"Is Racism Fueling the Immigration Debate"

The article is about immigration and statistics that have been found about the issue. Mr. John Gibson of Fox News stated some information that was not necessarily true. Mr. Gibson states how minorities are having more babies and soon they will make up a greater population than American citizens. He was wrong in stating this information according to the Census Bureau. The census bureau states that “in 2030 the Hispanic population of the U.S. will be about 20.1 %. Fifty years from now, the majority of Americans will still be white and 24.4 % will be Hispanic (Census Bureau)”. It is stated that the political parties need to give this topic more attention. The article then goes on to speak about how they are sending more National Guard troops down to the border of Mexico to help secure the fence. Yet some are wondering why this action is not being taken at the border of Canada, where Ahmed Ressam tried to enter with a car full of explosives to take out the Los Angeles airport. The article also states that "19 of the 9-11 terrorists entered our Country legally(Calabresi)". This to me seems senseless to build such a wall when terrorists can just walk into the Country legally. They should be least worried about illegal immigrants entering the Country and more worried about people entering to harm us. Massimo Calabresi says that lawmakers should be focusing more on how many immigrants should be allowed into the U.S. each year. A professor at Harvard, Mr. Samuel P. Huntington stated that this has been seen through history with every group of immigrants. This issue to me seems that it will just pass over with the rest of the immigration issues because having these immigrants here is not affecting the economy so much as the waste of money to build a fence to keep them out. All that the fence does is make getting into the U.S. a little harder yet still manageable for these immigrants. Overall, I believe that people make untrue statements about the issue in fear of being over-run by another race of people. Also, we are putting too much money into something that barely keeps illegal immigrants out of the Country. To me they are causing no harm and carrying out jobs that some Americans do not want to do for such a low cost. I believe that this issue should be evaluated in more depth in this years’ election in hopes of finding a better solution to the problem.

Wednesday, May 17 2006 TIME
Article By: Massimo Calabresi

Is Racism Fueling the Immigration Debate?

On May 10, 2006 there was an article posted by the Washington Post which stated that “45% of the nation’s children under the age of five are racial or ethnic minorities…” (Washington Post). They also stated that the percentile of minorities having children in America is increasing largely. The vast majority is Hispanic immigrants. The very next day on May 11 a reporter from Fox News developed a story about this article. John Gibson the reporter had the audacity to tell American citizens to start having more babies, his exacted words were “Do your duty. Make more babies… half of the kids in this country under five years old are minorities.” He is a racist bigot. His statement was taken completely out of context. He rounded up the percentile of Hispanic population from 45% to half the population of America. He makes a hasty generalization, he states that twenty-five years from now the Hispanic population will be over half, which is incorrect. The Census bureau published an outlook for the population in 2030; it stated that the Hispanic population will be around 20%. I believe his reasoning for broadcasting this report was derived from racism.
There has been talk about sealing the American border from invasion by Hispanics. But no one has mentioned sealing the Canadian border. The Millennium Bomber crossed the Canadian border into America and was planning to bomb the LA Airport. But he was intercepted and thrown into prison for terrorist activity.
A way to solve terrorist and illegal immigration would be to close off all borders and make immigrants go through an intensive process to even come into America. But this would hurt our economy and our growing culture. America would not be what it is today if we didn’t have the cultural differences from all of the immigrants who have ventured into this great country, The United States of America.

Time Magazine
17 May 2006
Massimo Calabresi
Page A10

Is Racism Fueling the Immigration Debate?

“A lot of the anti-immigration movement is jingoistic at best and racist at worst. There is a fear of white people being over run by darker-skinned people,” a quote from the Time’s article Is Racism Fueling the Immigration Debate? In simpler terms, the majority of Americans who share anti-immigrant views are based on extreme patriotism at best and racisms at worst. The strong patriotic feelings of some Americans fuel their fear and resentment towards immigrants because of the possibility that they may one day be over run by minorities. I find many of these views contradicting when there is a strong possibility that an African American might be the next president of the United States. Where have these fears gone now? Have they suddenly disappeared? The country might actually be governed by an African American. Now personally I have no problems with the possibility of Barack Obama becoming president because I believe he has a plan to make change for this nation. Yes, I might be going a bit off topic, but I believe it is a great example which demonstrates how many of these individuals can suddenly change their mind and become in favour of a minority running their country. With the appointment of Obama, I strongly believe that Obama can finally put behind many negative views faced by minorities as well as immigrants. For the youth of the future, they will grow with new values and disciplines because of the growing influences and acceptance of minorities. According to the article, 45% of the nation’s children under the age of five are racial or ethnic minorities. 45%! That’s a staggering statistic which blew me away. I never really thought that there was that many young children who are minorities, but yet again, I believe this strongly supports what I’m saying. The new generation of tomorrow will be the most accepting generation ever seen. Schools will be increasing with more and more minorities and white children will be soon interacting with more and more minorities. The racist views will slowly but surely begin to evaporate in this country. Finally, I have to disagree with the last statement made by the author. I don’t believe that the anti-immigration problem should be blamed on politicians but rather on the public. Politicians never place any negative views towards immigrants but have been positive about them. Until the day individuals start to develop new values and begin to look past the colour of someone’s skin, these anti-movements will continue to exist.


Article written by: Massimo Calabresi
The New York Times
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Article on page A10

Is Racism Fueling the Immigration Debate

I would personally like to refute the claims that are made in the May 17, 2006, Time Magazine article entitled “Is Racism Fueling the Immigration Debate.” I personally do not see how a country wanting to limit the flow of immigrants (mostly illegals) can be considered racism. Limiting immigration is not saying that we are intolerant or unaccepting of the possible immigrants. I think that it just shows that the country has its citizens in mind when doing this. Letting an influx of immigrants who will work for little pay in would limir the amount of unskilled jobs for high school dropouts. Also, America is a land of immigrants, when we were founded and the colonies began we were all immigrants. Over the years the melting pot that is America has developed traditions and a culture that is unlike any other and in my opinion, a pretty good one. That is not to say that the new traditions that the new immigrants might bring would not be good, but changing the identity of a nation could be catastrophic. It could lead to regional violence much like that in Iraq, or even another possible civil war. So I believe that a firm immigration policy is not racist at all, but instead a country looking out for the best interest of it citizens.

