Comprehensive Immigration reform ?

As the son of poor Mexican immigrants, I'm skeptical about comprehensive immigration reform aimed at helping undocumented workers in this xenophobic climate.

While both Republicans and Democrats speak about America's dysfunctional immigration policies and the desperate need for immigration reform, the primary consensus between both political parties focuses on the need for tougher enforcement. The focus here is to criminalize undocumented immigrants, deporting them and preventing future low-wage immigrants from entering this country.

Where's the humane discourse in this political debate? Are we not talking about human beings with ambitions and dreams to better themselves and their families? Are we not talking about vulnerable individuals who sacrifice so much with their bodies and labor power so that Americans can live more comfortable lives?

The Obama Admin. and Latin America

Muscling Latin America

By Greg Grandin
The Nation
February 8, 2010
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20100208/grandin

In September Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa,
delivered on an electoral promise and refused to renew
Washington's decade-old, rent-free lease on an air base
outside the Pacific coast town of Manta, which for the
past ten years has served as the Pentagon's main South
American outpost. The eviction was a serious effort to
fulfill the call of Ecuador's new Constitution to
promote "universal disarmament" and oppose the
"imposition" of military bases of "some states in the
territory of others." It was also one of the most
important victories for the global demilitarization
movement, loosely organized around the International
Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases,
since protests forced the US Navy to withdraw from
Vieques, Puerto Rico, in 2003. Correa, though, couldn't
resist an easy joke. "We'll renew the lease," he
quipped, "if the US lets us set up a base in Miami."
Funny. Then Washington answered with a show of force:
take away one, we'll grab seven. In late October the
United States and Colombia signed an agreement granting
the Pentagon use of seven military bases, along with an
unlimited number of as yet unspecified "facilities and
locations." They add to Washington's already
considerable military presence in Colombia, as well as
in Central America and the Caribbean.

Cornel West calls out Barack Obama

On Truthdig

http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/cornel_west_calls_out_barack_obama_20100124/

Report on aid to Haiti

 A news report of Paul and Leisa's aid to Haiti is up.
here.  http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=73936

Mexican union workers seek solidarity

Humberto Montes de Oca, ( left)  of the Mexican Electrical Workers,  spoke to workers in Sacramento and Stockton California on Jan. 24, 2010, as a part of a tour of California unions sponsored by the San Francisco Central labor Council, LACLAA,  and endorsed by the Sacramento Central Labor Council.

 Montes de  Oca described how the 44,000 Electrical workers in Central Mexico have been locked out of their jobs since October 10, 2009  when the government of Mexican President Felipe Calderon, took control of the company and closed it. The conservative government  used the economic crisis of last year to seize a valuable resource that belonged to the people of Mexico.

Cuba, Venezuela help Haiti,

Ironically, corporate media in the United States, because
they are monolingual and do not read Spanish or Creole, are
cheerleading the arrival of Canadians and U.S. planes late on
Wednesday, the fact is that the first responders came from
Venezuela, which sent its air force with medics, food and
equipment a few hours after the tragedy. Cuba, which already
had 344 medical doctors on the ground, sent more teams with
151 more specialized medical doctors (including the Reed
brigade that was offered to the Bush administration to help
in New Orleans) that arrived (Cubans already had two tent
hospitals serving 800 wounded), the Dominican Republic which
sent a 20 member Urban Rescue team, and through which Puerto
Rico attempted to coordinate and sent a team of three
helicopters, dozens of urban rescuers (who had earlier served
in New York during 9/11 attack) and 20 structural engineers.
However, Puerto Rico was unable to send them as quickly as
they wished; at least until last night (1/16/2010) teams of
technicians with water purifying systems, communications and
military police did not receive permission from the Southern
Command. As a colony of the United States, they had to wait
for approval from the U.S. Southern command. God forbid
Puerto Ricans and Latinos upstaged the U.S. rescue efforts.

[Victor M. Rodriguez Domínguez is a professor of sociology of
race and ethnicity in the Department of Chicano and Latino
Studies, California State University, Long Beach, his most
recent book is Latino Politics in the United States: Race,
Ethnicity, Class and Gender in the Mexican American and
Puerto Rican Experience (Kendall Hunt, 2005)]

__________________

Haiti Journal #4

Our allies Leisa and Paul got in to deliver relief supplies. Here is a report.
Help us raise emergency funds for medical supplies to Haiti! Checks can be sent to CHILDREN's HOPE at the address below.
saving lives.

2010 Haiti Journal #4 January 17, 2010

Matthew 25 House

We got in!

What a relief! And the miracles keep happening. Neil Kopple, (yes, a relation) donated his time, his jet and his bagels to the cause. After "Clean The World"'s Shawn Seiple connected us with Neil, a humanitarian/benefactor who generously flew us into the U.S. Air Force controlled Port au Prince airport, then handed us bag after bag of fresh bagels and cream cheese.

