Progressive Omaha Sep 11 2011

Highlights of presentation by Howard Dotson to Progressive Omaha meeting, Saturday, September 11, 2010, by Barbara van den Berg

I tried to take notes at Howard Dotson's presentation, but since so much of this information was new to me, I ended up with a lot of spaces for details that need to be researched at a later time. Never-the-less, perhaps it is useful to write down a few observations that could be used in a follow-up discussion at the next Progressive Omaha monthly meeting.

Reverend Howard Dotson's main objective was to inform us of the up-coming screenings of 9500 Liberty, a documentary about the explosive battle over immigration policy in Prince William County, Virginia. Go to http://www.9500liberty.com to see a trailer. Here is a short list of some of the first screenings in Nebraska.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010, 8:00 p.m, at Midlands College, Fremont, 2nd Level of the Student Center. Saturday, October 9, 7:00 p.m., at Creighton University, Harper Center Auditorium Wednesday, October 13, 7:00 p.m., McFoster's, 302 South 38th Street, (38th and Farnam),Omaha Saturday, October 16, 2:00 p.m. Filmstreams, Ruth Sokolof Theater, 1340 Mike Fahey Street, Omaha

This film is extremely relevant to the situation in Fremont, Nebraska, and its Ordinance 5165 requiring presentation of citizen documentation to police, that has the potential of fomenting a very damaging culture war.

Reverend Howard's analysis is that immigration law is being made into a distraction for the November elections. Instead of focusing on war, peace, economic growth, unemployment, health care, financial reform...in other words...the really big, important issues of the day, campaigns are distracting voters with fears about illegal immigration. This, however, is not going well. Several anti-immigrant laws are being held up because of their unconstitutionality. The national organization of police chiefs recognize that it is impossible to do their work which requires the trust of immigrant communities if they have to follow these new anti-immigrant laws requiring residents to show documentation of citizenship. Police departments around the country do not want to do the work of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement (US Department of Homeland Security).

Reverend Howard also emphasized the importance of informing voters of the kinds of people and groups who are behind Ordinance 5165, namely FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which has been labeled as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Kris Kobach is FAIR's lawyer defending court cases against Arizona's anti-immigration law. Governor Heineman enabled Fremont to proceed with its ordinance and voters should call him on this. Reverend Howard feels that Heineman's opponent for governor in the November election, Mike Meister, should emphasize Heineman's anti-immigrant stand in campaigns and debates.

The kind of rhetoric that surrounds immigration debate started by these types of anti-immigrant ordinances shows little understanding of the immigration issue in general. Little is said about the demand side of the economy. Immigrants are consumers, business owners, homeowners, and renters, all contributing to the tax base of the local, state, and federal governments. When immigrant groups feel threatened and leave as they did in Prince William County, Virginia, the local economy suffers. Despite claims otherwise, large monopolistic transnational firms and big agriculture like an unending supply of labor that can be intimidated with arrest and deportation. Fomenting culture wars where neighbors turn on each other is a common tactic used by political parties in election years and this midterm election is no exception. Communities must resist being manipulated by our politicians and must stand up for constitutional rights of its residents. The culture wars started by anti-immigrant ordinances and funded by hate groups such as FAIR stir up racism, can lead to hate crimes, and social wounds that take centuries to heal.