Janette Turner Hospital: Author Presentation

Janette Turner Hospital, born in Melbourne, Australia visited Wabash College this week to share some readings and author interpretations of her novel. Two of Janette Turner Hospital’s novels, The Ivory Swing, and Charades won Canada’s seal award and was shortlisted for the Miles Frankling and National Book Council Award respectively. She began the presentation by depicting the background to her life for the audience. She described her mode of movement throughout Australia, Canada, and the US. Janette Turner Hospital explained to the audience how she went about creating all her coveted novels and short stories. She explained how she did the vast majority of her work during the summers since she taught throughout the school year and it left her with little time. When asked if she writes notes or jots down ideas during the school year, she replied that she did not because she allowed it to drift to the back of her mind. She then read to the audience some of her interesting short stories she handpicked prior to the presentation that she believed illustrated a good representation of her work. She talked for a quick stint about how a lot of her works had a theme of tragedy and those real life tragedies such as 9/11 and the London bus bombings occurred within a year’s time of publishing.
In my opinion, Janette Turner Hospitals presentation about her novels and short stories she has created was not only intriguing, but also insightful. It was intriguing to me because it was interesting to hear from the authors point of view, how she tackled sorting her ideas and when she did most of her work. She effectively described a coherent explanation to every question thrown her way. At one point in the presentation she was asked about how she used imagery to paint a vivid picture in the readers mind. In her response to the question she described how she used imagery as a key element in her writing because she believed it helped illustrate ideas more effectively. This was insightful because she described to us the different ways she came up with ideas. She described to the audience one example of an instance in which her personal experience led to her epiphany in beginning a novel. Janette Turner Hospitals presentation at Wabash College was one of the best I have ever been attendance for. She explained to the audience about all her epiphanies of novels and short stories, while providing intriguing motifs that they all shared. I loved how she was able to coherently incorporate the audiences questions and opinions into her presentations focal points. Janette Turner Hospital is a brilliant writer, and I hope that she continues to create masterful pieces of work for all to devour and interpret in their minds.

"A New Line in the Sand"

700 Miles of fencing.  $1 million per mile.  Is it worth it?  In the article David Von Drehle explains America's plan to solve the illegal immigration.  The United States decided to up the security on the border by funding a new and improved fence.  The fence that had been standing before was meek and penetrable by many standards. Von Drehle explains, "DHS aims to complete more than 650 miles (roughly 1000km) of barrier by the end of the year, built in sections by National Guard units and private contractors.  That represents only about one-third of the U.S.-Mexico border; on the other hand, the fence clearly delineates, for the first time, a frontier that was previously just a four-strand cattle fence at best."  From this statement I have to say that something needed to be done.  A "four-strand cattle fence at best" lets me know that before our country didn't really do all they could about security, but they could blame problems on illegal immigration.  I just don't think that it was right, however the U.S. is obviously taking strides in the right direction now.  They have decided to put about a billion dollars into this project, but I come back to ask the question again, is i worth it?  In my opinion it is worth the money because it needed to be done, but we cannot expect it to solve all of the illegal immigration problems.  It is inevitable that it will happen because the real problem, as Von Drehle describes, is in the country of Mexico itself.  These immigrants are trying to escape to a place with some economic opportunities to succeed, and in Mexico this is nearly impossible.  Once Mexico turns its economy in the right direction the U.S. will no longer have this illegal immigration problem from the Southwest. 

David Von Drehle

Time Magazine

June 30, 2008 

“Is Racism Fueling the Immigration Debate?”

Did you know that 45% of the nation’s children under the age five are racial or ethnic minorities? That is almost half of our children in this country are minorities. The Time article quotes John Gibson from Fox News. He states that “it’s our duty to make more babies…” I believe this statement is racist but I don’t believe that racism is fueling the debate. A Senate Democratic leadership aide said “There is a fear of white people being overrun by darker-skinned people.” We really can’t fight this and say that there isn’t a fear because there is, but we can’t say it’s our duty to make more babies and to make sure this doesn’t happen. There are people out there who are racist and don’t like the fact that millions of people in the United States are immigrants. The ultimate question arises, should ethnicity be a factor in granting citizenship? I think ethnicity should be the last factor in “estimating” if a person if worthy enough to be a citizen of the United States. The person’s character should be the underlining factor in deciding on their asylum. The person should be judge by what kind of person they are. By judging on character, we will have to have more tests and interview to limit the number of potential terrorist. Overall, we need to do something about our immigration system. It takes years on top of more years for a person to receive any information about if their paper work good enough. We can’t change the fact that people in our country have different opinions and views, but we can’t account for the entire country. We need a fair immigration system to where the person is judged by who they are and not by where his or she is from.

Time Article
Issue: May 17th, 2006
By: Massimo Calabresi/Washington

“Is Racism Fueling the Immigration Debate?”

"Do your duty. Make more babies... half of the kids in this country under five years old are minorities. By far the greatest number are Hispanic. You know what that means? Twenty-five years and the majority of the population is Hispanic. Why is that? Well, the Hispanics are having more kids than others. Notably the ones Hispanics call gabachos, white people, are having fewer," said John Gibson of Fox News implored viewers. The Article “Is Racism Fueling the Immigration Debate?” that was published on Wednesday, may 17 2006 shows us, the reader, how a lot of the anti-immigration movement is jingoistic at best and racist at worst. The article states some of those involved in the debate have their position based on fear and perhaps racism because of what's happening demographically in the country. Many in the anti-immigration movement use the defense of stopping terrorism, but Ahmed Ressam, the so-called Millennium Bomber, was caught at the Canadian border with a trunk full of explosive precursor material and a plot to bomb Los Angeles Airport. As for the notion that terrorists are mixing with undocumented border crossers to infiltrate the country from the south, all 19 of the 9/11 plotters entered the U.S. legally. Another defense is that it's just their time to go through theses types of hardship, like German, Irish, Italian, Jewish and Asian immigrants faced the same criticism throughout the country's history.

My opinion of the Article “Is Racism Fueling the Immigration Debate?” is that sad that it’s sad that in the United States some people in the media have the fear of white people being over run by darker-skinned people. By poisoning the public discourse with disinformation, right-wing talkers improve their ratings while leaving us far from fixing a broken system. And that if these immigrates were there would be no debate on immigration.



Article written by: Massimo Calabresi
The New York Times
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Article on page A10 of the New York edition.

The Great Wall of America

In an article from the Times, illegal immigration and the need for a solution are once again discussed. The United States government has decided to build a 1.2 billion dollar wall to help hinder illegal immigration, as well as pay for newer technology and more personnel support for the border patrol. This is just another example of the inefficiency and idiocy of our government. The reporters for Time who wrote the article came upon a group of Mexicans who scaled the wall with relative ease, despite elderly women and children being apart of the group. Upon seeing the reporters drive up, the group then proceeded to climb back over. The walls may keep vehicles from moving across the border, but it can not even keep elderly women and children out. I can't believe that the United States would allocate so much money to such a dud of a project. There are approximately 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. If the government used the 1.2 billion dollars to create an education/citizenship program or something along those lines, there would be approximately $1000 dollars for each illegal immigrant. We could easily use a few hundred dollars to educate the uneducated in a way that would benefit them, our economy, and even Mexico's economy. We could educate the workers in a trade and either have them work here or send them back to Mexico should they want to return. David Von Drehle, the writer of the article states that he believes the only way to solve the immigration "problem" is to boost Mexico's economy. By boosting Mexico's economy, it would create more opportunities in Mexican businesses, especially for the uneducated, unemployed who would be more likely to emigrate in the first place. On top of possibly reducing the incoming of immigrants, it would help boost our economy. Representative Ciro Rodriguez of Texas talked about Texas's economic relationship with Mexico and how if one is struggling, the other will too. Texas's economy contributes to the American economy. If we can boost Texas's economy, we will boost the American economy. This solution works for both parties involved. We will help Mexico retain its labor force, and boost our own economy in the process. 

