The many faces of immigration resistance
by Andrew Moss
783 words
For the most part, major news organizations like the New York Times, CNN, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times have provided comprehensive, accurate coverage of major immigration-related developments. Significant policy changes and their impacts on people have been presented with careful regard for both detail and larger issues. This is as it should be. Nevertheless, coverage often falls short in underplaying a critical dimension of unfolding events: the extraordinary depth and breadth of resistance to the Trump administration's policies.
One reason for the shortcoming has to do with patterns of reporting. Media outlets may typically cover a Trump administration initiative followed by reactions from courts, state or local governments, or activist groups. This was the pattern when the Trump administration recently issued new regulations overturning the Flores agreement, the consent decree limiting the number of days that migrant children could be kept in detention. Prominent coverage was given to the Trump initiative and, subsequently, to the lawsuit filed against it by 19 states and the District of Columbia.
High-profile resistance needs to be reported, but resistance also manifests widely in the everyday actions of ordinary citizens. This past July, for example, when President Trump announced that ICE raids would take place in cities throughout the country, activists stepped up efforts to counsel people on their rights, including the right not to answer the door when ICE knocked. As the raids played out in cities like Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, neighbors posted photos and other information on social media about ICE sightings, and, in some cases, documented specific arrests or attempts to arrest. The raids, collectively called "Operation Border Resolve" were intended to apprehend 2105 undocumented immigrants, but community efforts help limit the arrests to a total of 35 individuals, 18 of whom were identified as "collateral apprehensions" (i.e. individuals who had not been originally targeted).
These recent actions represent only a fraction of ongoing activities undertaken by many people involved in assisting immigrants: visiting individuals held in detention, raising bond funds and finding legal assistance for detainees, finding shelter and employment for people released from detention. and engaging in political advocacy for immigrants' rights, to name just a few.
But it would misrepresent these efforts to suggest that pro-immigrant attitudes and actions are limited to border states or blue states with high immigrant populations. As Alan Cross, a Southern Baptist minister, recently reported in the New York Times ("Alabama is More Pro-Immigrant Than You Think," May 1), Alabama has seen a significant influx of Central American immigrants in the past two decades, and many Alabamans have come to welcome the newcomers, often on the basis of religious beliefs that foster a welcoming of the stranger.
Interviewing a conservative columnist for one of the state's newspapers, a columnist who wrote last year in support of DACA, Cross asked her why she took that position. She told him, "We had so commingled our faith with our politics that our faith had become politicized. I had to become thoughtful about disentangling those things, to treat the precepts of my faith as primary and let our politics flow out of that." As another Alabaman explained, "Once people get to know them [immigrants], their hearts change. The perception that people have against them mostly comes from the news."
It would be untrue to suggest that the resistance to Trump's immigration policies is cohesive, networked, or self-aware in any kind of collective fashion. But it would also be misleading to characterize the struggles over immigration simply as matters of policy: choosing, say, asylum policy X over policy Y. These issues are entangled with deep cultural attitudes, attitudes having to do with values of human dignity, human rights, and truth itself: bearing witness to needless human suffering and the lies that sustain it.
It would not be wasted time or effort for any serious observer to call out and elucidate the connections that say, "resist!" These are the connections that still uphold and maintain a civil society.
–end–
Andrew Moss, syndicated by PeaceVoice,is an emeritus professor (English, Nonviolence Studies)atthe California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
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Proven PTSD Treatment Training Begins in Salt Lake City
WHAT: Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is an evidenced-based psychotherapy that has demonstrated proven results in treating individuals with PTSD. The therapy, which continues to gain popularity nationwide, aims to resolve a traumatic memory through a combination of eye movements and memory visualization. This treatment provides effective relief from strong physical and emotional reactions associated with PTSD in as few as one to six sessions. .
ART International is a nonprofit interested in expanding the reach of this therapy – and is committed to increasing the number of clinicians certified in this treatment. ART International's senior clinicians will be training Salt Lake City mental health providers towards certification in the therapy.
The three-day session in Salt Lake City is one of more than 100 trainings that ART International is slated to host throughout the country in 2019. Licensed clinicians, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors are eligible to participate in the training. Therapists who complete the session will earn 21.5 CEUs and are immediately certified to use ART in their practice.
WHEN: Aug. 31- Sept. 2, 2019, 9 AM – 5 PM
WHERE: 5300 S. Adams Ave. Parkway (500 E)
Suite 6
Ogden, UT 84405
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I was just interviewed for '4 the Record' with Jim Niedelman on Local 4 TV News (WHBF) in the Quad Cities - talking about Russia, Afghanistan, Syria and more (click below to watch).
Niedelman told viewers: “He arguably has more experience in this area than most of the rest of the field because of his military experience and the time he served on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration.”
