Monday, February 13, 2012

Helping others adjust to life in the U.S

Published 07:21 p.m., Friday, February 3, 2012


Francis Sengabo, Project Director, Refugees and Immigrants Support Services of Emmaus(RISSE), stands in the santuary at Emmaus United Methodist Church Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012 in Albany, N.Y.   (Lori Van Buren / Times Union) Photo: Lori Van Buren

Francis Sengabo, Project Director, Refugees and Immigrants Support Services of Emmaus(RISSE), stands in the santuary at Emmaus United Methodist Church Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2012 in Albany, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union)


Francis Sengabo: Project director of Refugees and Immigrants Support Services of Emmaus and member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Albany


Background: Born and raised in northwest Rwanda where he graduated from National University of Rwanda with a degree in economics.


He and his wife, Nabaguma Justine, who works for Catholic Charities, live in Albany with their three children: Cynthia, 11; Jonathan, 7; and Sarah, 16 months.


You were one of six sons and two daughters growing up with your parents. Was it a religious household?


I was raised in the Seventh Day Adventist Church, where my uncle was a pastor. I attended Seventh Day Adventist schools through high school. We spoke French in school and Kinyarwanda at home.


What was your job after college?


I worked in 1990 for the country's census department. The population count was seven million, with 15 percent of them Tutsi ruling the 85 percent Hutu. My mother was Tutsi and father was Hutu. In October 1990, civil war broke out and my life took a different turn.


Rwanda had undergone a revolution in 1959 from a Belgian colony to a republic. In 1990, internally displaced persons began coming from Uganda to Rwanda. From 1990-94, the International Red Cross used me to assist with distributing food and putting my EMT training to use.


In 1994, the airplane that the Rwanda president and his advisers were traveling in was shot down. The president was Hutu, and it was assumed that Tutsi killed him. That is how the genocide started, which resulted in 800,000 people being killed, both Tutsi and Hutu.


Were you forced to flee?


I went to Tanzania in 1994 and wound up in refugee camps. The first one, where I lived from 1994 to 1996, had 400,000 people in tents. The second camp had 1,700 people. It was for people deemed "at-risk." The Tanzania police protected us. I helped organize a high school there for seventh through 12th-graders. UNICEF and local humanitarian agencies provided school supplies and built the school. I taught math and later became principal of 300 students and 19 teachers. I applied for scholarship in Tanzania and lived there, in Dar es Salaam, from 1996 to 2001. It's where I met my wife, who is Congolese.

How did you wind up in Albany?


The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants arranged it. We arrived in March 2007 and I remember it was very cold. It was a big adjustment for us. We didn't speak English. The houses were not what we were used to. Even the bathrooms were different.


The Emmaus United Methodist Church in Albany helped me a lot, a lot. They helped us integrate into life here. Somehow I succeeded. My wife works with Catholic Charities.


You're now the project director of the Refugee and Immigrant Support Services of Emmaus, which is based at Emmaus United Methodist Church in Albany. What does RISSE do and what do you do?


The program began in September 2007 with Rev. Denise Stringer, who was the pastor then, to help refugees and immigrants build a fruitful life in America. We now help 147 families, or 498 individuals, from Ethiopia, Rwanda, the Congos, Sudan, Pakistan, Iraq, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Eritrea. The refugees need help from zero. I was teacher, cleaner, driver. Rifat Filkins, an immigrant from Pakistan, and I run the program, with help from volunteers from colleges and the community. The community is big, but resources are few. We help the refugees learn English, teach them to fill out forms and arrange for homework help for their children.


As a result of our training, 25 people have gotten jobs, many in hotels, restaurants, factories and group homes.



Azra Haqqie



Source: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Helping-others-adjust-to-life-in-the-U-S-3001806.php#ixzz1mH2GIyTK
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Challenges to our mission today:


Sent to the frontiers


In this new world
of instant communication and digital technology ,
of worldwide markets ,
and of universal aspiration for peace and well being ,


we are faced with growing tensions and paradoxes

We live in a culture that shows partiality to autonomy and the present
and yet we have a world so much in need of building a future in solidarity ;

we have better means of communication
but often experience isolation and exclusion ;

some have greatly benefited ,
while others have been marginalized and excluded ;

our world is increasingly transnational ,
and yet it needs to affirm and protect local and particular identities;

scientific knowledge has reached the deepest mysteries of life ,
and yet the very dignity of life itself
and
the world we live in are threatened.

