Author: mopress

The following materials appeared previously as site announcements–gm

Monday, May 7, 10am – sundown, at the T. Don Hutto prison for migrant families, Taylor.

They can keep Joan Baez from singing at Walter Reed. They can stop the UN from peeking inside Hutto prison. But they can’t stop the vigils. (Joanie, you can sing for us, anytime.)

In accordance with an announcement issued on April 27 from the Geneva offices of the United Nations, Special Rapporteur for Human Rights of Migrants, Jorge G. Bustamante, was expecting to tour the T. Don Hutto prison camp for migrant families on Monday, May 7.

Access Denied: UN Rapporteur Jorge Bustamante
Photo: Wabash College

On Thursday May 3 the Department of Homeland Security said that the UN’s visit to Hutto had never been approved. Will the USA keep the UN Rapporteur from visiting the migrant prison operated by Corrections Corporation of America?
Writes Jay Johnson-Castro: We will be protesting the inhumane imprisonment of innocent children. We will also be protesting the refusal of Chertoff (Bush) to grant access to Sr. Jorge Bustamante the special investigator for the United Nations…Human Rights Commission. We are adding a feature to this eighth vigil. It will be a walking vigil. For those who can…we will be walking up and down Welch Rd. We’re calling it Hutto Walk-Jericho. It will be an all day event…during the all day vigil. While some hold down the vigil at the entrance of Hutto, others will walk up one side of Welch Rd. back down the other carrying placards. If you have a placard, a megaphone, a camera, a camcorder, a sound maker that you want to bring…bring it. Bring water, good shoes…and a good hat.

“We have a new sign out here. It says ‘Let the U.N. Do its Job!” says Jay Johnson-Castro via cell phone from Taylor, Texas.

“Toddlers are not terrorists!” chants the spirited crowd of 20 as Jay huffs and puffs into the phone to keep up with the Jericho walkers. The time is 1pm Central Daylight.
“LULAC is here, the Texas Indigenous Council, the Democratic Party of Williamson County, a few new residents of Taylor, and Teye. We also have members of Galleon from San Antonio and Chicago.”

Walking beside Jay is the new reporter for the Taylor Daily Press, Tessa Moll. A car honks several times in friendly rhythms.

“Yeah, that’s a gentleman who came out to take some pictures,” explains Jay. “Now he’s leaving.”

At 10:00 a.m. Jay met television media who had come on time from San Antonio and Univision. In the play area across the street at the T. Don Hutto prison, they could see a handful of children outside in prison uniforms. A few hours later, there were many more children on display in the play area, and none were dressed in prison clothes.

“It’s all for show,” says Jay. “Another deliberate trick by this willfully dishonest administration. They rule by deception and distraction. But we know we have a role out here, and the role is the voice of the people.”

Word through the grapevine says UN Rapporteur for Human Rights of Migrants Jorge Bustamante is in the Austin area, still working on permission to visit Hutto.

“We’re outraged that the USA will not allow a Human Rights Rapporteur to inspect the human rights of Hutto. But we also look at it as something that works well with our message.”

“No Child Behind Bars!” comes the next chant. The Jericho walk continues into the day. . . . See Video Report from KXAN-TV

Dear Editor:

I just happened to check in at Counterpunch for the first time in a while when I saw the news about Riad Hamad. To say that I am shocked would be an understatement.

I have been donating to PCWF for four or five years. I exchanged a few e-mails with Riad and spoke to him on the phone once or twice. I always
felt that he was a decent and trustworthy fellow.

In the past I have reviewed the donation records listed on the PCWF website and those listed under my name appeared to be correct as far as I could tell. One of the donations I made was to plant an olive tree in Palestine and I received a photo of the tree with my name on it (there were lots of tree planting pictures posted on Yahoo images, so I know that they planted a unique tree just for me). I recently received a photo of the Palestinian boy I sponsor as well.

Last spring I sent Riad my regular donation and I included an extra three hundred dollars for him to use as he saw fit. He chose to send me a big box of olive oil, honey and soap from Palestine. Why in the world would a dishonest man do that? He sent me so much that I’m still using them today. But from now on it’ll break my heart when I drink a cup of tea with that sweet Palestinian honey.

Peace,
Darren McPhilimy
Tarentum, PA

This link comes by way of Roberto Calderon, which is to say it comes highly recommended. Here is the kind of reading you can’t do if you spend your days watching pre-election coverage of the 2008 Presidential race.

MexiData.Info is a storehouse of nicely edited materials for the serious student of border relations. What caught Roberto’s attention is this web bibliography of thoughtful online sources.

Link: mexidata.info/id25.html