Looking together in the same direction.
Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
"Dear World, From America"
Dear World,
We felt we needed to say something while saying something is still allowed.
We know many of you have lived under malevolent, unhinged Dictators before, but this is new for us. For its history our nation has been led by men who, despite their varying flaws and deficiencies, some of which were quite disturbing—were by and large, normal human beings. Whatever darkness in them, they had at the very least, a baseline of humanity and decency that more often than not insured rational behavior.
This man is not normal.
He is unstable, malignant, devoid of integrity—and he does not speak for us.
Please understand that nearly three million more people voted for his opponent Hillary Clinton than for him. (Yes, we realize this is completely screwed-up). Millions more voted for other candidates, and sadly nearly 90 million of our people did not vote at all. The point is, the vast majority of Americans are not with him. He does not speak for us. His America is not our America.
Over the past week, we’ve watched long erected pillars of our Republic bulldozed in the stroke of a madman’s pen. We’ve seen the very hallmarks of who we are as a nation tossed in the garbage; the celebration of diverse coexistence, the open welcome to the oppressed, the guarantee of inalienable rights for every person, the same access to health and opportunity and safety afforded to everyone, the freedom to speak without censor or restraint. At this moment these are all in great jeopardy.
Things we took for granted in our leadership: things like goodness, wisdom, and basic truthfulness are no longer in play, and as things are eroding quickly, we wanted to let you know that we’re sorry.
We’re sorry that our apathy and laziness have yielded such a reckless, impulsive, small man to steward this nation.
We’re sorry for the jagged, bitter ugliness that is characterizing us in these moments.
We’re sorry to those suffering greatly, who have braved such peril to seek refuge here and who’ve now been turned away based on the faith they profess.
We’re sorry to our Mexican neighbors who’ve been fashioned into convenient villains for erecting a grandiose, wasteful display of false protection that we do not want.
We’re sorry to Muslims everywhere who’ve been used as pawns to generate irrational fear among those already susceptible to bigotry and discrimination.
We’re sorry to the leaders of the world, who instead of being met by level-headed, measured, intelligent dialogue, are now greeted with the social media rantings of a furious child.
We’re sorry to those who now experience the Christian faith as a racist, nationalistic bully pulpit wielded with malice toward the very diverse humanity Jesus lived and died for.
We’re sorry to people everywhere whose lives are made more tenuous, more violent, less safe, less secure than it has been before.
We want you to know that this is not who we are. It may be who this man is. It may be who those sharing power with him are. It may even be the tens of millions who originally voted for him (though that support is vanishing quickly among those who not among the religious zealots and extremists).
But this is not America. It is not the steady, strong beacon of freedom that it was intended to be. It is not the America our people have fought and died for. It is not the one first formed in the crucible of oppression and cast into the words of our ever-disregarded Constitution.
This is not our America. Our America affirms the inherent, priceless beauty of every human being. Our America declares that no person is ascribed less value because of their skin color, religion, gender, financial means, sexual orientation, nation of origin, or any other variable. Our America is home for those seeking hope and joy and rest.
And we are going to fight for this America. Through political channels and through grassroots activism, through the use of our Press and of our personal voices, we’re going to expose this man’s incompetence, call out his heart sickness, and condemn every violent, reckless, vicious act when it does not reflect our hearts and our will. Please do your best to disregard anything that comes from his mouth or those loudly and continually parroting his propaganda. They have proven themselves mortally allergic to the truth.
And we hope that in whatever way you can, that you will stand with us. We know that we have made this mess ourselves. We understand that you have your own problems to contend with, some far more urgent and pressing than this, but we believe that we are a single community; that we are tethered together in our Humanity, that we are in real-time crafting the life our children and their children will inherit.
Dear World, we’re sorry and we hope you’ll endure these days with us.
With Despair and Hope in equal measure, in Peace and Unity with you,
The American Majority
--JANUARY 28, 2017 / JOHN PAVLOVITZ--
Monday, January 30, 2017
We have no rights.
Denver Police to protestors at DIA: "stop doing any thing that could be construed as free speech without a permit. No carrying a copy of the Constitution without a permit." (includes video proof).