Time magazine

written by David Von Drehle

June 30, 2008 edition

These Neighbors Are Good Ones Without a New Fence

“I hate to see a fence anywhere,” is a quote by Pat Nixon, the first lady. This quote remarks the fences placed along the American borders which try to prevent people to cross the border illegally. This very fence resembles the varying differences of opportunities for many, especially Mexicans trying to escape the hardships which many of them face in their homeland. Many of who try to cross the border to live the good life, to live the American dream which is constantly talked about in films. I agree with the first lady’s quote, I too hate to see a fence separating people. For me personally, it really doesn’t seem like the humane thing to do, but realistically I can see why it must be done. Today, people cannot be trusted. We live in an era where often our trust of others is abused. No matter what, you will always have certain individuals you are the black sheep, who ultimately ruin the fun and freedom of others. Although the fence doesn’t stop people from sneaking in, it sure does a lot to prevent others from thinking the possibility of crossing over into the United States. But while the fence has certainly tried to stop illegal immigrants to cross over, it has not done enough on the crackdown of smuggling illegal drugs. Criminal Organizations will use any advantage they see to do their crime. It’s obvious that this fence would do little to prevent the smuggling of drugs because the fence is easily accessible to many, especially outsiders. While homeland security tries to stop the smuggling of drugs and immigrants, in reality, a fence really doesn’t do much to stop these problems. I would put more patrol officers along the border as well as turn the fence into a concrete wall, but obviously this would cost too much money for the government which they are not willing to spend.



The New York Times
Article by: Randal C. Archibold
National: Page A14
Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Georgia: 20,000 Refugees Return

On October 8, 2008, Russian troops withdrew from Georgia. More than 100,000 people were forced away from the homes. 20,000 of them were leaving the refugee camps to return home. The problem with this is the UN were warning all these people to be careful on their way back home because of mines and other unexploded weapons. I don’t understand why the UN and other allies would canvas the area for mines and other bombs that might harm these innocent civilians. If someone dies because of one of these weapons I believe the blame is on the UN for not protecting theses people. It wasn’t their fault they were stuck in the middle of a war and had to leave their homes. They were displaced because of the fear that they were in harm’s way. If I was one of these refugees I wouldn’t return home until I knew it was save to come back. I wouldn’t want to worry about each step I take or what my children are playing with. I can’t believe the UN is not taking more precautionary actions to prevent an accidental explosion.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 17, 2008

Immigrants facing Deportation by U.S. hospitals

Luis Alberto Jimenez is from Guatemala. He has the coherence and thought process of a fourth grader and has been in this state since a horrific car accident that left himself and the driver mangled, and the other passengers dead. He emigrated to the United States illegally, and had neither received his papers nor initiated an insurance policy. After regaining consciousness one year, two months, and fifteen days after his accident, he was soon sent back to Guatemala because he lacked the necessary papers. This story might not seem uncommon. Many illegals seeking medical attention are often deported for lack of the necessary paperwork. It is unfortunate that this happens. This case particularly makes me angry. Jimenez was hit by a drunk driver. Not just any drunk driver, but a drunk driver with 14 prior arrests. I once considered the United States to be the land of opportunity. It promised a land of equality, where people could carve their own niche. I can't understand how a land of opportunity makes it so difficult on the less fortunate who emigrate to try to create a better life for their families. My father is an Hispanic immigrant. I share an ancestry with the thousands of spics and beaners who come to America and "take our jobs and fill our hospitals". I have met numerous illegal immigrants, and former illegal immigrants who work harder than your average American. They don't necessarily do more work physically, but they have to work each and every day against the obstacles set against them by the land of opportunity. The United States of America once stole Montana, Texas, California, and other states from Mexico, and now it is stealing their future in a land that was once theirs. I think that the USA should work to promote border relations, and help those in need by giving them equal opportunity in the so called land of opportunity.

Immigrants facing deportation by U.S. hospitals

written by Deborah Sontag

The New York Times

August 3, 2008 edition

Gunmen Kill Aid Worker On Street in Afgan Capital

Early Monday morning in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, Gayle Williams a 34 year old woman was shot three times. The gunmen were on a motorcycle. A construction worker was a witness to the horrible crime. He said that he saw one of the gunmen get off the motorcycle, shoot Williams and drive off. The Taliban were responsible for the attack. Their spokesman said that Williams was set as the target because the organization that she worked for, Serve Afghanistan, and the organization was proselytizing. Proselytizing is the recruiting or converting of someone’s religion or political views. Apparently members of the Taliban terrorist organization saw Williams Serve Afghanistan’s group as a threat. In the same residential area that Williams was killed Monday morning, the night before, the presidential candidate was kidnapped. He was a member of the royal family.
The Taliban has been increasing their attacks to raise money from ransoms; and put pressure on the Afghan government. Mr. Atmar is newly appointed in Parliament. He has a large task on his hands with one of the most corrupt systems. Mr. Atmar needs to crack down on Terrorism and straighten out the government before more people are brutally murdered.

New York Times
Tuesday, October 21,2008
International: Page A8
Written by: Carlotta Gall

"Immigrant Day Laborers, Far From Home and Losing Hope"

The article takes place in Hempstead New York where more than fifty immigrants stood outside of a Home Depot in hopes of finding work during the day. The article said that out of these immigrants only about six or seven of them were able to find work. These day laborers wait for work and it is significant to them because they are far from home and in desperate need of money. Most of these immigrant workers had full-time jobs in the past but are currently being laid off due to troubles in the economy. Two years ago the economy was doing well and the homebuilding industry needed the help of these workers, but now they are not being needed in abundance. A lot of these workers are living day to day and are hoping to find work. The article states that some of these immigrants are in fact illegal immigrants and have stopped buying supplies they need and sending money back to their families. This fall in economy puts these immigrants in a tight situation and that they may have to return home because they are failing to make enough money for their own survival in the United States. Carmelo Pena Garcia is an illegal immigrant and is trying to find the money to return home. This is extremely hard when the American dollar is decreasing in value due to the troubles in the economy. These laborers come to the United States in hopes of seeking the “American Dream” but are finding it hard to do so now. Mr. Mancillas came from a small village in El Salvador where he was a tailor and paid a smuggler 2,500 dollars to get through Guatemala and Mexico. When getting that far he was able to sneak across the border of Mexico and into the United States. He was able to make a decent amount of money in 2005 and even had enough to send large sums of this money back to his family, but not so much anymore. In New York there are seemingly more workers as the days go on. Immigrants travel from city to city in hopes of finding work. The companies that are hiring these immigrants are able to pay them less because they know that they will work for nearly nothing. Sometimes these companies even take it to the extent of not paying them at all. These immigrants can do nothing about it because they live in fear of being sent back home. These immigrants are not really up to date with the economy but they can see that work is becoming harder to find. They fear of going back home, because they are in a place where they are told they will prosper. Some are hoping that with a new President, their will follow a change. Until then, these immigrants will strive for work and do whatever possible to land day jobs to support themselves and their families. Other immigrants will try to raise enough money to head back home due to the small amount of work opportunities.

