The Indelible Bonobo Experience

Renaissance Monkey: in-depth expertise in Jack-of-all-trading. I mostly comment on news of interest to me and occasionally engage in debates or troll passive-aggressively. Ask or Submit 2 mah authoritah! ;) !

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An advocate for Roma refugee claimants says “Gypsy fiction” is fanning the same kind of discrimination in Canada that her ancestors have faced for centuries in Europe. (via ctv) Gina Csany-Robah, the executive director of the Roma Community Centre in Toronto — the only one of its kind in Canada — gave an impassioned critique of proposed Conservative changes to the refugee system. “It is very important to be able to depict what is the Gypsy fiction from the Roma reality,” Csany-Robah told a parliamentary committee while denouncing Conservative efforts to address “bogus” refugee claims. She said the nomadic, crime-riddled, crystal-ball gazing Gypsies of lore are a fiction created by societies that have marginalized the Roma since the 13th century — including the death of some two million Roma in the Holocaust. Csany-Robah, a Canadian-born Roma who says she is the first Roma ever to testify before a parliamentary committee, said “Apartheid-like conditions” continue in some parts of Europe. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has singled out escalating refugee claims from Hungary — the vast majority of which are rejected or simply abandoned — as a symptom of a system in need of an overhaul. Some 4,423 Hungarians made refugee claims in Canada last year, up from 2,296 the previous year. It’s believed the vast majority are Roma, and Kenney took the extraordinary step of going to Hungary and having his department distribute flyers telling people they were not eligible for refugee status. “We need a fix,” Conservative MP Rick Dystra, Kenney’s parliamentary secretary, told the committee Thursday. “It’s clear there is an opportunity for people to take advantage here.” However Maureen Silcoff, a lawyer for the Roma Community Centre of Toronto, accused Kenney of pre-judging the Roma cases. “People who work with Roma refugees are at a loss to understand why this group is called ‘bogus,”’ Silcoff told the Citizenship and Immigration committee. “Why has the minister not expressed concern about growing fascism and racism, instead of condemning Roma refugees?” The government has attempted to address the refugee flood by imposing visa restrictions on certain countries, including Mexico. But that has caused diplomatic problems, particularly when dealing with countries within the European Union. “Are the Roma claims proving to be a problem in light of free trade negotiations with Europe?” Silcoff prodded the Conservative MPs on the committee. The proposed legislation will bring in fingerprinting and photos for those who apply for visas to visit Canada, and will give the minister of Public Safety the power to treat asylum seekers who arrive as a group differently from others. These “irregular arrivals” can be detained for up to a year under Bill C-31, and won’t be allowed to apply for permanent residency — or sponsor family members — for five years. Kenney has said he’d like to see the Conservative majority pass the bill before the summer recess and have it come into force next fall.

An advocate for Roma refugee claimants says “Gypsy fiction” is fanning the same kind of discrimination in Canada that her ancestors have faced for centuries in Europe. (via ctv)

  • Gina Csany-Robah, the executive director of the Roma Community Centre in Toronto — the only one of its kind in Canada — gave an impassioned critique of proposed Conservative changes to the refugee system.
  • “It is very important to be able to depict what is the Gypsy fiction from the Roma reality,” Csany-Robah told a parliamentary committee while denouncing Conservative efforts to address “bogus” refugee claims.
  • She said the nomadic, crime-riddled, crystal-ball gazing Gypsies of lore are a fiction created by societies that have marginalized the Roma since the 13th century — including the death of some two million Roma in the Holocaust.
  • Csany-Robah, a Canadian-born Roma who says she is the first Roma ever to testify before a parliamentary committee, said “Apartheid-like conditions” continue in some parts of Europe.
  • Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has singled out escalating refugee claims from Hungary — the vast majority of which are rejected or simply abandoned — as a symptom of a system in need of an overhaul.
  • Some 4,423 Hungarians made refugee claims in Canada last year, up from 2,296 the previous year. It’s believed the vast majority are Roma, and Kenney took the extraordinary step of going to Hungary and having his department distribute flyers telling people they were not eligible for refugee status.
  • “We need a fix,” Conservative MP Rick Dystra, Kenney’s parliamentary secretary, told the committee Thursday. “It’s clear there is an opportunity for people to take advantage here.”
  • However Maureen Silcoff, a lawyer for the Roma Community Centre of Toronto, accused Kenney of pre-judging the Roma cases.
  • “People who work with Roma refugees are at a loss to understand why this group is called ‘bogus,”’ Silcoff told the Citizenship and Immigration committee.
  • “Why has the minister not expressed concern about growing fascism and racism, instead of condemning Roma refugees?”
  • The government has attempted to address the refugee flood by imposing visa restrictions on certain countries, including Mexico. But that has caused diplomatic problems, particularly when dealing with countries within the European Union.
  • “Are the Roma claims proving to be a problem in light of free trade negotiations with Europe?” Silcoff prodded the Conservative MPs on the committee.
  • The proposed legislation will bring in fingerprinting and photos for those who apply for visas to visit Canada, and will give the minister of Public Safety the power to treat asylum seekers who arrive as a group differently from others.
  • These “irregular arrivals” can be detained for up to a year under Bill C-31, and won’t be allowed to apply for permanent residency — or sponsor family members — for five years.
  • Kenney has said he’d like to see the Conservative majority pass the bill before the summer recess and have it come into force next fall.
Posted in canada immigration refugee asylum romani gipsy gypsy roma hungary jason kenney gina csany-rhoba reform racism prejudice | 27 notes
Link Post

