A Midterm 2022 sigh of relief from immigrant Americans

Through My Lens echo opinion by Abdi Nor Iftin: 

Iftin graduated from Boston College with a degree in Political Science in 2022. He currently lives in Portland, Maine, where he works as an interpreter for Somali immigrants, is a regular newspaper columnist.

A happy ending to 2022 for Maine's immigrants

A Somali proverb goes like this: "Be a mountain or lean on one".  This is what was ringing in my mind as text messages came in after the midterm elections.  People felt inspired and both those of us who elected feel proud and partnered in the joys and hopes of others. 

No doubt, the best Christmas gift I could have wished for arrived the day after Election Day.  As a Maine voter, I feel fulfilled. We were able to reject Paul LePage, a governor who attacked the Black and immigrant communities across Maine during his term. This time, we have more immigrants in office in the state, unlike when the former governor was in office. Once again, Maine brings pride to many communities and many countries.

In fact, the results were watched closely not only in Maine but throughout the United States and beyond. As the results came in the celebrations were coming in different at languages in the group chats.  "Hambalyo" is the Somali word for "congratulations" and it was everywhere I looked. Somali Americans are making history once again in Maine, Ohio and Minnesota but uniquely at the state level in Maine. While other Somalis who won seats in other parts of the country seem to have secured city council seats, two Somali Americans were elected to the Maine Legislature, Mana Abdi of Lewiston and Deqa Dhalac of South Portland, and they became the center of the conversations.

There is no legislative body in Somalia, which has suffered from more than 30 years of civil war.  I feel lucky to be engaged in these conversations and talking about what having Somali Americans in state government means to us. Representation matters and we are slowly seeing it in Maine. We desperately need immigrants in the sate Legislature and on city councils as well as in other offices, who can communicate in languages Maine's minorities speak, and connect with their stories and backgrounds. 

These seats now taken by the Somali Mainers and other immigrants are not easily won. They are hard earned even if won without a competing candidate. The Somali community has tolerated a lot - too many hateful words from the former governor, a pigs head thrown into a mosque, being told to only speak in English here- but this election proves we are here to stay and we are here to be who we are: proud Mainer's and proud of where we come from.

When I moved to Maine eight years ago, LePage was the governor. Not a single Somali American held office in the state. There was no representation in Maine. It was hard to feel at home. Instead, it was easy to feel like a stranger, not belonging here, not able to vote and not represented.  I wanted to become a naturalized citizen and can celebrate casting my vote. 

As the New Year arrives, Maine's immigrant students will return to classes motivated to be involved in Maine politics, because they see a way to do that here. They have mountains to lean on. With the Maine's different communities, we can all create the state we want to live in together without worrying that someday someone will tell us that we are foreigners.   

September 11 twenty year anniversary but still no Saudi accountability

9/11 mystery: What was Atta doing on 9/10?
Atta flew Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. But Atta's night before 9-11 – which he spent in Portland, Main -- is a mystery that has puzzled terrorism experts.

September 11, 2001, those who somehow funneled resources that organized the attacks on New York, and targeted other strategic places, are still not revealed.  Maine Writer- I live in Maine.  Mohammed Atta and Abdul-Azzia Al-Omari were two terrorists who crashed the airplane into the World Trade Center. 

Their deadly terrorism journey began when they boarded a flight from Portland Maine, to Boston, on the morning of September 11, 2001. In spite of what we were told was intense investigation, the motive for the terrorists to be in Portland, Maine in September, 2001, has never been revealed. Why were they here and precisely what did they do while they were in the Maine?  Some FBI analysts say they came to Maine because they wanted to be sure that their travels were not being monitored.  Hmmmm?  But, they had already purchased their airline tickets. Too many undisclosed details, in my opinion.

  

This echo opinion was published in the New Jersey Herald, by a family member who lost her husband in the World Trade Center attack:

President Joe Biden promised openness and transparency if the American people put him in the White House. In fact, just hours after taking office, the White House expressed the president’s commitment “to bring transparency and truth back to government – to share the truth, even when it’s hard to hear.”

It appears there is an exception, however, regarding the role the kingdom of Saudi Arabia played in giving substantial support for the murderous Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 innocent men, women and children. The victims were overwhelmingly American, but more than 90 countries lost citizens in the attacks. 

Yet, to date, just like the past three administrations, the Biden administration continues to shield Riyadh from accountability for the actions of Saudi government agents within the United States to support the terrorist hijackers.

Past presidents failed 9/11 survivors

It is reprehensible that nearly 20 years after the brutal attack on our country, our federal government continues to prioritize its relationship with the kingdom over justice for Americans. The FBI and CIA agree that al-Qaida had "infiltrated and exploited" the Saudi government before 9/11. Federal investigators reported more than a decade ago, in a heavily redacted report, that Saudi officials directed assistance to at least two of the hijackers (15 of whom were Saudi nationals) upon their arrival in the United States.

September 11 Memorial in New York City

They assisted these terrorists in obtaining accommodations and with transportation, opening and funding bank accounts, acquiring identification, blending into the community and enrolling in flight lessons.

The FBI and the Justice Department have admitted in federal court that they are in possession of highly relevant documents on the role Saudi officials played in aiding the terrorists. 

Nevertheless, they remain locked away and hidden from public view thanks to former Attorney General William Barr, who invoked the "state secrets privilege" to further thwart transparency and justice. Thus far, the Biden administration has shown no interest in reviewing that misguided decision.

In the 9/11 community’s years-long lawsuit in federal court against the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, legal counsel for the plaintiffs issued a subpoena for the investigative reports three years ago regarding Saudi complicity. 

But, the Justice Department and the FBI have repeatedly denied access and pulled every trick from their playbook to avoid compliance.

Our government knows that these relevant and revealing documents exist, and that the 9/11 community has repeatedly requested our right to see them released to the greatest extent possible. 