Article By: Kirk Semple
NY Times Monday October 20, 2008

Immigrant Day Laborers, Far From Home and Losing Hope

The Immigration article that I chose to review this week was found on October 20, 2008. It is about the hard time that immigrant laborers have finding jobs because of the current economic situation that we are in. Experts link this to the collapse of the housing market and the lack of new building projects. This correlation makes sense to me because even my family has decided to wait on home improvement of our own. Also the article says that many of those that are vying for the positions are illegal immigrants. There is a quote from one of these such immigrants that says that he can no longer send money home. Them sending money home is one of the things that I find wrong with the current immigration views. It is actually cheaper to send money to another country than it is to send it across the country. This sends money from our own economy to another country’s. This will just add to the economic downturn causing there to be even less jobs for them. So in all actuality they only have themselves to blame for their lack of employment.

The New York Times

“9 Chinese Oil Workers Are Kidnapped in Sudan”

“We carried out operations in the oil regions before and warned the firms and individuals that whoever is there is considered a legitimate military target,” said Raymond Yu, a spokesman at the Chinese Embassy. The Article “9 Chinese Oil Workers Are Kidnapped in Sudan” that was published on Monday, October 20, 2008 shows us, the reader, how dangers the nation of Sudan is to live and work in. The article state how nine Chinese oil workers and their two Sudanese drivers were kidnapped in central Sudan on Saturday, which is the third such abduction in a year in this oil-producing region. Southern Kordofan, where the kidnapping occurred, is an area that provides a large part of Sudan’s oil wealth. China is the biggest foreign investor in Sudan. The group was seized from a small oil field while doing contract work for the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company, an exploration and production joint venture of China, Sudan and other countries. The Sudanese government blamed the Justice and Equality Movement, or J.E.M., a Darfur rebel group that is official based in London, for the kidnapping. In October 2007, J.E.M. kidnapped five oil workers, which include an Egyptian, an Iraqi and three Sudanese. The reason for knapping of foreign oil workers was a warning to oil companies it accused of financing the Sudanese government. The workers were later released. However, Chinese diplomats said the captors were probably local tribesmen. The Sudanese government and several rebel groups routinely trade accusations about human rights abuses in Darfur, which borders Southern Kordofan. Conflict has raged in Southern Kordofan since 2003.

My opinion of the Article “9 Chinese Oil Workers Are Kidnapped in Sudan” is that it sad that China's thirst for oil is causing bloodshed. When it comes to oil consumption, China is second only to the U.S. and almost half of China's oil needs come from imports. The Chinese rely on Sudan to supply a big part of that. Sudanese oil shipments to China increased 63% from 2003 to 2006 and soared 113% last year alone. In return for access to oilfields to help motor its growing economy, China provides Sudan with Chinese weaponry such as assault rifles, heavy machine guns, and mortars. As result of this finical backing the Sudanese government has started the first genocide of the 21st century on the citizens in regions like Darfur and South Sudan It is beyond my knowledge, why the Chinese government is not stopping the oil relationship with the nation of Sudan when they realize that they are providing the Sudanese authorities revenue that it uses in attacks on civilians in the western Darfur region?



Article written by: Reuters
The New York Times
Monday, October 20, 2008
Article on page A10 of the New York edition.

"Mexico to deport Cubans heading illegaly to US"

Yesterday, Mexico decided to deport all Cubans who are trying to sneak into the US illegally.   According to Alexandra Olson, this decision cut off "an increasingly violent and heavily used human trafficking route."  Cubans had used this route to avoid the coast guard completely.  This is a large step forward from Mexico's old answer on this issue.  Olson explains, "Before Monday, Mexico rarely sent back Cubans caught entering the country illegally.  Many were held for a time, then were given 10 to 30-day exit orders which allowed them to continue on to Texas, where Cubans present only identity documents and undergo medical and background checks before being welcomed to America."  This old system had been very ineffective and the Cubans realized that they could still get through, so they used it as much as possible.  One of the reasons Mexico decided to change this policy on Cuban immigration was because of all of these migrants coming in.  They wanted to stop this passage of illegal immigration.  

The reason these Cubans are trying to get to America has been the same for many years.  The Cubans simply fear their communist government and will go to extreme measures to escape it.  Many of these immigrants have risked their lives trying to make this journey, but yet many still believe it is worth the risk.  I feel that this is the main solution to this problem.  I know that Mexico is trying to help the situation, but the real problem lies within the home country of Cuba.  The fact that the reason they are leaving out of fear means that something is wrong.  If the communist reign in Cuba ended many of these people would migrate back to Cuba and the migration of the people here to the U.S. would stop.  I believe that this is the real solution to this problem.  In the meantime, I hope that this works out for Mexico and keep up the good work. 

Written By: Alexandra Olson

October 20, 2008

Associated Press

Insurgents Toll in Somalia International Affairs

Witnesses claim a Somalia citizen working for UNICEF was shot several times in the head on Sunday. This happened a couple days after another local United Nations employee had been killed. The Somalia man had been walking in the southern town of Hudor when three men armed with pistols and assault rifles ambushed him. The other United Nations employee had been murdered while leaving a mosque in Merka. Local people working in foreign aid agencies have recently been attacked by insurgents as well. Nur Hassan Hussein, Somalia’s prime minister, had said the government needs to get rid of piracy on the Somalia coast through the aid of international assistance. These pirates have taken over dozens of ships that carry high artillery weapons.
In my opinion, Somalia’s prime minister, Nur Hassan Hussein should institute some action in light of the recent homicides. Two UNICEF United Nation employees have recently been murdered, while local people working with foreign agencies have been attacked by insurgents. Citizens in Somalia deserve to be assured security from radical insurgents attempting to harm them because of their roles in foreign affairs. I believe these insurgents of who intend to harm local people working with foreign agencies or UNICEF employees should be frightened from contemplating such thoughts. Nur Hassan Hussein needs to pass a bill in which insurgents face harsh punishments if they are to harm citizens in Somalia. By stating his government needs international assistance to fight off piracy in Somalia, Nur Hassan Hussein should know that allowing insurgents to harm the people in international affairs won’t help the cause. These insurgents are murdering innocent Somalia people, and I don’t think that taking someone’s life is just through any reasoning. Nur Hassan Hussein should try his best as prime minister of Somalia to diminish the recent escalated fighting. In my opinion, this may only be achieved if he takes initiative and protects the Somalia citizens.