I spoke of the challenges we face today, saying: “The world has changed… it’s about using all the instruments of our power, bringing our allies together… so all follow the rules of the road on trade and diplomacy.”
On Russia and China, I called for a new approach: “There are sanctions upon Russia, and now Mr. Trump is thinking of removing them. Absolutely no way. They should be increased - also, as you remember recently, they commandeered Ukrainian warships and we did nothing. So we should be able to increase those sanctions... Russia is basically a gas station. Sanctions should have been applied right there, not only on their oligarchs, but on their ability to sell gas. Russia’s a problem. But it’s mainly a problem for their 'near abroad' countries such as Ukraine and Estonia… the real global challenge is China.”
I also shared thoughts on Afghanistan and Iraq: “We took forces and resources from Afghanistan, where we were succeeding in taking out the Taliban, and put them in Iraq. Washington can’t do two wars at once.”
Asked what differentiated me from the current frontrunner, Joe Biden, I replied: “I’m the Joe -- with all due respect to the Vice-President -- who, on Anita Hill, did stand up to Senator Arlen Specter, who tried to humiliate her… Joe Biden made a different decision. Also there was his vote for that tragic misadventure in Iraq… we do need someone in the White House named Joe, but a Joe who understands the world and knows that before you use our military you need to know how it will end.”
You can watch the foreign policy portion of my interview here. I also talked about education and training (here) and reducing the power of corporations (here). If you agree that I am the candidate most uniquely qualified to be President and Commander-in-Chief, and to unite our country while convening the world for our collective good, please donate.
Respectfully,
Joe Sestak
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MEG & DIA
TEAM UP WITH OMG EVERYWHERE
NON-PROFIT IN STUDENT DIRECTED VIDEO FOR
"TEENAGERS"
WATCH IT NOW ON POP CRUSH
OUT NOW ON PURE NOISE RECORDS
"a triumphant new album..." - Billboard
"Stunningly simple, it's a worthy end to an emotionally-packed album; subtly reminding
us that to every end, there is always the lure of a new beginning." - Earmilk
STREAM HAPPYSAD NOW ON SPOTIFY, APPLE
MUSIC OR PURCHASE ON iTUNES
FALL TOUR KICKS OFF SEPTEMBER 14
AUGUST 29, 2019 - LOS ANGELES, CA - Pop Crush has the exclusive first look at Meg & Dia's student directed music video for "Teenagers". The band teamed up with OMG Everywhere, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that hosts a series of free, week-long film workshops for kids in Los Angeles. Their goal was to provide young students with an opportunity to experiment creatively and develop new skills through collaboration with artists.
On the video, Meg explains, "Before we filmed our video with OMG cameras, I figured it would be a fun experience working with kids and a nice thing to do for the community. I came away from that experience with a completely new perspective on creativity and mine and Dia's professional career. The kids taught me to remember that the reason we make music is to play and have a good time, and the kids also taught me not to take every aspect of the industry so seriously. They taught me to have a "why not" mindset more often. Why not? Why not create a world where we are running through a maze of peanut butter and jelly? Why not dance with neon glow sticks in ski jumpsuits?"
Fans can watch the video now here: https://popcrush.com/meg-and-dia-teenagers-music-video/
Learn more about OMG Everywhere and their student workshops at: https://www.omgeverywhere.org/
"Teenagers" is taken from the surprise new album 'happysad', which is available everywhere now. The song has become a fan favorite and one of the album's stand out tracks.
'happysad' is an album that neither of them thought they'd ever make, but after going their separate ways and finding what makes them each unique, Meg and Dia have come together again to make the most refined and collaborative record of their career. It finds their friendship rekindled, their creative spark reignited and their musical horizons expanded.
While in the past, Meg and Dia would take turns to write individual songs on albums, their efforts on 'happysad' were much more collaborative. It means these 10 songs are a blend of Meg and Dia's two distinct yet compatible personalities - songs which show how in tune they are with each other but also how different they both are. At its core, however, is a fragility and vulnerability shared by both of them, but which they hope can help others who may feel similar.
Fans can watch the official music video for their first single "American Spirit" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYpJO0IZIF4
Track Listing
1. American Spirit
2. Teenagers
3. Koala
4. Lit Match
5. Better At Being Young
6. Warm Blood
7. Boys Can Cry
8. Distraction
9. Happy
10. Dear Heart
Meg & Dia will be heading out for a fall tour kicking September 14in Salt Lake City, UT at Kilby Court. A full list of tour dates can be found below. Tickets are on sale now at: www.meganddiamusic.com
Upcoming Tour Dates
September 14 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
September 15 - Las Vegas, NV - Bunkhouse
September 16 - Scottsdale, AZ - Pub Rock
September 18 - San Diego, CA - SOMA Side Stage
September 19 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
September 20 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw
September 23 - Boston, MA - ONCE Ballroom
September 24 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
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