The oil we eat: Middle East- food & politics

The oil we eat: Following the food chain back to Iraq—By Richard Manning (Harper's Magazine)
I adore this article. I really do. I read it back in 2006 in an Anthropology of Globalization class and don't regret a second of it.

Here is what I take from the article from my 4th reading of it, from this morning.
It is strangely ironic that I am fighting the war on poverty in the place the war on the poor has been developing and creating the machinery . Every calorie from corn, wheat, and sugar comes from a calorie of oil. America is actively engaged in this very second in killing to keep access to this resource. Killing for food. Iowa corn by extension kills people in Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Nigeria. It is here in Dubuque, Iowa where the weapons of war - in the form of the John Deere plant - are produced and then sent oversees where people choose to continue destroying the land.

Here in Dubuque, this war is profitable and even claims to be the solution to poverty - if the people from Dubuque who are living as victims of green revolution just join the war, by getting the $20-per-hour jobs available to them at the plant that solves poverty, right? That is the working assumption. Somehow being the victim of structural violence's solution is trapped in the plan to just become the oppressor.

I guess somewhere between my research into creating a position to help people from poverty to self-sufficiency, and my moral convictions that we are structurally failing to solve problems, I have this one question to deal with,

"If there isn't food the one think worth killing for?"

Here are the highlights of the article.

"Energy cannot be created or canceled, but it can be concentrated... If you follow the energy, eventually you will end up in a field somewhere. Humans engage in a dizzying array of artifice and industry [agriculture]....However, the maintenance of such a concentration of wealth often requires violent action...In the natural scheme of things, a catastrophe would create a blank slate, bare soil, that was good for them. Then, under normal circumstances, succession would quickly close that niche. The annuals would colonize. Their roots would stabilize the soil, accumulate organic matter, provide cover. Eventually the catastrophic niche would close. Farming is the process of ripping that niche open again and again. It is an annual artificial catastrophe, and it requires the equivalent of three or four tons of TNT per acre for a modern American farm. Iowa's fields require the energy of 4,000 Nagasaki bombs every year...On average, it takes 5.5 gallons of fossil energy to restore a year's worth of lost fertility to an acre of eroded land—in 1997 we burned through more than 400 years' worth of ancient fossilized productivity, most of it from someplace else. Even as the earth beneath Iowa shrinks, it is being globalized...

What would happen when the planet's supply of arable land ran out? We have a clear answer. In about 1960 expansion hit its limits and the supply of unfarmed, arable lands came to an end. There was nothing left to plow. What happened was grain yields tripled.

The accepted term for this strange turn of events is the green revolution, though it would be more properly labeled the amber revolution, because it applied exclusively to grain—wheat, rice, and corn. Plant breeders tinkered with the architecture of these three grains so that they could be hypercharged with irrigation water and chemical fertilizers, especially nitrogen. This innovation meshed nicely with the increased “efficiency” of the industrialized factory-farm system. With the possible exception of the domestication of wheat, the green revolution is the worst thing that has ever happened to the planet.

For openers, it disrupted long-standing patterns of rural life worldwide, moving a lot of no-longer-needed people off the land and into the world's most severe poverty. The experience in population control in the developing world is by now clear: It is not that people make more people so much as it is that they make more poor people. In the forty-year period beginning about 1960, the world's population doubled, adding virtually the entire increase of 3 billion to the world's poorest classes, the most fecund classes. The way in which the green revolution raised that grain contributed hugely to the population boom, and it is the weight of the population that leaves humanity in its present untenable position.

Discussion of these, the most poor, however, is largely irrelevant to the American situation....

