AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CALLS ON CONGRESS TO PASS DREAM ACT DURING LAME-DUCK SESSION

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CALLS ON CONGRESS TO PASS DREAM ACT DURING LAME-DUCK SESSION ---- ‘The Country is Shooting Itself in the Foot,’ Asserts Human Rights Organization

Contact: Wende Gozan Brown at 212-633-4247; wgozan@aiusa.org. 

(Washington D.C.) -- Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) today urged the U.S. Congress to pass The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act during the lame-duck session, calling its passage critical to upholding the human rights of undocumented youth who have lived in the United States most of their lives and have a proven track record as conscientious students and members of society. 

In recent weeks, both Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have publicly committed to bringing the DREAM Act up for a vote. The White House also issued a statement declaring, "The President and [Congressional Hispanic Caucus] leaders believe that, before adjourning, Congress should approve the DREAM Act." But many legislators refuse to vote in favor unless there is a significant increase in funding for border enforcement. 

“It is unconscionable that this landmark legislation has not become law in the nine years since it was first introduced,” said Larry Cox, executive director for AIUSA. “While working toward their dreams, thousands of promising young people live in fear of detention and deportation. Most will be excluded from college education because they are denied in-state tuition and scholarships. Not only is the United States trampling their rights by not providing the opportunity to pursue college, the country is shooting itself in the foot as it prevents accomplished young men and women from providing considerable contributions to the country they call home.” 

The DREAM Act would provide conditional legal status to immigrant students if they finish high school and attend college or join the military for two years. It would also allow immigrant students access to higher education by returning to states the authority to determine who qualifies for in-state tuition. Students who complete all requirements will have the opportunity to permanently legalize their immigration status. 

“Until this congressional session, the DREAM Act was a widely supported bipartisan piece of legislation because lawmakers recognized that children should not be punished for the decisions of their parents,” said Sarnata Reynolds, AIUSA’s advocacy and policy director, Refugee and Migrant Rights. “The bill passed the Senate with the support of Republicans and Democrats four times over the last nine years. The United States has long been a champion of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the right to education, yet the country is undermining this right." 

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.8 million supporters, activists and volunteers who campaign for universal human rights from more than 150 countries. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied. 

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 For more information, please visit www.amnestyusa.org.  

Undocumented Youth Risk Arrest Asking McCain for Opportunity to Serve

Six undocumented youth travel from across America to ask Senator John McCain to co-sponsor the DREAM Act so that they can serve and protect this nation.

November 17^th, Washington D.C. – Today six undocumented youth arrive at their destination in Capitol Hill, the office of Senator John McCain, to once again ask for his support of the DREAM Act.

The DREAM Act is a bi-partisan piece of legislation that would grant conditional status to undocumented youth who complete at least a 2-year college degree or enlist to serve in the military.  The bill currently has 40 co-sponsors in the Senate, including Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), and 133 in the House.

One of the youth, Guillermo says he came to McCain’s office today because he looks up to the Senator: “Not too long ago, Senator McCain was a champion, he supported and rallied for us.  I look up to him as a war hero and are only asking from him to give me the same opportunity he had to serve and protect this nation, I want to be Marine.”

"We risk it all because young people like ourselves love this country and can no longer wait on the side lines, we want to serve our communities." says Gaby Pacheco, a DREAM Act student who participated in the Trail of Dreams a 1,500 mile walk from Miami to Washington D.C. to show the face of immigrants across the nation.

“I am queer, I am undocumented and I am unafraid.  Today I am in our nation’s capitol asking Senator John McCain to take a stance in support of the DREAM Act, to support those of us who want to be educators or those of us who are willing to die for this nation.” Jorge Gutierrez is one of the five main characters in the documentary film “Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth.” The film has been viewed by over 100,000 people in all 50 states. It chronicles the challenges undocumented youth face as they turn 18 without legal status. www.papersthemovie.com

In recent days an effort has been made by many Republicans to push for the only immigration legislation which has a chance of passing during the lame duck session. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart recently stated: “We should stop hampering these deserving students’ educational opportunities due to the decisions of their parents and allow a vote on the American DREAM Act.”

In a September letter to Senator McCain Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wrote: “I support this initiative and appreciate your continued efforts to bring about this important policy change.” With the same hope, these students now approach Senator McCain asking for his support for the passage of this bill this session.

The six students will be arriving at McCain’s office around noon and plan to stay until Senator John McCain puts forth his support of the DREAM Act.

about faith

I always knew that there was more than one right way to be good. I always believed that more than one religion could be correct. Being born to a Jewish father and a Christian mother I could not accept that half of my family was going to hell, or even that half was on the wrong path, while the other half was secured a place in paradise merely for picking the right faith.


