June 26, 2019--Aunt Tanna

I've been thinking this week about my Aunt Tanna, my mother's second oldest sister who became our extended family's matriarch after my grandmother died.

This meant that all ritual occasions such as Passover and Rosh Hashanah dinners were under her auspices and occurred around her always-ladened dining room table. 

In my life I do not recall any warmer times.

Aunt Tanna was also the even-more-extended family's guardian angel. 

My earliest childhood memories were of distant cousins, who had survived Nazi concentration camps, who she somehow, at the end of the war, managed to bring to the safety of America. That "safety of America" was the security and love she provided to those who had literally been through Hell.

When they were liberated those emaciated skeletons were placed in DP camps, often tent camps, displaced persons camps, which were much less than ideal facilities, where they needed to wait, often for more than a year, before there was a place of refuge to which to send them. 

Much of Europe was in ruins and there were few places to locate freed prisoners. The United States, which sustained no direct damage, was only reluctantly welcoming. 

In America there was a long tradition of official antisemitism and our State Department, which was charged with managing the quotas that severely restricted the number of those who could be admitted to the country as refugees, was notoriously known to be unfriendly to anything Jewish. 

For example, before World War II erupted the Secretary of State ordered that ships packed with asylum seekers not be permitted to disembark them. The ships and their passengers were turned back and as a consequence many thousands were then sent to concentration camps where they were slaughtered by the Nazis. 

Aunt Tanna somehow found ways to locate scattered family members and one-by-one, occasionally in small family groups when more than one cousin miraculously survived, she managed to bring them to her apartment in Brooklyn where she arranged places for them to sleep, frequently for months, frequently three to a bed, while she searched for more permanent places for them to live and jobs so they could support themselves.

They spoke no English and I no Yiddish, the lingua franca, and so we communicated mainly though shrugs and gestures. As might be imagined I was especially drawn to the occasional young cousin survivors, who my father said, looked like "little old men." What they had been through, I came to understand, had literally left its mark on them.

And of course I could not take my eyes off the blue numbers they all had tattooed on their forearms.

I have been thinking about this recently because Portland Maine continues to be in the news as it struggles to welcome a few hundred Congolese refugees who have been granted asylum in America. There was another article in the New York Times Monday about how welcoming Portland is attempting to be. And how Portland and the State of Maine continue to be the only places in the U.S. where public money in combination with privately raised funds are being used to help defray the cost of their relocation and transition.

This, as I have written, has unleashed a storm of protest from some Mainers who feel that while citizens are struggling we should not be using taxpayer money to defray the costs associated with admitting refugees. That it is better to require that family members "sponsor" anyone seeking to live in America. The Aunt Tanna approach.

This seems to me to be worth considering.

June 20, 2019--Asylum In Maine

While waiting for our septic system to be pumped out (living by the bay in Maine has its moments), we had a long talk with our septic guy, Donny. We've known him for ten years. He's very bright and full of opinions. The other day many were about asylum seekers. From West Africa, Congo mainly, who he claimed are being welcomed by the political leaders of Portland.

"Can you believe they're getting $1,500 a month for rent and other expenses? My daughter who works two jobs makes about half that. And still lives with us. She could sure use some of that money. Not that I'm in favor of the government giving anyone that kind of money. To be consistent, including my daughter. But refugees when there are Americans who have needs?"

He slapped his thighs in frustration. "And people wonder why Trump was elected. It may surprise you that I didn't vote for him and don't intend to next year. But I share some of his feelings about the asylum system."

"I've been reading about this," I said, "There was a long article about Portland earlier this week in the New York Times."

"So you agree with me."

"Not so fast," Rona said, "The Times didn't say refugees are getting that much money and didn't say that whatever they might be getting in city or state money will go on indefinitely. And there was no mention of the federal government providing money unless someone is admitted to the country as an officially designated refugee. Then, as I understand it, they're entitled to the same services and benefits as U.S. citizens. But that's a relatively small number."

"And that makes sense to you?" Donny said, "That a judge finds they are in danger back in the own country, grants them asylum, and then they get Medicaid and food stamps? Again, while my working daughter, who's an American citizen, has to wait on a very long line to get housing subsides. Again, that makes sense to you?"

We felt the need to do some research.

Yes, it's true Portland has one of the most welcoming of policies. Recently, this city of 66,000 admitted about 200 Africans who were granted asylum by a judge in San Antonio. It took most more than a month to get there but they made the trek because San Antonio is considered to be the easiest place in America to be granted asylum.