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/denver-police-to-protesters-stop-doing-anything-that-could-be-construed-as-free-speech/
The inevitability of impeachment. Please, NOW.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-inevitability-of-impeachment_us_588e8d52e4b0b065cbbcd09f
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/denver-police-to-protesters-stop-doing-anything-that-could-be-construed-as-free-speech/
The inevitability of impeachment. Please, NOW.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-inevitability-of-impeachment_us_588e8d52e4b0b065cbbcd09f
Don't be like Nero
Here is a very important article....trial balloon for a coup. It is a must read.
https://medium.com/@yonatanzunger/trial-balloon-for-a-coup-e024990891d5#.b20v5tqvn
Please get politically active, if you haven't yet. Be informed, make your voice heard to your lawmakers. Re-read that article "trial balloon for a political coup."
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Shared from FB
Please read this post if you care about what's happening to detained travelers right now. Per Mitch Ryan -- a friend working with Stephen Rooke and Stef Coyle at JFK -- says CBP agents are putting travelers (mothers, students) back on planes in defiance of the court's stay. Mitch's report is stunning.
From Mitch Ryan:
"Hi everyone,
I just returned from JFK and want to give everyone an update on the current situation before I crash.
i.) There is still a decent number of individuals with valid visas being detained by CBP -- although they refuse to tell us how many are detained or who they are. More are expected to be detained as flights begin coming in this morning and throughout the day.
So many of these stories are both heartbreaking and enraging. Yesterday I worked with an individual who had emigrated from one of the banned countries a decade ago and has served in the U.S. military for several years (and is still active duty now). His elderly mother was finally approved for permanent legal resident status, and he flew to New York to meet her when her plane landed in America. But he has not seen her. Instead, she has been detained and told she will be sent back to her country. The court order stopped her from being put on a flight back to the Middle East last night, but her situation is still very much up in the air.
Let that sink in. This person has given years of service to our country, and his own mother is being detained and turned away from the country he has fought for. Even though the United States has already approved her visa.
ii.) Unfortunately, U.S. Customers and Border Protection is frequently ignoring the federal injunction staying deportation of the detainees. There are a number of detainees who have been told they will be put on flights this morning to depart the United States.
And last night, after earlier assurances from the Terminal 7 CBP supervisor that he had personally read Judge Donnelly’s order and that CBP would ensure that they complied with it, Terminal 7 CBP forced a PhD student from a NYC college who was legally present in the U.S. with a valid F-1 Visa to board a midnight flight to Ukraine against her will. Thanks to some miraculous emergency lawyering by a team that leapt into action, they were able to compel the plane to abort its takeoff while on the tarmac and return to the gate to allow the student to de-plane into CBP’s custody. She is now back in detention at JFK; given CBP's prior conduct, it's anyone's guess for how long.
iii.) All yesterday and throughout last night, CBP officers have been pressuring detainees, for many of whom writs of habeas corpus have already been submitted, to sign documents abandoning their attempts for admission to the U.S. without allowing the detainees to speak to their attorneys. This is completely unacceptable.
------------
Unfortunately folks, this battle is just starting. It is not going to be easy, and it is not going to be quick. A huge thank you to so many of you across the country who have already answered the call for attorneys, including Stef Coyle, Stephen Rooke, Leah Casto, Caitlin Annatoyn, and anyone else I missed or who is signed up to do so soon.
For anyone looking for ways you can help further, here are a couple suggestions:
1.) If you are an attorney near an airport with detainees and you are able to assist, please sign up with IRAP to volunteer (let me know if you need the link). Anyone who can speak Arabic or Farsi would be incredibly helpful, but no language skills are necessary at all. If you are in NYC and are admitted to EDNY, that would also be very helpful. If you have immigration experience, that would be super helpful (but again, not necessary).
If you do join, please be sure to bring your computer, a charger, and a power strip (if possible) with you.
2.) Many people have already mentioned this, but IRAP and the ACLU (along with countless other organizations) have done absolutely miraculous work over the past 24 hours spearheading the on-the-ground efforts at airports across the country. They are fighting tooth and nail for these detainees. They are fighting for all of us who believe that this nation of immigrants is better because of it. There will be many more detainees to come, and their detention at the airport is just the first step. These organizations need whatever support you can offer.
IRAP: https://refugeerights.org/donate
ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/secure/donate-to-aclu
3.) Please call your elected representatives and any other officials who have not spoken out forcefully against the implementation of this executive order. Detaining and denying entry to individuals who hold valid immigration visas, all of whom have been thoroughly vetted and many of whom have already made lives here for years, should never, ever, ever be a partisan issue. Nor should CBP's failure to comply with the federal court order staying deportations.
