All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

transgender murders up

Death by death, the details are horrific. Kiesha Jenkins was beaten and shot dead by a cluster of assailants in Philadelphia. Tamara Dominguez was run over multiple times and left to die on a Kansas City street. Police said the most recent victim, Zella Ziona, was shot dead in Gaithersburg, Maryland, last month by a boyfriend embarrassed that Ziona showed up in the presence of some of his other friends.There’s no question that anti-transgender hatred fueled many of the killings, yet activists and social-service professionals say there are multiple factors that make transgender women of color vulnerable. They have documented that numerous victims were killed by intimate partners and many while engaging in prostitution.

Source: News from The Associated Press

Syrian Family Diverted From Indiana Feels ‘Welcomed’ in Connecticut – The New York Times

“He actually made me concerned,” F. said. She added that she thought that in America, “people are accepted regardless of their backgrounds or what their ideologies are.”Still, in a relaxed hourlong interview in a sunny children’s classroom on the second floor of the immigrant resettlement agency, with their son playing with wooden blocks at their feet, the couple said they wanted to disprove the misconceptions people might have of refugees.“You have to imagine that people are in Syria, the bombs are falling on them, they can’t live in their homes, they leave, they live in Jordan, and it’s still difficult for them,” A. said. “And then they find this opportunity to live a better life and they take it. That’s what people have to recognize.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main storyAdvertisementContinue reading the main storyThe family was living in the Syrian city of Homs when the civil war broke out. A.’s used clothing store was destroyed. “We had to move from street to street to avoid the bombs,” he said.

Source: Syrian Family Diverted From Indiana Feels ‘Welcomed’ in Connecticut – The New York Times

Avian Flu Diary: CDC Updated Travel Notices: Chikungunya In Mexico & Central America

Local transmission of chikungunya is now being reported in other countries in Central America. See map. As of November 24, 2014, the following Central American countries have reported cases of chikungunya:BelizeCosta RicaEl SalvadorGuatemalaHondurasNicaraguaPanama

Source: Avian Flu Diary: CDC Updated Travel Notices: Chikungunya In Mexico & Central America

Opinion: Silly season on Syrian refugees – LA Times

Sen. Ted Cruz would winnow the field of acceptable refugees down to only Christian Syrians, similar to what Jeb Bush proposes. In Congress, House Republicans voted to block Syrian and Iraqi refugees from coming to the U.S. A majority of U.S. governors want to refuse refugees resettlement in their states.The Times editorial board has a message for them: Stop the fear mongering. It writes:The United States doesn’t have the same challenge as Europe, whose relative proximity to the Middle Eastern war zone has left it inundated with millions of refugees. And the source isn’t just Syria and Iraq; refugees — both political and economic — from Africa have landed in Europe as well. There are few good options for stopping that tide without first stabilizing the regions from which it arises; a political solution to the Syrian civil war is a crucial first step to achieving that stability.We haven’t faced this exodus simply because it is so much harder for Syrian refugees to arrive at the border and seek asylum. President Obama affirmed in Turkey on Tuesday that “America has to step up and do its part” in providing for war refugees, which presumably includes moving ahead with his plan to accept up to 10,000 Syrian refugees this fiscal year, up from fewer than 2,000. This page has argued that the U.S. should take significantly more because there are too many for Europe to absorb and because of our history as a safe haven. Nothing in the Paris attacks changes that.That’s not to suggest that the U.S. should accept any and all comers. What the Republican candidates ignore, though, is that there is already a system in place to vet the refugees. To gain entry to the U.S., a Syrian refugee first must pass rigorous screening by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which verifies personal backgrounds and details before recommending individuals for resettlement to the United States. Then the Department of Homeland Security does its own screening before a refugee is granted entry and protection.» Click here to read more.Refusing entry to Syrians is not only unnecessary, it’s also un-American. Editorial writer Scott Martelle says this reflexive heartlessness goes against our national character: “For a nation built by immigrants and their offspring, including waves of refugees over the years, to say, ‘wait a minute, not THOSE people,’ is to reject our very roots. Not to mention hamstring future economic growth, since immigrants help fuel the economy.” Readers largely agree — a few draw comparisons to the homegrown mass shooters of late and wonder who it is Americans should really fear.

Source: Opinion: Silly season on Syrian refugees – LA Times

Ebola, Syrian Refugees, And Fox News’ Annual Hysteria Over Dark, Invading Forces | Blog | Media Matters for America

Accuse Obama of coddling would-be terrorists (including widows and orphans) who are viewed as encroaching on our borders. Or so goes the battle cry, which accuses the president of abdicating America’s national security — and allegedly doing so on purpose.*Fox’s Jesse Watters: Obama is inviting in “the barbarians at the gate.”*Fox’s Andrea Tantaros: “Everything that the president is doing seems to benefit what ISIS is doing.”*Ben Stein: Obama’s “hatred of America” may be “because he’s part black.” “He does not wish America well.”In other words, there’s a dark, invading force that Obama won’t stop. In fact, he seems intent on welcoming it across the border so it can wreak havoc here at home.Sound familiar?Indeed, watching the Fox meltdown over refugees you might think, ‘This is unique brand of rhetorical manure.’ I mean, Obama putting Muslim refugees above the safety of Americans? Opting for a “forced infiltration”? But if you hit the rewind button to October and November 2014, then you remember, ‘Oh yeah, they did pretty much the exact same thing twelve months ago with their full-scale meltdown over a domestic Ebola outbreak that never happened.’Is this now becoming an annual autumn tradition? Some Fox talkers are even connecting the refugee/Ebola dots, although they fail to see it as problematic. “He’s imported illegal aliens,” said Watters of Obama. “Remember he brought all of the Ebola victims into this country?”

Source: Ebola, Syrian Refugees, And Fox News’ Annual Hysteria Over Dark, Invading Forces | Blog | Media Matters for America