To Die On The Job Is To Die For America

To Die On The Job Is To Die For America

by C. A. Matthews

The only things certain in life are death and taxes--and dying struggling to make ends meet while paying those taxes.

Okay, I made up that last part, but it works, particularly for Americans. We've been indoctrinated (programmed) to believe we must give everything of ourselves to our employer--our time, our creativity, our talent, our family life, our social life, our health. It's sad when you consider that in other parts of the world workers don't have to make such difficult choices. They don't have to decide between whether to keep the heat on this winter or pay for a family member's vital medications like Americans routinely do. Workers in most other countries can do both and still have money left over to spend on their guaranteed six weeks of yearly paid vacation.

How did it ever come to this? When did Americans become so brainwashed that they actually believe their employers have their best interests at heart? Why are Americans willing to work until they drop over dead in their tracks? This odd behavior didn't happen overnight. It was centuries in the making. But now that the corrupt economic system called "capitalism" has become a part of American secular religion, why haven't more apostates cropped up?

My thought is that our limited public educational system has made sure young Americans are taught that "democracy" is synonymous with "capitalism," but perhaps the confusion between these words is changing in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The propaganda line that our employers (and our government) are somehow always looking out for us has crashed and burned in the most spectacular fashion over these past two years of needless death and illness. 

Waking up from centuries of brainwashing in such a rough manner has thrown lots of people for a loop. But it's not as hard to convince workers in the year 2022 that their bosses are selfish, greedy bastards. The news--or at least the social platforms--abounds with stories of bosses firing workers for not reporting in to work while suffering from a potentially lethal illness. The Centers for Disease Control blithely changing their "tested positive, stay 10 days at home policy" to only five days at the request of Delta Airlines (among others corporations) further demonstrates that the federal government exists only to serve the capitalists at the expense of the workers.

"Essential" workers like nurses, janitors, daycare workers, teachers, grocery cashiers, restaurant workers, etc., have discovered they are "expendable" workers now that mandatory lockdowns are a thing of the past. If employers can't make the profits they'd like from their workers, then bosses threaten to hire other workers to take their place. Forcing sick employees back to their stations while forcing young students back into plague pits (a.k.a. "schools") so their parents can go back to work in person has fueled the pandemic and sent more adults and children into ICUs. 

Is it any wonder why the US hasn't vaccinated 100% of our population? Why should American workers trust government officials who change COVID policy at the whim of an airline CEO whose lobbyists keep stuffing filthy cash into these same government officials' pockets? Why should anyone trust private Big Pharma corporations who are making billions from selling life-saving drugs and vaccines when they won't even share the formulas with the rest of the world, especially the Global South? Are workers simply guinea pigs to test out new forms of pharmaceuticals and new forms of work coercion on?

The only bright side to this horrible mess we're still in after almost two years is this: More and more Americans clearly see how capitalists do not care one measly bit about the welfare of their workers or their workers' families. And more and more Americans want to see the capitalists pay their fair share of taxes, stop exploiting their workers, and stop destroying the planet with their insane need for profits over peace and life itself.  And some Americans are using their skills to provide a patent-free vaccine with the world.

That it had to come to this to open so many eyes is sad, but at least perhaps now we can all rest easy knowing that the almost one million American COVID-19 victims didn't die in vain.

 The CDC Says It's Okay For Workers To Die...

The “individual responsibility” narrative of vax, mask, shut up, and work is beneficial for the ruling class as it exploits our labor and our deaths for profit. In addition to vaccination, there are other safety measures that could reduce risk of infection in a pandemic, such as providing people with housing, workers’ democratic organization of their own schedules and working conditions, and paying workers to stay home if exposed. The ruling class, however, would never allow any of these options because they would cut into their profit margin. --Ending a Global Pandemic Should Not Rely On Individual Responsibility, Mike Pappas and Adnan Ahmed https://truthout.org/articles/ending-a-global-pandemic-should-not-rely-on-individual-responsibility/

Politicians of both parties have jumped on the COVID-19 money train. According to Business Insider, “as the pandemic raged, at least 75 lawmakers bought and sold stock in companies that make COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and tests.” That includes Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who grandstands as an anti-vaxxer while buying vaccine manufacturer stocks. --Should Biden Resign Over COVID-19 Deaths? Peter Dao  https://peterdaou.substack.com/p/daou-memo-should-biden-resign-over