The tower was down, the terminal in shambles and coated with a layer of water, and yet things ran with amazing success and a chaotic sort of precision. Though there was a moment just before landing that our co-pilot (Paul Burke) later reported to us that we lost audio connection with ground control. Our hats are off to Neil for volunteering to fly us in his amazing little jet with just a 20 minute window each way, for meeting the challenge of getting us there safely, and as the volunteers at Matthew 25 House would say was his shinning moment, got the bagels here intact.

Such a trivial thing seems almost frivolous, but for the team of 20 who have been working without sleep treating the earthquake victims, it made for just a moment of relief from the non-stop emotions that come with staving off death against all odds.

I worked the afternoon away in the drug room, organizing and dispensing meds. Everyone had their niche. But at the end of the day, our reward was to be welcomed at a circle gathering service performed by the local priest. Beautiful voices filled the air as sunset brought a cooling breeze, and we were transformed for a moment out of the soccer field full of the wounded and their families. We saw the stars again for a moment, and were reminded of one of the beautiful things about Haiti, their endless spirit and courage. Around the long table as we shared soup and bagels, I heard such a story. The woman to my left held out a small bill and said she had a story to tell...we grew quiet as her moist eyes signaled we should. She said she was given this money by a woman who had suffered a bad foot injury, and without treatment was now expected to die of gangrene. She had lost her home and her husband, but not her spirit. She told my new friend that this was the last of her money, and asked her to take it, and writing her name on a small bit of paper, along with those of her children, asked my friend to find her children. She was kind and gentle...living up to her last name: Tenderness. Not a bit of self-pity, though she earned it, not expressing any anger though she could have justified that...she actually tried to cheer up those around her. My friend was scheduled to return home soon, but after she shared this story, she turned to her husband, and said, this (showing the paper wrapped small bill) is why we can't go home.



Peace, always and all ways, leisa

Leisa Faulkner,Founder
Children's Hope

3025 A Cambridge Road,
Cameron Park, CA 95682

Earthquake in Haiti: Relief needed

Dear Friends,

As you all know, Haiti's capital city of Port au Prince has been devastated by a catastrophic earthquake. Children's Hope, our humanitarian organization, has been serving the poorest of the poor in Port au Prince for several years. As I type this, Leisa and I are making arrangements to travel to Port au Prince to deliver medical supplies to a clinic we support in Cite Soleil, Haiti's largest and poorest slum. We hope to leave this Friday morning and arrive in Port au Prince Saturday.

If you would like to offer your solidarity as we support our Haitian sisters and brothers, please respond to this message with a monetary pledge for CHILDREN'S HOPE -- then drop a check in the mail to us at CHILDREN's HOPE, 3025A Cambridge Rd., Cameron Park, CA 95682. Any amount you can afford to contribute is very much appreciated. If you would prefer to donate online you can support our good friends at The Lamp for Haiti at their website: http://www.lampforhaiti.org/. We have worked closely with them for some time and know that every dollar you donate will go to those most in need.

From the botom of our hearts we thank you for your solidarity and generosity at this difficult time. As they say in Haiti, many hands make the burden lighter.

In Peace & Solidarity,
Paul & Leisa

Earthquake in Haiti: Relief needed

Dear Friends,

Help us raise emergency funds for medical supplies to Haiti! Checks can be sent to CHILDREN's HOPE at the address below.
saving lives.

As you probably have seen today, a huge earthquake (7.3) has hit Haiti just 10 miles southwest of the center of Port-au-Prince (PAP). Children's Hope needs your help. Three of the major centers of our humanitarian work in Haiti are centered in PAP, are still not responsive and we are very concerned for the children and families: the boys home (St. Josephs) is located on Delmas, PAP, Sopudep School (for street children) is in PAP, and "The Lamp" free clinic is in low lying Cite Soleil, PAP. Early reports have many structures down on Delmas, the presidential palace in collapse, and the large local hospital is down. Fear of rising water may further threaten the low laying Cite Soleil, where our clinic "The Lamp" is located. I have not been successful in getting through by phone. We here are sick with worry at early reports like the one below. If you have a few dollars to spare, lives will be saved. We are sending emergency funds starting tomorrow, and then as soon as pledges come in, since the need is urgent. We also really need to raise shipping money for the supplies already donated by a local hospital here (Marshall Hospital of Placerville) to send these supplies to Haiti. 
If you pledge, please remember to then send the check to Children's Hope. But please pledge now, so we can get new medicines ordered now, and help on the way. 

peace, always and all ways, Leisa Faulkner


U.S. Embassy employees reported seeing a number of bodies in the street, but the extent of casualties is unknown, State Department Spokesman Philip J. Crowley said in a briefing today.

