immigration

A decision: How we become American

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Senator Harry Reid recently and infamously tagged illegal aliens as “undocumented Americans.” Yet Peggy Noonan writes eloquently this morning, in the Wall Street Journal, of when letting go was a written reflection of a dream and offers that the peoples’ vote yesterday from those who had come before was not final. Her advice is worth reflecting upon:

A problem with newer immigrants now is that for some it’s no longer necessary to make The Decision. They don’t always have to cast their lot. There are so many ways not to let go of the old country now, from choosing to believe that America is only about money, to technology that encourages you to stay in constant touch with the land you left, to TV stations that broadcast in the old language. If you’re an immigrant now, you don’t have to let go. Which means you don’t have to fully join, to enmesh. Your psychic investment in America doesn’t have to be full. It can be provisional, temporary. Or underdeveloped, or not developed at all.

And this may have implications down the road, and I suspect people whose families have been here a long time are concerned about it. It’s one of the reasons so many Americans want a pause, a stopping of the flow, a time for the new ones to settle down and settle in. It’s why they oppose the mischief of the Masters of the Universe, as they’re being called, in Washington, who make believe they cannot close our borders while they claim they can competently micromanage all other aspects of immigration.

Our Republic was renewed yesterday when we, the Americans, said just being here does not make you one.

That Lady who stands in the harbor for what we believe is our welcoming those with similar dreams. Yet her lamp also illuminated the shadow where a ‘grand bargain’ — a compromise of our national security and sovereignty — was forged without our consent. The tyranny attempted by those we elected to represent us soon disappeared under liberty’s light. Come here and remain here only if you have that heart, a fiery love for our democracy. We’ll leave a light on for you.

6 imams, Aviation Security, John Doe protection

Flying imams lose bid to limit lawsuit press coverage

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The judge hearing the lawsuit by the six imams (aka the ‘Flying Imams’) who are suing the ‘John Doe’ passengers aboard US Airways Flight 300 who reported their suspicious behavior ruled the press and public would not be denied full access to the proceedings:

A federal judge overseeing a lawsuit filed by six Muslim men who were removed from a US Airways flight last fall has declined to limit public access to the case.

Omar T. Mohammedi, a New York attorney for the six Muslim scholars, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he sought limited media access because he felt some of the coverage of the case has been biased against his clients. “When you think of the media, and the way they have been portraying this case, it has not been very helpful. It has been biased,” Mohammedi said. “That has caused a lot of stress, a lot of stress on our clients, as well as made it difficult for us to handle this case … in a manner that it should be handled.”
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In a letter dated Tuesday and addressed to Mohammedi, U.S. District Judge Ann Montgomery noted that Mohammedi had requested that the court remove members of the media from an electronic distribution list, bar members of the media from attending hearings, and hold proceedings in closed session.

“The Court declines to treat this case in the extraordinary manner that you request,” the judge wrote. She added that the public and press have an interest in full access to judicial proceedings under the First Amendment.

“You have provided no legal authority supporting your request to limit public access to this case,” Montgomery wrote. “While it is regrettable that anonymous individuals have threatened violence, the Court Security Officers will insure that the United States Courthouse here in Minneapolis is secure.”

The judge’s letter was entered in the case file, and it noted that further communications on the matter should also be filed through the court’s electronic database.

CAIR, the Council of American-Islamic Relations, has limited access by our free press in the past. When the imams’ lawsuit was announced at CAIR’s national headquarters, on March 13, 2007, both the Christian Broadcast Network and Washington Times’ reporter Audrey Hudson were barred from the press conference:

Council spokesman Ibrahim Cooper said that the Christian Broadcasting Network airs anti-Islamic messages and that the Times reporter, Audrey Hudson, has covered the imams’ case unfairly in the past.

The imams’ lawyer, Omar T. Mohammedi, is a both a member of CAIR and a board member of New York City’s Human Rights Commission. He was appointed to the latter by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in 2002.