Remarkably, the FBI’s callous response to the court is that it would be too burdensome to look for its own files, which actually reference by name the Saudi agents involved in supporting the attacks.

President Biden can finally right this wrong, send the message to leaders around the world that the United States is unafraid to hold foreign powers accountable, and accomplish what his predecessors chose not to do as it relates to 9/11: Prioritize American interests and justice over Saudi coddling.

Many thought the Trump administration’s stonewalling was due to the special relationship the former president and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. However, on this matter, President Biden has thus far been no better. It is reasonable to wonder whether the United States is even the dominant partner in this bilateral international relationship.
Biden can hold Saudis accountable

Congress has taken note, but as a governing body it has been unwilling, so far, to compel President Biden to take action. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., questioned Attorney General Merrick Garland in his confirmation hearing on this very issue and continues to press him for answers in letters that have gone unanswered. 

In an April Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., asked FBI Director Christopher Wray why even she had been denied access to the underlying documents.

Reps. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., similarly pressed Wray in June – asking why the FBI was standing with the Saudis rather than the 9/11 community. But here we are, with our government still refusing to cooperate and Congress failing to mandate a declassification review process of all relevant documents.

For nearly 20 years, the 9/11 community has been fighting not only the Saudi government for accountability and justice but also our own government, which has prioritized short-term diplomacy over transparency to its citizens. Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump stonewalled us and the American people. Now President Biden has the opportunity to right this wrong and ensure transparency and justice. Will he do so?

Sens. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., John Cornyn, R-Texas, Blumenthal, D-Conn., and others introduced the September 11th Transparency Act, to mandate a full declassification review of the 9/11 files. 

Moreover, President Biden took a modest but positive step in announcing another review of a limited number of documents that have already been produced. While welcomed, this piecemeal approach is no substitute for the complete review that the proposed legislation demands. We want President Biden to call for passage of the Menendez bill and to promptly sign it!

The 20th anniversary of 9/11, the most catastrophic terrorist attack the world has witnessed, is approaching. As we look to that day, we are not seeking compassion or words of condolence from our commander in chief. We are looking for him to lead – now – and recognize that 9/11, is more than a date to honor, but a wound that deepens for us with every slight and each passing year.

We need to heal. We need the truth and we deserve justice. 

Twenty years is too long to wait.

Terry Strada (@TerrySStrada) is a volunteer for 9/11 Families United. Her husband, Tom, died in the World Trade Center’s North Tower in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Coronavirus toll on health care workers and an obituary

Kaiser Health News reports:

The CDC says 27 health worker deaths have been recorded, based on a small number of test-result reports.
(Maine Writer- this data is based on only what is reported.)
The true toll of COVID-19 on the U.S. healthcare workers will likely be unknown.

Key Take Aways:

• The CDC count was drawn from just 16% of the nation's COVID-19 cases, so the true numbers of health care infections and deaths are certainly far higher.

• State data tracking the occupations of people with the virus suggests that health care workers account for about 11% of COVID-19 infections.

America’s health care workers are dying. In some states, medical staff account for as many as 20% of known coronavirus cases. 

They tend to patients in hospitals, treating them, serving them food and cleaning their rooms. Others at risk work in nursing homes or are employed as home health aides. 

In this blog is the obituary tribute published in the Portland Press Herald, for Beverly Collins, an 83 year old nurse who died in Portland Maine, by Melanie Creamer.

Beverly Collins RN-C

Beverly Collins, a longtime registered nurse and hospital volunteer in Portland, died April 1, of complications of coronavirus. She was 83.  She was a graduate of Westbrook High School and the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing.

Mrs. Collins was remembered by loved ones Tuesday as a kind, intelligent and optimistic woman who dedicated her life to taking care of others.

“She was kind and considerate and always lived her life that way,” said Tim Collins, the middle of her five sons. “She would try to help out anyone she could. We grew up with modest means, yet there was always room for someone. She was always caring for people.”

Mrs. Collins was a registered nurse and worked third shift at Mercy Hospital for many years. In the mid 1970’s, she went to work for the private practice of Dr. Donald McCrann, in Portland. He delivered babies and she examined expecting mothers.

When she retired in 1998, Mrs. Collins volunteered at Maine Medical Center. Her son said Monday she loved being a nurse.

“She loved taking care of ladies and she loved taking care of babies,” he said. “She would share all her years of experience being a mother. If we went to the mall and walked down the corridors at Christmas, two or three people would stop and say hi. I’d say, ‘Who’s that mom?’ ‘One of my patients,’ she’d say. She had a lasting impression.”

She was married to John Collins and the couple lived in South Portland, where they raised five sons. He died in 2003.

Her son shared stories about their early years Monday, saying she loved going to Sebago Lake to have a picnic and swim. Collins said his mother supported all their interests. He played football, a brother played basketball and another brother was in the school band. Collins said after a long day, they always sat down for dinner together.

“When she was younger and trying to do all those things, she’d say, ‘I’m going have them write ‘What’s for dinner Ma?’ on my gravestone,” her son recalled, chuckling. “Five boys could get rid of some groceries. She kind of spoiled us, too, with dinners. She always made sure everyone had what they liked.”

Mrs. Collins was also remembered for her unwavering faith and optimism. She was a two-time cancer survivor, beating thyroid cancer and breast cancer. Her son said she loved life and lived it to its fullest.

In retirement, Mrs. Collins spent winters at Horseshoe Cove in Bradenton, Florida. Her obituary said she loved golf cart parades, taco Tuesday and the Red Hatters.

In recent years, she spent winters with her son Paul Collins of Cape Elizabeth. She lived in Standish and spent summers on Sebago Lake.

“She absolutely loved it there,” Tim Collins said. “She would look out over the lake and say, ‘I think I see a bright spot.’ ”

On March 21, she was thrilled to learn she would be a great-grandmother.

Mrs. Collins was in good health until the end of March when she fell at home. The next morning, she had a fever. Her son said she was diagnosed with COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus, and declined quickly. Paul Collins has since tested positive for the virus.