4.) Please keep speaking out publicly and on social media. If there are marches forming today, please consider attending; if there is not one near you, consider starting your own.
We cannot relent or become complacent in the days to come. Right now there are many detainees and their families and friends who are sleeping in American airports waiting for loved ones who may never come. Your public support for these detainees is invaluable, greatly needed, and greatly appreciated."
From Mitch Ryan:
"Hi everyone,
I just returned from JFK and want to give everyone an update on the current situation before I crash.
i.) There is still a decent number of individuals with valid visas being detained by CBP -- although they refuse to tell us how many are detained or who they are. More are expected to be detained as flights begin coming in this morning and throughout the day.
So many of these stories are both heartbreaking and enraging. Yesterday I worked with an individual who had emigrated from one of the banned countries a decade ago and has served in the U.S. military for several years (and is still active duty now). His elderly mother was finally approved for permanent legal resident status, and he flew to New York to meet her when her plane landed in America. But he has not seen her. Instead, she has been detained and told she will be sent back to her country. The court order stopped her from being put on a flight back to the Middle East last night, but her situation is still very much up in the air.
Let that sink in. This person has given years of service to our country, and his own mother is being detained and turned away from the country he has fought for. Even though the United States has already approved her visa.
ii.) Unfortunately, U.S. Customers and Border Protection is frequently ignoring the federal injunction staying deportation of the detainees. There are a number of detainees who have been told they will be put on flights this morning to depart the United States.
And last night, after earlier assurances from the Terminal 7 CBP supervisor that he had personally read Judge Donnelly’s order and that CBP would ensure that they complied with it, Terminal 7 CBP forced a PhD student from a NYC college who was legally present in the U.S. with a valid F-1 Visa to board a midnight flight to Ukraine against her will. Thanks to some miraculous emergency lawyering by a team that leapt into action, they were able to compel the plane to abort its takeoff while on the tarmac and return to the gate to allow the student to de-plane into CBP’s custody. She is now back in detention at JFK; given CBP's prior conduct, it's anyone's guess for how long.
iii.) All yesterday and throughout last night, CBP officers have been pressuring detainees, for many of whom writs of habeas corpus have already been submitted, to sign documents abandoning their attempts for admission to the U.S. without allowing the detainees to speak to their attorneys. This is completely unacceptable.
------------
Unfortunately folks, this battle is just starting. It is not going to be easy, and it is not going to be quick. A huge thank you to so many of you across the country who have already answered the call for attorneys, including Stef Coyle, Stephen Rooke, Leah Casto, Caitlin Annatoyn, and anyone else I missed or who is signed up to do so soon.
For anyone looking for ways you can help further, here are a couple suggestions:
1.) If you are an attorney near an airport with detainees and you are able to assist, please sign up with IRAP to volunteer (let me know if you need the link). Anyone who can speak Arabic or Farsi would be incredibly helpful, but no language skills are necessary at all. If you are in NYC and are admitted to EDNY, that would also be very helpful. If you have immigration experience, that would be super helpful (but again, not necessary).
If you do join, please be sure to bring your computer, a charger, and a power strip (if possible) with you.
2.) Many people have already mentioned this, but IRAP and the ACLU (along with countless other organizations) have done absolutely miraculous work over the past 24 hours spearheading the on-the-ground efforts at airports across the country. They are fighting tooth and nail for these detainees. They are fighting for all of us who believe that this nation of immigrants is better because of it. There will be many more detainees to come, and their detention at the airport is just the first step. These organizations need whatever support you can offer.
IRAP: https://refugeerights.org/donate
ACLU: https://action.aclu.org/secure/donate-to-aclu
3.) Please call your elected representatives and any other officials who have not spoken out forcefully against the implementation of this executive order. Detaining and denying entry to individuals who hold valid immigration visas, all of whom have been thoroughly vetted and many of whom have already made lives here for years, should never, ever, ever be a partisan issue. Nor should CBP's failure to comply with the federal court order staying deportations.
4.) Please keep speaking out publicly and on social media. If there are marches forming today, please consider attending; if there is not one near you, consider starting your own.
We cannot relent or become complacent in the days to come. Right now there are many detainees and their families and friends who are sleeping in American airports waiting for loved ones who may never come. Your public support for these detainees is invaluable, greatly needed, and greatly appreciated."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)