NEWSBYDAVE BENNION

Thank you for visiting the site, for your comments and other contributions, and for the time you have invested in this website and this community.  I will no longer be blogging at change.org.  Going forward, you can find me at Citizen Orange or the Sanctuary.

Be well,

Dave

[Ed. In my inbox recently from Dreamer Alonso Chehade:]

I was brought to the United States from Peru when I was 14 years old. Eight years later, I am being deported for reasons I cannot comprehend. On March 14, 2009, I and a friend went to visit some friends at Western Washington University and rather than driving back home late at night we decided to stay at our friends ' place. The next morning, not being familiar with the area we took a wrong turn on the highway and ended up near the Canadian Border. I was stopped by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities and when it was discovered that I was undocumented, I was arrested and jailed for 2 weeks. I am set to be deported on September 25th with a flight ticket scheduled for September 17th to a country I barely know.I have lived in the United States for 8 years. I have never had any problems with the law. All I ever wanted to do was to go to school and have a successful career, but our broken immigration system prevented me from continuing my career path after I graduated from the University of Washington.

Unless you step up and help there is little hope that I won't be deported on September 25th. I humbly urge you to immediately take action to stop my deportation.

EZ Act Now
SIGN | CALL | FORWARD
Help Me in 3 Steps & 3 Minutes!

1) Sign my online petition. (1 min.)

NOTE: Physical Petition Form available upon request.

2) CALL & Leave a Message (2 Mins.)

@DHS Public Comment Line 202.282.8495

NOTE: This is a voicemail line.  You will not have to speak to anyone but only leave a message.  This is a direct line, which means you will not have to go through many line transfers to get to the right place.

"Use the *CALL SCRIPT / Pre-read before calling"

*CALL SCRIPT:  My name is (your full name) and I am calling regarding Jorge-Alonso Chehade's Deportation.  File Number A88-738-410.  Alonso qualifies for the DREAM Act and has a clean criminal record.  I would like to humbly request that you take action to immediately halt his deportation.  Thank you for considering my request.

PD: If mailbox is full, PLEASE try again the next day.

3) FORWARD This message to 5 More contacts (cut and paste into an email, or send the link to this blog post by email or Twitter)

For decades, Senator Ted Kennedy fought in the halls of Congress on behalf of immigrants and their families.  You can see the history of his involvement with leaders like Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez in the photos at the website of the United Farmworkers, which today mourns his passing.

Some Congress watchers may wonder how immigration reform can succeed without Kennedy working to push it through the legislative process.  I think he would find fault with that sentiment and encourage us to continue to fight.

Update: Many of my change.org co-bloggers were also inspired by the work of Senator Kennedy.  Here are the results by topic:

Animal Rights
Gay Rights
Genocide
Global Health
Global Warming
Health Care
Homelessness
Humanitarian Relief
Social Entrepreneurship
US Poverty
Women's Rights

In case my last post was a little too patriotic for some jaded, worldwise visitors to the blog, I received something upsetting in my inbox today.  It was a description from Amnesty International of the ways the U.S. government tortured many innocent men over the past several years, and sometimes children.

I studied human rights in law school. I felt upset and outraged reading Andrew Sullivan's consistent writing on torture back in 2004-05 (I'm sure he wasn't the first). I have represented asylum-seekers, some of whom had experienced unimaginable misery, in the U.S. asylum system for the past three or four years.

But after all this, I only recently came to understand in a deep, personal way the true destructive, dehumanizing impact of torture. Torture takes a person and erases that person. I don't know that I believe in good and evil, but seeing the effects of torture up close is the closest glimpse of evil that I have ever had. I did not until recently understand what torture "meant" in a moral or practical sense.

Reaching that realization and then remembering that the government to which I send part of my income every year to spend on "national defense" has used some of that money to torture human beings is a disturbing place for anyone to arrive. I had thought before that I was distrustful of my government, I had even felt betrayed as I watched events unfold over the last several years. Now thinking about that government and the national community which gives it its raison d'etre, I feel only deadness.  I don't know how to reconcile that with the inspiration I have felt watching the nascent Dream movement coalesce.

