Greetings again. I really thought I'd let the last few posts sit a bit, but in reading the news (yesterday now) I knew I just had to post something about the heartbreak so many immigrants are undergoing. And it's not just here in the U. S., but in other places around the world as well.
I just can not fathom how these people can live with themselves while treating other human beings so cruelly. I suppose the Milgram Experiment and the Stanford Prison Experiment explain some of it.
You can read about the "Dreamer" so recently taken into custody by ICE after speaking out. She's not even the first case that is outrageous, not even the first Dreamer case. This story details the case of an undocumented women detained after seeking a protection order against an abuser, along with mentions of some other cases. There are some who see the damage these heavy-handed crackdowns are having on the targets and their families. WHY DON'T MORE OF US?
Since Brexit, there have been many stories of folks having problems staying in the U. K. or being deported. Here is a very striking example. This woman is even in a better position than most who find themselves with similar problems, believe it or not. In the op-ed, Irene Clennell tells her story of being forced to leave her family. "I’d been in the UK since 1988, married to a British man for 27 years. Yet I was forced from my family, without legal advice, and left in Singapore with just £12." Further, she adds: "The authorities have shown their willingness to treat foreign-born people as second-class citizens, no matter how integrated we are – and, worse, treat us like criminals... During my removal from Britain I was treated like a terrorist: I was restrained by the arms, my every word written down, and there were guards on the door when I went to the toilet."
But there is more outrage to come. I think taking today's low-down prize in heartlessness is the mayor (she has so dishonored the title that NO, I won't capitalize it) of Calais, France. She is determined to put an end to folks feeding the immigrants that are coming to the area and struggling to survive. This, the article points out, will particularly hurt young people. How heartless are you when your lack concern for fellow human beings going hungry is such that you don't even want anyone else to feed them out of concern for their plight? What kind of heart, what kind of mindset is that?
This really is a challenge for all of us. Shades of "I was only following orders," one has to wonder about how folks could be so unfeeling (maybe there was something to those experiments after all...). This fine "Views" article from commmondreams challenges all of us. What would we do? And this one, also pointed out something I certainly was not aware of; Nazi death camps were right in urban areas! Joe Engel, a Holocaust survivor on the tour which gave rise to the article, said: “People say they didn’t know. All the camps were so close to the city. How could they not know? You could smell the ashes, the flesh.” In his conclusion, the author of the piece also challenges us: "What kind of witnesses shall we be?" Indeed, each in our own way, WE MUST NOT LOOK AWAY.
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Greetings... There's so much going on domestically, it's often hard to keep track of what's going on around the world. Not long ago I read the article at The Intercept concerning the situation in Yemen.
It's not at all pretty. Please do read the article. From the report: "As a result, the United Nations this week declared that Yemen is on the brink of famine."
Also this: 'And signs are that Yemen is in for more suffering at Trump’s hands. Trump’s Defense Department is reportedly considering a proposal to designate Yemen a formal battlefield in the war on terror, which would allow for an “intensified pace of operations, rather than one-off raids or drone strikes.” '
On the heels of that report, there was an air strike on a funeral which has killed at least five.
There's related material in an old post here (link to full post is below): "Back to Yemen. The Guardian has a great overview of the MSF bombings and the situation in Yemen. From the article, Ayora again : “Once more, it is civilians that bear the brunt of this war,” she said. Sadly, that has been increasingly the case with 20th Century Wars. I didn't notice a date on that UNICEF article, but I'm sure updates would show the trend is continuing."
You might consider donating to an organization which does relief efforts in Yemen, such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF) or Oxfam. I believe MSF does allow you to earmark your donation to a region or program... I have been meaning to give to them for a while, and will check into this and update.
Let's look at the corner of the world where one can find Yemen. Maybe we could send them some good vibes and prayers. First, the location of area on globe, then the area of interest in detail.
I found an unlabeled map, cropped a bit, worked with colors and put in labels. Apologies, but it turned out to be difficult to put in labels for Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan (it's VERY difficult to change stuff in Paint once you put it in...). Lebanon is country in dark blue, bottom left of Syria. Israel is just below that. And Jordan is just below Syria, bordering Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
UPDATE:
Truth is stranger than fiction for sure. Well, it turns out Ofam doesn't do earmarked donations, and when I called MSF, the first words I heard were "May I have your area code please?" They were pretty adamant about needing my phone number if I were to donate. So I searched a bit more and hit on Mercy Corps. They have a good rating and I remember also that a gal who was also on a mailing list with me spoke well of them. When I called, the representative said they a) could earmark my donation and b) were also not hard and fast needing a phone number, so I did donate there! If you're thinking of donating, I would definitely consider them. Their website: Mercy Corps
If anyone would like the phone number it is: 1-888-747-7440.
Related Post:
More Hospital Bombings...
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Updated below!
Yesterday (Thursday, actually - not sure about my time stamp) fast food workers across the country held strikes, sit-ins and the like across the country to protest for a living wage - hopefully a minimum wage of $15.00 per hour. The Guardian has a pretty good account. I read through some of the comments as I often do and I'm sad to say there are some commenters who seem to have no compassion for their fellows. I guess they don't feel "burger-flippers" deserve a living wage. It's work and I (and some other commenters, thankfully) feel that if you work full time, you deserve a living wage. The uncompassionate seemed to be sooo worried about corporate profits, I guess, soooo worried about downsizing (which is why so many are trapped in fast food jobs to begin with). Well, Seattle recently raised the minimum wage there to $15.00 per hour and it seems to be working pretty well for them. The uncompassionate magically want these people to "get better jobs." Hmmm - do they know that, according to Barbara Ehrenriech who writes extensively about these issues, changing jobs may cost a worker two weeks' wages, which they usually can't afford?
