves, but it also reveals the inanity of letting these opponents drive immigration policy." Dobbs long used his CNN show as a platform to bash immigrants and rally opposition to immigration reform - even through blatant lies, like spreading the story that immigrants are causing a resurgence in diseases like leprosy. Dobbs also called for felony charges for "illegal employers who hire illegal aliens."
The revelations about Dobbs hiring undocumented workers, uncovered through the investigative journalism of The Nation, comes on the heels of similar allegations that have rocked the California gubernatorial contest between Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown. Whitman, the Republican nominee, relied on an undocumented housekeeper for nine years, despite trumpeting during her campaign that she would be "tough as nails" on undocumentedimmigrants and their employers.
In an editorial accompanying their investigation into Lou Dobbs, The Nationwrites, "Of course Whitman and Dobbs are hypocrites: they have called publicly for tougher enforcement of immigration laws, claiming it is necessary to protect American workers and their wages, while privately refusing fair pay and humane treatment to their own immigrant workers, who were too afraid of getting caught in the enforcement net to stand up for their rights." The editorial then points out that "undocumented workers are so thoroughly woven into the fabric of our economy that even two professional immigrant-bashers found it difficult to avoid relying on their labor."
Instead of the dysfunctional status quo, we need "a straightforward path to legalization" so immigrant laborers could "step out of the shadows of the US economy and stand with American workers to demand decent treatment for all.
That might make it slightly more expensive for Lou Dobbs to maintain his multimillion-dollar properties, but it's a price he ought to pay" (as The Nation's editorial concluded). Indeed, the American people strongly and consistently favor a comprehensive solution to immigration reform and, despite the efforts of the Dobbses and Whitmans of the world, understand that enforcement-only policies are neither sensible, humane, nor workable.
Text credit: America's Voice; Image by Pikipimp.com and Billie Greenwood who thinks that the endless mouth-flapping of "talking heads" like Lou Dobbs is counter-productive to progress.
The Department of Homeland Security held a press conference today spinning recent immigration enforcement data. In response, Pablo Alvarado, director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network issued the following statement:
"Broken immigration laws should not be multiplied. In an effort to score political points, Obama Administration immigration enforcement initiatives have imperiled community safety, separated families, eroded hard-earned civil rights protections, and created a domestic human rights crisis. This administration can not continue to have it both ways: it can not simply blame Congress for inaction while ramping up enforcement of unjust status quo laws. It is a travesty that Secretary Napolitano continues to use her home state of Arizona as a blueprint for DHS policy."
Chris Newman, NDLON's legal director and general counsel added:
"We will continue to litigate our Freedom of Information Act request to uncover the truth about programs like Secure Communities. Both the left and the right should unite in their opposition to programs that have been deployed in secret and expanded the net of Department of Homeland Security with immeasurable impacts on basic civil liberties. S-Comm is a bad idea, it has been deployed with deception, and jurisdictions are increasingly saying 'no thanks' to the program. Secretary Napolitano's home state of Arizona has proven why it's dangerous to use local police as 'force multipliers' to amplify broken immigration laws. It's time for a public debate about whether we want use local police to enforce federal civil law codes."
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images. Caption: WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 06: Harris County,TexasSheriff Adrian Garcia (2R) talks about theDepartment of Homeland Security's Secure Communities program during a news conference with (L-R) Homeland Security SecretaryJanet Napolitano,Los AngelesCounty Sheriff Lee Baca and Immigration and Customs Enforcement DirectorJohn MortonOctober 6, 2010 in Washington, DC. Morton said that almost 400,000 illegal aliens had been removed in fiscal year 2010, half of whom were convicted criminals. Napolitano also announced that the Secure Communities program is in 660 jurisdictions and that ICE has audited more than 3200 employers suspected of hiring illegal laborers. ----- This data indicates that ICE deported 197,000 non-criminal family members last year. Obama's administration has beaten Bush's immigration deportation records.
I've added the emphasis to quotations in the text above.