In this global world marked by such profound changes
we want to deepen our understanding of
the call to serve faith,
promote
justice
and
dialogue with culture and other religions

in the light of the apostolic mandate to establish right relationships

with God, with one another, and with creation


[35 th General Congregation Society of Jesus, 2008, Decree 3]

Jesus: A fire that kindles other fires




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Sunday, February 12, 2012

The House Of Rothschild - The Money's Prophets

Who is threatening whom?

Honor Authority


13Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

14Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

15For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

16As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

17Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

18Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.

19For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.

1 Peter 2: 13-19.

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Saturday, February 11, 2012

Catholic Bishops Oppose Compromise on Birth-Control Insurance

FEBRUARY 11, 2012, 1:17 P.M. ET.

Catholic bishops said Friday night that they would not support the Obama administration's proposed compromise on a controversial rule that requires most employers to fully cover contraception in their workers' health plans.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which had led opposition to the regulation, issued a statement saying that they didn't believe their concerns were addressed by a new policy offered by President Barack Obama on Friday morning to allow religious employers who object to the use of birth control to turn over responsibility for covering it to insurance companies.

Under the new policy, religious employers that don't want to offer contraception could exclude it from their policies. Insurance companies instead would be required to provide access to contraception for plan participants who wanted it, without explicitly charging either the religious employer or worker.

The shift is intended to ensure that women working at religious hospitals, schools and charities who want to use contraception can obtain it in the same way as women who work for secular employers. It also means the cost of providing the coverage for those women is likely to be spread across all policyholders by insurers.

The bishops had earlier expressed cautious optimism about the announcement, saying that it was "a first step in the right direction" but that they would have to study it.

In their later statement, they said they still had "serious moral concerns," noting that the proposal didn't contain provisions for religious employers who self-insure, meaning the employer takes on the underlying risk of covering employees' health care.

The bishops also said that the current structure of the proposal meant that if an employee and insurer agreed to add contraception coverage to a health plan, it would still be financed in the same way as the rest of the coverage offered by the employer.

"These changes require careful moral analysis, and moreover, appear subject to some measure of change. But we note at the outset that the lack of clear protection... is unacceptable and must be corrected," the statement said.

The White House declined to comment.

Under the health-care law passed in March 2010, insurers must cover preventive care at no out-of-pocket cost for consumers. The Institute of Medicine recommended that all forms of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration be included on the list of covered services.

The bishops also said that they were unlikely to be satisfied by changes that affected only religious employers, since they still had "grave" objections to the overall mandate, which includes the morning-after pill and sterilization.

The later statement came after leading members of the conference reviewed the proposal, among them president Archbishop Timothy Dolan and the two men who chair its committees on doctrine and what the church calls "pro-life activities," the cardinals Donald Wuerl and Daniel DiNardo. Archbishop Dolan will be elevated to the rank of cardinal next week.

President Obama telephoned the archbishop to tell him of the announcement Friday morning. The bishops said they hadn't been previously consulted about the proposal.

"We note that today's proposal continues to involve needless government intrusion in the internal governance of religious institutions, and to threaten government coercion of religious people and groups to violate their most deeply held convictions....The only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is... to rescind the mandate of these objectionable services," they wrote.

It isn't clear what effect the bishops' objections will have on the Catholic community, which had already been divided in its initial response to the proposal, and to the health-care law as a whole.

Several Catholic organizations praised the administration compromise after it was announced, including the hospitals group the Catholic Health Association and Catholic Charities USA.

Write to Louise Radnofsky at louise.radnofsky@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications
Donald Wuerl is a cardinal. In an earlier version of this article, he was incorrectly identified as a bishop.


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Birth-control issues largely settled for Catholic institutions here

Originally published February 10, 2012 at 9:22 PM | Page modified February 10, 2012 at 11:51 PM


As President Obama deals with issues surrounding religious freedom and women's demand for contraceptive coverage, it's worth noting that such battles have already been waged in Washington state.

Seattle Times health reporter


In Washington state, the Battle of the Pill has already been waged in many venues over the past two decades as judges, lawmakers and state regulators attempted to balance religious freedom with women's demands for contraceptive coverage.

President Obama on Friday changed his earlier stand that religious organizations be required to pay for birth control for their workers. Instead, he said, insurance companies would be required to provide the coverage for free.

By most accounts, Obama's compromise policy, which could force commercial-insurance companies to bear some new costs, likely will bring little change to Catholic institutions in the state.

For example, at Seattle University, a Jesuit Catholic university, two employee plans and student plans already include oral-contraceptive coverage "consistent with state law," said Gerald Huffman, vice president for human resources and university services.

Wait and see

Providence Health & Services, a multistate health system that recently entered into an affiliation with Swedish Medical Center, wouldn't say whether its plans cover contraceptives.

Spokeswoman Colleen Wadden would say only that plans vary and Providence won't talk publicly about the details of any benefits except with employees.

