Immigration

I haven't written for quite a while, but an article I read in the Inquirer really spoke to me.  It was by Mark Zandl and it was well researched.  He sees immigration as a real plus for our economy.  He first addresses the fable that immigrants will take away American jobs.  He states correctly that immigrants come here with low education and very few skills, so they take jobs that Americans do not want, i.e. working the mushroom fields.  That is a smelly back-breaking job that most Americans would not even consider.  Without the immigrants, Mark asserts, "..prices for everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to child care would be higher."  We already know what prices at the pump has done to our personal budgets.  Can you imagine what it would be like if we fruits and vegetables went sky high, too????!!!

Mark also adds that other immigrants are highly educated, as in they earned their PH.D.  "Immigrants file for patents at a rate three times that of U.S. born citizens.  These are the scientists and researchers who drive innovation and technological change.  Their talent is key to America's ability to create what the world wants and needs."

The immigrants are also much more likely to be the entrepreneur.  "Immigration is also important to promoting foreign trade and investment, which are keys to long-term economic growth and more jobs.  Immigrants naturally have very strong relationships with overseas businesses and the capital necessary to make these ties."

Then he addresses one of my favorites:  that immigrants don't pay taxes.  He calls this fallacy for what it is and states: "Taxes paid by legal and illegal immigrants and their children dwarf the costs of the government services they use."  Most people do not realize that immigrants do pay taxes.  If the government doesn't allow guest immigrants, there will be a great diminishment of funds for the government through taxes.

I appreciate Mark Zandl's research.  It matches my own experience of the many immigrants I have faced through the years.  Thanks, Mark.

Illegal Immigration Sweeps

On April 3, the Inquirer published an article by Kevin Freking.  It began, "The Obama administration said Monday that it had arrested more than 3,100 immigrants who were illegally in the country and had been convicted of serious crimes or otherwise were considered fugitives or threats to national security."  This is only partially true.  The Obama administration did arrest 3,100 immigrants in a 6 day national sweep.
I work with a lot of Hispanics, some of whom are immigrants.  They are not criminals.  I will give you 3 examples, not using their real names.  There is Isabel.  Isabel was brought here when she was 15 years old, married, divorced, and now raising 2 teenage boys by herself.  This is not an easy task.  As any single mother will tell you trying to work and be present to your children and helping them with their life challenges is a very demanding and exhausting job.  Add to that you do not have documents, so you can't legally drive; you can't get a job because you and your employer will be penalized.  I wonder what threat this woman is to national security or even what interest she has in terrorizing a nation when her hands are full with raising two boys without any legal documents.  Or maybe the criminal he was referring to was Alba.  Alba was brought to this country when she was 5 years old.  She is a credit to this country.  She was raised in the American school system, pledged allegiance to the flag, sang the star-spangled banner, went to a university, and yet she does not have legal documents.  She has been convicted of no crimes.  In fact she is a very generous person, who has done hours of volunteer work for worthy causes.  What was her crime?  Obeying her parents when she was 5 years old.  For this, the Obama administration would like to deport her by dropping her on the other side of the border to a land which she is unfamiliar, without any money and the inability to get to any distant relatives she may have heard of and never met.  Then, there is Maria.  What is Maria's crime?  Oh, that's right, she is a criminal according to our laws.  However, I do not think her crime is serious nor do I think it is a threat to national security.  She is the mother of 3 young children, all American citizens, and was already deported once.  If you come back after being deported, it is a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.  I do not know of too many mothers who would not do the same thing as Maria.  Good mothers do not abandon their small children.  Most of us, I hope, would do exactly what Maria did and try to be reunited with her young children who needed her.  I know of many more cases where innocent immigrants, many elegible for the Dream Act, have been unjustly imprisoned.  I am only one person, and know so many.  I would imagine there have been many, many more who have not committed serious crimes, or are a threat to national security.  I can just imagine generations from now reading the history of this time, and question,  "What were they thinking?"