Related articles: 

Texas Team Applauded for Giving What Big Pharma Refuses: A Patent-Free Vaccine to the World https://popularresistance.org/texas-team-applauded-for-giving-what-big-pharma-refuses-a-patent-free-vaccine-to-the-world

Delta Cuts Paid Sick Leave for Workers With COVID After Lobbying for CDC Change  https://truthout.org/articles/delta-cuts-paid-sick-leave-for-workers-with-covid-after-lobbying-for-cdc-change

Flight Attendant Union Criticizes CDC For Decision Pushed by Corporate America  https://popularresistance.org/flight-attendant-union-criticizes-cdc-for-decision-pushed-by-corporate-america

Seen on Twitter:

"They don’t give a fuck about you. They don’t give a fuck about you. They don't care about you at all -- at all -- at all."

― George Carlin

— General Strike (@WhiskersCrowley) December 30, 2021

BREAKING: The Federal Trade commission has approved a merger between the CDC and Delta Airlines. The new entity will be known as the Centers for Delta Cash and will offer free mileage points for every 5 boosters you receive.

— Prof Zenkus (@anthonyzenkus) December 30, 2021

If I die from Covid after being vaxxed, boosted, quarantined, and masked, please put “capitalism” as my cause of death.

— Tyler M. Tully (@TylerMTully) December 29, 2021

pic.twitter.com/1DWeW429oU

— genxgmom (@genxgmom) December 30, 2021

***

You’re in good company.

You are standing with fellow parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles around the country, committing to protect our families and kids.

We are part of a large majority of Americans who are worried and support meaningful action to stop pollution and address global warming.

Together, we have the power to make our elected leaders act with the speed and scale required to protect a safe future for kids.  

Families For A Future will help you connect with resources and opportunities for meaningful action, however much (or little) time you have. There are many we can have an impact if we come together in our communities, and across the country.

But it’s up to you to be a part of building a call for action that is so visible and loud, it is impossible for lawmakers to ignore.  

Here are four things to know, right now.

• Global warming is simple. There’s too much heat-trapping pollution from burning oil, gas, and coal to make energy. Lawmakers have the power to stop pollution by rapidly replacing fossil fuels with clean energy. They need to act immediately!

• We have the technology to create a future without pollution. And it will be vastly better. Transitioning to clean energy will save lives, save money, and provide huge economic benefits, without sacrificing the lives we lead today.

• It’s ok to feel confused. Polluters spent 30+ years and billions of dollars lying to us and blocking solutions. They want us to feel guilty, overwhelmed, and paralyzed. But every one of us can take action and make sure others know they can, too.

• It’s not just about what you do, it’s about who you bring. We need more people creating loud and visible pressure on lawmakers. You know lots of people who care about their kids’ future! Talk to them. Get them involved.

Here are two things to do, right now:

• Follow @afuturedotorg on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Like and share, but most importantly, be part of this conversation.

• Talk to your friends, family, and community over the holidays. Talking about it and is one of the most important things that everyone can do. As families gather to celebrate and make our resolutions for next year, this is a great opportunity to talk about concerns, solutions, how others can be part of building pressure for action. Here's a quick guide to help you have an easy and meaningful conversation.

We can do this. We have to.

- Families For A Future 

***

From Friends of the Earth:

The Biden administration has given Big Oil permits to drill on our public lands at a rate of 334 permits per month. That’s a higher monthly rate than the Trump administration gave out in his last two years in office. Take action now.

Candidate Biden promised to stop all new oil and gas leasing on our public lands and protect the people and wildlife that call it home. But President Biden broke his promise to the people that elected him.

There’s still time to reverse course, C.A.. I’m counting on you to remind President Biden who put him in office. You have the power to stop oil and gas leasing on our public lands -- starting with next month’s proposed sale. Will you use it? 

Hold President Biden accountable to the people: Demand he keeps Big Oil off our public lands! 

Sign Now

Soaring mountains. Singular rock formations. Desert landscapes. Countless geological wonders. These are just some of the marvels that make up our public lands. And right now, they’re all under threat. 