Hindu Threat to Christians: Convert or Flee

Though India is a secular state, there still lies a large undercurrent of religious tension from Hindus towards Christians, who make up 2% of the population. This article, written by Somini Sengupta, follows recent spasms of violence towards Christians in places like Borepanga, and Kandhamal. Kandhamal is the district with the worst history for violence as more than 30 people have been killed, 3,000 houses burnt, and 130 churches destroyed. Sengupta recounts the story of a priest and nun, who were beaten, stripped, and forced to parade the streets. The nun also claims she was raped. The Hindus have set an unspoken ultimatum. Convert or flee. The amount of hatred shown towards their own countrymen over religious reasons have made Christian Indians exiles in their own homes. I was a little confused when I read this article. I didn't realize that there was so much animosity between Christians and Hindus in India. The very thought that neighbors could tear each other's lives apart over religion is ridiculous when there are literally no positive motives. I think this is a prime example of how societies distort the lives of their citizens. As seen in the deep undercurrents of racism in southern America, the hatred in India will not die down with time. More and more people will be forced from their homes until they find a way to live in harmony. India will continue to isolate a small minority of hard working, relatively well educated citizens until we can find a way to relieve this tension.

New York Times
October 13, 2008
written by Somini Sengupta

Acts of Violence in Italy Towards Black Immigrants

Italy is a nation that has recently found itself to be developing into a prime destination for immigrants. According to the National Institute of Statistics, legal immigrants in Italy has risen 17 percent, now making the immigrant population six percent of the total population. The Northern League has called for greater controls on immigrants relating to an accumulative criminal record a legal immigrant may acquire. This bill put forward by the Northern League, a very influential party in Italy, is ironic because it is arguable that they should rather be pressing a bill in which better protects legal immigrants from violence. For example, specifically black immigrants from places like Ghana, China, Somalia etc, have experienced recent violence across all of Italy. Giovanni Giulio Valtolina stated in The New York Times, “A black English person, or French person, or Dutch person, that’s O.K., but a black Italian is a very new thing.” There has been debate whether recent killings of blacks in Italy have been racially motivated. Abdul William Guibre was a black Italian immigrant of which was killed by two men who worked at the Shinning Bar, a coffee shop near the central train station in Milan. They suspected him of stealing a package of cookies and money. In response they set out for him with medal rods I hand and allegedly beat him to death. Mr. Guibre’s death has been the most severe incident in light of the recent violence towards blacks throughout Italy. Other less severe incidents have taken place as well such as a Ghanaian man injured in a scuffle with police in Parma. A Chinese man was a victim of a hate crime and was beat up by a group of boys in a Rome neighborhood. The recent acts of violence towards blacks in Italy have now come together to bring up the discussion of racism. The Parliament debated whether Italy was facing a “racism emergency” in last week’s newspaper headlines. Interior Minister, Roberto Maroni, stated last week that these attacks on black immigrants were isolated to one area in Italy and was overrated. Jean-Leonard Touadi stated in The New York Times that “there’s been a worrisome sequence of events, which can’t just be cataloged as isolated incidents.” He argues that although Italy is facing social and economical crises, rage and frustration mustn’t be placed on the foreign immigrants.
The sequence of violent acts towards black immigrants throughout all of Italy vividly illustrates the xenophobia some Italian citizens are demonstrating. These pointless acts of violence lead me to believe that it is in the hands of the Italian government to institute bills in which protect these black legal immigrants. In my opinion it is blatantly obvious that the Italian parliament is reluctant to discuss racism and discrimination evident in various parts of Italy. The recent accounts of violence illustrate to me that xenophobic Italians are worried about the increasing number of immigrants entering Italy. In my opinion, Italy as a nation is doing a poor job of transitioning from a nation of emigrants to a nation that attracts immigrants. I believe the responsibility of providing these immigrants safety and security should be placed squarely on the shoulders of the government. I believe that they should ban the magazines of which stir confrontations about immigration such as Famiglia Cristina. A magazine of which asked on its cover, “Is Italy Changing its Skin.” I believe its magazines like this that stir many different opinions and views on immigration. The government should regulate what the press produces and should forward more bills in which will at the minimum discourage the frequent acts of violence towards black immigrants.

Far-Right, Anti-Immigrant Parties Make Gains in Austrian Elections

This article was written a few weeks ago about the recent Austrian election. While there was no surprise that the Social Democrat party won 30 percent of the votes, there was a huge surprise at the amount of votes gained by the Freedom Party, a far-right party which is against immigration. They won a shocking 18 percent of the votes, which was a gain of seven percent from the previous federal election. Heinz-Christian Strache, leader of the far-right Freedom Party has anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant views. His party uses this to drag in the attention of the voters because they place the blame for Austria's economic woes squarely on immigrants and foreign competition. This view on immigrants in general has started to gain pace throughout Europe, if not the world. According to the CIA website, Austria’s ethic groups are a staggering 91 percent Austrians. Now this statistic makes one wonder; is immigration really a big deal issue in Austria? Another six percent have an ethic decent from Europe. It obviously seems evident that Muslims and immigration in general is really not a big issue at the moment, rather they are using a scare tactic in regards to the recent economic woes the world is experiencing right now. The immigration rate is low and it seems clear that there really isn't any blame on immigrants for the economic woes a country experiences. It seems a very scary possibility that the Freedom party might win the election in the near future. It seems that the Austrian citizens are not satisfied with the government and are looking for change and surprising, the far right group might one day win office which would bring an ultimate end to immigration in Austria and most importantly what would they do to the immigrants who are currently living in Austria?


The New York Times
Article by: Nicholas Kulish
International: Page A7
Monday, September 29, 2008

There has been a running debate in Italy lately. Immigration is on the rise and many citizens have taken it into their own hands to handle. Last month Abdul William Guibre was beaten to death with a metal rod. He was accused of stealing money from a local coffee shop in Milan. Authorities have said that he potentially was in fact stealing cookies. The shop owner and his son are the ones that have committed the brutal crime. As they were beating Guibre they were shouting racial slurs at him. No one should be killed for stealing “cookies”. This is one of the many hate crimes that has taken place within past months, but one of the most severe that has happened.
Other attacks have been made on immigrants. For example a Chinese man was beaten in a back alley. Amina Sheikh a 51 year old woman was strip-searched in an airport. Many speculate that she was interegated because she was an immigrant, that’s profiling.
Pope Benedict XVI has even seen tension has risen between immigrants and the citizens of Italy. The Pope said he sees “worrisome new signs of deepening social tensions”.
I believe that new laws should be set in place in order to protect immigrants in Italy and other countries. If these new laws are acted upon, lives will be saved.