Easter Reflection

Today is Easter.  As I was reflecting on Paul's letter to the Colossians, I was struck how he was saying because of Jesus' resurrection, "...you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."   God has blessed me with old age.  This is the time when you really face your limits and if you did not know it before, it is right in front of you all the time - this life is not all there is.  Cardwell Nuckols, a psychologist and Christian wrote a book called the ego-less self.  He borrows Thomas Keatings terminology in talking about the false self.  Nuckols calls the false self the ego who wants power, control, security, esteem and affection.  These are like hooks that feed the false self.  As the saying goes, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."  We see this frequently throughout the world.  We see it in human trafficking; we see it in the dictators who destroy their own people.  We see the need for security taken to an extreme when whatever you have is never enough.  What keeps drug cartels going?  The desire for more and more money, more security.  Human trafficking is about making profit at the expense of innocent children, women, and men, so those that are engaged in it can feel financially secure, and then some.  How often have people sold their souls for what other people think?  Compromised their own values, so they look better in someone else's eyes?  The sad part is I can see all these characteristics within myself at a much less newsworthy scale.   The true Self is the divine spark within each one of us.  When I was studying catechism as a child, we called this sanctifying grace.  My challenge as a Christian who believes in the resurrection of Jesus is to die to this false self, so that I may be more in touch with that Divine spark.  As Richard Rohr says, God loves us and we cannot add to that love or subtract from it.  We can accept it, respond to it, and grow in it, but we have no control over the fact that God loves us.  So day by day, hidden with Christ in God, I make the effort to die to the false self and grow in the love of the resurrected Christ.

Is Msgr. Lynn guilty or not guilty?

Image via Wikipedia

I do not know if Monsignor Lynn is guilty of endangering the lives of children or not.  Having been a nurse for 30 years, I questioned Judge Theresa Sarmina's judgement when she ordered Cardinal Bevilaqua, terminally ill and with dementia to be questioned by lawyer's at his place of residency.  When people are that physically ill, they don't have the energy to think clearly and may well be making mistakes in what they are saying.  In additon to that, the Cardinal had dementia.  In another words, he couldn't remember.  My experience with people who don't remember is that they start to fabricate things, trying to convince themselves that they really do remember.  I told myself, however, that the judge has access to materials that I do not have.  Maybe, the Cardinal could really testify accurately.  But when I read the Inquirer quoting the judge as saying that anyone who doesn't think sexual abuse is widespread throughout the Catholic Church must live on another planet.  How could she make such a prejudicial statement!!!?????  I must be one of those she is referring to that live on another planet.  I have lived and worked around priests all my life, and not one of them that I have known has ever been accused of sexual abuse of a child.  The ones I know are hard-working self-sacrificing men, and I know and have known many of them throughout the years.  Some are better than others and none of them have sexually abused anyone.  Any judge who has publicly let her prejudices be known should recuse herself from the case.  Is Msgr. Lynn guilty or not guilty?  I have no idea.  What I do know is that as long as Judge Theresa Sarmina stays on the case, he will not get a fair trial.

Related articles

• Retired U.S. cardinal dies amid abuse testimony controversy (vancouversun.com)
• Sex abuse 'widespread' in Catholic Church, Philadelphia judge says (philly.com)

Luis Miguel - Noche de Paz

Bah Mitzvah

Image via Wikipedia

I just returned this weekend from my grand-niece's Bah Mitzvah.  it was a beautiful ceremony rich in faith and tradition.  As the sacred Torah was handed down from one generation to the next, I was in absolute awe and so impressed with the sacredness of the faith and sense of tradition of the people.  If you have an opportunity to attend a similar service, I would highly recommend it.

Human traffickers and Dreamers

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeImage via WikipediaThere is a law that has been trying to get passed for a long time.  It is called the Dream Act, and the people it will affect are called Dreamers.  The Dream Act would give a path to citizenship for young people who were brought to this country before they were 16 years old and are guilty of no crime and high school graduates.

I truly believe if the people who oppose this legislation would not if they realized how much these innocent dreamers have suffered.  They are unable to work.  They are unable to get a license to drive.  This is particularly difficult for single mothers who need to take the children here and there and cannot wait for buses because of the fast-paced life they are forced to lead to survive.