Ten Most Disturbing Anti-Latino Practices Described by Department of Justice's Lawsuit Against Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio!!! [WARNING: Offensive Language, Graphic Descriptions of Anti-Latino Bigotry]

thepoliticalfreakshow:

Earlier today, the Department of Justice filed a formal legal complaint against Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) alleging widespread constitutional violations and lawless mistreatment of Latinos. According to the complaint, Arpaio and his staff engaged in widespread, violent and demeaning mistreatment of Latino residents of Maricopa County, often targeting individuals solely because of their race:

  1. Forcing Women To Sleep In Their Own Menstrual Blood: In Arpaio’s jails, “female Latino LEP prisoners have been denied basic sanitary items. In some instances, female Latino LEP prisoners have been forced to remain with sheets or pants soiled from menstruation because of MCSO’s failure to ensure that detention officers provide language assistance in such circumstances.”
  2. Assaulting Pregnant Women: “[A]n MCSO officer stopped a Latina woman – a citizen of the United States and five months pregnant at the time – as she pulled into her driveway. After she exited her car, the officer then insisted that she sit on the hood of the car. When she refused, the officer grabbed her arms, pulled them behind her back, and slammed her, stomach first, into the vehicle three times. He then dragged her to the patrol car and shoved her into the backseat. He left her in the patrol car for approximately 30 minutes without air conditioning. The MCSO officer ultimately issued a citation for failure to provide identification.”
  3. Stalking Latino Women: “In another instance, during a crime suppression operation, two MCSO officers followed a Latina woman, a citizen of the United States, for a quarter of a mile to her home. The officers did not turn on their emergency lights, but insisted that the woman remain in her car when she attempted to exit the car and enter her home. The officers’ stated reasons for approaching the woman was a non-functioning license plate light. When the woman attempted to enter her home, the officers used force to take her to the ground, kneed her in the back, and handcuffed her. The woman was then taken to an MCSO substation, cited for ‘disorderly conduct,’ and returned home. The disorderly conduct citation was subsequently dismissed.”
  4. Criminalizing Being A Latino: “During raids, [Arpaio’s Criminal Enforcement Squad] typically seizes all Latinos present, whether they are listed on the warrant or not. For example, in one raid CES had a search warrant for 67 people, yet 109 people were detained. Fifty-nine people were arrested and 50 held for several hours before they were released. Those detained, but not on the warrant, were seized because they were Latino and present at the time of the raid. No legal justification existed for their detention.”
  5. Criminalizing Living Next To The Wrong People: “[D]uring a raid of a house suspected of containing human smugglers and their victims … officers went to an adjacent house, which was occupied by a Latino family. The officers entered the adjacent house and searched it, without a warrant and without the residents’ knowing consent. Although they found no evidence of criminal activity, after the search was over, the officers zip-tied the residents, a Latino man, a legal permanent resident of the United States, and his 12-year-old Latino son, a citizen of the United States, and required them to sit on the sidewalk for more than one hour, along with approximately 10 persons who had been seized from the target house, before being released”
  6. Ignoring Rape: Because of Arpaio’s obsessive focus on “low-level immigration offenses” his officers failed “to adequately respond to reports of sexual violence, including allegations of rape, sexual assault, and sexual abuse of girls.”
  7. Widespread Use Of Racial Slurs: “MCSO personnel responsible for prisoners held in MCSO jails routinely direct racial slurs toward Latino prisoners, including calling Latino prisoners ‘paisas,’ ‘wetbacks,’ ‘Mexican bitches,’ ‘fucking Mexicans,’ and ‘stupid Mexicans.’”
  8. Widespread Racial Profiling: “[I]n the southwest portion of the County, the study found that Latino drivers are almost four times more likely to be stopped by MCSO officers than non-Latino drivers engaged in similar conduct… . In the northwest portion of the County, the study found that Latino drivers are over seven times more likely to be stopped by MCSO officers than non-Latino drivers engaged in similar conduct… . Most strikingly, in the northeast portion of the County, the study found that Latino drivers are nearly nine times more likely to be stopped by MCSO officers than non-Latino drivers engaged in similar conduct.”
  9. Random, Unlawful Detention Of Latinos: “MCSO officers stopped a car carrying four Latino men, although the car was not violating any traffic laws. The MCSO officers ordered the men out of the car, zip-tied them, and made them sit on the curb for an hour before releasing all of them. The only reason given for the stop was that the men’s car ‘was a little low,’ which is not a criminal or traffic violation.”
  10. Group Punishments For Latinos: “In some instances, when a Latino [Low English Proficiency] prisoner has been unable to understand commands given in English, MCSO detention officers have put an entire area of the jail in lockdown—effectively preventing all the prisoners in that area from accessing a number of privileges because of the Latino LEP prisoner’s inability to understand English, inciting hostility toward the LEP prisoner, and potentially placing MCSO officers and other prisoners in harm’s way.”