When she died on April 1, three of her sons were at her bedside wearing masks and dressed in protective gear. She was buried Monday at Calvary Cemetery in South Portland. Her son said the family was not allowed to attend the burial because she died of coronavirus. She was buried alone as her brother, Steve Pesce of Westbrook, watched from a distance.

Her son said he was crushed not to be at his mother’s burial.

“It was hard for all of us. In the big picture, I’ll still visit her anyways. I like to think I’m a person of faith. That was merely her body and spirit,” he said, breaking down.

Maine Corrections during pandemic - Release youth from prison and put resources into transition

Maine Department of Corrections during the coronavirus pandemic. An echo opinion letter from Portland Maine:

We applaud the recent plan by Maine’s Department of Corrections to release a few incarcerated young people at Long Creek Youth Development Center, the state’s last youth prison, by April 1 to curb the spread of COVID-19. 

However, we cannot forget the remaining 37 young people locked up there, who remain at extreme risk during this outbreak. Youth prisons, harmful under normal circumstances, are not equipped to protect young people during this public health crisis, as they commonly cage children in unsanitary, close quarters.

The MDOC must publicly provide a transition plan for the remaining youth and a plan that gives the young people immediate access to free housing, health care and basic resources once they are released.

The Department Of Corrections is spending approximately $18 million to lock young people in cages and to traumatize them for the rest of their lives. We are calling for the immediate reinvestment of those funds into the community. Maine needs housing more than ever to halt the spread of COVID-19; closing Long Creek for good and turning the property into housing for those without is no longer a utopian idea.

It’s time for our Maine leaders to do the right thing and ensure the safety and health of our young people in this moment of crisis. History will remember us by how we treat our most vulnerable during this national emergency. We cannot let our young people down.

Al Cleveland
Campaign manager, Maine Youth Justice,
Portland, Maine

Asylum seekers: "We are glad that we have reached a safe place. We can't go back...."

Immigration reported by Public Radio International 

Migrants escaping the terrors in their native African countries

Is there anything any of the migrants have said to you that particularly moved you?

Yes. One thing that they said was, "We are glad that we have reached a safe place. We can't go back to our home country. Here is our home country." 

Portland, Maine turns ‘crisis’ to ‘opportunity’ for African migrants

Portland has seen an influx of migrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.

And as the nation engages in a heated debate over whether to welcome immigrants or keep them out, Maine's governor, Janet Mills, has said the state will help those who arrive.

"Obviously, we're having a situation here by fate, by circumstance, by the hand of God," Mills said in her inaugural address in January. "And there are those who might want to make it political. I don't see it that way. None of us here sees it as a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue. The broader community of the people of the state of Maine are going to be lending a hand and helping these people who are in such dire need. They call upon us, and we will be there for them."

The Democratic Republic of Congo has been embroiled in conflict for decades. It has seen a new wave of instability since its fiercely contested 2018, general elections, which ended the rule of Joseph Kabila, after 18 years in power. 

Internal conflict that drove Congolese citizens to Angola to work in the informal mining sector has led to regional conflict with Angola, which faces its own problems — namely, widespread corruption and dire poverty. Many of those who arrive in the US are seeking asylum.

Claude Rwaganje is among those helping these migrants acclimatize to live in Portland. Born and raised in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwaganje now directs a group called ProsperityME: The Center For Financial Education. Rwaganje has firsthand knowledge of the conditions refugees go through in order to find safety.

"The majority fly to Brazil," Rwaganje says. "Then they start the journey through the buses, mostly, and others walk."

Rwaganje spoke with The World's Carol Hills about the journey that asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo must endure and Maine's attitude toward them. 

Carol Hills: So it could be a plane, a boat, but it definitely includes lots of walking, and then eventually, a bus ride from San Antonio?

Claude Rwaganje: Definitely. Once they landed in South America or Central America, walking was a big issue for them. And I feel so bad for the little children and mothers who are pregnant. I was talking to a mother who actually delivered in Panama, and I was talking to others who delivered in New Mexico. So I wondered how they really did this journey. It's unbelievable.

That journey is more than 10,000 miles. It takes months. Do these migrants know that when they start the journey? Do they know what's ahead of them?

I really doubt it, because if they knew how long it would take them, somebody would really reflect twice before they can put a pregnant woman on a journey or even a baby on a journey without knowing the outcome. You might reconsider taking such a risk.
Why are migrants from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola heading to Portland, Maine? It's certainly not a familiar climate for these migrants.

Every group wants to migrate. They go where their friends and their family members are. Portland, Maine, has been a welcoming city for many immigrants — Angolan and Congolese. So when you communicate back home people know where you are. Newcomers, they tend to go where the other immigrants have resettled.

"Obviously we're having a situation here by fate by circumstance by hand of God. ... They call upon us and we will be there for them."Janet Mills, Maine Governor
So they go there because there's already people from the Democratic Republic of Congo?

Absolutely. I will add that this city is also a welcoming city to many immigrants. 

Governor Mills seems to be welcoming those in need, but at the same time, the migrants' numbers have really deluged shelters and attorney caseloads. Portland officials are kind of overwhelmed, aren't they?

They are. This is an opportunity for us. It might look like a challenge at the beginning, but long-term, this is an opportunity for Maine to bring these people to us when the border is closed. So we are very grateful to have these people come to us. I know it might be a challenge for this city but again we are responding as a community, as stakeholders, as corporations. It sounds like a crisis to some, but it's an opportunity for me.

"One thing that they said was, 'We are glad that we have reached a safe place. We can't go back to our home country. Here is our home country.' Claude Rwaganje, refugee volunteer

Portland has even had to turn its basketball arena at the Portland Expo Center into an emergency shelter. And I know you and your staff have been there translating and helping out in other ways. Tell us what the scene looks like there with some 200 African migrants sleeping on cots.