Some of these dreamers are victims of Human Trafficking.  PBS showed a documentary a couple of weeks ago showing how these young people are captured by Immigration they are imprisoned without access to lawyers.  One woman was raped by a male guard.  When she complained to a female guard, thinking she would get support from her, she was told not to say anything or it would be worse for her.  She begged to be returned to her homeland because of the inhumane treatment, leaving 4 young children in the United States.  Her family had no idea what happened to her because she had no contact with her family.  Terrorists at Guatanamo Bay were able to have access to lawyers, but these people who were looking for a better life had none.  They are invisible.  Unlike the terrorists at Guatanamo Bay, they are not given any media attention.

Related articles

• Undocumented Immigrant Released From Detention, Pushing For Reform (huffingtonpost.com)
• Deportation Threatened Against DREAMer Held in Florida (lawprofessors.typepad.com)

More on Human Trafficking

Image via WikipediaImage via WikipediaSo much more, I learned about human slavery!  Slavery is illegal in every part of the world, but there are about 27 million people still held in slavery, that is actually more than when slavery was an open acceptable form in societies.  (I should say it was acceptable as long as you were not the slave)  Today, human slavery is much more covert and it is a billion dollar business.

There is different types of slavery:  forced labor, commercial sexual exploitation of children, trafficking which involves transport and/or trade of humans, usually women or children, for economic gain.  Often migrant women and girls are tricked and forced into domestic work and prostitution.

Today people are still bought and sold as commodities.  They are often abducted from their homes, inherited or given as gifts.  This is common in West Africa, particularly Mauritania.

Related articles

• How many slaves work for you? (feministphilosophers.wordpress.com)

Please join me and the young ladies at the Benedictine Academy in Elizabeth, N.J. in trying to wipe out human slavery.  To these young women, nothing is impossible with God's help.  Their goal is zero bystanders on the issue of human trafficking.  They are raising the awareness to the problem.  They have gone to the U.N. and talked to Senators.  Knowing that the lack of education leads to the ignorance that allows young people to get caught in human slavery, they begged for donations to building a school in Sierra Leone.  When the young people in Sierra Leone could not go to the newly built school because of lack of water, the Benedictine students got more donations and had a water pump built so the they could go to school.

See what these amazing students have done on their website www.benedictineacad.org  Look under Campus ministry, then under human trafficking.

Human Trafficking

Today, I was supposed to go to Lancaster with a friend.  When we go, we like to spend time outdoors.  Unfortunately, today was the first day of the autumn to experience snow, as well as lots of rain.  So, we cancelled.  I took this opportunity to go to a workshop on Human Trafficking.  It was hard to listen to.  However, as I listened, I realized as difficult as it was, it was important to educate the world about this horror.  As long as it is kept in the dark, unscrupulous men and women can continue to make their billions off the disadvantaged in this world.

I was so inspired by a group of young high school girls from Benedictine Academy in Elizabeth, N.J.  The Benedictine Academy is a small girls' high school comprised of mostly poor young ladies.  They have single handedly taken on the human trafficking problem.

One of the many things I learned from these young ladies is that every 10 minutes, a woman or child is trafficked in the United States for forced labor.  They have more on their website www.benedictineacad.org  under campus ministry/human trafficking.

Please write to your congresspersons for stricter laws.  The Senate bill (S596) includes a number of provisions that strengthen global and domestic anti-trafficking programs and services.  The House bill (HR 2830) also includes important anti-trafficking measures.

Are Courts Fair To Abused Women?

Recently I went to court for a custody hearing.  The woman I saw there was typical of clients that I see that are abused, some physical, some psychological.  These women have been intimidated for years.  It takes a lot of courage and planning for them to leave the man and step out on their own, especially when children are involved.