US occupied a part of Mexico as a country, now is occupying its people, individually.

(via dougcmatthews)
Posted in arizona justice joe arpaio doj latino la raza mexico mexicans illegals fugees immigration immigrants maricopa county sheriff racism | 28 notes
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Have you noticed how common it has become to talk about replacing workers with even cheaper workers? If you’re looking over your shoulder, you’re not paranoid; you’re paying attention. There’s probably a cheaper you out there. And in Canada, the feds are helping your boss find them. THIS IS A GREAT ARTICLE. READ CAREFULLY! the International Labour Organization noted there are 50 million fewer jobs in the global economy than before the financial crisis began in 2008. Some 200 million people are now looking for work. Canada has welcomed newcomers in record numbers throughout the recession, even as unemployment rates spiked. But our policies are shifting, and with it the type of labour market and society we are creating. Today, the preferential nod is being given to a soaring number of temporary foreign workers, or “guest” workers. These are people who are brought here at the pleasure of employers, and stay at the pleasure of employers. In 2011, 156,000 economic immigrants entered Canada as permanent residents, while 191,000 people entered with a temporary work permit, granted to employers by the federal government. Many of these permits extend beyond a year, so as of Dec. 1, 2011 there were 300,111 temporary foreign workers in Canada, the highest number on record. The number of temporary foreign workers has more than doubled since 2006. The federal government is promoting the temporary foreign worker program as a solution to skills shortages now faced by employers, particularly in the West. Yet 35 per cent of the nation’s temporary foreign workers are in Ontario, and almost one in five (18 per cent) are in Toronto, which has an unemployment rate of 8.6 per cent. Labour shortage? I don’t think so. Those numbers will soon rise. Last week, the federal government announced that employers could usher in highly skilled temporary workers such as engineers and electricians in 10 days instead of the current 12- to 14-week approval process, noting red tape will likely be reduced in processing other categories of temporary foreign workers as well. Of note, the fastest growing category of temporary foreign workers is low-skilled workers, whose numbers have grown ten-fold in just five years. These are not the seasonal fruit-and-vegetable pickers on which our nation also relies. These folks toil year-round at Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, in our abattoirs, nursing homes, and hotels; workplaces where employers say they can’t find Canadian workers willing to work at the offered wages. Disturbingly, the federal announcement also set out new wage rules that permit employers to pay temporary foreign workers up to 15 per cent below the average paid for that type of work locally, sanctioning the creation of a two-tiered “us and them” labour market. Even if such a rule were rigorously applied and monitored – and budget cuts may eliminate the staff to do this job – it guarantees a downward trend in wages for everyone. Fifteen per cent below the average is a recipe for continuous decline when labour shortages are filled, as a matter of policy, by those who get paid less and are not allowed to stay long enough to ask for more. Ottawa’s recently announced reforms did not include a change in the four-year cap on residency for temporary foreign workers, brought into play in 2011. That rule guarantees two things: One, employers can minimize the costs of churn; and two, a permanently temporary class of workers is created, keeping wages and expectations low. The salute to increased use of temporary foreign workers was also not accompanied by increases in the quotas the federal government sets for the number of people provinces can nominate for fast-track citizenship. In Alberta, by the end of 2011, more than 58,000 people were working under temporary foreign work permits, up from about 37,000 at the end of 2007. The province can only nominate up to 5,000 of these workers to become Canadians. The vast majority of low-skilled temporary foreign workers have no avenue for permanent residency. Chinese railway workers of the 1800s came with “landed immigrant” status.  Emphasizing the benefits of a disposable class of workers is a very recent, and unsavoury, development in our history. (via G) I support immigration, but are people brought in under such circumstances be good for Canada? They have no rights and can’t contribute much to our society, only to their employer. Harper and the Feds, raping us with their love.