On your next trip to see America’s impressive landscape, you might find a massive oil rig blocking your view of the mountain peaks. Rock formations may be roped off to keep people out of a drilling site. You might notice the wildlife that lives on our public lands has been scared off by loud fossil fuel projects. 

Our public lands from Alabama to Montana are at risk of Big Oil’s destruction. But this fight isn’t over yet. It’s not too late for President Biden to stop oil and gas leasing. The only way to make sure he acts is by ramping up public pressure ahead of the next 300,000-acre lease sales in February. 

Demand the Biden administration stop selling off our public lands to Big Oil!

Sign Now

If the fossil fuel industry takes over our wild places, they will never be the same. Bulldozers will uproot and destroy native trees and terrain. Wildlife will be displaced. And the air and water will be polluted. 

More drilling = more fossil fuels being burned = worsening the climate crisis. There’s no excuse for leasing public lands to the fossil fuel industry while wildfires, storms, and flooding are devastating communities -- and we’re running out of time to stop it.  Demand that President Biden put wildlife, people, and the planet ahead of Big Oil.

Tell President Biden to keep Big Oil’s destruction out of our public lands!

Sign Now

Standing with you,
Nicole Ghio,
Senior fossil fuels program manager,
Friends of the Earth

 

2021: The Year Nothing Fundamentally Changed

 

2021: 

The Year Nothing Fundamentally Changed

by C.A. Matthews 

I don't know about you, but I really hate telling folks, "I told you so."

After penning last year's end-of-the-year article, 2020: The Year That Wasn't, I held out some hopes for 2021. Surely I thought we'd get a handle on this COVID-19 pandemic and turn a noticeable corner sometime in 2021. We wouldn't be counting deaths worldwide in the millions and the virus variants by the dozens. The drug manufacturers would gladly share their vaccine formulas with our fellow human beings, and intelligent people everywhere would willingly line up to receive a vaccination.

I even thought that we might--just might--see some decent legislation or executive orders come out  of the Biden White House. We desperately needed leadership to force ICE and CBP to help asylum seekers reunite with their children rather than forcing them to "Remain in Mexico."  We needed leadership to end blatant racism against Haitian immigrants. If we were lucky, the Squad would push Biden "left" and pass Medicare For All to help Americans without health care. Heck, he might even do as his promised on the campaign trail and end the suffering of so many burdened with overwhelming student loan debt. 

Instead, 2021 turned out to be just as candidate Joe Biden said it would, when he announced what his presidency would be like when compared to Trump's: Nothing would fundamentally change.

Ironic, isn't it? It's the only thing he's been right about so far.

So, here we find ourselves at the end of 2021, and we find ourselves pretty much in the same screwed up situation we found ourselves in last year at this time. The pandemic rages on. No mandatory lock downs or even a consistent masking policy has been issued by the CDC. Less than 10% of Africans have been fully vaccinated. Big Pharma refuses to share its vaccine formulas, even though much of the research was funded by US taxpayers and the more people on the planet vaccinated, the less chance for further virus mutations. And things could get much worse now that the omicron variant has popped up in the "everybody go back to work and school as normal" United States of America.

 Nothing has fundamentally changed.

I won't go on about how Americans still don't have universal health care, in spite of living through a pandemic of biblical plague proportions. We don't have universal basic income, either, in spite of record unemployment, under-reported as usual especially for women, the young, and people of color. Student loan repayments will start up again in the new year.  Eviction moratoriums have ended. 

The Biden Administration has some serious problems with arithmetic, too. They early on promised everyone a "$2000 check" but only paid out $1400 so far. Even those of us who can't balance a checkbook can tell you those two numbers aren't the same. 

Nothing has fundamentally changed.

They said they'd stop the war in Afghanistan, and yet they passed a record-breaking military budget this year. (Mercenaries and some American military personnel will remain in Afghanistan, so it's war by another name.) We're "updating" our nuclear arsenal, as if having more nuke power than necessary to wipe out all life on the planet isn't enough. Trump's saber-rattling carries on from 2020 in regards to China and then Russia and then China again and then Russia again and then…

 Nothing has fundamentally changed.