Ever since we ran out of arable land, food is oil. Every single calorie we eat is backed by at least a calorie of oil, more like ten... That number does not include the fuel used in transporting the food from the factory to a store near you, or the fuel used by millions of people driving to thousands of super discount stores on the edge of town, where the land is cheap. It appears, however, that the corn cycle is about to come full circle. If a bipartisan coalition of farm-state lawmakers has their way—and it appears they will—we will soon buy gasoline containing twice as much fuel alcohol as it does now. Fuel alcohol already ranks second as a use for processed corn in the United States, just behind corn sweeteners. According to one set of calculations, we spend more calories of fossil-fuel energy making ethanol than we gain from it. The Department of Agriculture says the ratio is closer to a gallon and a quart of ethanol for every gallon of fossil fuel we invest. The USDA calls this a bargain, because gasohol is a “clean fuel.” This claim to cleanness is in dispute at the tailpipe level, and it certainly ignores the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, pesticide pollution, and the haze of global gases gathering over every farm field. Nor does this claim cover clean conscience; some still might be unsettled knowing that our SUVs' demands for fuel compete with the poor's demand for grain."

Too Many Spocks, Not Enough Scotties (In Economic Development)

I was asking myself why people incorporate. Many non-profits seems to think if they are a corporation (although there are many types of corporations) that they get something out of it. This makes me wonder, why would you want to constitute yourself like a monster, assuming that is purely logical. Perfectly logical would be Spock.

Iowa is currently looking at reconstituting its economic development department into a more corporate model. I sympathize with this idea, at the same time as really abhorring it. I don't think the problem is that the department is missing the Spock piece, but rather missing more of the dynamics of the Star Trek team. You do need a charismatic leader who is willing to take risks. We learned this from Captain Kirk. We need an influential "logical" being like Spock to be represented, but we all know, we like Spock best when he leaned toward the side of emotion. It is especially why everyone loved Data in TNG. We also need a Dr. McCoy to often remind people of their high moral obligations. Once in awhile, it is also their job to declare "I'm a doctor! Not a _______" to remind people that they are limited to their role.  There is a need for the engineer, the helmsman, the tactical engineer, and a navigator. The team also needs red-shirts. I know that sounds sad, but on a good team the red shirts are the constantly rotating individuals with particular pieces to play, but not part of the core team for the long haul.

I think if more business partnerships were organized around this model, we wouldn't have monsters running the economy and we would all be a little better off. What we don't need is more Spocks.

Destory the Enemy using Water!

I didn't know we could get robots to scream "I'm MELTING" until I saw this.

I find truth best told in chart form.

What Good is a Right if You Can't Enforce It?

This is a post I wrote in 2009 but never got around to publishing.

I learned some very cool stuff about "What good is a right if you can't enforce it" at CSTI in Portland at the beginning of this month, on the Sunday class. CSTI is the Community Strategies Training Initiative, an annual training and leadership conference for non-profits in the West. It is put on by the Western States Center, a wonderful group that helps non-profits remain successful.

In the workshop we began by trying to define a right. We each wrote down about what we thought was a right we had. We came to the conclusion that there are two kinds of rights, inherent-the kind we are born with, and those ways of treating people we have made social contracts with-legal rights. We focus mostly on legal rights that we have agreed upon and are written into the U.S. Constitution, especially the bill of rights.

Rights can be framed as actions that compel the government to act, but also may protect us from the government. For example, the idea of equal marriage. LGBT equality is both working to protect people from the government from being intrusive into who they love, but also wants the government to move in action allow personal civil contracts with the people of our choosing. With that contract other privileges will be granted, hence making LGBTQI people more equal with their peers.

We used immigration as the model, but many of the things could also apply to other rights and times when we are unfairly treated by law. Immigrants are a specially vulnerable population because they are not granted the same rights as citizens, but they do have some rights under federal law just for being humans who deserve dignity.

First we have to recognize that immigration law's history was in state law. for the 1st 100 years of this country, states decided upon immigration and had to enforce immigration. Once it was decided that it was a matter of international treaty and covenants that made immigration legal, the federal government began enforcing the policies that congress decided. It is not written into the constitution that the federal government and it's agencies is responsible for immigration law enforcement, but it is defacto the way it is.

