Officials say 90% of the Latino students at Postville high school aren't in class today

[AlphaCentauri]

Officials say 90% of the Latino students at Postville high school aren't in class today and a third of all the students in kindergarten through eighth grade are absent. Nearly 400 workers at the meatpacking plant in Postville were arrested Monday on immigration and identity theft violations.

"Traditionally after a raid the immigrant population will go underground and take their kids with them and so the school then has to spend an enormous amount of time to go back out into the field and find out where these children are," Postville superintendent David Strudhof says. "...Our intent is to bring back a sense of day-to-day normalcy as soon as possible, but we've got to get them back to school first."

Some families frightened by news of the federal raid sought refuge at the Catholic church in Postville while others apparently fled town. The superintendent says he and his staff are trying to convince the Latino families who remain that the school is a safe place. "There'll be no raids at the school. There'll be no INS agents coming around the school...to snatch their children up," Strudhof says. "That isn't going to happen."

Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge says it appears all the children of the immigrants arrested in Monday's raid at a meatpacking plant in Postville were taken in by relatives or friends. "The first concern was that children yesterday were cared for and had a caretaker," Judge says. The state had been prepared to place children in foster care if their parents were arrested, leaving the children homeless.

http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=E3DC59CE-C87B-976C-6C8C911E25985899

[seriousstan]

1. I have a real problem with the Catholic Church's complicity in this.

[OmahaBlueDog]

2. Could you elaborate?

Your problem is with the church offering sanctuary?

[seriousstan]

6. Yes, in for an ounce, in for a pound. If you want to side with the Catholic Church then you accept

their doctrine. If you believe the hispanics in sanctuary are not being indoctrinated then you are delusional. They are forever indebted to the RCC.

[RB TexLa]

11. I think I'll take this off the public message board.

:)

[AlphaCentauri]

17. Lol, in El Salvador during the civil war peasant had to listen to the US pastors sermons

before they get any food

[seriousstan]

18. Do you take that strawman down after Halloween? There are many act of

charity and decency that can be viewed various ways. Why are you helping them break the law? Because you are compassionate and don't agree with the law. ALSO. the increase in attendance and tithe at your church has increased. Don't talk to me about hypocrisy, I HAVE CRIED about the path the Catholic Church took in the last 20 years. They are shameless.

[OmahaBlueDog]

40. American history is filled with examples of people breaking laws they feel are socially unjust

Rosa Parks on the bus

Lunch counter sit-ins

The Underground Railroad

Dumping tea into Boston Harbor

So, setting aside your displeasure over the direction of the Church, what is the reason breaking this law offends you so much? Does illegal immigration bother you, or does Agriprocessors, in particular, piss you off?

[RebelOne]

34. As far as I know, most Mexicans are Catholic anyway, so

what's the big deal?

[havocmom]

45. You may be surprised at the inroads evangelicals have made in Latin America

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=4FD&q=evangelicals+in+Latin+America&btnG=Search

Not so overwhelmingly RC as the 'olden days'. As far as you know may not be as much as you think. ;)

[jmowreader]

35. Umm...

According to the Wikipedia article on Latin America, "the vast majority of Latin Americans are Christians, mostly Roman Catholics." I believe these people are already on board with Catholic doctrine.

[southerncrone]

4. me, too.

They are harboring fugitives in my estimation. It would be different if they were actively assisting these people in attaining "legal" citizenship, but they are just "stirring the pot" & causing controversy.

[AlphaCentauri]

5. How could they help?

[southerncrone]

9. By offering them access to the classes to become citizens & tutoring.

[AlphaCentauri]

12. First they need a visa, no law at this moment will give them a chance

[seriousstan]

13. Because they are illegal. That means against the LAW!!!

[AlphaCentauri]

15. and the LAW!!! has to change of course

[aquart]

31. And you would take this same position if they were...Swedish?

[havocmom]

46. I would

and one look at me tells you there is Norse in my mix

[Ellen Forradalom]

49. Reminds me of a joke from comedian Jimmy Tingle

"Why are people so up in arms about the Haitian boat people? Could it be it's because they're black Roman Catholics who don't practice birth control? What if ten thousand Scandinavian women with their tubes tied pulled into New York Harbor? There'd be rejoicing in every barroom in the land! 'Let freedom ring! C'mon down! Tuesday night is Illegal Alien Night!'"

[southerncrone]

16. Well, teaching them English would be a good start.

But better yet, the Catholic Church holds loads of power in Mexico. The Church should be telling the Mexican dictators to treat their citizens better & mean it.

The Catholic Church is the most powerful organization on the planet. If they REALLY want to help these people, they would throw their weight around where it really made a difference.

[AlphaCentauri]

19. The RW manipulates the head of the catholic church in mexico

actually the zapatista movement was organized by left wing Catholics, when evangelicals started to manipulate farmers in Chiapas to side with the ruling party.

[southerncrone]

21. I'm talking about the Vatican.

They promote peace & love, so they should put their $ where there mouth is. But just like another poster up-tread said, it's all about increasing the churches numbers & tithes.

[AlphaCentauri]

37. well you mention the Mexican Catholic church not the Vatican

The money argument against the Catholic church is used even by those who got wealthy promoting the hate against them.

[southerncrone]

41. If you reread my post, I said the Catholic Church has loads of power in Mexico

not, the Mexican Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is Vatican-based, regardless of where the parishioners are actually located.