Read about Mohammed Jawad, a teenager we locked up at Guantánamo and beat, tortured, and denied access to the legal system. We told him his family would be killed if he did not confess. After his case went up to the Supreme Court, he was finally released and went home.

It looks like the system worked after all!

Ask President Obama and members of Congress to take action to ensure this doesn't happen again and that those responsible for torturing in the name of the greater good are held accountable.

</call to righteous action>

<meditative diversion>

I've had a song stuck in my head lately: Bad Religion's "Sorrow." Here's a low-key acoustic version with some horrific imagery that you should not show your children and maybe not yourself.

This is how systems work. These are the results of a well-functioning system:

Below the fold, do you take Bad Religion's song "Sorrow" at face value or not?

I was confused this morning when I saw the title of last week's piece in US News about the DREAM Act: "Controversial Legislation May Give Immigrant Students a Chance at College."  I know, as does anyone familiar with the legislation, that the act tends to strike a chord with most Americans, regardless of political position on other issues.  I explained the Act to a conservative friend of mine a couple weeks ago, with whom I've had many disagreements on politics over the years.  He said it was one thing he thought he could support.  I've gotten similar responses from right/center right commenters to the blog, though not from those commenters who are very committed to the other side of the argument.*

I think there is a reason for this.  The DREAM Act takes its strength directly from the assimilationist ethic upon which the ideological nationhood of the U.S. is founded.  This is the universalist aspirational ideal, that anyone is potentially an American if they commit to become a member of the nation, if they do things the right way, if they work hard and don't abuse the system.  This ideal is both universalist and necessarily exclusive, but its unifying power within the bounds of the nation is undeniable.  President Obama is one beneficiary of that universalist ethic, or rather, he understood the ethic's power in a deep way and it resonated with voters around the country. I believe that is why Obama's election attracted, at least initially, so many moderate and center-right voters.  It is why I believe that many recent immigrants become devout conservatives--the assimilationist ethic is in one sense profoundly conservative.  It is why Ronald Reagan (paraphrasing) said I can go to China or Bulgaria but I can never become Chinese or Bulgarian--but anyone can become an American (crowdsourcing opportunity: can anyone find the actual quote?).  That is an extremely powerful message, if also necessarily flawed in the execution.

So what, then, is so controversial about the DREAM Act?  It reaches something fundamental about what it means to be an American.  Reading the article gave me some insight into the choice of title on this US News article:

While the DREAM Act has many supporters—including the College Board, the University of California system, Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust, Microsoft, and a number of other education, business, and political leaders—organizations like the Federation for American Immigration Reform strongly oppose the legislation. They say it would reward undocumented immigrant parents who have unlawfully brought their children into the country.

There's more, but that's essentially all you need to know.  That argument is so easily refuted that it can't possibly be the real reason.  Some of these kids were brought in as infants.  They have fought against incredible odds to succeed and are deeply devoted to the U.S.  The strongest argument FAIR can come up with is that they should be deported to punish their parents for the desperate choices they made decades ago?  That just doesn't make sense.

The organized restrictionist movement has staked everything on opposing the DREAM Act.  They understand what the coalitions and organizations in Congress that support comprehensive immigration reform do not: if DREAM passes, there's a good chance CIR will then pass.  You will have energized between one and two million undocumented youth, allowed them to "come out of the closet" and fight for their undocumented friends and family members.  It is an absolute gamechanger, and FAIR and the other groups understand this even if leaders in Congress do not.