The New York Times
Rachel Donadio
International: Page A5
Monday, October 13, 2008

"Italy's Attacks On Migrants Fuel Debate On Racism"

In this article Rachel Donadio describes how there have been recent attacks on black immigrants in Milan.  Donadio talks about a man named Abdul William Guibre who was killed last month in Milan.  The 19 year old, from Burkina Faso, was beaten to death by a metal rod in a cafe.  They claimed that the young man appeared to steal a package of cookies, so this was their reasoning for this brutal attack.   Then later a picture was painted on the outside of the steel curtain that locks up the cafe in his memory.  After a few days protesters threw paint to cover this picture and chanted "dirty black."  This attack sparked a lot of talk about the racism issues in Italy.  Donadio explains, "The attacks are fueling a national conversation about racism and tolerance in a country that has only recently transformed itself from a nation of emigrants into a prime destination for immigrants."  I believe that this is an awful story for one.  This is such a terrible attack for such petty and ignorant reasons.  If I were an immigrant and I read this about this attack I would never, ever, go to Italy.  I just cannot believe these kinds of racist attacks still occur.  I guess I was just oblivious to this fact.  This is an act of racism for sure even though they say it was because he was stealing cookies.  This was just an unthinkable attack and protest that I hope I never have to hear or read about again.

Written By: Rachel Donadio

The New York Times

Monday, October 13, 2008

U.S. Refuge for Singer Fleeing the Taliban

Haroon Bacha, age 36, is a musician from Pakistan. Haroon’s music is very popular in Pakistan. He sings about peace and the resistance to war. About a year ago, he started getting threats telling him to stop singing. Bacha said “there were letters, phone calls, and text messages.” The letters, calls, and messages where threatening his life and the life of his family. The Taliban’s were the ones who were sending these threats to him. The Taliban were threatening him because they just kicked off a “campaign” against music and the western culture. A couple of months ago he moved to New York, leaving his whole family behind. He said “if I return I will be killed.” This is just another story we here about how much some extremists groups hate the western culture. He was exiled because he loved playing and singing music. I believe he came to American because he knew that he would be able to sing about whatever he wants. He wouldn’t receive text messages or other forms of contact tell him to stop. And most of all, his life wouldn’t be threaten. He said that the Taliban’s are taking everything away, “We have lost everything. We have lost music, we have lost local games, and we have lost children playing in the street.” I really couldn’t imagine having my life ruled by a radical group. The worst part about this is he might never be able to see his family again, because he is in fear of his life. I couldn’t imagine saying goodbye and thinking about if I was going to see them again. Bacha to me, is a hero in is own ways. He continued to play when they told him to stop, he continued to play when he left his family, and he continued to play in a foreign land. He sings about peace, and peace is one necessity we need in our world.

New York Times

By: Ben Sisario

Picture from: Ramin Talaie for The New York Times

Published: October 12, 2008

Persecuted in Africa, Seeking Refuge in New York

The article is about a man from Senegal and the troubles he runs across for having a different outlook on life. Pape Mbaye was a cross dresser who in New York was found wearing eye liner, capris, and carrying a purse. He is a twenty-four year old man from Dakar, Senegal, who was treated poorly by his government and was seeking refuge. He was very famous and talented but was said to give the Country a negative homosexual outlook which they did not want. The incidents he came across in West Africa almost finalized in the death of him. He was an entertainer who enjoyed singing, dancing and storytelling. The government was rudely notified by photos of an underground gay marriage that was looked down upon in his homeland. This is when the government took action and he was severely harassed. It was taken to the point that he was driven out of his home and forced to live on the run in fear of being caught by the Senegalese officials and persecuted. The United States came to his rescue by offering him refugee status, which is rare based on an incident that involved ones sexual orientation. He moved into an apartment in the Bronx where he now feels safe and recognizes the US as his new home. While visiting family that lived in Harlem, he decided to go shopping in an area where other Senegalese people worked. Here he was harassed by his own people in the US. This was something that he had previously thought about and was in fear of. He recalls one man saying “If you were in Senegal, I would kill you”. Back in Africa it has been reported that the government has been arresting all gay and lesbians. Pape Mbaye was making a good living off entertaining at parties and weddings across Senegal. He had multiple riches and a very nice apartment back home. He cross dressed proudly in Senegal even after they had instated an anti sodomy law in 1965. After the photos of the gay marriage had come about, he and four friends were arrested and questioned immediately. The police told them to run and hide, and later realized that mobs had spray painted his apartment. They went to south Senegal where they were found and beaten by angry mobs. He was forced to live in safe houses until May eleventh when he immigrated to the United States to seek refuge. A few days after he had left the President said that he was going to behead all homosexuals in the Country. While going back to assemble his refugee application he was attacked with a knife, which later helped speed up the process. He was safely in America and considered himself a citizen of America where he could practice his sexuality openly and freely. No one should be treated like that in their home country and seeking refuge was definitely a life defying step. If he had not acted upon this sooner he could have ended up dead. As an Immigrant in the United States, he knows it will be hard. He will take on any job but does not want the job of being a brick layer, which is commonly taken on by immigrants in some cases.

Article By: Kirk Semple and Lydia Polgreen
New York Times
A21 October 6, 2008

“Sudan Arrests Militia Chief Facing Trial”