“There’s going to be serious loss of life,” Crowley said. (Bloomberg News)

Zelenka, a Catholic Relief Services representative in Port-au-Prince, told U.S. colleagues before phone service failed that "there must be thousands of people dead," according to a spokeswoman for the aid group, Sara Fajardo. (Mercury News.com)

 

 

Leisa Faulkner, Founder

 

Children's Hope

3025 A Cambridge Road

Cameron Park, CA 95682

 

 

Legalization would create jobs

CNN:

Legalization of the more than 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the United States would raise wages, increase consumption, create jobs and generate more tax revenue, two policy institutes say in a joint report Thursday.

The report by the Center for American Progress and the American Immigration Council estimates that “comprehensive immigration reform that legalizes currently unauthorized immigrants and creates flexible legal limits on future immigration” would yield at least $1.5 trillion in added U.S. gross domestic product over a 10-year period.

“This is a compelling economic reason to move away from the current ‘vicious cycle’ where enforcement-only policies perpetuate unauthorized migration and exert downward pressure on already low wages, and toward a ‘virtuous cycle’ of worker empowerment in which legal status and labor rights exert upward pressure on wages,” study author Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda writes.

Murders of resistance activists in Honduras

By Joseph Shansky

Upside Down World

December 23, 2009

http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/2278/1/

   "As a revolutionary I will be today, tomorrow

   and forever on the front lines of my people,

   all the while knowing that I may lose my life."

   - Walter Trochez, 25, murdered in Tegucigalpa

   on December 13.

The bodies of slain activists are piling up in

Honduras. While it's being kept quiet in most Honduran

and international media, the rage is building among a

dedicated network of friends spreading the word quickly

with the tragic announcement of each companero/a.

Now that the world heard from mainstream news outlets

such as the New York Times of a "clean and fair"

election on Nov. 29 (orchestrated by the US-supported

junta currently in power), the violence has increased

even faster than feared.

The specific targets of these killings have been those

perceived as the biggest threats to the coup

establishment. The bravest, and thus the most

vulnerable: Members of the Popular Resistance against

the coup. Their friends and family. People who provide

the Resistance with food and shelter. Teachers,

students, and ordinary citizens who simply recognize

the fallacy of an un-elected regime taking over their

country. All associated with the Resistance have faced

constant and growing repercussions for their courage in

protesting the coup. With the international community

given the green light by the US that democratic order

has returned via elections, it's open season for

violent forces in Honduras working to tear apart the

political unity of the Resistance Front against the

coup.

The killings are happening almost faster than they can

be recorded.

Fraud in Honduran elections

Election report.  In Spanish.

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=4654

Gutierrez introduces a new immigration bill

Congressman Luis Gutierrez Introduces Immigration Bill

Below is a summary of the immigration reform legislation introduced by Congressman Luis Gutierrez and many other members of the U.S. Congress. We would qualify this legislative initiative as a very good beginning of the immigration debate about the character of immigration reform that is good for immigrants and good for America.We find much more to support in this legislation than to recommend for improvements and call on all immigrant communities to review it closely, draw your own conclusions, and make your voices heard. The debate now begins. We certainly will do our part to make the information available to our constituents, organize informational forums and hearings, make our recommendations and suggestions known to the legislators, and mobilize our community in favor of the best possible deal that we can get under the dire circumstances that we currently face in the country.
We applaud Congressman Luis Gutierrez for his perseverance, his colleagues of the various congressional caucuses, and the many organizations, churches, and unions that played a role in bringing to light this legislation. Now the really tough fight begins to seeing it through to the U.S. Senate - secure a comparable companion bill - and corraling enough votes for its approval in 2010 with the signature of the president.

Brazil's differences with Washington are Positive

Mark Weisbrat 

Over the last decade an epoch-making political change has taken place in the Western Hemisphere: Latin America, a region that was once considered the United States' "back yard," is now more independent of Washington than Europe is.

But while Latin America has changed, U.S. foreign policy has not - even now, with the election of President Obama. Hence the region, including Brazil, finds itself increasingly at odds with Washington. The military coup in Honduras is just one recent and glaring example.

Socialist Morales wins re-election in Bolivia

With Victory, Morales and Social Movements Confront New
Challenges in Bolivia

By Tanya Kerssen
Bolivian president Evo Morales and his political party,
the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS), won a resounding
victory in the presidential elections this past Sunday,
December 6. The nearest challengers, Manfred Reyes
Villa and his running mate Leopoldo Fernandez--whose
current address is a La Paz prison, where he stands
accused of ordering the murder of pro-government
peasants --represent an old political and economic order
that has used sedition and violence in an effort to
obstruct and destabilize the Morales government.