Look at the supporters and opponents of DREAM listed in the article itself:

Pro: the College Board, the University of California system, Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust, Microsoft, and a number of other education, business, and political leaders

Anti: organizations like the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

And this is supposed to create a "controversy"?  Clearly the reporter herself doesn't see much of a controversy, but perhaps her editor did.  To me, the problematic title of the article stigmatizing the DREAM Act before the readers even get to the actual reporting means that FAIR and the other restrictionist groups have done an excellent job of messaging and of strategically positioning themselves in relation to the gatekeepers of the discourse.  However, I believe that reason and dedication will eventually win the day, and that the energy and power of the DREAM movement will overcome the obstacles currently preventing DREAM from even being voted on, though supporters know it has the votes to pass.

*(Question to Mark in comments and others offended by the term "restrictionists": if that is a word you reject, what word would you use to describe the movement that includes FAIR, CIS, ALIPAC, NumbersUSA, etc. that non-insiders can understand?  If it's "anti-illegal immigrant movement" then we're at an impasse, because I reject the use of the term "illegal immigrant.")

[Image: Walter Lara, Dreamer]

Speaking from one of the panels at Netroots Nation week before last, Prerna and XicanoPwr say what needs to be said about Democratic weaseliness on immigration reform and the inhumanity of locking up entire families for civil immigration violations.

Also I recognized someone else up on the stage there  :)   I'm getting a couple last emoticons in (not that I've ever used them before) before our style guide comes into force and Strunk and White rule the day    ;)

Also I truly did appreciate the opportunity to participate in the panel and the invitation to Netroots Nation.  The whole four-day experience opened my eyes in many ways and I am very grateful I was able to attend.

[Ed. After watching the insightful and impactful film Mrs. Goundo's Daughter last month and hearing the filmmakers speak about it, I blogged about it here and Dorothee Royal-Hedinger blogged about it the same week at the Women's Rights blog.  The filmmakers, Barbara Attie and Janet Goldwater, have graciously agreed to share their thoughts about the film, why they made it, and what we can learn from Mrs. Goundo and her daughter.]

Why is MRS. GOUNDO’S DAUGHTER a must-see documentary?

MRS. GOUNDO’S DAUGHTER is the story of a West African mother’s fight for asylum in the U.S. to protect her two-year old daughter from the same severe act she suffered as a child: female genital cutting. Shot in Philadelphia and Mali, the film explores the African tradition of female genital cutting, which dates back thousands of years, as well as the intricacies and frustrations of the asylum process.

Who do we hope will see this movie?

Barbara Attie: We just received some really great news—a large asylum office will be showing Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter as a part of their ongoing training effort. This is exactly the kind of goal we had for the movie, but hadn’t really thought to target this particular group. While we were making it, some immigration lawyers who were advising us kept saying, “Lawyers have to see this—so few people understand the extent and severity of FGC.”

Janet Goldwater: So while that is an ideal niche audience, we really hope to also impact a broader audience, to educate people not just about FGC, but about the asylum process, and the kind of real consequences that are played out in these people’s lives.

Barbara Attie: So we’re doing the standard distribution efforts, human rights festivals, educational distribution to classrooms and libraries (go to www.wmm.com) and then, sometime in 2010, it will be offered for PBS broadcast. It’ll be our job at the time to try to draw as much attention as possible to the broadcasts.

Why did we make Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter, a documentary about the issues of female genital cutting and asylum?

Barbara Attie:

We have done a fair amount of work around women’s health and our film previous to Mrs. Goundos’ Daughter, Rosita, explores abortion as an international human rights issue. So we are already used to difficult issues that span borders.

In 2006 we were commissioned by a national nonprofit to make an educational program about the debate surrounding FGC (female genital cutting) within Islam. I took a crew to Mali for two weeks and came back with, among other things, very compelling footage of a female circumcision ceremony where 62 girls, ranging in age from a few months to nine or ten years, were excised. In ensuing conversations with friends and colleagues about the issue, we were genuinely surprised by how often people asked if the practice was still common, if it was in fact an Islamic practice, if it doesn’t just happen in remote, isolated villages.