There is this wall that is a violation. Before the violation we have our rights intact, after the violation the rights have been tattered, and recourse is necessary for the scale of justice. Even when a reparation has been made, still there is no way to ever go back to before a violation. Community organizers and community education is necessary before and after a violation to prevent more violations, but also as part of repatriations.

For example, before a violation occurs, there is a necessary action of education about what to do if your rights are violated, and even what those constitutional rights are. There is also a need for people to have resources, safety plans, and prepare in case a violation is possible and they are at high risk. Risks can be minimized without compromising life, but there should be a plan. In the case of undocumented immigrants, they should know that they are much more likely to be picked up and disappear (detained) if they ride in a car or drive. For some people this may mean it is a good idea to ride the bus more than have their own car. They should also know that other risks of their rights being violated rise if they live or associate with other undocumented workers. If they engage in illegal activities they are also at higher risk.

It is possible they will for some reason become a target of ICE. If they do know their rights they may not be able to stop what happen, however the important thing is they can prepare. But even if they minimize their risk, they should prepare with other actions like having a plan. For example, it may be a good idea to save money for a bond if detained. They should also make arrangements for their children and families with a place to go in an emergency. The immigration lawyers suggested that they have set up a power of attorney for someone to care for their family in the case they disappear. They should talk to a couple of lawyers about their situation prior so that they have someone who is their representation which becomes very important if they are detained. And if they are partnered or live with another undocumented person, they should have a safe place to go to if their partner is detained so that their family isn't further dismantled by and ICE arrest or raid.

This lead to the rise of the Immigration Code Enforcement (ICE). All immigration laws are civil laws, not criminal law. Immigrants, although not granted the rights of citizens, are protected under the constitution as being "people", yay for that. And since ICE is a federal agency, it must obey the constitution in it's actions. Under the 4th amendment we have the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. The search is of especial important in the way that ICE has gone to arresting people in their homes. Right now, ICE agents will bang on the door and ask if they can "come in". If the person at the door is an adult, and there is reason to believe they live in the home being visited, then they can grant a search of the premises. If the person knows their right, really, there must be a search warrant issued by a judge. It must be a judge because a judge is a third party. They are not law enforcement or a citizen in this case. Education is of special importance here because if the person's whose home is being invaded knows their rights, they would know to ask for a warrent. Even if they know this much about the 4th amendment, then there is the barrier of knowing that ICE warrants are issued by administrative order NOT from a judge. This means a person may give consent under incorrect circumstances. Also it is documented that innocent people who happen to be at home during an ICE home invasion will be physically detained and treated as a criminal threat. children may watch their mothers and fathers treated like violent offenders, and even pregnant women will be handcuffed to chairs as ICE asserts its authority. This invitation into the home to arrest a person, or to rifle through their drawers looking for their documents, or even into closets and around the home, is an unlawful search. The handcuffing of others in the home may be unreasonable seizure, but if a person gives consent they have less legal recourse.

I think a little more of the description of how the ICE program works would be useful here. ICE will decide to do a raid in various ways. Right now, this group of immigrant lawyers in Portland are trying to understand it better. Their are using tools like the Freedom of Information Act, & state laws that give access to better find patterns of what is going on. If you visit the CSTI website, there should be a link to some google docs that people are asked to fill out about where raids are happening. The hope to google map in time and space where raids and arrests are happening so they can better predict them or better protect rights by knowing who is being targeted. People can currently request from the states and IcE past arrest information for people. Check the website examples of the information they are interested in.

ICE is detaining people through raids at workplaces. When a person gets taken by ICE for being undocumented there are different barriers to them getting justices, in this case the 5Th am=amendment, due process. ICE in some ways is very efficient. usually 24-48 hours after an arrest they begin moving the arrested folks to several nation-wide detention centers. For most people in the west, when this happens, the family is sent into crisis, there is no plan, and suddenly the family member is being sent hundreds, or thousands of miles away from where they were taken. This only further traumatizes them and the fear hurts them and keeps them silent and in inaction to regain their rights or assert their rights. Because of the number of people who are taken by ICE recently, sometimes detained people will also be moved into a different legal district then they were detained in. This becomes a special problem with legal representation. Because of the quick move, they may their legal council is out of touch with them, and legal council where they are moved to may not be as available or responsive to their needs in the immediate. This disrupts their right of due process. Also, language barriers plus the pressure by ICE agents, and the lack of council combined create a place where ICE detainees will have their right to due process infringed upon and can end up harming themselves.