Once granted asylum, attempts are made to settle refugees with family members--Maine has a relatively large Congolese community, but it is not large enough to absorb all who are likely to need help with resettlement. And Maine, it is true, is one of only two states where there is taxpayer money available to help with housing. The Portland Community Support Fund uses local government money to provide rental assistance but that Fund is already depleted. So, Donny was misinformed when he said refugees are receiving $1,500 a month in government subsidies. He was right, though, that Portland is welcoming. They, for example, have converted their basketball arena into emergency housing.

"This is really complicated," Rona said, "It is important to admit refugees who are escaping from oppression and violence, but how many is the right number? To relocate and house 200 as in Portland is a generous thing to do but we know there are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions more worldwide who we cannot accommodate."

"Considering the numbers this feels like a gesture," I said, "But still the right thing to do. Isn't it?"

"Maybe the government should not be in this business altogether, leaving the welcoming and resettlement to refuge organizations and family members. I remember that in the past anyone seeking asylum or refugee status needed to be sponsored by an organization or family member. Didn't that work?"

I said, "I'm not proud to bring this up but there is also the political cost. Trump is mocking Portland's efforts. It continues to be an effective wedge issue for him. I wouldn't be surprised to hear him tell Donny's daughter's story."

"The good news is that in spite of continuing to have this red-meat issue to rile his base, the poll numbers for Trump are not looking good."

"We can continue to talk about this with Donny," I said, "We won't need to be pumped out again this year, but I'm sure we'll see him at the Nobleboro Village Store when we're making a donut run. They still make the best ones in Maine."

November 5, 2018--What Are We So Afraid Of?

It is not inappropriate, the day before the most consequential midterm election in memory--perhaps in all of American history--to explore the power of the defining political issue--Fear.

This time around, we really do have nothing but fear itself to fear.

Fear is the central theme, the emotion being evoked by the defining presence in the campaign--Donald Trump, who has nationalized the process. 

Rather than this election being about Congress, which by definition is what midterm elections are--they occur midway through a president's term of office, usually his first term, by its nature it is about 435 separate House of Representatives and this year 35 separate Senate contests--Trump has turned it into something different, something unprecedented. 

Because of Trump's behavior--daily or twice daily rallies, endless political tweets and interviews--this midterm is a version of a presidential reelection campaign. In this case, Trump is seeking something resembling reelection (or minimally a vote of confidence) after fewer than two years in office. 

He has absconded with the electoral process and has tried to make it all about him. 

I suspect he has succeeded. 

Instead of the Democrats having an outside chance to pick up two or three Senate seats (and thus regain the majority), as a result of Trump's endless campaigning the Republicans are likely to flip a couple of seats and thus hold onto the majority, and rather than a Blue Wave that would see Democrats flipping 50 seats in the House, it looks as if 30 is more likely (which thankfully is just enough to regain the speakership).

This is the conventual wisdom. But I worry since this also feels like deja-vu all over again, Remember how "everyone" thought Hillary would easily defeat Trump in 2016? 

Retrospectively we know that fear then was also something Trump was perversely skilled at stoking.

This time, he has focused on the alleged threat represented by a so-called "caravan" of Central Americans heading north through Mexico toward the U.S. border. Taking his talking points from Fox News, Trump, without foundation, tells those attending his rallies that not only do the marchers include "very tough people, "M-13 gang members, but also how many are infected with exotic diseases, including leprosy (which though not easily contagious sounds very frightening and, for the Evangelicals in his base, is the disease most frequently mentioned in the Bible).

Caravans of asylum-seekers are not new. There have been any number of them over the years. Most recently, in April, on Trump's watch, 1,500 headed toward San Diego. About 300 made it. Only 14 were arrested. Almost all others were mothers with young children. Objectively not much of a threat but rich fodder for demonologizing.

The current caravan is estimated to be larger. Still 800 miles from the border, based on the April numbers perhaps 700-800 will reach U.S. Customs at about Christmas time. Impartial observers report that as in the past most are mothers with children.

Nonetheless, this minimalist threat is enough to incite Trump's most fervent followers. His order to send up to 15,000 U.S. troops to join the 20,000 border patrol agents in defense of the border (which is illegal for the military to do) is a fearful over-deployment of resources. But it does contribute to fear about the magnitude of the threat. It is thus more a political than a tactical move. After Tuesday, no matter the results, expect this military ploy to evaporate from the headlines.

More disturbing, what has happened to us? To Americans? Why have we become so fearful? How can it be that this caravan of women and children is enough to paralyze more than a third of the population?

Have Americans who responded so bravely to real threats such as the attack on Pearl Harbor and on 9/11 the World Trade Center, become such wusses that we need the Army to protect us from women and children in flip-flops marching 1,000 miles to seek asylum?

For a depressing number of Americans the answer appears to be yes.