The big COP-26 climate change convention recycled the same ol' tired promises of cleaning up our dirty fossil fuel habits. Ironically, the very next week the Biden Administration sold a record number of oil exploration leases in the Gulf of Mexico, and then a lawsuit to clean up the longest running oil spill in the Gulf in history was decided. "Clean coal" anyone?

Nothing has fundamentally changed.

Worse yet, this mantra is the stinky attitude one gets from the establishment and their billionaire pals. They're fine with things not changing. They're not worried about millions more dying from a preventable illness like COVID-19. They're happy to make sh*t-loads of money from  trading in shares in Big Pharma and buying up the homes that have been foreclosed on this year in order to force us to rent our previous abodes from landlords later.

And war and the environment? Hey, if drone bombing innocents and endlessly fracking oil makes a profit, why would you ever stop? Am I right?

Nothing has fundamentally changed.

If there's one New Year's resolution I'd like to make--and work hard to keep--it's this: Things will fundamentally change in 2022. They have to or else we'll all wind up dead.

https://jillstein.net/

Fundamental change won't necessarily come via the voting booth. Unless you're open to voting for third party candidates, who boldly profess radical ideas like ending wars for oil, instituting Medicare For All, and legislating free schooling from pre-K through college, then I wouldn't worry too much about voting. Voting for the "lesser evil" or "any red or blue will do" just creates more evil that our world doesn't want or need. Blindly accepting only two choices to vote for--choices blessed by billionaire capitalists--guarantees "nothing will fundamentally change-ism" will continue.

Change could happen in the streets, through online activism, by knocking on doors, or through a combination of these activities and more. But somehow, change must come. We've got to change things fundamentally this coming year of else there might not be a 2023 to look forward to in another 365 days.

Be the change you dream of. Fundamentally. And we hope to see you again here next year. Stay safe!

Second Thought is an excellent podcast. This recent video focuses on how "Feel Good Stories" are used to distract us from the true horrors of our corrupt system.  Watch and think about what you can do to bring about fundamental change.  https://youtu.be/Sck8xNicy5o

 

End of the year pleading: Donate a buck or ten to help keep the lights on and the editor sane via this link http://paypal.me/camatthews  Thank you.

*** 

Talking with family members who don’t agree with you over the holidays is hard. And sadly, immigration can be one of the topics that gets most heated.

We’ve all had those tense, uncomfortable conversations with loved ones, and now there’s an extremely helpful resource to help shift dinner-table conversations from confrontational to productive.

Check out the brand-new “Brave Conversations: Immigration Edition” guide now.

Check it out for free now →

These conversations can be hard, but no one has to tackle them alone.

In this guide, there are five simple sections to help center a conversation about immigration in compassion and commonsense:

• Tips for talking about hard topics
• Common misconceptions about immigration and how to respond
• Facts about what’s really happening
• How to take action
• Additional resources for further research

Ending family separation is a huge task, and it’s going to take a collective effort, from huge mobilizations to individual conversations with the people closest to us.

Every one of us has the tools to change the hearts and minds of our family and friends, and each individual conversation is a part of the larger national shift needed to ensure safety for immigrant families and children.

We’re in this together, and all of us can use this guide as a resource to help change public opinion on immigrant children and families in the U.S., starting with the people we’re all most influential with: our friends, family, and those who trust us the most.

Check out the guide now →

We believe that to learn and grow, we need to be brave. We must end detention and family separation for good – and it all starts with what we’re talking about at home.

Thanks for all you do,

Tovia Siegel, Organizer
Families Belong Together

P.S. Let me know how any brave conversations go, and send over any suggestions to help improve the guide! Simply email me at info@familiesbelongtogether.org.

*** 

We’re about to have a constitutional crisis. In the next few months, the Supreme Court is going to overturn or undermine 50 years of precedent in Roe v. Wade, and yet the leadership of the Democratic party seems to give it a big ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Everyone should be very, very alarmed that our current Supreme Court is an existential threat to our rights and every progressive priority.

The Biden Administration needs to stop twiddling their thumbs while the ultra conservatives on the Supreme Court take away our constitutional rights whether it’s abortion or voting or gender rights. Demand Congress and the Biden Administration pass the Judiciary Act—NOW.