“Whilst my heart hopes that this is the start of a real, Sudanese-led, judicial process, my head tells me it’s yet another ploy by Khartoum to buy some time,” said James Smith, chief executive of Aegis Trust, an anti-genocide group. “This is not something for show,” he added. “This is part of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s commitment to bring a final and comprehensive solution to Darfur.” The Article “Sudan Arrests Militia Chief Facing Trial” that was published on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 shows us, the reader, that in Nairobi, Kenya, the Sudanese government has arrested one of the most wanted men in the nation, a notorious janjaweed militia leader charged by an international court with orchestrating mass murder in Darfur, which Sudanese officials disclosed on Monday. The move is widely being interpreted as a way for Sudan to improve its image abroad and try to head off the possible genocide prosecution of the nation’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, in the International Criminal Court. The notorious janjaweed militia leader that was charged by an international court with orchestrating mass murder in Darfur was Ali Kushayb, also known as Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-al-Rahman and the “colonel of colonels”. The Sudanese government arrested the militia leader as result of the evidence that was produce by several Human rights groups. Mr. Ali Kushayb was charged with leading attacks on civilians and ordered villages to be burned to the ground and the women in them raped in the region of Darfur. This willingness of Sudanese government to arrest its own militia leaders is in contract with its willingness in the past. In 2007, the International Criminal Court charged Mr. Ali Kushayb with the same crimes against humanity and demanded that Sudan hand him over. However, Sudan refused, denying that he had done anything wrong and insisting that any criminals it did arrest would be handled in its own courts. But now with the nation of Sudan being under increasing pressure to curb the violence in Darfur and Mr. Bashir being pursued by international prosecutors, the government appears to have changed its tack. Mr. Kushayb is now in police custody.
My opinion of the Article “Sudan Arrests Militia Chief Facing Trial” is that the arrest of one of the most wanted men in the nation, a notorious janjaweed militia leader charged by an international court with orchestrating mass murder in Darfur, is just for show. My question for the Sudanese government is why has it taken so long for them to realize that the reports of several Human rights groups of Mr. Ali Kushayb leading attacks on civilians and ordered villages to be burned to the ground and the women in them raped in the region of Darfur were true? Also how long will the rest of world let the Sudanese government continue the first genocide of the 21st century on the citizens in regions like Darfur and South Sudan?

Article written by: Jeffrey Gettleman

The New York Times

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Article on page A9 of the New York edition.

Attack on Publisher's House May Be Linked to Book About Muhammad and Wife

“The Jewel of Medina,” is a novel about A’isha a wife of the Prophet Muhammad. Ballantine Books, a publishing business of Random House, cancelled this publication because they thought that it would offend Muslim extremist. The author, Martin Runja, house was set on fire by three men arrested for terrorism. This book leads us to the 1988 publication by Salman Rushdie, “The Satanic Verses.” This book is also about Muhammad and his wives. When this book was published, it caused a riot outside the bookstore it was opening at. Rushdie had to go into hiding because the Japanese translator of the book was murdered. Thinking about these books, only one thing comes to mind, “Freedom of Speech.” People around the world really don’t have this freedom in their countries. I understand why people attack and protest when someone is writing about their religious figure. I wouldn’t go as far as kill someone, but if they think that is the only way they are going to stop people degrading their religious beliefs then what can we do? We can write our opinions in books, but there is no need to go into detail and down grade some ones religious figures.

New York Times
Issue September 29, 2008
By: Sarah Lyall

"Persecuted in Africa, Seeking Refuge in New York"

In this article, written by Kirk Semple and Lydia Polgreen, explain how a Senegalese man was given refugee status in the United States.  This man, named Pape Mbaye, could not stand living in his country of Senegal any longer because he was just too scared to stay. Semple and Polgreen explain his situation, "he was harassed by the police, attacked by armed mobs, driven from his home, maligned in the national media and force to live on the run across West Africa."  He definitely had a rough life in Africa and was filled with terrors that I couldn't imagine.  You might be asking why did this happen to him? It was because of his sexual orientation.  Being gay in Senegal is highly frowned upon.  The reason Pape had such a difficult time in his home country is because he didn't try and hide the fact that he is a gay man.  He chose to dress in the fashion he wanted to dress in and this was a main reason he was attacked.  It is a shame that a person can't live his life the way he or she wishes to live it.  This is why he applied to become a refugee in America.  He is one of the few people that has been given refugee status because of persecution caused by sexual orientation.  The main reason for this is the fact that he had maintained a high social status in Africa as an entertainer.  Either way I believe a person should be granted refugee status if he or she is persecuted for a legitimate reason.  I think that the United States made the right decision on this situation.  If I were in their position I would have done the same thing.  Now Pape is living happily in New York.  

Written by: Kirk Semple and Lydia Polgreen 

The New York Times 

October 6, 2008   

The image of Muslims seems to be going downhill after the continuous acts of terrorism displayed by the most extreme Muslims known as Religious Extremist. These individuals obviously take religion far too seriously which conducts them to perform acts of terrorism such as 9/11, the London bombings and most recently an attack on a publisher’s house because he published a book in regards to the Prophet Mohammed and one his wives, A’isha. Now this isn’t the first time that Muslim extremist have carried out such attacks. Salman Rushdie, writer of The Satanic Verses also experienced similar attacks because of his book. The extremist believe that these books portray a poor image of Muslims and their gods. But I ask myself, what is the problem with this small group of Muslims who are responsible for giving all Muslims around the world a poor image. Are these writers not entitled to Freedom of Speech? These authors are only providing their opinions which does not entirely make fun or portray a poor image of Muslims and their religion. What about the various other religions which get made fun of in movies, tv shows, etc? Should they go burn down the producers, writers and actors houses? Should they even kill these people as the Muslims did for a publisher in Japan. Take for example the popular show South Park and the worldwide hit Borat. South Park makes fun of Jews and Christians throughout the show while Borat makes fun of Jews and the Kazhastani people. Although I sure there have been some criticism and objection towards both the show and movie, I did not hear any protests going violent. None of the other religions have really ever taken such drastic measures of violence to show their displeasure at a movie, book, show, etc. They have ended all their objections peacefully without any violence. While I’m sure many Muslims do not take these matters seriously, I still cannot understand the use of violence of the extreme Muslims.

“A Slow, Wary Return for Georgian Refugees”

“Certainly we lost the war,” said Ms. Eteri Kusiani, sadly, who is ethnically Georgian, lay awake before dawn on Thursday listening to distant gunshots. “We lost hope of reclaiming our territories. How could we call it a success? People have died. Houses have been destroyed.” “The only hope I have,” she added, “is to run from this place and build a house in another place.” The Article “A Slow, Wary Return for Georgian Refugees” that was published on Friday, October 10, 2008 shows us, the reader, that this young woman’s statement is an accurate one. The article discusses how in the city of Perevi, Georgia, on a day when Georgians streamed back to their homes from refugee camps, this mountain village was shrouded with fog, and its inhabitants wondered if they had been forgotten. The city of Perevi, Georgia, which is just outside separatist South Ossetia, has around 1,000 ethnic Georgians live in the city. The article states that on Thursday, October 10, 2008, hours before the deadline for Russian troops to pull back to the enclave, the citizens were still trapped behind a heavily reinforced Russian checkpoint where a communication station, troop carriers and heavy ammunition were hidden under camouflage. As a result of this madness hogs meander down the unpaved road that runs through the city of Perevi. This type of processions showed that the great-power politics of Russia and Georgia seem impossibly remote. The citizens of the city of Perevi still fear for them lives because though the Russians may pull out, the thought gives them little comfort. It is their neighbors who scare them the most, because their city is between Georgian and Russian military checkpoints, and the soldiers of these military checkpoints still have the memory of the war still fresh in the minds.
My opinion of the Article “A Slow, Wary Return for Georgian Refugees” is that it sad that the citizens of the city of Perevi still fear for them lives. Because I believe that no citizen should have to fear for their live in their own nation. Also that the next American administration should confront the fallout of this war and face a hard challenge that presented. I know it is not possible to craft Georgia policy without looking at the broader United States-Russia policy, while it is not possible to craft a broader U.S.-Russia policy without recognizing the role the United States plays in creating tension between Russia and Georgia. But the next American administration should try to fix the relationship between Russia and Georgia.



