Roomin' House Blues

The Irish Potato Famine of starting in 1845-1855 started a massive wave of Irish immigration to the United States. The Nativist backlash, sometimes refereed to as the Know Nothing movement because of it's secrecy called the newly arrive "Catholic Hordes. ".  The 1.5 million Irish who came during that period were matched by 1.4 million Catholic, Protestant and Jewish Germans. French Canadians, like some of my own ancestors, also added to the largely Catholic "hordes" Later, in the first two decades of the 20th Century, largely Catholic Italians, Eastern  and Basques from Spain arrived.  By 1910 there were over 16 million Catholics in the U.S. and immigration continued to swell our numbers.   It is largely because of this immigration that Catholics today are the largest religious body in then U.S. This immigration changed the character of American and build it up, industrially, culturally and spiritually.  That was possible largely because of generally tolerant...

Sunday May 1st at 1PM there will be a rally on behalf of immigrants and to stop the attacks on workers through the budgeting and union busting processes. The budgets are being balanced on the backs of the poor, disabled, seniors, immigrants, families with their children, union workers while someone has designed the tax loopholes big enough that you'd think they were trying to drive a herd of camels through to heaven.  It may turn out to be a disappointment to them!  It should be a good day for a walk and a good day to tell the world there is a side to this that isn't Sarah Patin's cup of tea. Event Location Judkins Park (next to St. Mary's Church) 611 20th Ave S. Seattle, WA 98144 Directions (Look for our banner at the northern baseball diamond on the field)

Tonight, Thursday March 31st, at 8PET,   Kevin Appleby, Migration Policy Director for USCCB, will appear on “The World Over”, a show on the Catholic network EWTN.   USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) has worked very hard for a fair and just immigration policy. Justice for Immigrants is asking supporters of Catholic teaching on immigration to call in with questions.  Catholic teaching on immigration, while taking into account the right of a nation to protect it's borders, is primarily motivated by the churches teaching on social justice. 

A rizona legislatures have considered a bill to try to challenge the black letter law of the 14th amendment on immigration and have taken a step back at the request of Arizona business leaders. Senator Russell Pease, who has leader the anti-immigrant mob charge in Arizona  had a bill that would have issued different birth certificates to children of undocumented workers that to all others.  It would have formed a compact with other states that passed similar legislation to defy the constitutional standard of the 14th Amendment that all born in the United States become citizens and that only the federal Constitution  determines citizenship.  On of the issues leading to the civil war, besides slavery and trade policy was that states wanted to set their own policy on obviously federal issues including immigration.  After the passage of the 14th Amendment the courts ruled that only the federal government can set immigration policy-- pre...

My squirrel  friend that I have been writing about--the one I feed every day, is getting a paunch. The Dream Act has passed the house, only to be temporarily shot down today in the Senate. The Republicans were planning to filibuster the house version in the Senate and with the clock ticking on the current session, Harry Reid forced a vote to table, winning 59 to 40.  That allows him to call back the same bill before the end of the session.  Senate Republicans have been firmly against the bill, ruling from the minority on the matter.  Another way to get the Dream Act passed might be to make it a rider on the Agricultural Bill, forcing some of the Senate Republicans to vote for it.   For those of you who want to read up on immigration there is the classic "The Uprooted" by Oscar Handlin copyright 1973, showing how we are a nation of immigrants. The Uprooted won a Pulitzer Prize.  And on immigrants as agricultural workers, "Work...

The Dream Act has passed in the house, a baby step towards a baby step into a rational immigration policy, but never the less that step has been taken.  The Senate votes at  11 AM tomorrow on the Act. As a young boy I always heard stories of when various people in my family immigrated.  Maybe that is why I never was afraid of poor Catholic farmworkers crossing a border to work and feed there family.  Or maybe it was because of the Mexican family my sister befriended when we were young, who went to our parish. As I grew up and studied history I read about the Know-Nothing Party, the briefed lived anti-immigrant movement that coupled electing people to Congress with burning down Catholic Churches.  And I heard of the signs that said "No Irish Need Apply."  I always thought that anti-immigrant sentiment was an anti-Catholic prejudice.  I identified with the immigrant. And because I grew up in Seattle I also heard the st...

Tomorrow I  to a Worksource orientation on the steps needed to try to get into worker retaining on the unemployment ticket. (see prior post: http://roominhouseblues.blogspot.com/2010/12/banging-your-head-against-wall.html ).  Pray for me please, and for all the unemployed.  And if you would, make that through Dorothy Day, Servant of God so she can get her first miracle by getting someone a job or reschooling in this economy and there by get beautified.  If she gets two of us jobs then she is a Saint! Governor Gregorie has deserted Catholic social teaching on more and more things.  First she deserted it to the left by supporting the Washington Death with "Dignity"  initiative, under which disabled and elderly can be manipulated into killing themselves. Now she deserts it to the right.  She is planning to call a special session of the legislature for one day to get an up or down vote on her budget proposal.  It's kind of the bums ru...