ADD YOUR NAME

The ultra conservatives Supreme Court Justices are nothing more than right-wing politicians in robes—and the American people know that. Recent polls show the Supreme Court is the most unpopular it’s been in decades, and a majority of Americans no longer believe the justices are deciding cases on the merits. The Court derives its legitimacy from the people, and it’s clear that the American people no longer believe this stolen Court is legitimate.

The conservatives on the court have already told us that they’re not just coming after our human right to abortion access and to determine our own reproductive lives. They have their sights on Obergefell v. Hodges, immigration, and voting rights.

We can stop them from literally destroying our democracy by adding 4 seats to the Court by passing the Judiciary Act of 2021. This is the only practical, proportional response to Republicans’ theft of the Court and the only way to restore its balance and integrity.

Sign the petition to join advocates and activists across the country to demand Congress and the Biden Administration pass the Judiciary Act and add 4 more justices to the Supreme Court NOW.

Mike Phelan
Progress America

 ***

In a near-future dystopian world, hope blossoms where mutual aid and democracy begins...

Zonta’s world is turned upside down when Jake arrives at the commune to investigate the disappearance of agents of the Authority. Can she persuade him to switch sides before the Protectors (antifascist fighters) take action?

Available now from Extasy Books: https://www.extasybooks.com/Where-the-Bodies-Lie

 

 

There and Back Again: A Pandemic Journey

 

 

There and Back Again: A Pandemic Journey

by C. A. Matthews

There is another world beyond the county line.

It has been two years since we dared set foot outside of our immediate vicinity due to COVID-19 concerns and lack of funds. Finally, we broke down and realized how much we needed a change of scenery. That, and we also had to admit how much we missed seeing friends we enjoy chatting with at an annual convention we've attended for years  in a nearby state. (It was cancelled in 2020 for obvious reasons.) Once we acknowledged our unaddressed needs, we made plans to go on a road trip.

Or at least we attempted to. Our plans required fine-tuning. It's amazing how out of practice one can get, particularly after two years of staying put. We felt physically and psychologically out of sorts and even a bit fearful. Not that there's anything to worry about when there's a worldwide pandemic going on, is there?

We hit the road a half hour later than planned. (That's a record for us. We usually start out an hour or more late.) The journey proceeded smoothly until we got closer to the state line. There I began to notice a disturbing trend:

Where the hell did all these semi-trucks and double trailers come from? Sure, it's a highway, but why is 80-90% of the vehicular traffic we're seeing commercial rigs--many owned by uber-billionaire Jeff Bezos? What's happened to all the "regular people"?

Oh, yeah. There's a pandemic going on. People who are sensible have curtailed their travels. Most are cash-strapped. Only the wealthy "golden bubble" dwellers can travel without fear because they can buy out whole hotel floors and rent entire campgrounds. Those who state they're not afraid of a "pretend virus" because it's part of a "liberal conspiracy" don't stay at home. This mainstream media viewpoint was reinforced when we stopped at a rural gas station for a comfort break. We couldn't find the restrooms and were about to ask the clerk when I spotted the hand-scrawled sign in the window: Trump flags available--$19.99 plus tax. 

We couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Onward we traveled, experiencing some minor discomforts due to road conditions, weather, and endless construction zones. We've now decided to modify the state slogan of Indiana to The Construction Crossroads of America. It's more accurate. Folks will thank us.

Coming to a standstill twice on the interstate due to construction, and  possibly an accident caused by said construction, caused us to lose an hour. (Funny, we saw plenty of orange barrels but mostly invisible construction workers. The barrels must do the actual roadwork?) However, when we crossed a time zone line we magically gained the wasted hour back. Hurrah! Travel can be like that at times.

Brief stops at rest areas revealed that those of us wearing masks in public are in the minority in Middle America. A lady came up to me in the parking lot of a large interstate highway rest area and said she noticed our masks and wondered if we were vaccinated. I said yes, and she said she was vaccinated too, but she had suffered through two bouts of COVID-19 already, as she worked as a nurse. We commiserated about how not everyone was taking the virus seriously.

This says a lot about us as a people, doesn't it?