When you go to the Portland Expo, first of all, at the entrance, you have to have a badge. You have to be signed up as a volunteer to get in because there is police at the door. Of course, there are beds everywhere, maybe a couple hundred. Then you see some tables. Interpreter agencies, medical screening, lunch and breakfast and dinner is served. We line up some tables there. Then, on the other hand, you have kids playing — they created a little station where there are some cartoons — and it's wonderful. It's wonderful to see that these children finally have a place where they can spend a day without traveling.

Portland doesn't have a formal asylum assistance program, so these people who are arriving, they're unlikely to get all the help they need. And as more of their friends and family members are on the way, isn't this going to turn into a bit of a crisis? Is it sustainable to keep welcoming more and more people into Portland?

Portand may be overwhelmed on its own but definitely, we expect more cities to support as well. Once we send these migrants into different cities, I don't think this is going to be a big deal for the city of Portland at all. 

Is there anything any of the migrants have said to you that particularly moved you?

Yes. One thing that they said was, "We are glad that we have reached a safe place. We can't go back to our home country. Here is our home country." 

Check the website: https://www.prosperityme.org/

Conversation in Maine with Vice-President Joe Biden

Biden stops in Maine, encourages cultural change
By Julie Pike, News Editor University of Southern Maine Free Press

Vice President Joe Biden with former Senator George Mitchell

PORTLAND, ME- While making no indications of future plans to run for president in 2020, Biden joined in a discussion with former Sen. George Mitchell centered around his new memoir, “Promise Me Dad, A Year of Hope Hardship and Purpose.”*

The former vice president made a stop at Merrill Auditorium in Portland on his American Promise tour. On his tour Biden was promoting his recent book, which chronicles his experience as his son Beau, who served as the Attorney General in Delaware, as his lost his battle to brain cancer.

The discussion between the two followed a question and answer format. Mitchell inquired about a variety of topics with Biden, including his family life, his time in the U.S. government and his plans for the future. 

Vice President Biden was introduced by a short video montage, chronicling his life from childhood years to his time as vice president. The video ended with a focus on Beau’s life and tragic death.

Biden addressed his motivation for writing his memoir, which he finished within a year.

“I wanted people… to know what a remarkable man Beau Biden was,” Biden said. “I didn’t want it to be about grief.”

In the 36 years Biden served on the Senate, as well as the two terms as vice president under Barack Obama, he faced multiple instances of death in the family. In his first years in the Senate his first wife Neilia and daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident.

While Biden touched on topics of his past life, he also addressed the crowd about current issues. Biden was in the midst of telling a story of his mother, who he claims instilled the values he follows to this day, when the topic was steered to the situation of women in the U.S. by Mitchell.

Biden has been an active participant in working to end violence against women, he started the Biden Foundation with his family to work towards just that. In 1990, when Biden was serving as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he drafted the Violence Against Women Act. The act passed in 1994 and allowed for more funding in local communities to address domestic and sexual violence and to raise awareness of the problem.

“There is this underlying sexism that is a cultural problem… but we are in the midst of a cultural change.” Biden then addressed men on college campuses, encouraging them to speak up if they see anyone abusing women.

During the 90 minute discussion Biden and Mitchell addressed both difficult issues as well as lighthearted stories. Biden spoke about his relationship with Obama as well as what compelled him to run as vice president. He joked about the widespread popularity their relationship had spurred on the internet.

“All of those memes are true,” Biden said. “He made the first friendship bracelet though, not me.”

Initially Biden turned down the opportunity to run as vice president with Obama, but Obama wouldn’t take no for an answer. He encouraged Biden to talk it over with his family, who were all in favor of Biden running. In the end it was Biden’s mother who convinced him to do it. Even after their two terms together, Biden stated that their two families remain close and that Obama will always be one of his closest friends.

“When Beau was dying, I couldn’t tell anyone else but Barack,” Biden said. “There has never been a president and vice president closer.”

To end the discussion Mitchell asked Biden about his plans for the future. Biden and his family are devoting their time to their multiple foundations, including the Biden Foundation and the Biden Cancer Initiative, which works to progress cancer research, prevention and care.

To conclude the event Biden addressed the crowd, “I believe you are going to see a big change in the next election.” A woman in the crowd answered him by yelling, “run Joey, run!”

*“Promise Me, Dad" is a brisk, often uplifting read, a consequence of its author’s congenital jollity and irrepressible candor.” - Vanity Fair

Education on the impact of racism- Billie Holiday

In the program, Director Kevin R. Free wrote an insightful message.  Rather than publish a list of his theatrical credits, Free reprinted segments from a personal story that underscores how Billie Holiday's life was important.  I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, but did not realize how Ms. Holiday was raised in the city.  In the play, her character describes some of what it was like during a time when the Negroes were sequestered and prevented from activities that promoted social integration. "I was raped when I was 10 years old, but that wasn't the worst that happened...."is one gripping line in the play. Although the wonderful music transcends the depths of Ms. Holiday's darkest stories, her dialogue rips though the story like the sound of a sheet being torn into rags.

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill is a play with music by Lanie Robertson, recounting some events in the life of the singer and songwriter, Billie Holiday. The play originally premiered in 1986 at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, and soon played Off-Broadway. The play opened on Broadway in 2014. We were fortunate to have seen it performed at the Portland Stage, with Tracey Conyer Lee acting and singing the lead role of Billie Holiday.
"Lady Day at the Emerson Bar and Grill" is a powerful performance showcasing the poetic talent of the singer and songwriter Billie Holiday (1915-1959)- she was born Eleanora Fagan, in Philadelphia but raised most of her youth in Baltimore, Maryland. Her story was superbly performed by Tracy Conyer Lee, at the Portland Stage, a theater in Portland Maine. 

"Lady Day" is first, and foremost a tribute to Billie Holiday's personal courage; and a repertoire of her music, combined with a portrayal about her tragic decline into drugs and alcohol. 

Here is the excerpt that tells the audience what to expect, from an interview with Kevin R. Free, the Director of Lady Day...

