Emporia, KS lets off steam
Posted by acorcoran on November 29, 2007
Reports range from 200-400 people crowded into a meeting room in Emporia, KS to hear officials explain to the the public how Emporia was to become (maybe?) a resettlement site for Somali refugees apparently being enticed to this heartland city by employment at Tyson’s Food. Read today’s lengthy account of the meeting in the Emporia Gazette. It looks like things have changed and Emporia may not become a Somali “camp” afterall. (That terminology can be found on the free-for-all forum at the Gazette).
The possibility of Emporia’s becoming a direct resettlement site was a primary concern of numerous individuals, who questioned whether the city could support the services required.
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Weitkamp [refugee director at Catholic Charities] denied that he had made the statement, which was published in a Nov. 3 report of an Emporia Refugee Resettlement Alliance meeting the previous day.
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At issue was the following excerpt from the Nov. 3 meeting:
“‘I expect that there will be direct resettlement here,’ he (Weitkamp) said. ‘If resettlement starts here, that will expand our role. … I also see at some point the office here could possibly become cut loose from us and become an office on its own, applying for funding.’
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“‘If the numbers of refugees increases, it is possible the local office would apply to Washington to become a suboffice.’”
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Weitkamp assured the crowd Wednesday evening that Emporia definitely would not become a resettlement site.
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“We are not encouraging refugees to move here and we are not expecting to make Emporia a large resettlement site,” he said.
However there were no assurances made about how many family members the present refugees would be bringing to Emporia at a later date.
He [Weitkamp] and Kimsey [coordinator for refugees services in Kansas] said that family members of refugees here may be reunited in Emporia, but information is not yet available to estimate the number of people who might come.
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“So far as fixing a hard number, it really is impossible to do that right now,” Kimsey said. “The 500 that are here today are not the same 500 that were here in May of this year or December of last year. This culture by its historic reality are nomadic. … They’re not used to settling in one place forever.”
So, let me get this straight. The long-time citizens of Emporia are expected to embrace the Somali community whose members are always on the move and apparently have no plans to put down roots anyway. Kimsey inadvertantly demonstrates the assimilation problem. If Somalis are to live in America they must begin to assimililate to American ways and one of the first things they can learn is that we are not nomads. This is where this multicultural ‘clap trap’ has gotten us—we tip-toe around this important issue, presumably fearing the scarlet ”R” word will be emblazoned on our chests.
The report refreshingly free of spin, by Gazette reporter Bobbi Mylnar, seems to be a straightforward account of the meeting (right down to the sanitary napkin problems).
Infinicat said
There is reason to fear the “R” word.
One example:
“If Somalis are to live in America they must begin to assimililate to American ways”
Not according to the Constitution of these United States. They’re free men, just like you and me. You don’t dare say this to Orthodox Jews or the Amish. Why, then, the Somalis? I would suggest because they’re black.
“… and one of the first things they can learn is that we are not nomads. ”
Really? And just how do you know that? Did you make it up because it was convenient? Because according to the US Census, Americans move on the average, every five years. Seems like we have that in common with the Somalis.
“This is where this multicultural ‘clap trap’ has gotten us—we tip-toe around this important issue, presumably fearing the scarlet ”R” word will be emblazoned on our chests.”
And perhaps that is exactly where it belongs.
While I disagree strongly with the insourcing of foreigners to keep salaries artificially low for megacorporations, diving for the bottom ethically and blaming these people is not going to bring the changes that need to happen to stop this practice.
— Infinicat
judyw said
Infinicat, the Orthodox Jews and the Amish do not make others accomodate to their ways. They do not ask for footbaths, or refuse to deal with people who do not follow their religious laws. In America we do not mind people who are not like everybody else — in fact none of us are like everybody else. But we have certain basics that we expect — not because the Constitution says so, but because the United States is more than our government. It is also a culture with a history. We do not impose our religious laws on other people in this country.