Even as a child I knew that if Jesus is the son of GOD, and all that is right and good in the world, then he could not possibly condemn half of my family and all of my friends that were not born into the same religion that I was, to an afterlife of torture and misery.


If heaven is a paradise for the faithful, a reward for living a good life and helping others, then how could it be absent atheists, Muslims, Jewish, Hindus, Buddhists, Pagans etc... Even when I was little I knew that this could not be correct, because heaven just could not be a real reward if it was absent the people that I loved and cared about.


This is when I developed my Jesus is a teddy-bear philosophy. I decided that if Jesus was really the son of GOD, full of love and everything good as I had been taught, then surely he would forgive everyone, and heaven would be filled with all people, not just Christians. I imagined that when a person died they would learn the truth about GOD and faith. I pictured people of all faiths, or even without faith, going to heaven to meet Jesus and learning the truth that there is more than one path to goodness. For me the path was through Jesus, but I imagined that Jesus would appear different to people that believed different things. To some I imagined Jesus would resemble a large fluffy teddy-bear that would merely hug them and offer love, comfort, and forgiveness.


After all, if you are dead and your life on Earth is over, then surely you no longer need to worry about who was right and who was wrong. Surely you would be forgiven your faults and shown a better way. The afterlife would surely be more than just the answer to questions of faith, but also the solution to all of our problems. There could be no conflicts in heaven. Surely Jesus did not need to prove to you that he was right by condemning you for being wrong. That would not be perfection, that would just be petty.


As an adult I found Unitarian Universalism. UU's believe in:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part;
• Belief that Jesus is a teddy-bear.

OK I threw in the last line. UUs do not tell you what to believe, but you can see how it fits.

To me, heaven on Earth is working for justice and equality for everyone. It is what drives me and what I feel called to do. It is what led me to law school, Amnesty International, and social justice. 

Help us send a message via Facebook to pass the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA)!

Background and Current Status of International Violence Against Women Act

The International Violence Against Women Act (H.R. 4594 /S. 2982) is groundbreaking legislation that would for the first time make ending violence against women and girls a U.S. foreign policy and foreign assistance priority.  Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are the primary leads in the Senate, and Congressmen Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Ted Poe (R-TX) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) are the primary sponsors in the House. While the bill has strong bipartisan support, time is running out for this Congress to pass the bill. Congress will be returning to Washington, D.C. the week of November 15 and will be here just a few weeks to finish out the current session of Congress. It is imperative that they here from constituents now that we want them to pass the I-VAWA before they adjourn.

YOU CAN HELP!

First, log into Facebook, then visit each of these officials to 'like' their page so that you can comment on their "wall".

Feel free to make a wall post now (see how-to below), but help us come back on the Coalition days to post again then, too! 

www.facebook.com/johnkerry 

www.facebook.com/RepHowardBerman 

www.facebook.com/senatorlugar <-Note that Senator Lugar may not be allowing wall posts currently, though you can make a comment on one of his posts 

www.facebook.com/pages/Ileana-Ros-Lehtinen/6722353315 

www.facebook.com/pages/Bob-Corker/20966472424 

www.facebook.com/pages/Steny-Hoyer/7845419973 

www.facebook.com/pages/Dan-Burton/20437729129 

www.facebook.com/HarryReid <-Note that Reid, like Lugar, has wall posts off currently, though you can comment on one of Reid's posts 
www.facebook.com/pages/DanaRohrabacher/78476240421 

www.facebook.com/isakson 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ted-Poe/106631626049851 

Sample messages to post: 

· One out of every three women worldwide will be physically, sexually, or otherwise abused during her lifetime. Support and vote for the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) this month! 

· Not one more woman, not one more rape. Please vote yes on I-VAWA. 

· Please be a leader in ending violence against women worldwide. Vote yes on the International Violence Against Women Act. 

Dates The coalition will try to post messages on these elected officials' Facebook pages particularly on these dates: 

Nov 15, 16 - John Kerry, Senator Bob Corker 

Nov 17, 18 - Howard Berman, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Wednesday the 17th is also a call in day!) 

Nov 22, 23 - Steny Hoyer, Dan Burton 

Nov 24 - Bob Corker 

Nov 29, 30 - Harry Reid, Richard Lugar 

Dec 1, 2- Dana Rohrabacher, Johnny Isakson 

Dec 6, 7- Harry Reid, Steny Hoyer 

Dec 8, 9- Dan Burton, Ted Poe 

How to post a facebook wall message:

Visit the elected official's facebook page, then click the tab that says 'Wall', next click to show the comments of the "elected official + Others", then click in the box at the top, type your message, and click "share". 

Thank you for all that you do!

Reuben