Vaya Con Dios, Senator

Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy
2.22.32 - 8.25.09

Prayers to the Kennedy Family

Horrible news, following the seizure and subsequent hospitalization of Senator Edward Kennedy over the weekend.

[Doctors] said tests conducted after the seizure showed a tumor in Kennedy's left parietal lobe. Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma, they said.

His treatment will be decided after more tests but the usual course includes combinations of radiation and chemotherapy.

Kennedy has been hospitalized in Boston since Saturday, when he was airlifted from Cape Cod after a seizure at his home.

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My prayers go out to the family, and especially to Senator Kennedy himself. He has been a treasure to this country and provides leadership and voice for those who often don't get a say in the political system. Despite having had two brothers murdered for their service to the U.S., Senator Kennedy has never backed down from the ideals he holds in his heart, and I salute him for the inspiration he provides us.

Los Hermanos Kennedy
Robert, Edward & John

Senator Kennedy Raises Human Rights Issue

Thank you to the Senator for raising the real-life consequences that are adversely affecting families and communities.

From an Op-Ed last Friday in the Boston Herald:

All over New Bedford on Tuesday, hundreds of women and men woke up, kissed their children goodbye, and left for another day of work at Michael Bianco Inc. They knew it would be a grueling day because there was no other kind of day in the sweatshop-like conditions of the factory. But they were willing to work hard and without complaint because they believed in the American Dream, in which hard work creates a hope for a better life -- if not for them, then for their children.

What happened next was a tragic example of the desperate state of our current immigration policy. Hundreds of armed police and immigration officers raided the factory, creating panic among the workers. They handcuffed unarmed men and women in the same factory where the workers had already known nothing but indignity at the hands of their employer.

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Today, Senator Kennedy's staff is expanding the reach of his message to blogtopia (y!sctp!).

From the blog, Blue Mass. Group:

Gridlock in the last Congress stalled bipartisan efforts to solve the nations immigration crisis. But we will try again soon. The challenge is to combine increased enforcement and tougher penalties on employers who hire the undocumented with a way for the millions of undocumented workers already here to earn citizenship by working hard and paying taxes.

The fact is, immigration is about more than numbers. The story of Lilo Mancia, whose wife remains in custody, after the New Bedford raid, is common but something we are rarely able to see.

Without her, I am dead," said Lilo, breaking into tears. His boys are suffering, too. "They ask for her," he said. Jeffery, who has an ear infection, cried in his father"s arms. His brother kept running around the church basement with his new friend, a green Incredible Hulk doll.

We must find a better solution to our immigration crisis than raids that rip families apart.

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Más información:

• "Without her I am dead"
• Authorities Release More Immigrants
• Immigrants' parish prays for members in jail
• Making donations to help immigrants