You are quick to cry racist. Would you like to hear about some white refugees who are objectionable? One is the Russians who (I have heard from a reliable source) dishonestly got refugee status in order to get into the United States, and then formed a mafia-like crime syndicate that deals in drugs up and down the east coast. Another is the Bosnian Muslim refugee who killed five people in Salt Lake City last February.
USorThem said
Infinicat says:
“They’re free men, just like you and me. You don’t dare say this to Orthodox Jews or the Amish. Why, then, the Somalis? I would suggest because they’re black.”
They are not free men when they proudly claim their adherence and devotion to their Islamic belief system.
Islam means “submission”. And when they bow towards Mecca 5x’s a day and seek divine guidance from their god, Allah, they are proclaiming their allegiance to their god over all others. A devout muslim holds Allah’s will and Allah’s laws superior to man made laws. The Koran is Allah’s word. It is non-challengable.
So when the Koran says that husbands may beat their wives for instance, no mulsim wife can challenge that bacause doing so is challanging that which Allah has divined. In fact, to challenge what is contained in the Koran is blasphemy. Many a well intentioned muslim has been killed over time, for attempting to modernize Islam. There is scant freedom for a person who is unable yo question the morality of such midevil and barbaric practices such as wife beating. There are other examples to be used.
Devout muslims, whether they are black , brown, chartuese or purple, recognize only one authority, and this is Allah. The laws of City of Emporia, the State of Kansas, and of the United States, are INFERIOR to Allah’s laws. Islam does not recognize freedom of speech. Can you spell M-o-h-a-m-m-e-d t-h-e- B-e-a-r.
So you are totally incorrect Infinicat. These Somali’s are not “free” to criticize their own religion”. They are not “free” to change their religion. To do so is apostasy which is punishable by death.Their wives are not “free” to walk to the corner mini-mart for a quart of milk without a big black bag drapped over them. They are not “free” in many other things. So your claim that they are free men is absolutley false.
Here’s another thing, Islam is not a race, it is a ideology held by people of many ethnic origins. Europeans Alabanians, Nigerians, Indians, Philipinos
No one is picking on a race. Ann C has not made the slightest intimation that her views have ANYTHING to do with Somali’s being black and I dare you to point to a single thing that she said to show she is critical only becuase they are black.
We are Americans infinicat. There is nothing racist about saying you are proud to be American and that American culture is superior to others. Many Americans of african heritage proudly claim their American culture being something worthy of protecting. History has shown that muslim immigrants do not assimilate becuase it requires them to follow a set of rules different from, and in conflict with Allah’s rules. Therefore, they do not assimilate. If you paid attention at all to developments in Europe you would see first hand and how muslim immigrants refuse to assimilate for these very same reasons.
Ann’s views are critical of Islam. Something you apparently know nothing about. You should look at some Islamic history and read some critical reviews of the Koran and of Islam before using the “R” word so recklessly.
Renewed interest in Tyson’s (failed) Somali experiment in Emporia, KS « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] can review those here. At one point the citizens were so upset by the influx of Somalis that a public meeting was called to air grievances (that was in November). The bottomline is that Tyson’s closed [...]
Trent said
USorThem has obviously never been anywhere. I lived among muslims in Bosnia for three years and never had a problem with them even though I am Christian.
As for Muslims putting Allah first…shouldn’t Christians put God first? America is a great country, but only as great as its people. I truly think it hypicritical to say one is Christian when they put their country before God or Jesus.
The Muslims I knew were just like any Christians here. In fact, had I not known their religion, I would have thought they were any protestant religion in Kansas.
I do agree completely about the mess Tyson is causing and hope that something can be done about it as well as other practices of hiring illegals that is making the way of life for the average person here that much more troublesome.
Still, to blame a person’s religion is stupid. I only wish I could find five true Christians here in America. Maybe then we wouldn’t have invaded Iraq, had this economic meltdown, and we wouldn’t be so scared of others coming here just as we did.