We arrived at our convention hotel and were relieved to see that the state of Illinois doesn't mess around when it comes to COVID-19 precautions. Masks must be worn by all persons age 2 and older inside buildings open to the public. Our fellow conventioneers complied with the regulations without fail. Another plus was that at registration all attendees had to offer proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within the past 72 hours. It gave us a feeling of security that others actually cared about their neighbors' health and were willing to be slightly inconvenienced by wearing a mask in public for three days.

Not that wearing a mask doesn't have its downside when attempting to verbally communicate with your fellow humans...  It was often difficult to impossible to hear what panelists and questioners were saying through layers of cloth or paper. But no one complained or insisted their "rights" were being abridged. We simply asked folks to repeat their comments, laughed at any unintentional misunderstandings, and continued the conversation. (And the variety of the novelty masks worn was phenomenal! I've definitely got to order myself some. Maybe the Joker's mouth one or the vampire fangs. Or both.)

The high point of the weekend for us was seeing friends we hadn't seen in 3-D in two years. The lowest point was not seeing a lot of friends because they couldn't attend the convention for whatever reason. Attendance was way, way down--by about 50% when compared to the previous 2019 convention. The traditional big group activities had been cancelled  due to COVID precautions. These events are usually huge draws, and it explained some of the regulars missing in action. Is the state Illinois being too restrictive in keeping hundreds from sitting or standing in close proximity to each other for a few hours in an enclosed area? Or was this a decision of our convention planners to forego these crowded activities in order to prevent a super spreader event from occurring that could bring about the demise of our annual get-together? We don't know.

We were sad to leave and head home, but it was also a relief. Getting out of our rut and venturing forth into the pandemic-riddled world took courage and effort on our parts--especially on the drive home through a climate change-fueled monsoon-like thunderstorm. We felt exhausted when we pulled into our driveway. We hadn't been sure we were up to the trip, but now that we've done it… Will we do it again?

It remains to be seen. Delta variant case numbers are on the rise, and our bank account balance is plunging in the opposite direction. Until both crises are met and vanquished, you'll be finding us at home, wearing our masks, scraping to get by.

 ***

Check out Lee's latest story on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. See what they're really up to in Africa and why Bill Gates owns the most farmland in the US today. (We're still in the dark about why Bill liked to hang out with child rapist Jeffrey Epstein, however.  Creepy.)

   https://www.portable.tv/series/redactedtonight  and

https://scheerpost.com/2021/10/04/lee-camp-exposes-bill-gates-and-the-hidden-side-of-his-capitalist-projects/

 ***

Right now, as the U.S. escalates its war on China, the U.S. military is actively violating the human rights of Indigenous peoples in Guam, Hawai’i, the Marianas, Okinawa, and other pristine islands in the Asia-Pacific. The U.S.’s militarization of these regions is causing mass environmental devastation of sacred ancestral coral reefs and carbon-sequestering forests, while oppressing and harming Indigenous Pacific Islanders through military exercises and accidents, military crime, and the poisoning of drinking water. All of these issues can be traced back to the bloated pentagon budget. It is more evident than ever that the military and fossil fuel industry cannot be trusted with billions of tax-payer dollars each year. We must #CutThePentagon to save the planet! From Minnesota to Okinawa, the people, planet, peace and our future are under attack! The U.S. military is the largest consumer of fossil fuels, and we must demand an end to its pollution and displacement of Indigenous, Black, brown and low-income people around the world. Tell the Biden administration to stop building the environmentally destructive Marine base in Henoko, Okinawa against the will of the Indigenous Luchuan (Okinawan) people! #WarIsNotGreen Water and land protectors are once again leading the charge against the fossil fuel industry, join with us and our #CutThePentagon message in the streets of DC. From October 11-15th, frontline leaders are calling for a mass mobilization in DC to ask Biden: will it be People or Fossil Fuels? CODEPINK will host a demonstration Wednesday, October 13th - sign up to act with us, and join our affinity group here. We would love to see you for one, two or more days during this important week of action!  Contact Olivia - olivia@codepink.org - if you have any questions!  Onward to Peace & Justice, The CODEPINK Team P.S. Make sure you’re ready for Cut The Pentagon events in your town with the proper CODEPINK gear! Get your masks, tees and accessories to make the message stand out! SHOP HERE! P.P.S. CODEPINK is co-sponsoring the free, virtual War on Terror Film Festival for the month of October - view the schedule and featured films here!