I was never a fan of Billie Holiday, never.  When I finally heard her sing, I was in college, and I thought...it wasn't a strong voice, she didn't ad lib, there wasn't any scatting, there was nothing fun for me about the way she sang. It just sounded like somebody on drugs singing songs. And, I did not like that.  I was a teetotaler. I did not drink, I did not do drugs, so I was judging her; this is a black woman everyone admires, and she is on drugs. So, that was me, and my respectability politics, and how I was raised.

Then I got older. At Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, around 2007 or 2008, they found nooses hanging around trees and on people's doors.  I was performing with the New York Neo-Futurists, "Too Much Light Makes the Baby Do Blind", and I wrote the play called "Knots of a Native Son". It was basically about trying to see the world as a universe of individuals, and thinking about how some are left a noose on a door and there wasn't a huge public outcry organized by the people, when I was writing that two-minute play, I was looking for a song to go with it and that is when I found "Strange Fruit".  I had never listened to Billie Holiday long enough to  have heard "Strange Fruit". I had completely turned my back on her. The way the trumpet happens at the beginning of the song is so heartbreaking and lonely and beautiful. Hearing that, that song, changed me and changed my opinion of Billie Holiday. Because, at that point, I knew a lot of other things, I had more of a connection to my own racial identity. I was writing about race all the time, and at that pint, when I heard "Strange Fruit", I thought she was incredible. The song is confrontational because it says, "let's talk about this, this strange fruit that is hanging from the trees,these black people. Often you're encountered with some kind of white guilt, people saying, "Why do we have to talk about this?" But this is the world where we live and where she lived. I think, it is even more confrontational than any public figures was doing. That changed me.  I want to hold people responsible and make them look at the world of the play that is based on the world we live in...

Strange Fruit was a protest song, that Billie Holiday very bravely performed under grave threats and at high personal cost.

Here are the lyrics of Strange Fruit:
Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees

Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh

Here is…the fruit for the crows to pluck

For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck

For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop

Here is a strange and bitter crop.

In 1999, Time magazine named "Strange Fruit" the "song of the century." The Library of Congress put it in the National Recording Registry. It's been recorded dozens of times. Herbie Hancock and Marcus Miller did an instrumental version, with Miller evoking the poem on his mournful bass clarinet.

Indeed, I am humbled by having had the experience of seeing "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill". Like the sentiment expressed by Lee, the story changed something for me. Not only did I come to see Ms. Holiday from a social reformer's point of view, but I admire her valiant efforts to make the world a better place through singing, and her songs will keep her spirit alive.

Racism and racial segregation took a lot out of Ms. Holiday's soul, but she filled the void with memorable music.

Senator Susan Collins understands health insurance

Senator Susan Collins with Juliana L'Heureux, RN, in Portland, ME, with Maine Providers Standing Up for Health Care

PORTLAND, Maine- The Maine Providers Sanding Up for Health Care were honored to meet with Senator Susan Collins on Friday July 21, 2017 at her office in Portland Maine. During our meeting, she provided a preview about how strongly she feels in her opposition the Republican party's repeal and replace of Obamacare. In fact, the GOP bill (her own political party's bill) will negatively impact on the people who she cares about- the poor, the elderly, the frail, the disabled, mothers, children and all of her constituents who are entitled acces to quality and affordable health care.

During our meeting with Senator Collins, her impressive knowledge about how insurance works was evident.

Senator Susan Collins slams current GOP Senate bill to repeal and replace Affordable Care Act

She says the Republican proposal would throw millions of people off the health insurance they acquired under Obamacare.

SCARBOROUGH (Maine)— U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Friday she is still firm in her opposition to Senate Republicans’ current bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, saying it would have a devastating impact on Medicaid recipients, rural hospitals and older Mainers with ACA insurance.

Collins, during an appearance at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute to tout a five-year, $20 million National Institutes of Health research grant, said that kicking millions of people off health insurance, as the Senate bill does, is “unacceptable.” 

In fact, the Congressional Budget Office has said that 22 million fewer Americans would have health insurance by 2026, if the Senate Republican bill were to become law.
“I have deep concerns and am opposed to the Senate bill,” said Collins, a moderate Republican, during a question-and-answer period with reporters. “That bill would make sweeping changes to the Medicaid program. It would take out of the Medicaid program more than $700 billion. Well, you can’t take that kind of money out of a health care program and think that it’s not going to have some kind of negative impact. You don’t take a safety net program that has been operating for more than 50 years and change it in fundamental ways without having a single hearing to evaluate its impact.”

Collins said a meeting in Greenville highlighted the importance of Medicaid in rural areas of Maine, because more than half of the patients are Medicaid enrollees.

“What would happen to our rural hospitals if we put through those kind of sweeping reductions in the Medicaid program?” Collins said.

The GOP Senate bill was crafted behind closed doors by Republican leadership, but Collins and other moderate and some conservative Republicans have criticized the bill, with several saying they won’t support it. The bill appears to be nearly dead, but Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to hold a vote next week nevertheless.

That vote would be either on the Senate bill or a straight repeal of the ACA without an immediate replacement, which some senators have advocated as an alternative approach.

But, Collins and two fellow Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia, have already said they would vote no on a straight repeal, which would effectively kill that effort. 

Republicans hold a slim 52-48 majority and can only afford to lose two votes. Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, was recently diagnosed with brain cancer and has been absent from the Senate. No Democrats or independents are expected to support the effort.

“I cannot support and did not support in 2015, the last time it was voted on, a bill that says, ‘Let’s just repeal the Affordable Care Act and maybe over the next two years we’ll figure out how to replace it,’ ” Collins said.

About 265,000 Mainers have Medicaid coverage, and 80,000 have ACA insurance.

Senator Collins said that instead, Congress should turn to bipartisan reforms, and she advocated for open hearings that would bring in the voices of experts from many facets of the health care system.