This is in the case of an ICE raid. There is also the case of when an individual is detained after a civil infraction. The way that the program works now is that in some places, ICE will deputize some sheriffs and some city police officers. This means they can arrest people for not being documented. In Idaho, this is not the case. In Idaho, what happens is that an officer of the law, no matter a sheriff, State police, or city officer, may pull someone over for an traffic infraction. Because the person can not show documents to who they are, they will be cited for the infraction and the officer has the authority to release them (which normally happens to documented people) or detain them. If the officer decides to detain them, they are transported to a local prison, usually a county prison since few cities have their own jails. At this time, they contact ICE and tell them to "come and get'em". The individual can be held for how ever long the infraction allows, legally. The problem is this thing called an ICE hold. An ICE hold is 48 hours that law enforcement is allowed to hold a person before ICE is required to come and get them. How it works is that people are taken into custody, and in the process of booking for the infraction is when the documentation problem is solidified and ICE is contacted. The other issue with this is that many people are detained on a Thursday or Friday. The 48 hour hold doesn't count weekends, therefore if a person is taken on Thursday, held for the traffic violation, then add 48 hours, this means they may have disappeared from their family for 4 days before even being taken by ICE. During this 48 hour hold, they are being held without charge, also a violation of the 5th amendment rights.

So, what can people do? Well, the Portland group has created a task force that is working on helping. The group does many things. There are 3 barriers to having more legal power to help these people. 1 is the lack of evidence. In cases where Ice shows up and they get into a house and detain innocent people, it becomes a person v. person argument about consent. By people being aware that they do not have to open the door to ICE, they can help by keeping the door shut and ICE will be made to force the door, causing damage, and becoming evidence that a right to search has been violated. The second barrier is that there is no one to complain. Because people are moved so quickly, or because of fear, people are afraid to speak about the experience. A person who is detained and held can help by remembering details about their experience. They will be conscious of the time of their detention by police or ICE, the way they were treated and even the size of the room. and how many people were there. This experience can help better the evidence and help lawyers and families understand what is happening to their family members. With letting people know their rights, and gathering evidence, and with a little legal help to be allowed contact with detainees, we can protect the rights of others, and set standards of treatment of people. Another barrier is the "spin defenses". When we have a group of people whose rights are being infringed upon regularly, there is an enforce by ICE and the proponents of the actions to defend them. One way this has been done is by defining immigrants in the categories of criminals and terrorists. This is an unfair classification. Most immigrants are workers who are in no way terrorists. They may be undocumented, but they are not violent people out to harm other human beings. By explaining to others, and rejecting the language that associates immigrants with criminals and terrorists, immigrants can re-gain their dignity.

There are also other ways to help for citizens like us. The first thing they recommend is teaching immigrant communities what their rights are. Then add the addition of a safety plan, and risk reduction. They have been working with people in the faith community who work with immigrant families to offer some knowledge. This is called self-enforced protection.

The second action the Portland group is working on is a triage for people who are taken. This means that after a raid they try to find out who was taken and make sure the people have some representation. Because of the movement of prisoners, they try and work very fast. They try to file any sort of legal thing they can so that the process can start and they have to file something so that they are recognized as the legal council of a person and have access to help gather the evidence the person has collected. The Portland group, after a raid of a Del Monte fruit canning plant in 2007 put together a coalition. They have watch dogs who keep an eye and ear on ICE to see when they are ramping up for a raid. This group also will document raids when they happen with cameras so that later there is evidence of what happened. They also have a media team who, when a raid happens, can let the television and other news people know that something is happening and people's rights are likely being violated. There is also a legal team files those actions to protect due process. The political action team helps by contacting other allies. They have worked to have help from the consulates of other countries so they can get a list of people who were taken in a raid so that families can be contacted by the direct service team. The direct service team has set up in various churches for family member to get help. They may need food, a safe place to stay, or some money to help with a bond or and emergency. This group is a coalition of the Oregon food bank, emergency housing services of the state, and other charities and members of faith groups. The trauma of a person being detained can be lowered with their support.