The old order and the new are locked in a struggle for
the future of Bolivia. "The social movements are
critical for presidents to be able to create a new
alternative," declared Bolivian Foreign Minister David
Choquehuanca in the tropical city of Cochabamba in
October at a summit of leftist Latin American
presidents, including Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and
Ecuador's Rafael Correa. At the parallel Social
Movements Summit comprised of 700 delegates from 40
countries, Isaac Avalos, leader of the Bolivian
Peasants Federation promised to help "bury the
opposition" in the election.

Read the entire article here:  http://globalalternatives.org/node/110

Justice for Nativo Lopez

Justice for Nativo Lopez and Overhill Farms Workers
"An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Martin Luther King, Jr.
Fact Sheet
INTRODUCTION. Nativo Lopez is known nationally for his organizing and support of immigrants, workers, and students. As president of the Mexican American Political Association and national director of the Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana, Nativo is a vocal advocate for the rights of undocumented immigrants who face persecution because of their status: be it at their workplace, school, or communities. Most recently he founded a new independent union, the General Brotherhood of Workers International Union, and has been working closely with terminated employees from the company Overhill Farms and assisting in their fight against unjust firings. Overhill Farms is the largest food processing and manufacturing company in California with between 800 and 1,000 employees, based in the city of Vernon, and supplies packaged food product to companies such as Jenny Craig, Panda Express, El Pollo Loco, American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Safeway, and many other super-market chain stores.
· Nativo faces eight felony charges by the Los Angeles District Attorney, Steve Cooley, that include: fraudulent voter registration, fraudulent document filing, perjury, and fraudulent voting. On July 8th, 2009, Nativo declared himself "NOT GUILTY" to a judge during his arraignment. These charges are based on allegations that he used a business address (of his organization) to register to vote and vote in an election, while allegedly residing at a different location. The period in question was January 2006 to March 2008. He voted on one single occasion, and never in multiple jurisdictions. The California Secretary of State investigated the case for one-and-a-half years, while the department could have decided to take administrative action, instead turned it over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney for prosecution.

Uruguay Elects leftist, former guerrilla

Written by Darío Montero

Monday, 30 November 2009

  Left-wing candidate José Mujica was elected

president of Uruguay with nearly 52 percent of the vote

Sunday, seven to eight percentage points ahead of his

rival, the right-wing Luis Alberto Lacalle, according

to projections by pollsters.

Mujica, a former senator and agriculture minister, will

take over from socialist President Tabaré Vázquez on

Mar. 1, to head the second administration of the

leftist Broad Front coalition.

Eduardo Galeano on elections in Uruguay and Honduras

Whitewashing Elections in Honduras

by Lisa Sullivan

School of The Americas Watch.

And now, the second bath of whitewash was even more

challenging, especially since the first whitewash

proved to be kind of thin and exposed the words from

below. Thus, it didn't really convince many. As a

matter of fact, it didn't convince anyone except the

United States government (or woops, maybe they actually

helped to stir the first batch), Now, the challenge of

November 29th whitewash was to transform the civilian

coup into a shining electoral display of freedom,

fairness and grand participation so that all the world

would say, "wow, that Honduran coup is gone. Now

Honduras has a real and wonderful democracy, End of

story".

Except that it's probably the beginning of a story. One

that we thought had been left to rest in Latin America

years and years ago. One of fear and repression and

deaths and disappearances. We know the litany all too

well, and we remember the names of its thousands of

victims each November. This year we had to add too many

new names from Honduras. And, if our government chooses

to recognize these elections, this massive whitewash, I

fear that many more names will be read from the stage

in front of Ft. Benning next year. And perhaps not just

from Honduras.

Trumka: Free Elections not possible in Honduras

The Obama Administration fails the test of democracy.

Trumka: Free Elections Not Possible Now in Honduras
Posted By James Parks On November 16, 2009 (2:26 pm) In Legislation & Politics

The continued repression of trade unionists by the regime set up in Honduras after a June 28 coup makes it impossible to hold free and fair elections, says AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in a Nov. 13 letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Trumka points out that delegates to the AFL-CIO Convention in September passed a resolution calling on the U.S. government to suspend military aid to Honduras until President Manuel Zelaya, the democratically elected leader, is returned to office and human and trade union rights have been restored.

Click here to read the convention resolution on Honduras and here to read Trumka's letter.

With an illegitimate government in power, scheduled elections later this month cannot be fair, free and open, Trumka says.


The New York Times
November 26, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/world/americas/26honduras.html

BRASILIA (Reuters) - The United States risks souring
relations with much of Latin America if it recognizes a
presidential election in Honduras on Sunday, the
foreign policy adviser to President Luiz Inácio Lula da
Silva of Brazil said in an interview on Wednesday.

The de facto leader of Honduras, Roberto Micheletti,
has said he hopes the election will end a political
crisis that began when soldiers placed President Manuel
Zelaya on an airplane and sent him into exile on June
28.