“You try your best to produce a bipartisan bill,” Collins said. “That’s the way you tackle significant legislation that affects each and every American.”

In January, Collins partnered with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on a more moderate plan that would have permitted states to maintain the ACA as is. If that bill is not taken up by Congress, Collins said perhaps some elements of it could be incorporated into bipartisan fixes to the ACA.

In a separate interview with the Portland Press Herald, Collins suggested that one element of the bill, auto-enrollment into a basic health plan, could be part of the ACA and could be a way to reduce the numbers of uninsured.

“I would like to see auto-enrollments with opportunities to opt out,” Collins said.

Collins said fixing the “fiscal cliffs” in the ACA would also be an improvement. Under the ACA, enrollees are no longer eligible for subsidies if they earn more than 400 percent of the federal poverty level. Those that earn even a dollar more than 400 percent of the federal poverty level – about $50,000 for a single person – experience massive increases in premiums.

“We could fix the cliffs that exist in Obamacare, which discourage people from working more hours or accepting a pay raise. It imposes a particular burden on the self-employed, who don’t know what their income will be year to year,” Collins said, pointing to lobstermen, hairstylists, plumbers and electricians. “That makes no sense whatsoever. We should have a gradual phaseout of the subsidy.”

Senator Collins described the health care debate in Washington as “intense,” with reporters chasing her and camping out in unexpected places. 

At one time, she felt nearly pinned against a wall after being surrounded by reporters. Another time, she thought she would go a different way to her office and try to avoid reporters by stepping outside.

“There was a whole row of cameras waiting for me. I don’t know how they knew where I was going to be and to wait outside,” Collins said.

She said she has been under pressure by the party and conservative radio talk show hosts, but the response by the public since she announced her opposition has been positive.

“In general, I have found that the people in Maine are either understanding or either agree wholeheartedly,” Collins said.

During her tour Friday, Collins visited the lab of Dr. Leif Oxburgh, who is working on growing kidney tissue in a laboratory. Eventually, people’s own cells could be used to grow kidneys in a lab that would be used to replace diseased kidneys. About 80,000 people nationwide are on kidney donation waiting lists.

Oxburgh said a lab-grown kidney is still potentially many years away from happening, if it does occur. But Oxburgh said there have been promising advances, including recently inserting lab-grown human kidney tissue into a mouse. The human kidney tissue did not die after being inserted, Oxburgh said.

Collins peppered Oxburgh and other lab workers with questions and said the research was “fascinating.”

“Think of the difference it will make for the thousands of people on waiting lists for kidney transplants,” Collins said. “It is going to save lives and that work is being done right here.”

Collins said a $2 billion increase in NIH funding approved by Congress this year helped the institute land the grant that would include a partnership between Maine Med, the University of Southern Maine and the University of Vermont. She said Congress needs to protect the NIH from cutbacks proposed by the Trump administration.

She said research that is happening in Maine and elsewhere funded by the NIH will help find treatments and cures for many chronic conditions and diseases.

“We can’t go backwards,” Collins said. “This is no time to lift our foot off the accelerator.”

Joe Lawlor 791-6376 or at:
jlawlor@pressherald.com
Twitter: joelawlorph

Portland Maine student opinion: "Is History Repeating?"

​Is History Repeating Itself? by Declan Morgan 

I found this interesting opinion article posted on the Baxter Portside Press, a newsletter published by students enrolled in the Magnet "Baxter Academy for Technology and Science", in Portland, Maine.

President John Kennedy spoke about religion in the 1950's and 1960's- good research by Declan Morgan of Baxter, in op-ed

Is History Repeating Itself?

by Declan Morgan- student at Portland's Baxter, a magnet school

Today we are finding there to be a lot of bias and prejudice against the Muslim faith. 

For example, our recently elected president Donald Trump’s said at a rally in Charleston, South Carolina on December 7th 2015 “Donald J. Trump is calling for a complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” In fact through the years 2001 to 2015 there were 2,545 cases of anti-Islamic incidents according to the FBI. It has gotten to the point that this year the FBI is also counting all anti-Arab incidents as well.This wasn’t always the case, in other times different groups of people have been discriminated against.

Moreover, in the late 1960s until 1998 “The Troubles”, also known as the Northern Ireland Conflict, was a fight in Northern Ireland based on the constitutional standing of Northern Ireland. 

The fight was between UK (Britian) loyalists and the Ireland Republic Army. During this time, people of the Catholic faith were persecuted by, generally, Protestant Christian loyalists, and vice versa. In these times there were many violent attacks, and it became a major influence on the world. 

This prejudice was shown in the United States when JFK (President John Kennedy), the first Catholic President of the United States, ran for office and confronted a group of voters who opposed a Catholic in Office. He said, in his speech. “Are we going to admit to the world that a Jew can be elected Mayor of Dublin, a Protestant can be chosen Foreign Minister of France, a Muslim can be elected to the Israeli parliament—but a Catholic cannot be President of the United States? Are we going to admit to the world--worse still, are we going to admit to ourselves that one-third of the American people are forever barred from the White House?”.This fight for Catholic equality lasted for many years and is arguably still present today. It was referenced in a lot of pop culture like in U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday (1983) and other media.

It’s likely that people who lived in that era (1950's-60's) that were not a part of either of those faiths could have perceived the two faiths the same way that we perceive the Muslim faith today, as outsiders looking in. So, we should all try to realize that in both situations most of the people in each faith were not active in the violent incidents of the conflict, just like today in the Muslim faith. Also, in time, the Northern Ireland Conflict subsided and the violence has ceased, for the most part, so there is no reason to think that the same thing won’t happen in this situation. In fact, many recent and current U.S. government officials are of the Catholic faith, such as former vice president Joe Biden, Maine senator Susan Collins, along with 30.1% of the 111th United States Congress.

