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JULY 21, 2011: Peg's Blogs on Hiatus...


As many friends and regular readers know, I've been dealing with a lot in my personal life, lately, while my workload has continued to grow. Rest assured that I'm in the best of company, and getting by with a little help from my friends. Still, I need to take a break and focus on centering myself. That means this site will be neglected even more than it has been.

Until I'm able to get a grip on blogging regularly and thoughtfully again here (or until someone else steps in to anchor the site), I encourage people to check out Carl Toersbijns' blog (he's a former Deputy Warden for the AZ Department of Corrections, and while not an abolitionist, he's a strong advocate for the prisoners with mental illness, and for broad-based prison reform in AZ). You may also want to drop in on Middle Ground Prison Reform's site for news.


Saturday, December 18, 2010

US Senate: More DREAMS Deferred...

These three are among the bravest, finest youth in America. John McCain and the US Senate have shamed us all.

Carlos, Marlene, and Francisco: I'm so sorry. I pray that someday all your DREAMS come true. This land desperately needs more good souls like you...




-------------------from America's Voice via Common Dreams-----------------


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2010
11:56 AM

CONTACT: America's Voice
Michael Earls
(202) 494-8555


Senate Votes Against DREAMs

WASHINGTON - December 18 - This morning, in a procedural vote requiring 60 votes to advance the legislation, the U.S. Senate voted against the DREAM Act by a 55-41 margin, effectively shutting the doors of opportunity to thousands of bright and talented young people who grew up in America and wanted to give back to the country they call home.

The following is a statement from Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America's Voice:

"Today we won a majority of votes in the Senate. Last week we won a majority of the votes in the House. But because of a Republican filibuster we needed 60 votes to pass DREAM and we fell short.

To those who did the right thing and voted for DREAM, you had our back and we'll have yours. But to the majority of Republicans and the handful of Democrats who voted against the best and the brightest of the Latino immigrant community, your vote against DREAM will be remembered as long as you are in politics. Many of you have expressed your sympathy for the DREAMers. But today we did not need your sympathy. We needed your vote.

As disappointed as we are in those who slammed the door of opportunity on talented young people who are Americans in all but paperwork, we are buoyed by the nationwide outpouring of support for this cause, the unprecedented mobilization in support of DREAM across the nation, and the leadership and courage of the DREAMers who came to Washington to insist on making their DREAM come true.

Where do we go from here? We will continue fighting, organizing, mobilizing and educating. We will continue to build an ever more powerful movement. We will continue to speak up and speak out for immigrant youth, for immigrant families, for immigration reform that embodies the best of our ideals rather than the worst of our fears.

We get stronger every day. We may have lost this battle, but in the war between justice and injustice, inclusion and exclusion, courage and cowardice, victory is not a matter of if, but a matter of when."



###
America's Voice -- Harnessing the power of American voices and American values to win common sense immigration reform. The mission of America’s Voice is to realize the promise of workable and humane comprehensive immigration reform. Our goal is to build the public support and create the political momentum for reforms that will transform a dysfunctional immigration system that does not work into a regulatory system that does.



------------So, what do we do now? A reminder from Arundhati Roy:---------


"Our strategy should be not only to confront empire, but to lay siege to it. To deprive it of oxygen. To shame it. To mock it. With our art, our music, our literature, our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer relentlessness, and our ability to tell our own stories..."

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Go Dream Fasters!

I have a lot of mixed feelings about the DREAM Act, as indicated elsewhere in my blogs. But I have no doubts about the youth who have risked their own freedom, safety, and dreams fighting to get it passed - even in the latest, watered-down form: Those kids ROCK! They're already citizens of the country I believe we could be, in my book.

Anyway, look at what I found on 16th St. and Missouri when the sun came up this morning:






















Okay, I admit, I was actually there last night, too. So were the Phoenix Police...good thing it's not against the law...


Drop by there this week and support these young people. They're fighting for a better world for us all...

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Still DREAMING...



I have mixed feelings about the Nightmare that the DREAM Act has devolved into - but there are an awful lot of young people whose hopes and dreams are still invested in the passage of this legislation, and they've put themselves on the line for it. So, here's the latest, with links to call McCain and Kyl embedded below.


------------DREAM Act Update From the Phoenix New Times---------


John McCain vs. DREAM Act, Pt.2: Passes House, Senate Vote Today (w/Update)

,

Dream a little DREAM with me...

See an update on the status of the DREAM below.

The haters were defeated in the U.S. House yesterday, and the DREAM Act passed 216-198.

Today, the fight goes to the U.S. Senate, where the Republicans threaten a filibuster, and the Dems lack the 60 votes to invoke cloture.

I say, let them filibuster. Call their bluff. Let the GOP show its true colors, colors that sadly do not include "brown."

DREAMers need to sock it to the Senate phone lines. The Arizona Dream Act Coalition has all the phone numbers necessary, here. Let U.S. Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl feel the heat.

To watch Dennis Gilman's latest pro-DREAM video, check out yesterday's blog post.

UPDATE: As "guest" notes below, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took a strategic step back today, and held off on starting the debate on the DREAM Act, as had been scheduled.

Even more reason to pound Kyl and McCain with phone calls, faxes, e-mails and letters. Don't let up. A spokesman for Reid told Fox News that the Dems want to bring it back up for a vote before the lame duck session is over. They better. To do otherwise would truly be lame.