I was shocked to see what seemed to me a grossly unfair hearing.  The man was represented by a lawyer, and the woman had no one.  The lawyer had studied law for years; he knew the legal system inside and out.  He was taking notes.  He objected when he knew that something was legally amiss.  Each parent had a chance to ask the witnesses questions, but she did not know what questions would be legally acceptable, whereas the experienced lawyer knew exactly what to focus on.  She did not know to object.  The lawyer knew exactly when to object.  As an outsider to the legal system, this struck me as grossly unfair.   

Questions came to my mind?  Where was the money coming from to pay for the lawyer?  Could it have been money better spent on the children?  Did the judge know beforehand that one would have a lawyer and the other not?  Or did the man lie about getting a lawyer?  Was it a surprise to the woman and the judge when the man showed up with a lawyer?  Should this thing be permitted?

They are just questions that come to my mind.  I do not know the outcome of the decision as I was unable to stay.  I can only hope the judge took into consideration that this woman was unable to be on the same legal par as the husband's lawyer.

Vacation

I arrived in Florida on July 2 at night and joined a party at my niece's house.  On July 4, we had about 16 people for a picnic supper, including my niece and her family from Georgia.  On July 6 at night My borther-in-law, a friend, and I went to a Phillies game here in Florida. I think there were more Phillies fans than Marlin fans there. The players must have experienced it as a home game. They won 14-2. The winning pitcher was Cole Hamels. It was loads of fun. We had the best seats. They were not the most expensive but they were the best. We were on the fourth row just a little north of 3rd base. We could see balls and strikes real well. We had a good view of the infield and outfield, as well as the Phillies bullpen. We were surrounded by other Phillies fans. It was a great night!

Love Bombing

This is a very interesting article that I think all parents would enjoy.

love bombing

Love Bombing

This is a very interesting article for all parents.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/255817/It-took-one-day-to-change-my-son-s-bad-behaviour

The Dream Act

I would like to tell the story of one woman who would be eligible for Dream Act.  Some identifying factors  have been changed to protect the innocent.

I know a woman who came to the United States when she was 14 years old.  She had no say in the matter. Unlike our own adolescents, those who come from Central and South America, they rarely  question their parents' decisions.  She had to learn a new language and culture, but she was so intelligent and applied  herself so diligently that she won a full scholarship to a college which she was unable to take advantage of because of her immigration status.  She pledged allegiance to the flag, sang the star spangled banner and knew American history as well as any American-born person.  In some cases, even better.

She made a very poor decision in selecting a mate.  She had 4 children with him, before she divorced him.  Now, unable to work because of her immigration status, she was put in a position where she had to support her children as a single mother, without legal documents.  In today's world, that is almost impossible.  Unable to get a legal license to drive, she, who was ordinarily a law-abiding person, felt she had no choice, but to drive without a license.  Single mothers understand this.  She has to take her children to many places, including picking them up from school.  She has had to  pay much money to pay court fines for driving without a license.  This is money she could have better used to buy much needed food and clothes for her children.

Our current laws are really unfair to her and millions of others who were brought over to this country as minors.  I strongly support the Dream Act, and hope you do, too.

Retreat

Hi,
I wanted to show you my pictures from my retreat but am having a hard time.  It was a beautiful retreat on Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island.  It is in between the ocean and the bay.  When I figure out how to work the camera, I will show them to you.

Image via WikipediaOne day a friend of mine, who was doing a project for school,  asked me about my thoughts on  immigration.

One of the things that I feel very strongly about is the Dream Act. I would go even further than the current Dream Act. If anyone came to this country younger than 18 years old and is a high school graduate, I would give them a path to citizenship. I don't believe in fines as many of these people are dirt poor, yet they are contributing members of society, and certainly they are not responsible for what their parents did. Many grew up thinking the U.S. was their country. They pledged allegiance to the flag, sang the Star Spangled banner, studied American history and many did not know they were not citizens until they tried to function in the adult world. I don't even like the no criminal record requirement, because many of these people are accused unjustly, taken advantage of because they do not have the money to prove themselves innocent. Some of these children turned adults get involved in drugs and gangs because they feel so hopeless about supporting themselves. This does society no good.