Man-O-Man, I would love to snag this prize!!~ --Facebook fans can win balloon ride for two during the city’s most iconic event--
Albuquerque, NM – The Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB) along with Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Company are offering Albuquerque Facebook Fans the chance to win a hot-air balloon ride for two during the 2010 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. One lucky Albuquerque Facebook fan will win this ultimate experience scheduled for Thursday, October 7th.
To qualify entrants must “Like” Albuquerque’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/visitAlbuquerque.
One winner will receive the $812 value package:
-A balloon ride for two people on Thursday, October 7th from Balloon Fiesta Park
-One parking pass for Balloon Fiesta Park General Parking
-Admission to Balloon Fiesta for two people on Thursday, October 7th for the morning events
Entries will be accepted through 10am MST on Wednesday, October 6th, and the winner will be notified via email. Public announcement of the winner will be made on Facebook. One entry per person.
“Flying among over 500 balloons is an experience that one will never forget. It is truly majestic and awe-inspiring – the ultimate Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta experience. Good luck to all our Albuquerque Facebook fans,” said Dale Lockett, President/CEO of the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Just outside Granville, IL is a slice of rural, harvest pleasure: Boggio's Orchard and Produce. An autumn weekend sees lots of visitors at Boggio's, and there's plenty of family fun to enjoy.
The slide show just gives you a little sample. I've been there, and I recommend it!
Last Friday, September 24th, the FBI raided the homes of, and served Grand Jury subpoenas to, Hatem Abudayyeh, Executive Director of the Arab American Action Network (AAAN), and several other anti-war activists in Chicago, Michigan, and Minneapolis, and questioned others in North Carolina and California—essentially attempting to criminalize their strong and tireless advocacy against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and support for the rights of the peoples of Palestine and Colombia.
For many years, Hatem Abudayyeh has led the social services, cultural outreach, adult education, and youth development programming of the AAAN; and has advocated for the civil and human rights of Arabs and other immigrants in the U.S., as well as Palestinians and oppressed peoples across the world. The Arab American Action Network denounces the raids on the homes of, and the serving of Grand Jury subpoenas to, these anti war activists in Chicago and across the country. The FBI has overstepped its boundaries and targeted individuals based on their commitment to peacefully challenge U.S. policies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Colombia.
The raids are unfounded and have violated these activists’ constitutional rights of free speech and freedom of assembly, rights that are supposed to be guaranteed without intimidation in the United States. Furthermore, the raids are a waste of taxpayer dollars and are direct attempts to intimidate, as well as silence, these activists, their communities, and any voice of dissent.
We, as members of the Board of Directors of the Arab American Action Network, condemn this attack on our Executive Director, which is another in a long list of attacks on our community. We stand in support of him and the other activists fighting for peace, justice, and an end to unjust U.S. policies across the world.
And we encourage participation in the national day of action on Monday, October 4th—call Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General (202-353-1555), and demand that the Department of Justice end its harassment of anti-war and international solidarity activists, return all materials seized in the raids, and stop the Grand Jury subpoenas. ~ AAAN Board Statement on FBI Raids ---------- The Arab American Action Network (AAAN)is a nonprofit, grassroots, community-based organization working to improve the social, economic and political conditions of Arab immigrants and Arab Americans in the Chicago metropolitan area.
from YouTube posting: Lawyers at the Minneapolis, MN, September 27, 2010, rally in solidarity with the seven citizens targeted by FBI raids on September 24 discussed some of the frightening new personal liberty issues raised by this raid.
A July ruling by the Supreme Court can threaten First Amendment rights in many ways. The current law and the FBI interpretation of it suggest that is may be possible to be targeted by talking to someone about talking to someone who may be on the governments list of terrorist organization. The previous standard was about providing aid, now talking may be a crime.
WASHINGTON - U.S. military veterans hung an enormous banner on the front of the Newseum at 555 N. Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. this afternoon at 1 PM, wrapping their message around the First Amendment chiseled in five stories of limestone.
Opposed to the wars and occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Palestine, the vets' message said loud and clear: "MR. OBAMA: END THESE FUCKING WARS! WAR IS THE OBSCENITY."
Several veterans dropped the banner down the front of the Newseum, while others distributed special edition copies of the War Crimes Times, explaining the action and what they considered obscene.
