CALIFORNIA'S NEW STAYING POWERThe exodus out of California has slowed. People are more likely to move inland than to leave the state. Link
I suspect that some of it has to do with the fact that housing in Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Denver is inching closer to the cost of homeownership in California.
And then there is the fact that some people are just Californians by nature. My sister-in-law's sister and family moved from SoCal to Colorado. But within a year they were back because they missed the sun and beach lifestyle. (You have to understand that not everyone goes to beach all the time but there is a laid back beach mentality that goes with so much good weather.)
ARE THEY "REFUGEES"?
Some people are upset because in their minds the term "refugee," which has been freely applied in the media to the evacuees from New Orleans, implies second-class citizen.
Where in the world does that come from? A refugee is someone with the smarts to seek out a safe place of refuge. That doesn't make them second class anything. When anyone complains that the use of this term is demeaning the people from Louisiana they are inadvertently demeaning the people who have in the past been refugees from unsafe places in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Are those people, then, second class? Are the Russian and Southeast Asian refugees with whom I've worked second class people? That is a terrible thing to imply. There is absolutely no shame in being a refugee!
THE MEXICANS ARE COMING
A convoy of 35 Mexican Army trucks is headed north and toward Louisiana to join the flood relief efforts. This will be the first time since 1846 that a Mexican Army unit has operated in the US.
More than 90 foreign countries have offered help. The Canadians have sent troops with their equipment.
It's helpful for us Americans to see first hand that we aren't the only ones who respond to disasters. We're so chauvinistic that I think sometimes we feel that we're the only ones carrying the weight of the world. (We're so mistaken!) So this is good for us.
And it's helpful to work alongside some neighbors. President Bush would be exceptionally wise if he would accept the offer of the Cuban government to send 1,000 doctors. Just saying "thank you" and accepting the gift could go a long way in breaking loose the diplomatic logjam between our two countries. Really, there would be nothing tangible to lose (they could work alongside American specialists -- if we're worried that their training is substandard) -- only the possibility of gain.
OUTSOURCE THE TUTORING
Your child's next tutor may be in India.
BAFFLING CHANGES AROUND SATURN
The rings around Saturn are undergoing puzzling changes. The IPCC has released a statement attributing the changes to human greenhouse gases. (Sorry, I couldn't resist. The real story can be found here.)
BAFFLING LEGISLATORS
Five years ago Californians approved Proposition 22, an initiative that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman and says that the state can only recognize such marriages. However, yesterday the California Legislature became the first legislative body in the country to approve a bill allowing same-sex marriages. (It is doubtful that Gov. Schwarzenegger will actually sign such a bill.) Regardless of where one lands on this issue (I'm pretty conservative) it does seem outrageous that the legislators would pass a bill that flies in the face of an initiative. And it certainly seems highly questionable whether such could hold up in court (although, in our state the courts have a history of radical reinterpretation).
This latest move may actually back-fire on the advocates of same-sex marriage because it could fuel the current grassroots movement to put an initiative on the ballot in 2006 that would this time amend the state Constitution to ban same-sex marriages.
STATE GUARD
About 25 states, including California, now have military reserve units which function as volunteer back-up units for the National Guard. That is, they provide training and support operations for the Guard. While they are generally limited to in-state missions some guard units from various states have been helping out along the Gulf Coast with rescue missions. Link
1 comment:
I doubt that most people are aware of any legal/technical definition that the customs and immigration people might have for their work.
The more I think about it the more I wonder if the whole issue doesn't stem from a perceived hierarchy that certain groups have and that they don't want to be shifted down the pecking order. I would suggest that the whole hierarchy concept is out of order. It perpetuates prejudice and the myth that people who have fled their homes are somehow second class. I wonder if it isn't even racist at its core – especially since we have so many SE Asian refugees in our country. IOW, “we’re better than those people – don't lump us into the same category as them.”
I think it is a shame that people think this way. But I will gladly call the people from NOLA evacuees so we don't get stuck there.
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