I was raised Catholic, so I know a little about this church. And, no, I don't HATE it, nor am I getting wealthy from disagreeing with this particular argument against their actions.

[Wiley50]

29. They have been and getting murdered for It for decades now

Surely you've seen or heard something about murdered Nuns and Priests over the years.
They sure don't get killed for standing up for the rich PTB down there

I'm sorry to join into this sub thread
I'm not Catholic, a Christian or even a theist at all

but I get so sick of you fucking Blue Dog Law and Order Types
Go join the other party, the one who believes like you
over there in that other America

And let us help those who need helping
without laying all of your rules and qualifications on it.

[southerncrone]

43. Laws are created for reasons, when laws are not followed, chaos

soon follows. Not to say that laws should not be revamped if they are out-dated.
The immigration problem did not start in the last 10 yrs, it's been going on for decades now. It should have been addressed in the '60's & certainly by the '70's. Instead our govt. "looked the other way" because the farming industry was getting cheap labor.

I have no problem with the other refugees who have come to this country for sanctuary, however they proceeded through the process of citizenship. They did not expect our country to change to accommodate them.

We should never have entered into NAFTA while the ruling class of Mexico treats their citizens so badly that they are literally "running for the border". When we entered into that agreement, we validated their actions. The same goes for China. American is making deals with devils, all in the name of "trade".

And for your information I am NOT a Blue Dog Law & Order "type". I am a citizen of the United States who has their own individual opinion, which I am entitled to. I do believe in law & order, but so do MOST Democrats.

How dare you tell me to go to the dark side. I could say the same to you because you are a nasty, rude jerk.

[AlphaCentauri]

7. at least some faction of the Catholic church is compromised with human rights

many other denominations only group them selfs with business and corporations.

[seriousstan]

10. Don't be silly, the church just wants the numbers and the tithe.

You are talking to a life long Catholic with 12 years of nun education. I am not defending the church...these are people... I will defend the Church.

[AlphaCentauri]

14. The Catholic Worker Movement is a good example

and many of the priest that have been killed around the world for not siding with the ones holding power but with the poor.

[seriousstan]

20. Aren't they commmunist aligned? Dorothy Day and all that?

"the church of the immigrants, the church of the poor."

[AlphaCentauri]

22. not everybody who help the poor is a communist

[seriousstan]

23. No kidding,another strawman?

[AlphaCentauri]

36. of course

[EFerrari]

26. The Church is not the movement. Someone with your "education"

should know that.

[seriousstan]

28. Read the post again..I don't think we disagree.

[madrchsod]

3. welcome to america....

where those who are willing to do jobs others won`t are rounded up like cattle and thrown into pens...now`s the time for red, white, and blue true blooded americans to apply to work at the slaughterhouse.

[southerncrone]

8. With our economy in the dumper, you'll see more applications filed

out at the slaughterhouse. Not to mention other jobs that many would not have been considered before.
It puts food on the table & a roof over your head. (no pun intended)

Have been seeing more & more "mature" workers at fast-food restaurants now. And I'm not speaking of the retired making extra money. I mean men in their 30' & 40's in non-managerial jobs.

[EFerrari]

25. That may well be true but it still doesn't justify treating other human bengs

like cattle, does it? And that is what's happening here.

[southerncrone]

44. No it doesn't.

This is an issue that must be addressed & soon. It has been allowed to simmer for way too long, that's why it has become a HOT topic. The longer it drags on, the worse it will get. Congress seriously needs to work together to come up with a workable solution...quickly. In the meantime, the church if they are going to offer "sanctuary" needs to be working towards helping alleviate the root cause (Mexico's ruling class's poor treatment of their citizens) & helping the individuals get on the path to becoming citizens
so they can move through the citizenship process more quickly.

[IndyJones]

47. True, so Mexico should stop deporting their citizens like cattle

and start having their wealthy actually pay taxes and take care of their citizens. Excellent point!

[Critters2]

42. For a fair wage with safe working conditions.

There's a reason the meat industry brings undocumented workers here.

[IndyJones]

48. Yeah, those Americans don't want the construction, restaurant,

landscaping, factory, etc. jobs.

[EFerrari]

24. That Supe has no business making that claim of safety.

More than once, ICE has parked outside of schools to pick people up when they collect their children.

[countryjake]

30. An example...

Fear spreading in Skagit County's Hispanic community
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_061906WABimmigrantKC.a1f07c00.html

[TahitiNut]

27. Trafficking in Human Labor creates many victims

Our immigration "system" is almost totally perverted to traffic in human labor, both "legal" and "illegal." The perversion of the system compliments the perversion of colonialist systems in other countries, most notably Mexico, where the 'ruling elite' keep the gold and give the people the shaft. The same global corporate powers that exacerbate colonialism in other countries have shipped jobs overseas and perverted our immigration system to drive down labor costs and eviscerate labor protections.

[AlphaCentauri]

38. indeed Bush 41 asked Mexican ex-president Salinas to privatize pemex

[timtom]

32. Ok. I get it.

Some people on this thread are LEGALISTS. If it's ILLEGAL, retribution/punishment must be a consequence. That philosophical stance NECESSARILY excuses all that happened in Germany 1933-1945, as everything Hitler perpetrated was LEGAL.

(In replying to the Original Post, I am not necessarily replying to the Original Poster.)

[AlphaCentauri]

39. You've got it, the law is not necessary used for justice it can be used to repress people

[DU GrovelBot]

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