What we came to realize—and we think it comes across in the film—is that the communities that practice FGC are cutting their daughters in the image of their mothers, their grandmothers and their great grandmothers. For them, excision fits into a series of customs and traditions that have been passed down over many generations.

In Mali, Mrs. Goundo’s native country, approximately 85 percent of girls and women are subjected to genital cutting. The practice is nearly universal among Mrs. Goundo’s ethnic group, the Soninké. In a country where 90% of the population is Muslim, it is not surprising that many believe that FGC is an Islamic practice and use religion to justify its continuation. We spoke to a number of imams who take a range of positions – from active support, to ambivalence, to staunch opposition. We do know that the origins of the practice are unclear and that it predates the rise of Christianity and Islam. As one anti-FGC educator told us, "It’s something we continue to do without even knowing why." What did become clear to us is that one of the chief justifications for the practice is to control female sexuality.

Janet Goldwater:

We knew from the World Heath Organization that 100 to 140 million women and girls living around the world have been subjected to FGC. Armed with our new knowledge of the prevalence—and sometimes dangerous consequences—of FGC, we tried to envision a story that would educate U.S. audiences about the issue. We knew we didn’t want the film to be pigeon holed as a movie about an “exotic” practice in Africa. We wanted an angle that would be U.S.-based for a U.S. audience. We wanted to give a voice to West African women living in our city of Philadelphia, whose perspective on FGC has evolved since coming to the U.S. And we knew we wanted to highlight the ways in which grassroots groups in West Africa are starting to see some success in their campaign to end the practice.

I had heard of women in the U.S. citing fear of being subjected to FGC as a basis for seeking asylum. We asked our translator, Moussa Traoré, if he knew of anyone. Moussa was president of the tightly-knit Malian Association in Philadelphia and knows everyone. He told us about Mrs. Goundo, who was seeking asylum to protect her young daughter, Djenabou. The timing was perfect: her asylum application was filed but she had not yet been to court. Ms. Goundo agreed to work with us.

The facts of Mrs. Goundo’s asylum application were complicated by the fact that she filed after the one-year limit, although her attorney argued change of circumstances due to the birth of the daughter. Mrs. Goundo claimed that she would be unable to protect her daughter from her well-intentioned parents, who believed that all girls should be genitally cut. When we traveled to Mali, I heard firsthand, repeatedly, that this is the case. Just as Mrs. Goundo’s lawyer had to convince the judge that this was an almost certain danger, as filmmakers we knew that audience sympathy would depend on our ability to convey that as well.

Sabrina Schmidt Gordon:

I joined the production team as a co-producer after the first trip to Mali, and then later took over the editing. There were two things that appealed to me. First, the film is a Malian story told through Malian voices, allowing them to represent themselves and their culture without mediation from any outside—Western—voices. In both Philadelphia and Africa, the discussion around FGC is conducted by those affected by the practice: the women, the health educators, the politicians. As a result, what emerges is a nuanced sense of the culture in which this practice flourishes, and the debate surrounding it. Secondly, I liked the personal story through which the film engages the audience. Mrs. Goundo is not the typical, outspoken, charismatic activist often featured in documentaries about social change. In fact, she is a quiet, reserved, traditional woman motivated by a desire to do what is right for her daughter. I think a lot of women like Mrs. Goundo will be able to see themselves in her and say, “maybe I can take a stand too.”

Our challenge now is to make sure Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter gets seen as widely as possible. U.S. audiences must witness the frustrations and wild inconsistencies of the asylum process if anything is to change. The ongoing debate about the centuries-old practice of FGC has come to our shores, so we owe it to ourselves to have the information to become educated participants in the discussion.

BARBARA ATTIE AND JANET GOLDWATER, co-producer/directors, have worked collaboratively since 1990 making widely acclaimed documentaries that have been broadcast nationally and internationally. In 2005, the two Philadelphia-based artists were awarded the prestigious Pew Fellowship in the Arts. Attie and Goldwater's previous collaboration, ROSITA (2005), is the story of a 9-year-old Nicaraguan girl who was raped and made pregnant, and her parents' struggle with the medical establishment, the government and the church to end her pregnancy.