New legal defenses will also become stronger as evidence is gathered and there is more information about how things are happening now. Like right now the immigrant defenders are curious what financial incentives are driving the local police working with ICE. What is driving law enforcement to do this. Is it a personal decision, or policy that is driving the actions. They also want to know what the cost is of all these detentions to counties. Some of the ICE time is being reimbursed by counties, but how much? And isn't all of that money a huge waste when it just destroys families and violates the constitutional rights of individuals? They are also working with police to do trainings and having cities pass bills that they will not let their local police detain people for ICE. By partnering with law enforcement, they can teach officers how some of ICE's detention is a constitutional violation, therefore opening up the county or city for legal actions, and most agencies try to minimize the risk of an expensive legal battle if they can help it.

It will take major U.S. immigration policy change to really protect people's rights. Luckily the new immigrant Services person has said they are not likely going to be using raids. But there is still work to be done let undocumented people know their rights and give them the personal security that treats with respect and dignity. All people should be treated with respect and dignity. Theodor Roosevelt said you can judge a society by how it treats it's most vulnerable people. example, it may be a good idea to save money for a bond if detained. They should also make arrangments for their children and families with a place to go in an emergency.  The immigration lawyers suggsted that they have set up a power of attorney for someone to care for their family in the case they disappear. They should talk to a couple of lawyers about their situatuion prior so that they have someone who is their representation which becomes very important if they are detained.  And if they are partnered or live with  another undocumented person, they should have a safe place to go to if their partner is detained so that their family isn't further dismantled by and ICE arrest or raid.

This lead to the rise of the Immigration Code Enforcement (ICE).  All immmigration laws are civil laws, not criminal law. Immigrants, although not granted the rights of citizens, are protected under the constitution as being "people", yay for that.  And since ICE is a federal agency, it must obey the constitutuion in it's acitons. Under the 4th ammendment we have the right to be free from unreasonalbe searches and seizures.  The search is of especial importants in the way that ICE has gone to arresting people in their homes.  Right now, IcE agents will bang on the door and ask if they can "come in".  If the person at the door is an adult, and there is reason to believe they live in the home being visited, then they can grant a search of the premises.  If the person knows their right, really, there must be a search warrent issued by a judge.  It must be a judge because a judge is a third party. They are not law inforcement or a citizen in this case.  Education is of special importance here because if the person's whose home is being invaded knows their rights, they would know to ask for a warrent.  Even if they know this much about the 4th ammendment, then there is the barrier of knowing that ICE warrents are issued by adminstrative order NOT from a judge.  This means a person may give consent under incorrect circumstances. Also it is documented that innocent people who happen to be at home during an IcE home invasion will be physically detained and treated as a criminal threat.  children may watch their mothers and fathers treated like violent offenders, and even pregnate women will be handcuffed to chairs as ICE asserts its authority. This invation into the home to arrest a person, or to rifle through their drawers looking for their documents, or even into closets and around the home, is an aunlawful search. The handcuffing of others in the home may be unreasonalbe seizure, but if a person gives consent they have less legal recourse.


I think a little more of the description of how the ICE program works would be useful here. ICE will decide to do a raid in various ways.  Right now, this group of immigrant lawyers in Portland are trying to understand it better.  Their are using tools like the Freedom of Information Act, & state laws that give access to better find patterns of what is going on.  If you visit the CSTI website, there should be a link to some google docs that people are asked to fill out about where raids are happening.  The hope to google map in time and space where raids and arrests are happenining so they can better predict them or beter protect rights by knowing who is being targeted. People can currently request from the states and IcE past arrest information for people.  Check the website examples of the information they are interested in.