 

Tell the Biden Administration and Congressional Democrats: "We need decisive action on immigration. We urge you to eliminate ICE and detention centers and criminally charge those committing human rights violations at our border and detention centers; end Title 42; end deportations; and finally develop a pathway to citizenship for ALL, including Dreamers, farmworkers, and essential workers." ADD YOUR NAME

Did you know the Biden administration is still defending the Trump-era use of Title 42 to hold up asylum-seekers on public health grounds, a practice that has directly led to a backlog of more than 400,000 asylum applications?

Title 42 is what is being used as a rationale to deport Haitian refugees, despite tremendous political unrest and a devastating earthquake in their country of origin. That is unacceptable!

We suffered through four years of xenophobic, racist immigration policies under the Trump administration. These policies must end.

Join CHN and our coalition of national partners in demanding the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress provide permanent immigration protections and relief this year!

ADD YOUR NAME

This week, the Senate parliamentarian again rejected Democrats' plan for including immigration reform in the Build Back Better reconciliation package, handing us another setback.¹ Together, we have to ensure Democrats use every tool at their disposal to pass critical immigration protections this year.

We have a responsibility to migrants, refugees, and frontline workers to hold lawmakers to the commitments they made on the campaign trail. Sign if you agree! Dignity, respect, and nothing less! Tell Congress and President Biden they must pass permanent immigration protection and relief this year.

Thank you for all you do to demand accountability from our elected leaders and to fight for the needs of working families, the vulnerable, the sick and the poor.

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/574534-senate-parliamentarian-rules-out-democrats-immigration-plan-b?rl=1

*** 

From Faithful America:

During his campaign, President Biden promised that his immigration policies would represent a clear break from the white-supremacist regime of his predecessor, who banned Muslims and refugees, demonized Spanish-speaking peoples, and mocked "s***hole countries."

Sadly, this is one promise Biden hasn't kept yet. Viral images of Border Patrol agents on horseback violently rounding up Haitian asylum-seekers tell a very different tale of how our country still treats our neighbors in need.

President Biden is demanding that courts give him the right to keep using Title 42 -- a provision originally intended to protect public health -- as a legal excuse to lock down the border and turn away Haitian nationals and others in need before they can even apply for asylum, just like Donald Trump did.

Americans have been shocked and horrified by the new administration's escalation of Haitian deportations, and by the inhumane treatment of Black asylum-seekers by the Border Patrol. Earlier this week, 177 diverse faith organizations -- including Faithful America -- released a letter demanding the Biden administration stop the deportations.

Let's send the administration 10,000 signatures to show them these faith groups are speaking for a nationwide movement that supports Black immigrants and refugees.

Add your name: Ask President Biden to keep his promises, welcome Haitians in need, and finally end Trump's cruel Title 42 policies.

The people of Haiti have been through so much in recent years. Earthquakes, tropical storms, landslides, and political turmoil have devastated the country. These children of God have turned to Americans for refuge, safety, and hope -- making it even more immoral to force them to return to such violent and unsafe conditions.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to welcome strangers with open hearts, and to never turn away those who are seeking help and safety. President Biden's Catholic Church has been particularly strong on immigration -- more than 160 Catholic organizations have called for the end of Title 42.

As Mary J. Novak, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, said, Biden's continued abuse of the Trump-era policy is "a violation of the human dignity of immigrants and asylum-seekers. We cannot allow the continuation of this xenophobic order, which puts asylum-seekers in harm's way. We call President Biden to honor the call to love our neighbor and end the misuse of Title 42 completely."

In this spirit, let's raise our voices together and urge President Biden to take immediate action to stop the misuse of Title 42 and welcome all those who have fled Haiti.

Tell President Biden: No more Title 42 expulsions. Restore asylum protections now >>

Thank you for everything you do to love your neighbor and welcome the strangers in our midst.

In peace,
- Karli, Rev. Nathan, and the Faithful America team