This also comes as Burger King is preparing to join with a Canadian Firm and move the - well, over all headquarters to Canada. I'm not an economist, but a lot of the anger about this deals with BK is them not having to pay as much in U. S. taxes. Some are even calling for or saying they will boycott. We'll see how that goes... Of course, BK wouldn't be the only tax dodger. What about the cruise lines, Apple, GE, just to name a few. And I hadn't known this until quite recently, but the NFL, which makes billions of dollars in profits annually, doesn't pay Federal Income Taxes! Is is somehow ok for these huge corporations to pay little or none of their "fair share" in our society, but exploit the workers who actually make their businesses work on a day-to-day basis?
What people need is - a chance. A chance to work, to earn a living wage and to provide for their families, to work for better lives. And it seems to be getting harder to do so. Have the people casting aspersions on these workers bothered to check recent grocery receipts? I found that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics that from June 2009 through May 2014 prices have increased in these areas (as % change):
Fresh Fruits - up 13.8%
Poultry - up 14.9%
Seafood - up 20.1%
Pork - up 27.0%
Eggs - up 33.1%
Beef/Veal - up 35.2%
Have hourly wages kept pace? I think not.
Then there was also this in The Guardian about food insecurity. It is a shame that we are allowing this to happen. We need to care, and to make everyone care.
So instead of being cold toward our fellow citizens, let's be in solidarity with their struggle.
UPDATE: So Wal-Mart is now going to require employees to adhere to a dress code ---- which will more than likely cost them money they probably can't spare? If you ask me, it's a terrible way for a huge corporation to treat workers. The Guardian report is here.
The House is set to consider a bill that would drastically cut food stamps (supplemental nutrition programs) ON TOP OF cuts that are already scheduled for this Fall. The vote might come Thurs. - that's TOMORROW. Please contact your representative and ask that he/she vote against HR 3102.We need to stand together and stand up for each other!
Going to the grocery store shouldn't be a challenge, should it? I'll say right out that I must count my blessings as I have a good job and am not food insecure. If you're paying attention, the data on food insecurity is really enough to give one pause.What is really is getting to me these days is the price of bread. Specifically, a good brand of multigrain or whole wheat bread. Many of them where I shop now have a regular price of more than $4.00 per loaf. To me this is totally unacceptable. A staple, a healthy staple at that, should not be priced so that it's geting out of reach. There has been much talk about this in the media recently and one point that comes out is that if a family is using Food Stamps or a Supplemental Nutrition Program - it's hard to afford healthy food choices. With the cost of healthy bread so high, I well believe it. In general, the data on poverty is just staggering. And if the cost of FOOD - something we all need - even BASIC food like bread - gets so high, it's going to just make it that much harder for people and families to tread water, let alone emerge from poverty. On top if this, many states want to reduce benefits or eligibility for their programs. Can't we do better, folks? Can't we cut elsewhere? Can't we end the loopholes so everyone pays a fair share of taxes? Can't we create more jobs here? There certainly is enough work to be done. Let's start with customer service and tech support workers. We're all tired of automated systems so how about hiring more humans! And why can't our own folks be trained in tech support instead of shipping those jobs overseas?Let's do better so we can all eat healthy and keep rising up.
The Phila. Inquirer recently ran another in an occasional series about hunger. It turns out, this one Congressional District in Phila. is probably the poorest in the entire country. The statistics are staggering. Welfare and food stamps often do not cover the necessary expenses of rent, utilities, etc., and food for a family. By the third week of the month, people, including children, are struggling just to have something to stave off starvation. Food pantries offer some help, but they only have so many resources. Their supplies are down while demand had dramatically risen.
So what should we think, what should we do? It's so easy to have a knee-jerk reaction and think someone is at fault for not working. However, in this economy, if you're without a job for any reason (say, a layoff) it's not easy to find another job - not with unemployment around 9.6%. A person or family may not be able to just pack up and move to another area to try to find work. And what about the children? It's not their fault, and many parents the Inquirer has written about try to see that their children eat first, and they eat if there's something left. Making sure children get proper nutrition is critical for their long-term development. School lunch and breakfast programs are crucial, and more should be done for them.
What should we do? First, I guess we should NEVER take our food for granted and should be thankful for it. Second, we can support local food banks, food pantries and related programs. Third, we also should work to see the government strengthen the safety net and patch some of those holes that are in it.
Aren't we taught to care for our neighbors? It just seems somewhat out of whack to me that we have those struggling just to survive and others having such luxurious lives. While it's unrealistic and impossible to eliminate all economic disparity, we should at least see that the most vulnerable among us get enough food to thrive and that the children get a good start. It's the right thing to do.
By now, most of you have probably heard that the U. S. House Agriculture Committee approved budget cuts that would cut food stamps entirely from around 300,000 people and cut school lunches and breakfasts for approximately 40,000 children. This comes as it was reported that the people who cannot afford enough food rose - to 38.2 million in 2004! Read about this shameful vote here and you can also read more details of the proposal at this site.I ask, how in good conscience can these supposed representatives of the people vote to take food from those who need it so much? I ask, how did it get to this point? How did so many of us slip into poverty? How are we letting our representatives get away with cutting programs to aid them, yet vote tax cuts for the wealthy and tax breaks for corporations? I ask, why aren't we outraged?Ladies and gentlemen, I ask that you get outraged. Find out where your representative stands on this issue. Let him or her know that you favor restoring these budget cuts that would hurt the most vulnerable among us. Don't stop there, but please spread word about this to as many people as you can. We need to put as much pressure on the House to restore these particular cuts as possible.
