Prerna talking DREAM Act at NYTimes Online

From my post at The Sanctuary

Join the discussion at the New York Times' Room for Debate blog with The Sanctuary's Associate Editor Prerna. There are five featured web-panelists, and as you'll note, some of them have no problem with mass-deportation and racial profiling.

Prerna's bio is powerful because it allows the voice of someone directly affected by political foot-dragging to speak out. This perspective gives the human dimension center-stage to a discussion that is often conducted by either the brain that discounts the familial and cultural toll of inaction, or the rectum that brings tons of defiling b.s. that keeps forward movement at bay.

Link to NYTimes.com discussion

Cynthia McKinney Responds To Sanctuary Questionnaire

Green Party Candidate Cynthia McKinney has responded to the Sanctuary's comprehensive questionnaire on policy stances related to human migration and human rights. As you may know, Barack Obama previously responded while John McCain responded with crickets.

Since Ms. McKinney will be appearing on numerous ballots across this country, it is our democratic duty as pro-migrant advocates to make sure everyone has an opportunity to engage the public with their views.

With a week until Election Day, Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney today released a comprehensive and thoughtful response to The Sanctuary's questionnaire on immigration and issues of concern to the Latino community.

Showing the vitality and importance of voices from outside the mainstream two-party political paradigm, McKinney puts forth not only a strong understanding of the complexities of these issues, but also a vision of real-world solutions. Her refreshing willingness to confront the broader social and economic realities which undergird international migration further demonstrates that practical solutions will not come from political compromises and "bipartisan" gamesmanship, but rather from rigorously-grounded assessment and analysis.

Simple put, McKinney gets it right.

Read her full answers here

Obama's Answers to Sanctuary's Immigration Survey

The Editorial Team of The Sanctuary has released Senator Barack Obama's full responses to our survey outlining specific policy proposals with respect to a complete overhaul of the U.S. immigration system and foreign policies that drive migrations of human beings to different parts of this chunk of earth we all call home.

Senator John McCain's campaign didn't bother to respond to our numerous attempts at dialog. As such, here's part of the statement we are releasing with today's post:

While our original intent was to present a meaningful side-by-side comparison of the policies and positions of all presidential candidates in order to better inform voters, Senator McCain's unwillingness to answer our questions, or to go on the record with his positions on the specific details covered in the questionnaire, has made this impossible. Senator McCain's reluctance is all the more troubling in light of the fact that his previously published positions, available on his website, appear to directly contradict those in the official platform coming out of the Republican National Convention earlier this month. This has left many of us who are concerned about immigration reform at a loss to know exactly where the Senator actually stands on vital issues.

Link to full post with Sen. Obama's responses

My personal thoughts on Obama's replies coming soon...

Wall Street Journal Covers Our Questionnaire

The Wall Street Journal has provided some traditional media coverage to The Sanctuary's candidate questionnaire that we sent out to the various presidential campaigns.

Latino bloggers covering the presidential campaign reacted this week to recent efforts by both candidates with their usual spotting of simplistic stereotypes in the candidates' outreach efforts, and with a new joint initiative that raises some tough questions - 38 to be precise.

A group of bloggers responded to Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama's speeches to the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National Council of la Raza, with coordinated posts about a 38-point questionnaire that The Sanctuary, a pro-immigrant group, sent to the presidential candidates last month demanding answers on immigration policy issues. Neither McCain nor Obama has responded to the questionnaire.

Wall Street Journal's Washington Weave

The post I wrote here at Latino Político on Friday was also referenced, but really, it's not about me or any of the other Sanctuary editors. It's about human rights, it's about humane treatment of our fellow human beings, and hopefully the candidates will understand that we are asking for answers in order to discern what to expect in our communities beyond the Bush regime.

Those issues and others that we are highlighting will be discussed tomorrow, July 15th, on CNN at 8:24AM with a scheduled appearance of Sanctuary editor KetyE. We are also in talks with the network to have another editor speak in the afternoon about these vitally important issues. As I wrote on Friday, enough with the soundbites - it's time for the presidential candidates to give us some substance.