Also, if their children are U.S. citizens, I do not believe they should be forced to be raised in another country because their parents are not. I think parents should be given permission to live in this country if their children are U.S. citizens, as long as they have not abused children. That is the only crime, if it is proven, that I would not tolerate.

Some people think immigrants come just to make their children citizens. I have never come across such a person. They come because they feel desperate in their own countries and are starving. They come here to survive and many times with the intention of returning to their homeland. The problem is when the children are born here, the children do not want to leave.

These are the two incidences that I feel very strongly about because the family is the foundation of society and to tear families apart does not help the country.

If any of the immigrants are career criminals, I would not let them stay in the country.

Immigrant Hispanics have the same problems everybody else does plus some problems that are unique to them because they do not have legal status, and because they are living far away from their support systems.

 Many times young males, who were born elsewhere, but were raised in the United States, will turn to drugs and gangs because they see no hope for the future. Single mothers who came over as minors have to break the law to survive; i.e. driving without a license, insurance fraud because they are seriously ill and cannot get insurance, lying to get housing, using false social security cards, etc. Some people have been deported simply because they were Hispanics and were not carrying their legal documents on them leaving women and children to fend for themselves when they could barely speak the language. These women and children are usually suffering from depression or possibly post-trauma if they were present when ICE took their father away. (ICE has a tendency not to be gentle.)  Can you imagine seeing your father who you love and respect, being abused by ICE.


My friend asked me if I had the resources how could my non-profit make the necessary changes to help these people. I find that counseling itself helps these people cope with their many problems. They really can feel empowered especially when they learn there are resources for them and that they have the power within themselves to change things, i.e., a young teenager was going to join a gang because of discrimination and felt he needed the protection of the gang. He learned there were ways that he could volunteer and help to change things through constructive activities; for example, marches, writing to congressmen, letter-writing campaigns. He also became aware of organizations that already exist that he could join and add his clout to.

These are just some rambling thoughts on this Memorial Day to honor our soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice.  I am sure we are all aware that we are a nation of immigrants.  Hopefully, the Dream Act will be passed soon to help those adults who were brought here as minors.

Entertainment the Irish Way

Image via WikipediaI haven't written in so long.  Last night Neumann University gave the Sisters a treat.  They served us a dinner with lot of choices and provided entertainment.  The entertainment was Mark Rust.  He was a one man band with a beautiful voice.  He sang Irish Songs.  He played the banjo, fiddle, and guitar.  Of course, we had some sing-alongs, also.  It was a great night out and many thanks to the Neumann students who organized it and served us.

The abused child and a challenge to the media

I am a mental health counselor and have seen many abused children. I get a little disconcerted when I see so much attention put on priest abusers. That is only a small fraction of a much bigger problem. The child is hurt on so many levels. The majority of abusers in my experience are step-fathers, some grandparents, some uncles, some older brothers, boy scout leaders, bus drivers. One time in my career of 12 years as a counselor, one person told me they were abused by a priest. No matter who does it, it is a despicable evil act. In fact, there are no words in the English language that can adequately describe the horror it is for the abused child. The ones I find most heart-rending are when a step-father abuses a child, and the mother abandons the child so she can be with the step-father. I disagree with those who who say the priests should be held to a higher standard. That is to ignore the problem. The problem is that millions of children are being abused daily whether it is through human trafficking or relatives or trusted friends of the family who are the abusers. We need to hold everyone to the same high standard. To do otherwise, is to ignore the millions of children being abused daily.

I would like to invite and challenge newspapers and media across the country to really look into the abuse of children and see what we as a people can do to stop it. To focus on one group of abusers, while ignoring the rest, does little to solve this horrendous evil.

Reflections on the Ripple Effect or Quantam Physics

Have you seen the movie "The King's Speech?" I have not, but I have read reviews and heard others talk about it. To me the story of the Duke of York, Albert, shows the power of how all our positive actions can benefit so many people by the ripple effect. Some people call it Quantam physics.