IcE is detaining people through raids at workplaces.  When a person gets taken by ICE for being undocumented there are different barriers to them getting justices, in this case the 5th ammendment, due process.  IcE in some ways is very efficient.  usually 24-48 hours after an arrest they begin moving the arrested folks to several nation-wide detention centers. For most people in the west, when this happens, the family is sent into crisis, there is no plan, and suddently the family member is being sent hundreds, or thousands of miles away from where they were taken.  This only further tramatizes them and the fear hurts them and keeps them silent and in inaction to regain their rights or assert their rights. Because of the number of people who are taken by ICE recently, sometimes detained people will also be moved into a different legal district then they were detained in.  This becomes a special probelm with legal representation. Because of the quick move, they may their legal council is out of touch with them, and legal council where they are moved to may not be as avaiable or responsive to their needs in the immediate. This disrupts their right of due process. Also, language barriers plus the pressure by ICE agents, and the lack of council combined create a place where ICe detainees will have their right to due process infringed upon and can end up harming themselves. 

This is in the case of an ICE raid.  There is also the case of when an individual is detained after a civil infraction. The way that the program works now is that in some places, ICE will deputize some sheriffs and some city police officers.  This means they can arrest people for not being documented.  In Idaho, this is not the case.  In Idaho, what happens is that an officer of the law, no matter a sherrif, State police, or city officer, may pull someone over for an  traffic infraction.  Because the person can not show documents to who they are, they will be cited for the infraction and the officer has the authority to release them (which normally happens to documented people) or detain them.  If the officer decides to detain them, they are transported to a local prison, usually a county prison since few cities have their own jails.  At this time, they contact ICE and tell them to "come and get'em".  The individual can be held for how ever long the infraction allows, legally. The problem is this thing called an ICE hold.  An ICE hold is 48 hours that law enforcement is allowed to hold a person before ICE is required to come and get them.  How it works is that people are taken into custody, and in the process of booking for the infraction is when the documentation probelm is solidified and ICe is contacted. The other issue with this is that many people are detained on a Thursday or Friday.  The 48 hour hold doesn't count weekends, therefore if a person is taken on thursday, held for the traffic vilolation, then add 48 hours, this means they may have disappeared from their family for 4 days before even being taken by ICE. During this 48 hour hold, they are being held without charge, also a violation of the 5th ammendment rights.  

So, what can people do?  Well, the Portland group has created a taskforce that is working on helping. The group does many things.  There are 3 barriers to having more legal power to help these people.  1 is the lack of evidence.  In cases where Ice shows up and they get into ahouse and detain innocent people, it becomes a person v. person argument about consent.  By people being aware that they do not have to open the door to ICE, they can help by keeping the door shut and ICE will be made to force the door, causing damage, and becoming evidence that a right to search has been violated. The second barrier is that there is no one to complain.  Because people are moved so quickly, or because of fear, people are afraid to speak about the xperience.  A person who is detained and held can help by remembering details about their experience.  They will be conscious of the time of their detention by police or ICE, the way they were treated and even the size of the room. and how many people were there.  This experience can help better the evidence and help lawyers and families understand what is happening to their family members. With letting people know their rights, and gathering evidence, and with a little legal help to be allowed contact with detainees, we can protect the rights of others, and set standards of treatment of people. Another barrier is the "spin defenses".  When we have a group of people whose rights are being infringed upon regularly, there is an efforce by ICE and the proponents of the actions to defend them.  One way this has been done is by defining immigrants in the categories of criminals and terrorists. This is an unfair classification.  Most immigrants are workers who are in no way terrorists.  They may be undocumented, but they are not violent people out to harm other human beings. By explainging to others, and rejecting the language that associates immigrants with criminals and terrorists, immigrants can re-gain their dignity.