Sources:
(http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/31/politics/gallery/donald-trump-campaign-quotes/)

​(http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/30/us/islamerica-excerpt-hate-crimes/)​

​(https://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/JFK-and-Religion.aspx)

(http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/09/pope-francis-visit-catholic-history-213177)

(https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/12/america-history-of-hating-catholics)

​(https://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/JFK-and-Religion.aspx)

Speaking about free speech on a college campus

At the University of Southern Maine in Portland, my alumni university, where I achieved my bachelors degree in nursing, the recently installed President Dr. Glenn Cummings reported to his staff about a free speech experience recently hosted on the campus. In his weekly "Missive" an informal message he posts to the University staff, Dr. Cummings, a former Maine legislator and Speaker of the House in Augusta, wrote this report, describing the participation in a planned program (following the Missive, is a letter to the editor, about the program, by Katherine Besteman):

Dr. Glenn Cummings

Dear USM community,

I look forward to seeing everyone as I return from my trip to Beijing, Dalian and Shanghai, for the purposes of recruiting for The International Academy at USM and for meeting with our sister university Dongbei, in Dalian. We discussed more international exchanges as well as proper USM faculty governance of our Chinese curriculum. Never having visited the Far East, I found the experience powerful - particularly the infrastructural and economic achievements of a rapidly growing society. A clear sense of collective mission and national pride exists at seemingly every level of society. More unsettling is the tight restrictions on access to information as well as personal expression. Heavily prescribed economic and social dictums from the communist central government raise questions about how a society best creates the 'most good for the most people' - the utilitarian ideal.

Speaking of free speech, allow me to extend my admiration to the many students and community members who peacefully assembled in Hannaford Hall and appropriately challenged or supported the conclusions of visiting speaker Rep. Lawrence Lockman on the Thursday evening, before vacation.

Rep. Lockman described, in his lecture, a legislative bill he has introduced this session in the state house calling for tighter immigration policies and restricting resources to new arrivals and asylum seekers. His position contradicts the basic ideals of our university that emphasizes inclusion and diversity as essential to a full education, wrote Dr. Cummings.

During the question and answer period, the students, and community members challenged his conclusions, his logic, and the ethics of his assumptions - displaying what an engaged and educated student body and citizenry looks like.

With the exception of some protesters inappropriately disrupting a simultaneous event in Woodbury designed to encourage thoughtful dialogue, I was proud of the conduct and approach of our university community. Starting with the Student Senate's thoughtful and productive position the previous week, the USM student population made itself a national model for resisting hate and discrimination while adhering to non-violence, and respect for civil discussion. Many universities failed at this; our students and community friends succeeded.

Rep. Lawrence Lockman of Amherst Maine; his district relies on 2000 immigrant and migrant workers to support a successful blueberry harvest!

In advance of the event, many in our USM community expressed their understanding to me of the need in a democratic society - and a university - to uphold freedom of speech and expression, even if many of us strongly disagreed with the content of the expression. Others, however, argued that any individual who proposes policies out of alignment with many in our university community (especially someone who has indulged in seemingly nasty and hateful comments in the past) ought to be censored from speaking at a university altogether. Their position tempts many of us. After all, why must we listen to someone like that? (Hmmm, MaineWriter observes how Rep, Lockman has spoken offensively about minority groups as reported in the media, although he subsequently issued public apologies.)

Several things come to mind. First, no one HAS to listen to such a position. Ignoring an event like this makes a statement as well, even if protesting peacefully in person may make a stronger one.

Second, Rep. Lockman's policies may be abhorrent to many of us, but he IS relevant. His party controls one body of the legislature, the governorship and all of Congress. His views align tightly with the man now in charge of the White House. Whether we like it or not, his positions are very real. What better way to place his position under the microscope of intellectual scrutiny than bringing him to a university? And scrutinize is exactly what our student body did. They engaged in thoughtful but tough questions and challenged his basic assumptions at every point.

Third, the door of free speech swings both ways. What we take away from one can be taken from the other. Should a request come from a different USM student group to bring speakers from the opposite perspective, it will undoubtedly draw criticism and cancellation demands from some sectors. But be assured, we will stand our ground in allowing speakers of all stripes to speak free at USM.

I hope this is helpful. For those who would like to discuss this event with me personally, I have set up a couple times for me to be available for that purpose. They will be on Thursday, March 2nd at 5:00 PM and on Friday, March 10th at 4:00 PM. Both sessions will take place in the President's Office. Please feel free to stop by.

Thank you all for making us proud of USM. 

A letter to the editor by Katherine Besteman followed up this program: WATERVILLE — I attended state Rep. Lawrence Lockman’s University of Southern Maine talk on “Alien Invasion” last week, not because I agree with his position, but because I don’t. I have spent a decade studying the impact of immigration and refugee resettlement in Maine. I’ve written on the importance of refugee resettlement programs, the benefits to Maine of welcoming immigrants, the positive economic impact of refugees on Maine and the forms of solidarity and support that immigrant communities build. I believe Maine should welcome immigrants and refugees, but Lockman views immigrants as a threat and a financial burden. His recent and forthcoming legislation punishes Portland for failing to require police officers to ask the citizenship status of those with whom they come in contact and holds Catholic Charities accountable for any crimes committed by refugees they have resettled. He supports the recent executive orders to halt immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries and all refugee resettlement. The legislator seems terrified of immigrants, and I wanted to try to understand why.

Here’s what I learned.

Most of Lockman’s speech recounted various acts by immigrants that harmed or might have harmed Americans: the two Iraqi men in Bowling Green, Kentucky, found guilty of attempting to provide weapons to al-Qaida in Iraq; the two immigrant men who passed through Maine before leaving the country to join the Islamic State; the three men who may have been immigrants who beat Freddy Akoa to death in Portland; the 9/11 hijackers.

Listening to the enumeration of these tragic but unconnected events, I struggled to follow the logic. Should the U.S. bar immigrants because some might become radicalized after immigrating? Should all immigration be halted because some immigrants commit crimes? Is Lockman suggesting that immigrants have a tendency toward radicalization or criminality?