Have you noticed how common it has become to talk about replacing workers with even cheaper workers? If you’re looking over your shoulder, you’re not paranoid; you’re paying attention. There’s probably a cheaper you out there. And in Canada, the feds are helping your boss find them.

THIS IS A GREAT ARTICLE. READ CAREFULLY!

  • the International Labour Organization noted there are 50 million fewer jobs in the global economy than before the financial crisis began in 2008. Some 200 million people are now looking for work.
  • Canada has welcomed newcomers in record numbers throughout the recession, even as unemployment rates spiked. But our policies are shifting, and with it the type of labour market and society we are creating. Today, the preferential nod is being given to a soaring number of temporary foreign workers, or “guest” workers. These are people who are brought here at the pleasure of employers, and stay at the pleasure of employers.
  • In 2011, 156,000 economic immigrants entered Canada as permanent residents, while 191,000 people entered with a temporary work permit, granted to employers by the federal government. Many of these permits extend beyond a year, so as of Dec. 1, 2011 there were 300,111 temporary foreign workers in Canada, the highest number on record. The number of temporary foreign workers has more than doubled since 2006.
  • The federal government is promoting the temporary foreign worker program as a solution to skills shortages now faced by employers, particularly in the West. Yet 35 per cent of the nation’s temporary foreign workers are in Ontario, and almost one in five (18 per cent) are in Toronto, which has an unemployment rate of 8.6 per cent. Labour shortage? I don’t think so.
  • Those numbers will soon rise. Last week, the federal government announced that employers could usher in highly skilled temporary workers such as engineers and electricians in 10 days instead of the current 12- to 14-week approval process, noting red tape will likely be reduced in processing other categories of temporary foreign workers as well. Of note, the fastest growing category of temporary foreign workers is low-skilled workers, whose numbers have grown ten-fold in just five years. These are not the seasonal fruit-and-vegetable pickers on which our nation also relies. These folks toil year-round at Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, in our abattoirs, nursing homes, and hotels; workplaces where employers say they can’t find Canadian workers willing to work at the offered wages.
  • Disturbingly, the federal announcement also set out new wage rules that permit employers to pay temporary foreign workers up to 15 per cent below the average paid for that type of work locally, sanctioning the creation of a two-tiered “us and them” labour market.
  • Even if such a rule were rigorously applied and monitored – and budget cuts may eliminate the staff to do this job – it guarantees a downward trend in wages for everyone. Fifteen per cent below the average is a recipe for continuous decline when labour shortages are filled, as a matter of policy, by those who get paid less and are not allowed to stay long enough to ask for more.
  • Ottawa’s recently announced reforms did not include a change in the four-year cap on residency for temporary foreign workers, brought into play in 2011. That rule guarantees two things: One, employers can minimize the costs of churn; and two, a permanently temporary class of workers is created, keeping wages and expectations low.
  • The salute to increased use of temporary foreign workers was also not accompanied by increases in the quotas the federal government sets for the number of people provinces can nominate for fast-track citizenship. In Alberta, by the end of 2011, more than 58,000 people were working under temporary foreign work permits, up from about 37,000 at the end of 2007. The province can only nominate up to 5,000 of these workers to become Canadians. The vast majority of low-skilled temporary foreign workers have no avenue for permanent residency.
  • Chinese railway workers of the 1800s came with “landed immigrant” status. 
  • Emphasizing the benefits of a disposable class of workers is a very recent, and unsavoury, development in our history.

(via G)

I support immigration, but are people brought in under such circumstances be good for Canada? They have no rights and can’t contribute much to our society, only to their employer.

Harper and the Feds, raping us with their love.

Posted in canada immigration policy temporary visa guest workers welcome 2nd class second class second hand work workers labor labour union