There are also other ways to help for citizens like us. The first thing they reccomend is teaching immigrant communities what their rights are.  Then add the addition of a safety plan, and risk reduction. They have been working with people in the faith community who work with immigrant families to offer some knowledge. This is called self-enforced protection.

The second action the Portland group is working on is a triage for people who are taken. This means that after a raid they try to find out who was taken and make sure the people have some represenation.  BEcause of the movement of prisoiners, they try and work very fast.  They try to file any sort of legal thing they can so that the process can start and they have to file something so that they are recognized as the legal council of a person and have access to help gather the evidence the person has collected. The Portland group, after a raid of a Del Monte fruit canning plant in 2007 put together a coalliton.  They have watch dogs who keep an eye and ear on ICe to see when they are ramping up for a raid.  This group also will document raids when they happen with cameras so that later there is evidence of what happened.  They also have a media team who, when a raid happens, can let the television and other news people know that something is happening and people's rights are likely being violated.  There is also a legal team files those actions to protect due process.  The political action team helps by contacting other allies.  They have worked to have help from the counsulate of other countries so they can get a list of people who were taken in a raid so that families can be contacted by the direct service team. The direct service team has set up in various churches for family member to get help.  They may need food, a safe place to stay, or some money to help with a bond or and emergency.  This group is a coalition of the Oregon food bank, emergency housing services of the state, and other charities and members of faith groups.  The trauma of a person being detained can be lowered with their support. 

New legal defenses will also become stronger as evidence is gathered and there is more information about how things are happening now.  Like right now the immigrant defenders are curious what financial incentives are driving the local police working with ICE.  What is driving law enforcement to do this.  Is it a personal decision, or policy that is driving the actions.  They also want to know what the cost is of all these detentions to counties.  Some of the ICE time is being reimbursed by counties, but how much?  And isn't all of that money a huge waste when it just destroys families and violates the constitutuional rights of individuals?  They are also working with police to do trainings and haveing cities pass bills that they will not let their local police detain people for IcE. By partnering with law enforcement, they can teach officers how some of IcE's detention is a constiutuional violation, therefore opening up the county or city for legal actions, and most agencies try to minimize the risk of an expensive legal battle if they can help it.

It will take major U.S. immigration policy change to really protect people's rights. Luckily the new immigrant Services person has said they are not likely going to be using raids. But there is still work to be done, like  let undocumented people know their rights and give them the personal security that treats with respect and dignity.  All people should be treated with respect and dignity.  Theador Roosevelt said you can judge a society by how it treats it's most vulnerable people.

Stupid Iowa

Seriously, this place is not growing on me. I've had some amazing and worthwhile experiences while here, its true, but even with them, I just don't like this place. As an anthropologist, I try to tell myself "this is just part of the process." Malinowski hated his trip to the Trobrian Islands. Even Darwin disliked the indigenous folks he ran into when traveling on the HMS Beagle. And I don't like Iowa.

Now, to be fair, Iowa is just a place. It is made of dirt and rock and water. Basso, in "Wisdom Sits in Places" he say "sensing places, men and women become sharply aware of the complex attachments that link them to the features of the physical world." I have been in Dubuque for only the winter. I haven't even seen the ground because it's been covered with 41" of snow (this is the total for the year, 21" above normal). From a social level, I've made friends. I've found things to do that keep my mind working. I haven't been especially lonely. But I have been treated inhumanely by the institution of the state.

The ENTIRE time I've been in Iowa I've been fighting to get food assistance. It has wiped out my savings, been a huge waste of mascara because every time I have to deal with the state, it costs me tears, and between and hour and an hour-and-a-half to regain my composure at work. Its cut into my sleep struggling to make sense of something that is not at all intuitive. Why is it so hard to get a little help?