"The American public should be shocked that we are still killing and crippling thousands of innocent people in these countries as well as our own soldiers -- that's what's truly obscene," said Mike Ferner,59 who served as a navy corpsman during Vietnam.
"Blowing people's arms and legs off, burning, paralyzing them, causing sewage to run through their streets, polluting the water that kills and sickens children, terrorizing and bombing people and their livestock with flying robots-- that defines obscenity. If this banner shocks and offends a single person who hasn't been shocked and offended by what's being done in our name, we've accomplished our misson."
Veterans and activists taking part in the event include Ken Mayers, Kim Carlyle, Mike Ferner, Bruce Berry, Debbie Tolson, Nic Abramson,Tarak Kauff, Mike Hearington, Will Covert and Elliott Adams of Veterans For Peace.
Activists along the U.S.-Mexico border lament the divisions that increasingly separate the border community.
This summer photographer Maria Teresa Fernandez recorded another assault on international harmony at Friendship Park, a recreation area that lies directly on the division between California and Mexico, between greater San Diego and Tijuana. Watch a new and menacing observation tower emerge in a place of friendship:
"Friendship Park" now contains towers of animosity.
Mexico is building its own wall on its southern border with Guatemala. But it is impossible to prevent human migration with walls. Is this the direction we want our world to proceed?
Women workers on the U.S.-Mexico border launched a campaign last week to demand federal attention and national support for women's efforts to create jobs and security on the border with a call for a summit on women and development on the border. Major funding sources along the border exclude women workers. Women's programs--plans that would provide economic security and long term development to their families and communities-need and deserve funding.
Border women workers are angry that their livelihoods, their communities, and futures are written off as "unfortunate but necessary casualties." In reality, women and their families are the focal point of the poverty, violence, and discrimination generated in today's border environment.
First with NAFTA, and now with the "war on drugs" and border security, both the federal government and the transnationals have left women and their families to live and die amidst the border's poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment. The women are demanding an end to this negligence and abandonment.
Women workers on the border demand security and jobs
Border communities reel with overall unemployment percentages topping 10% overall, with even higher rates for women workers. Border communities like El Paso aren't creating enough jobs to absorb the unemployed with college degrees, let alone the women workers who frequently are not as qualified. The President and Congress are committing billions of dollars to create jobs, promote development and strengthen border security. But few resources or policies are directed towards solutions to problems faced by the women and their families. Their conditions are worsened by government's policies.
Instead, U.S. transnationals operate maquilas, and those seeking to profit from the violence and poverty in Ciudad Juarez and Mexico are reaping in millions of dollars. Grassroots organizations, especially those led by low-income women on the border, are excluded.
Why do we invest in infrastructure benefiting transnational corporations and not in community-led development? Women refuse to accept this fate. Organized and resilient, they pursue their own version of security and employment.
La Mujer Obrera in El Paso is one such example. Through their daycare program, restaurant, festival marketplace, museum, media center, education programs, micro enterprise incubator, and artisan import company, women are creating genuine border security.
And there are other communities of low income women on the border who, like La Mujer Obrera dream of creating spaces where cultural arts and grassroots micro-enterprises can flourish. This restores economy, pride, and dignity in women's neighborhoods.
Experts cite the efficacy of investment in low-income communities and women's development efforts. Studies by Policy Link and the National Women's Law Center document that need as a priority. But local and national media focus instead on border violence and security issues. This misses the solutions that border women can implement when they have the meaningful investment of resources.
Women workers in El Paso, with the support of La Mujer Obrera, call on women throughout the border region to bring attention to these issues:
President Obama and border Congressional representatives need to convene a summit to identify strategies to support and invest in border women workers' development.
Public-private initiatives need to prioritize border women's efforts to restore their communities from the damaging effects of international trade policies.
To focus on the issue, they've launched a drive to register women who are seeking employment in the region.
The needs and benefits of investing in low-income communities and women's development efforts have been documented in various studies. Yet, the women say they are "fighting our hardest battle ever - sustainability in the weakest U.S. economy in decades and a future being designed without us."
The conditions of women on the border are urgent. They need, they say, justice and equity now.
