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poetry

Thirteen Ways of Looking at Bana al-Abed

Mary Bailey
California poet Mary Bailey captures the voice of a Syrian girl from Aleppo who, with assistance from her English-speaking mother, sent messages through Twitter documenting the siege of the city.

poetry

Sanctuary

Peter Neil Carroll North American Review
Peter Neil Carroll’s “Sanctuary” honors the work of Proactiva Open Arms, a non-governmental volunteer group of lifeguards who rescue refugees at sea.

Trump's `Muslim Policy' Conjures Up Demons From Fascism's History

Bill Boyarsky truthdig
Trump's proposal taps into a reservoir of racism that is part of American history. FDR ordered American-born and immigrant Japanese people into prison camps at the outset of World War II, one of the worst violations of the Constitution. From the moment the first slave was taken off a ship in colonial America, African-Americans have been subjected to violent racism. So have Latino immigrants, another Trump target. Anti-Islam feeling is rampant...all it needs is a leader.

Tidbits - December 3, 2015 - Hillary, Bernie and Labor; Chicago cops, Suffragette (readers respond to responses); Socialism; US and refugees - disgraceful history; and much more...

Portside
Reader Comments: Chicago Police Killings of African Americans; Hillary and Labor; Readers debate Democratic Socialism; U.S. history and refugees, then and now - doors closed to Jews, while Japanese Americans are interned; Young Workers; NUHW Wins Battle with Kaiser; Quebec Rolling Strikes; Close Guantanamo; Who Benefits From A Post-Paris "Clash of Civilizations"?; Suffragette - Portside readers weigh in; Announcements: Book Sales; Worker Coops; Puerto Rico Fightback

What Americans Thought of Jewish Refugees on the Eve of World War II

Ishaan Tharoor Washington Post
1938-five years after Hitler came to power, after the beginning of the "Final Solution", Jewish refugees were denied entry into the United States. Then it was anti-Semitism and fear of European radicals and communists; today it is anti-Muslim hysteria. Then the U.S. closed its' eyes to the Holocaust; today GOP governors and congressmen are closing the borders while over 250,000 have died in Syria, there are over 3 million refugees and 6.5 million are internally displaced

Here are Real Political Leaders Standing Against Fear, Hatred and Islamophobia; Refugee Decision is a Moral Decision

Bryan Schatz; Sergio Gonzalez; and Bernie Sanders
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, President Barack Obama, and several governors push back against the rising tide of anti-refugee sentiment. Governors Tom Wolf (PA), Kate Brown (OR), Jay Inslee (WA), Jerry Brown (CA), and John Hickenlooper (CO) have voiced their support for refugees from war, economic poverty and religious and political persecution.

Tidbits - October 1, 2015 - Reader Comments: Sanders, Labor Endorsements, GOP Attacks Hillary; Slavery; Syrian Refugees; Unions, Contracts and NLRB; Public Education for Sale; and more...

Portside
Reader Comments: Sanders and African American support, Labor endorsements divides union ranks, GOP attacks on Hillary;; Slavery, a national institution; Syrian Refugees and growing movement to welcome refugees; Unions, Contracts and the NLRB; Public Education for Sale; Puerto Rico's new party; Support for UE resolution on BDS; Julian Bond honored; Announcements: The Art of Peggy Lipschutz; more...

Refugee Crisis - Czech Police Ink Numbers on Skin, Icelanders Welcome Tens of Thousands

Rob Cameron, Jeva Lange
Images of Czech police inking the skin of newly arriving Syrian migrants, and the government says they were unaware that this brought back memories of the Holocaust, when prisoners at Auschwitz were systematically tattooed. While in the north of Europe, in 24 hours, responding to a Facebook campaign, 10,000 Icelanders opened their doors to their Syrian brothers and sisters.
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