A brief review of history for those who may not know it. Albert was second in line for the throne of England. His older brother, who would have assumed the throne, fell in love with an American divorcee, and was therefore disqualified from becoming the King of England. His brother was next in line. The problem was, his brother stuttered. The Duke's loyal wife, Elizabeth, encouraged him to to visit the eccentric elocutionist Lionel Logue. When World War II broke out, the people needed a morale booster from their tongue-tied King, and they got it. What would have happened had Elizabeth not encouraged him to see the elocutionist? What would have happened if Lionel Logue showed deference to the King, instead of challenging him? What would have happened to the people of England if they did not have their King who was able to encourage them, through verbal communication? We can see how one positive action led to another and led to another with a tremendous impact on a nation.

The same is true of negative actions. We have only to look at the priest scandal in the Catholic Church. Some who were abused as children became priests, and they, in turn, started abusing other children. It is common for the abused to become abusers. Abusers look for easy targets. Priests in the 50's & 60's were so well respected, parents frequently did not believe their children if they told them "Father" did something horribly wrong to them. Words cannot describe the terrible suffering these innocent victims endured from the trusted abusive priests and the well-intentioned parents who possibly did not believe them. The sexual abuse is one type of suffering. The disbelief of the parents, who the children thought would protect them was a whole other type of pain.

Those children grew up and some of them started suing the church. Now Catholic dioceses are going bankrupt and all the good they were able to do before is now paralyzed. An example of this is the diocese of Wilmington where I work. The Bishop is proposing to liquify the money from the Foundation started by Raskob to pay for all the lawsuits. Here are just some of the ministries that will be effected by that: Ministry of Caring who has women, men's, and family shelters, daycare for the poor, addiction services for adolescents, job placement center, a dining room to feed the homeless, and many others. Catholic Charities who provides much needed social services will also be effected. St. Paul's School, which serves poor children, mainly Hispanics and blacks, will also suffer. These are just a few of the services and people who will suffer because of the lawsuits. These innocent poor people were not even born when the abuse by some priests took place. Now thousands of innocent people are being deprived of much needed services, when they had nothing to do with the original abuse.

The point of my reflection is this: I do not believe any of our actions, whether positive or negative, just effect ourselves. They have the potential to effect a nation as with Albert or thousands of innocent poor people as we see today as a result of the abuse scandal.

Franciscan Volunteers

Last night, four Franciscan volunteers visited our motherhouse. The Franciscan Volunteer program consists of volunteers who give one to two years of their lives to help out at a certain missions. St. Paul's in Wilmington has 4 volunteers this year.

They came for supper last night. They first ate supper with us. One is extremely outgoing and was greeting all the Sisters at the different tables. We have quite a few round tables in the dining room that seat 6 people. He went around to all of them and talked to everyone. Another one hopped from one table to another. They seemed very much at home.

After supper the tour began. Sister Rose Immaculate, a prize-winning photographer showed them the collection of her pictures that line the second hall corridor. They were enthralled by the beauty of the collection. Then, she gave them each a book.

From there, we went to the fifth floor, where you can see three different States. One view shows the Philadelphia skyline; another, the bridges going into New Jersey and the western shore of New Jersey, and the third view allows you to see the edge of Wilmington, Delaware.

From there, I showed them the first floor. The life-size statue of St. Francis greets visitors at the entrance. Then, the history of our congregation is depicted along the walls in script and pictures. From there, we went into the heritage room, where there were memorabilia of our Sisters in the early days of our community, along with somethings of St. John Neumann who was instrumental in founding our community.

Then, I took them into our Spiritual Center. One of the volunteers, Chris, had helped with a retreat there some time ago. It brought back memories. From there, Chris wanted to see the main chapel. The volunteers were enthralled with the chapel. Chris imagined he was talking to the Sisters at the pulpit.

The spirit of those young volunteers were with me this morning as I walked in the hallway down to chapel for early morning Mass. I could see each one in my mind's eye as I walked to chapel. I know the priest was talking to us, but I could see Chris there giving us a reflection. Their spirits now live in our hallowed halls.