For example, when I went to apply for food assistance back in November they asked about my "rent" so I put down what I thought it was going to be. I had not even paid it once yet because I'd been in town 2 weeks, and while I knew we'd split the utilities, I wasn't sure on how much they cost. This time they asked me about the house v. utilities. I don't calculate my rent this way. I just know it is normally between $219 and $300. But asking me about things I don't know, and don't have anyway of really knowing  for sure makes me feel like I am lying, then they think I am lying, but I'm not. They have to know something to help me that I don't even know exists. I have never been told how much the house costs. This makes it very upsetting. It was being forced to lie.

Another example is how there is no flow chart to know what to do in this process. It is a main reason I had to appeal the decision last time. I couldn't provide the information they wanted in the time they gave me, but there is nowhere written, in the application or any of the other communication, an explanation of their time line they are using. They have information I don't have and are using it against me. What information is given is how to appeal a decision. I didn't know I had any other options. All I really want is some help, and I need some food.

They continue to have information I don't have access to, and can use it against me. For example, when I was "in court" on the phone for my appeal. DHS had two representatives and I had just myself. I didn't even know why I would have needed someone in my defense. They knew what to expect because they had done it before. They had "the code" of their behavior and could even site it. I wouldn't even know where to find the Iowa code for social service agencies. It was unfair.

Then, today, when I talked to my new case worker, I explained the situation to her, so we could work together and ask the right questions. I explained to her that I had been denied in January, and when I was "in court" the judge said the quickest way to resolve the problem was to re-apply, even though a decision hadn't been made about the case.  I didn't want her to do something and get in trouble for it. She asked who the other caseworker was so I told her. When she called me back she said she had talked to the other caseworker and gotten "her notes." I know it is paranoid, but this means they had time to gossip. I don't know at all what the other caseworkers deal was, but she was not clear or helpful last time. Again, their were two of them and just one of me. They see each other every day, and I've never met either of them. It is very easy for them to gang up on me, and I wouldn't even know about it until something came up down the road. I'm not saying they will, but I have no other explanation of why the woman went from being nice when I first called her back, to sounding so frustrated with me.

And getting upset about it doesn't help, but telling myself not to get upset makes me more upset. Why shouldn't I be upset. I'm being interrogated like a criminal because I asked for help. But I can't help it, I need something they are withholding. Then, when I do get upset, I can't hear and remember things as well as if I'm calm. It isn't just me being stupid. "Several studies have  demonstrated that emotion can influence attention by both capturing attention and altering the ease with which emotional stimuli are processed when attention is limited [5,6]."  I could deal with it better if I had more information, like a flow chart of what to expect, and what my responsibilities are.

I could also use help if I don't have the answer to a question so they didn't think I was lying. What if "no" or "you figure it out" it was intentional to help brainstorm solutions, or at least let me, the client, explain the situation to the extent I feel is necessary, and then we can interpret the story together.

One last note, I asked about other available resources. I was upset so I couldn't communicate well, but I wanted to know if they had any information on nutrition to go with the food card. I am worried about nutrition, and I'm worried I won't get enough assistance to cover all of my food expenses.  I was wondering if there was information on how to budget up the assistance for nutrition. But I didn't know how to ask this very well. I asked if there was some information on "budgeting" which is not really what I mean at all. But she said there wasn't information in the office like that and sent me to the website. While the website doesn't have this information, I was glad she didn't just say "no." I think it is odd that there are so many groups out there teaching about food production to help people in poverty, but their isn't even a flier on nutrition at DHS where state food assistance comes from. It is a strange gap between food and nutrition. WIC focuses on nutrition, but general relief does not. It is like someone gave up on the adults and is just focused on the kids.

So, this is the state. There is a reason I don't like it, and don't feel secure here. I see so much injustice. It hurts even more when the injustice happens to me and I, being a capable and reasonably smart adult can't do anything about it. I know my job here is structural change, but just dealing with the structure is so frustrating and draining, how can I get around to doing the work? Its just taken me an hour and a half to organize my thoughts and calm down. And hundreds, if not thousands, of people in town have a similar experience each day instead of working. This is an economic issue, not just an issue of kindness and justice.