"When we get actual regulatory language we will review it to better understand the implications for Providence," she said.

Swedish, on the other hand, which remains a secular institution, according to the affiliation agreement, will continue to provide employees access to prescription contraceptives, said spokesman Ed Boyle.

The Archdiocese of Seattle didn't respond Friday for comment.

Insurers here say they can't yet predict how the policy will affect them.

In a statement, Regence BlueShield said it was "evaluating how the contraceptive-coverage mandate will impact our members." But, the company said, "expanded coverage and benefits have a direct impact on the total cost of coverage."

Eric Earling at Premera Blue Cross said it was too early to say how the president's policy would work in practice. "We'd have to look at how the exact rules are laid out ... the actual details," Earling said.

Group Health Cooperative said it was not prepared to comment.

The issue's history here

The balancing act between freedom of religion and women's health-care rights is not new in Washington state.

Over nearly two decades, the issues have been debated and ruled on in the Legislature, in court and through insurance regulation.

Some arose during the crafting of Washington's own comprehensive health-care legislation, which passed in the early 1990s. Many of the heated debates then had to do with abortion, but birth control went along for the ride.

A 1995 law guaranteed that "no individual or organization" would be required to buy coverage for a health service it considered religiously or morally objectionable.

But in 2000, in response to a lawsuit against Bartell Drugs, a federal judge said the self-insured company must treat contraception just like other drugs or devices in its health coverage, because not doing so violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by discriminating against female employees.

That prompted a state regulation requiring all insurance plans that cover prescription drugs to also cover contraceptives.

However, the state's insurance commissioner doesn't control self-insured companies, which include Swedish, Providence and other large employers. For the most part, though, those employers recognized they could run the risk of violating civil-rights laws if they covered prescription drugs but not oral contraceptives.

Carol M. Ostrom: 206-464-2249 or costrom@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @costrom.




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Special Nevada caucus draws complaints

February 5, 2012 9:58 AM


By Lindsey Boerma

LAS VEGAS, NV - FEBRUARY 04:

(Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS - Hours after Nevada presidential caucus locations had closed on Saturday, more than 300 voters wrapped around the Adelson Educational Campus here to participate in an unusual exception to the state's election laws: a chance for orthodox Jews and Seventh-day Adventists to cast their ballots after sundown.

But near the table where participants were to sign an affidavit stating under penalty of perjury that their religious beliefs precluded their ability to vote during regular caucus hours, a cluster of voters who did not meet that requirement slowed the line as they were turned away, one by one. Most had come at the urging of the Ron Paul campaign, which had placed calls to its supporters informing them of the "second chance" to vote Saturday night.

"I received probably 10 phone calls today saying if you didn't make it this morning to your caucus, you can come down here - 30 minutes away from my home - and they would let you vote, get a second chance at it," said 23-year-old Henderson resident Michael DiCicco, a Paul supporter who said he was not aware the late caucus was reserved solely for those who practice certain religions. "It's discrimination."

Stephen Melancon, another Ron Paul supporter who was a delegate in 2008, said he was aware that the exception was to accommodate based on religious beliefs, but, "I thought there's no way they're gonna be able to restrict registered Republicans who were not able to vote in the caucus." Melancon, a high school teacher, said he was working a second job in the morning during the regular caucuses.

Critics weren't limited to Paul backers. Newt Gingrich supporter James Grindstaff, a Seventh-day Adventist who made it inside and knew the conditions of the late caucus, called the exclusion of those who did not meet the religious requirement "ridiculous," and was asking around for someone with whom he could lodge a formal complaint.

Clark County GOP Chair David Gibbs said the exception was approved under caucus rules, and had been vetted by attorneys. Asked why the county chose to make an exception for religious purposes and not other circumstances that would potentially prevent attendance on a Saturday morning, Gibbs reasoned, "there's a difference."

"If somebody wanted to be there but they don't have the means, they have friends, you know, they have other opportunities," he said. "I know folks who took the day off at work today in order to participate in the caucuses this morning."

Gibbs added that the exception "had nothing whatsoever to do with anything other than the fact that these folks who could not participate because of religious observances. Nothing."

Prior to the event, skeptics questioned the coincidence that the late caucus would take place at a Jewish school named for casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who has poured millions of dollars into a pro-Newt Gingrich Super PAC. Adelson, who attended the caucus, has denied any involvement in organizing it.

After a delayed start and more than an hour of hearing arguments from various candidate supporters, Paul was declared the winner of the special caucus with 183 votes over Mitt Romney, Gingrich, and Rick Santorum, who received 61, 57, and 16 votes, respectively.


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