I agree, that it’s important for government to provide safety and security for residents. But I cannot understand Lockman’s insistence that U.S. citizens should fear immigrants because some may be dangerous. More Americans are killed by white extremists than by foreign-born terrorists. More Americans are killed by animal attacks or heat waves than by foreign-born terrorists. Americans are more likely to be killed in a shark attack, by a lightning strike or by falling furniture than by a foreign-born terrorist.

Immigrants do not commit crimes at higher rates than non-immigrants; in fact, all available evidence indicates immigrants commit fewer crimes and have lower rates of incarceration than non-immigrants. Lewiston offers a close-to-home example: Since Somali and other immigrants began moving there in 2001, crime rates have fallen. Immigrants, it seems, actually make cities safer, not more dangerous.

The other concern offered by Lockman was his view that taxes should not be used to support immigrants, illegal aliens or refugees. But residents who lack legal status cannot receive public assistance; resettled refugees receive support only for 90 days after resettling in the United States (after which they are expected to be self-sufficient), and the offer of public assistance to other legal immigrants is based on the presumption that because they have earned the right of admittance to the U.S., they are entitled to the same benefits as other citizens when they fall on hard times. The real issue is whether or not we wish to welcome newcomers into our society and offer them the same civil rights our ancestors fought hard to achieve.

I believe that the 2,000 migrants who work the blueberry harvest in Lockman’s home region every year should have access to the same public services – medical care, workplace safety, legal protections – available to their citizen co-workers. I believe the immigrants who overwhelmingly staff American restaurants, provide elder and child care, harvest and process food, clean homes and offices and much more, deserve exactly the same access to public services as their citizen neighbors, including assistance when they are injured, lose a job or experience a family emergency.

Denying immigrants access to public services when they are between jobs or have a crisis is not only inhumane, but also self-destructively short-sighted. Short-term investments in immigrants pay long-term dividends. Look at Lewiston’s Somali residents – who, within a decade of their arrival, are sending their children to medical, law and nursing schools, speaking before the United Nations, running successful businesses, winning state and national competitions and revitalizing farmland in central Maine.

In short, immigrants make American cities better, not worse, and Lockman’s fear-mongering cannot alter that simple, long-standing truth. Take a trip to Lewiston and see for yourself.

In fact, MaineWriter drives to Lewiston at least once to three times a week.  I totally agree with the assessment by Katherine Besteman.

Dirigo- Maine voters hold up the US Constution at Trump rally

Dirigo on the Maine flag. Let's lead with copies of the US Constitution

Dirigo is the Maine state logo.

In Latin, the state's motto means "I lead".  Today, in Portland Maine, the state may have begun a new election tradition. 

Therefore, I recommend all political rallies, beginning from today August 4, 2016 and moving forward, carry the tradition started at the Donald Trump rally held in Maine, today. Let's see the US Constitution!

In my opinion, all rallies should display copies of the Constitution, making them visible, either in a pocket copy or displayed as an exhibit on the venue's stage. 

A video of this rally is posted by The Guardian here:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2016/aug/04/trump-protesters-constitution-rally-video

Portland, Maine- A group of protesters at Donald Trump's rally in Portland, Maine, on Thursday stood up silently during the Republican nominee's speech and held up pocket copies of the US Constitution.

They were quickly ejected by campaign staffers and drew fierce boos and jeers from the roughly 1,800 Trump supporters packed into the auditorium, the capacity of the venue.

The protest was a reference to Khizr Khan's high-profile condemnation of Trump at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last week. Khan is the father of a Muslim-American soldier who was killed in action in the Iraq War. He and his wife's profound presentation at the DNC on Thursday, July 28th, is now part of American election history.

The protesters held up pocket copies of the Constitution, issued by the American Civil Liberties Union. 

It was not immediately clear whether the demonstrators were affiliated with a particular organization.

The ACLU responded on Twitter, saying: "Glad to see people are standing up for constitutional principles using their ACLU pocket Constitutions!"

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump's rally in this largely liberal city drew at least five other interruptions, including two people who tried to disrupt Trump's speech with chants accusing him of being a racist.

The multiple protests at the rally come after several weeks during which Trump has seen relatively few protests at his events, a sign of the risks his campaign is taking on as it tries to carve out support in traditionally Democratic strongholds.

Trump's appeal to blue-collar workers has helped him cut into Democrats' advantage in certain parts of the country and the Republican nominee has vowed to campaign to flip several blue states, including California and his home state of New York -- despite lacking much campaign infrastructure in either state. 

Trump had been slated to campaign in New York on Thursday but his campaign scrapped the stop just days earlier.

Still, Trump pressed forward with his attempts to appeal to supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, who unsuccessfully challenged Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.

"Do we have Bernie Sanders people here?" Trump asked, drawing a few whoops from the crowd.

"We're going to get a lot of Bernie Sanders votes," he continued, drawing a retort from one man sitting in the balcony.

"Not mine!" the man shouted.

Moments later, as the man interrupted Trump's speech with shouts, a campaign staffer tapped him on the shoulder and escorted him out of the venue.

The Republican nominee focused much of this speech on attacking Clinton and President Barack Obama.

He also disputed that there was any "fissure" between him and running mate Mike Pence, after Pence endorsed House Speaker Paul Ryan's reelection, while Trump has declined to support the Speaker.

"Paul Ryan's a good guy, actually, so Mike called me and he said, 'Would you mind if I endorsed? I won't do that if it causes any complications.' ... I said, 'Mike, you like him?' Yes. 'Go and do it.'"

(OMG! Anybody who believes this Trump fantasy must, also, still believe in the tooth fairy!)

Portland Maine protestors at Donald Trump rally are holding up pocket copies of the US Constution

Protesters at @realDonaldTrump's event in Portland, Maine stand & hold up copies of the Constitution as Trump speaks  pic.twitter.com/xgsEIa7AuK

— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) August 4, 2016