Immigration activist Elvira Arellano sought refuge Tuesday in a small storefront church, just blocks from her apartment, hoping that the sanctity of a holy place would shield her from deportation.
Sanctuary is a right to be safe from arrest in the sanctuary of a church or temple, recognized by English law from the 4th to the 17th century. In most Catholic cultures it is still considered the law of the land. That is because in third world countries, the people look up to The Catholic Church for justice.
As a homosexual who is HIV positive and Latino I can tell you that I've been discriminated against more times that I can count. Until recently my mother thought that I was an abomination and prayed for my salvation. She has slowly changed her tune, because her bigotry has a face-the face of her son.
Elvira Arellano is a "face"- as Cindy Sheehan gave the war in Iraq a face, Elvira's courage and determination has given a face to the millions of horrible deportations that happen every year. She has moved congressmen, US Senators, and even Mayor Daley. It is easy to discriminate against statistics, rules, and regulations that need to be followed-but in the end the human face is what inspires us to do what's right.
For many years there were several excuses used for slavery, which was ok with the majority of Americans and legal until 1865. In 1941 the majority of Americans though it was necessary to create concentration camps for all Japanese Americans, so another horrible law was passed. Until 1969 the majority of Americans though that a black man should not marry a white woman. It took the Supreme Court to finally reverse that horrible law. Until 2006 you could loose your job in the state of Illinois because you were suspected of being gay or lesbian, they did not even need to prove that you were gay; that was the law.
People like Elvira Arellano bring the human aspect of injustices into the light of day and you should, as a newspaper, fight for what's right. Right now, a majority of the people in this country think "illegals" should be thrown out. But the purpose of a democracy is to protect the minority from the majority.
I find it most hypocritical that the Bush administration, who claims they are guided by our Christian God, would violate one of the most fundamental rights of any human: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. "
The truth is that these days, there is very little left of Mr. Bush' integrity or respect for our constitutional rights.
Sanctuary is a right to be safe from arrest in the sanctuary of a church or temple, recognized by English law from the 4th to the 17th century. In most Catholic cultures it is still considered the law of the land. That is because in third world countries, the people look up to The Catholic Church for justice.
As a homosexual who is HIV positive and Latino I can tell you that I've been discriminated against more times that I can count. Until recently my mother thought that I was an abomination and prayed for my salvation. She has slowly changed her tune, because her bigotry has a face-the face of her son.
Elvira Arellano is a "face"- as Cindy Sheehan gave the war in Iraq a face, Elvira's courage and determination has given a face to the millions of horrible deportations that happen every year. She has moved congressmen, US Senators, and even Mayor Daley. It is easy to discriminate against statistics, rules, and regulations that need to be followed-but in the end the human face is what inspires us to do what's right.
People like Elvira Arellano bring the human aspect of injustices into the light of day and you should, as a newspaper, fight for what's right. Right now, a majority of the people in this country think "illegals" should be thrown out. But the purpose of a democracy is to protect the minority from the majority.
I find it most hypocritical that the Bush administration, who claims they are guided by our Christian God, would violate one of the most fundamental rights of any human: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. "
The truth is that these days, there is very little left of Mr. Bush' integrity or respect for our constitutional rights.