Article written by: Ellen Barry

The New York Times

Friday, October 10, 2008

Article on page A6 of the New York edition.

Seeking Refuge in New York

The article that I am covering this week is about a Senegalese gay man who was granted refugee status by the US government. He was being chased and attacked all around his home country of Senegal. He was granted refugee status on July 31, and arrived in the US on August 18. He is currently looking for employment in New York City. I think that the whole premise behind the article is wrong. He was attacked and hurt numerous times. The government didn’t even do anything to stop these attacks. Also, he is one of the few who have been given refugee status based on these claims. This is also a major problem with the United States immigration policies. If someone has there life threatened they shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get to this country.

Iraqi Woman Carries Out Suicide Blast In Diyala

Ten people died last Wednesday in Baghdad. In the capital of Diyala Province a woman blew herself up. The spot of attack was set outside the Court of Appeals building. There are many other government buildings on this street. This has been the target of more than 17 suicide bombers within the past year. This must tell you something about Baghdad’s Court systems and their government. I believe that their Government should change their policies; maybe this could be the start of less suicide bombings and it could potentially save innocent lives.

New York Times
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Alissa J. Rubin
Page A13

The Jewel of Medina-Controversy

“The Jewel of Medina” is a novel about the early life of A’isha, one of the many wives to the Prophet Muhammad that has ignited strong opinions pertaining to its characterization amongst many people in society. Ballintine Books canceled its publication in August fearing it would offend and ignite Muslim Extremists. Gibson Square, an independent publishing company felt it was without question that the novel should be published. One of their publishers, Martin Rynja, has been quoted in The New York Times stating, “In an open society there has to be an access to literary works, regardless of fear.” One early Saturday morning Mr. Ryjna’s house in North London was set on fire by three religious extremists. These religious extremists are not alone in the fight against publishing this sensitive novel. Thomas Perry, deputy publisher of Random House Publish Group, and Denise Spellberg, an associate professor of History at the University of Texas, both believe the book shouldn’t be published to the public. Thomas Perry believes that by publishing the novel violence will erupt from small radical segments. Denise Spellberg was quoted in The Journal stating the novel is “an ugly, stupid piece of work,” and that it’s like porn. The author Ms. Jones blatantly disagrees with Denise Spellberg childish characterization of her book and encourages many people to read her novel in order to recognize how the novel is being lied about. She says she doesn’t worry about dying but instead how she is living. Ms. Jones is exceptionally expressive and believes it is one of the keys to life. Mr. Kampmann, president of Beaufort books believes in standing behind the publication of the book. He however believed in taking precautions in publishing the book. He characterizes the novel through a quote in The New York Times as a “credible historical fiction.”
In my opinion, this article illustrates religious extremism, matters towards freedom of speech and censorship, as well as religious beliefs. I believe Ms. Jones book should be published and that although there is going to be religious extremists whom want to intimidate her, the publishing companies, and citizens in general, she should still have her right to freedom of speech and be proud of her work. I believe that the people who characterize the book in a bad light are narrow minded and incompetent to the Muslim religion. Denise Spellberg doesn’t strike me as a very sophisticated professor when I read the quotes she has to say about the novel. She seems a bit childish in her description and I honestly expect a bit more from a college professor when giving their input on a novel or any subject for the matter. I believe the religious extremists of who use violence as a tactic to intimidate the society on the topic of the book need to have a more open mind. I don’t believe Ms. Jones is intentionally trying to offend the Muslim religion. In the article various different people like Mr. Kampmann, Thomas Perry, and Martin Rynja believe Ms. Jones’ novel was, if anything, pro-Muslim. I believe in freedom of speech and think that the book should be published for the society to interpret instead of just half a dozen people.

Far-Right, Anti-Immigrant Parties Make Gains in Austrian Elections

The article explains how the far-right parties in Austria won almost a third of the votes in the parliamentary elections that occurred on Sunday. The Freedom Party as they are so fondly referred to as won eighteen percent of the vote which advanced them to gain seven percentage points. The article speaks further about the anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments that are reoccurring frequently in European Politics. The overall outcome has a rising disagreement in globalization. These right-wing groups have directly placed the blame of the economic hardships on immigrants and foreign competition. Mr. Strache, a dental technician has pleaded for a halt to immigration. Wolfgang Bachmayer stated that the Freedom Party made fewer attacks on foreigners than in the past. When reading this you can tell that the people following the right-wing party are against immigration and they believe that it directly affects the economy. Having two or three of these right-wing parties join together could cause a very problematic situation for immigrants and Muslims in the future. The actions seen by Austrian conservative parties’ is closely related to the views of European conservatives. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like for former immigrants in Austria if they were to gain control of the Government. From this article you can see that the government is not stable in Austria and they use immigration as a direct relation to the problem with economy. This was a step in the right direction for the Freedom party but could strike fear into some Muslims and Immigrants of the area. Having Mr. Strache in charge could lead to the absolute abolishment of immigration to Austria and future immigrants will have to look elsewhere for refuge.

Article By: Nicholas Kulish
Monday, September 29th Edition of The New York Times

Persecuted in Africa, Seeking Refuge in New York

Pape Mbaye, 24, is a homosexual entertainer from Senegal. He was recently given asylum to the United States and has since moved to New York. His life was threatened after pictures of an underground gay marriage he organized surfaced on the internet. According to Christopher Nugent, there are very few people granted asylum by the United States for reasons stemming from sexual orientation. I think that there may have been some bias in Mbaye's grant of refugee status. I think that the United States overlooks a ridiculous number of applicants, and the fact that someone can be granted asylum basically based on his influence/popularity in his home country is ridiculous. There are so many people who have applied for asylum who did not have the life he did. He was wealthy in Senegal. He owned two cars with a personal driver, had an overflowing wardrobe, and an apartment in a swank Senegalese neighborhood, yet he was given preference over women who have experienced genital cutting, political exiles, and people ripped from their homes from civil war. There is a problem when our country stresses foreign aid for needy people in third world countries, and then creates ridiculous obstacles for the people who need the most help to get it. The world would be so better off should the governments from different countries work to make a difference in everyday people's lives.

New York Times

Monday October 6, 2008 edition page A22

Written by Kirk Semple and Lydia Polgreen