SABRINA SCHMIDT GORDON, co-producer and editor, has been working in cultural and social issues documentary filmmaking for over a decade. She is the co-producer and editor of BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES, an award-winning documentary about manhood and gender politics in mainstream Hip-Hop. Sabrina also works on new media projects with many organizations including the National Black Programming Consortium, the American Civil Liberties Union, TruthAids, and Witness, an international human rights organization that trains activists around the world to use video as a tool for social change.

To learn more about Mrs. Goundo’s Daughter and the issues surrounding FGC and asylum, go to www.attiegoldwater.com.

Check out my guest post today over at Nezua's place about notarios, scamming of immigrant families, and long overdue regulation of immigration attorneys.

[This week's DREAM Act guest post comes from Ashley, a DREAM-eligible would-be med school student whose hopes to contribute her talents in the medical field have been cut short by Congress's refusal to vote on the DREAM Act.  Visit Dreamactivist.org to find out how you can help pass the DREAM Act.]

The funny thing about my story is that my grandmother and mother were both greencard holders. Yet, here I am in a state of limbo status because the lawyer messed up. In the time it took for my mother to futilely navigate the immigration system, I had already overstayed my tourist visa and forgotten my native tongue. I thought of myself only as an American and was thoroughly disappointed and in a state of shock when I found that I couldn't get a driver's license. As I grew older, the barriers grew more formidable. I moved into a studio-size apartment with my family, checked vending machines for forgotten change, and somehow managed to finish my college education.

I graduated from a prestigious university without any form of institutional financial aid. I did, however, qualify for in-state tuition, without which I would not be the person I am today. To save money, I finished two majors in three years and received the highest honors given at my school. Throughout my college days, I was and still am an active member of the community. I led efforts to provide health service for the uninsured, tutored and mentored underserved youth, and volunteered at the free clinic. My status had provided me with unique insight into the struggles of the low-income and underserved and with undying strength to help those in greater need.

Finally, I realized that my greatest desire in life was to pursue a career in medicine so that I could dedicate each day to directly helping those in need. I applied and was accepted into MD-PhD programs across the nation, placing me in the top 10% of the student population. Yet, in a matter of days, my dreams would be destroyed. I am still out of status and unable to pursue dual degrees in medicine and research. Currently, I am still unsure whether or not I will be able to enroll in medical school. My elite pile of acceptances seem to dangle before me as dreams that are so close to reality and yet so far from my reach.

But I don't deserve this. I had made no excuses in my application and told no lies. I was, instead, reviewed and accepted by my own academic and personal merits. These schools don't even have a clue of what I've had to go through to get this far in my life. They offered me admission because I was well-qualified for a spot in their entering class, because I had shown the potential to make great differences in the world of healthcare and scientific innovation. It is entirely their loss that they revoked the acceptances I had gained fair and square.

I hope this nation will not make the same mistake as these schools. We, the Dreamies, represent some of America's most persevering and brightest youth. We have been tested by the most difficult challenges. Most of us have experienced days when we couldn't afford buying food for our family or painful incidents when we couldn't afford medical help for our loved ones. Yet, with each challenge, we continue to overcome. We face these adversities head-on and grow stronger in the process. And each day, we explore the limits of our potential as allowed by the restrictions imposed on us because we hold the faith that this country we love so dearly will one day recognize us and our efforts. We want nothing more than to contribute to the growth of this nation and, without a doubt, we have the potential to do so. All we need is the chance to grow.

Please pass the DREAM Act. All I ever wanted was to go to medical school, to spend the rest of my life giving back to the community, and to finally be an American.

ICE has granted Herta an order of supervision until November 9, 2009, but she still may be deported or detained on that day.

DHS and ICE need to grant Herta deferred action on her deportation.

Help SEIU and Herta reach their goal of 5,000 letters by the end of the week!