Living Under the Shadow of a Volcano -- US forces people out

[DELUSIONAL]

Those are two different headlines one from 1998 and the other about the US deporting people is from this weekend.

WHAT: DU ACTION needed NOW. To get your minds off the Gannon soap opera -- let's work to keep some TAXPAYING hardworking people IN the US. Call, email and FAX your Congressional reps and Senators. Read the information in Matcom's thread -- link below.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3147936

WHY: They don't have a home to go back to -- PLUS -- England is supposed to be American's friend. And it is the right thing to do. The US government is acting very stupid -- they want these people to return to an island that is 2/3 evacuated due to an active volcano. There is a photo in the DU link of what their village looks like today -- it is completely covered by a volcanic flow. See photo below.

This is a DU call to action -- Matcom put out the call a couple of days ago -- the link for the discussion he started is below. In the link you will find an newspaper article, maps, photographs and information from queenie -- an American Citizen who grew up on the island of Montserrat. Queenie has been working two jobs Plus she is trying to stop the US from deporting of her fellow Montserratians.

Place: Montserrat, Caribbean Island, British Colony, Leeward Islands. This island has a real live Volcano -- the world's media came to Montserrat to watch the Volcano erupt. And they came to see the 19 bodies of people killed during an explosive eruption.

Time: 1995 to Present.

I am also including several BBC links -- the BBC coverage was the most comprehensive-- mainly because this is a UK colony and they had reporters in Montserrat.





http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/56196.stm

DU Thread with the article about the US forcing Montserratians to return to their VOLCANO island.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3147936


Britain's Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, is going to Montserrat at the weekend to witness the determination of the remaining population not to be driven off their island by volcanic eruption.


The island only has one hospital
Only a third of the original 12,000-strong population remain on the small Caribbean island. The exclusion zone, which began in the area directly beneath the Soufriere Hills volcano, has now spread to cover almost all of Montserrat.

The few thousand people who remain live huddled together in the relatively unscathed northern tip of the island. But there are few basic facilities to provide for them.

The Montserrat Health Minister, Adelina Tuitt, said the island now has only one hospital, a make-shift collection of wooden huts and beds that is insufficient for the high numbers of sick among the remaining residents.



I've been following this story since 1995 -- Washington State has a volcano with similar behavior -- Mt. St. Helens. I have also been email contact with people who choose to remain in Montserrat. The UK Government put heavy pressure on the residents to leave the island. No other Nation that took in refugees has tried to deport Montserratians.

Britain criticised over Montserrat muddle (date 1997 -- but the same headline would apply to the current mess)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/35178.stm

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1. Kick

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2. kick

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3. kick

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4. kick

Gotta do this -- the bushies are completely out of their minds --

These people must go back -- because the Volcano is still active -- this is the logic used by the zero logic crowd in the bushie administration.

[yinkaafrica]

5. Why? Do we know why?

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6. Very good question

The public reasoning is thus: In deciding to end the Montserratians' temporary status, the department reasoned that since the volcano is still active, and likely to remain active for the foreseeable future, the islanders cannot be considered temporary refugees.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/02/20/us_orders_island_refugees_to_leave?mode=PF

The real reasoning is probably because this population is <gasp> black. And we all know the bushies are racist. So the real reason is these hardworking people are being deported because they are black.

from queenie's post Problem: This Administration is deporting these Montserratians effective February 28th 2005. No homes, no jobs and children who were born during this stay will be forced to leave with their parents although they are American citizens.

Solutions: TPS(Temporary Protected Status) can be renewed. The Nicaraguans have had this status for more than 30 years. The President can sign something called DED(deffered enforced departure) which has been done four times before. The Montserratians can be given Alien registration cards which has been done to the tune of 5000 each year to help the plight of the Nicaraguans. There are less than 1000 Montserratians that could be helped on a one time basis.

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7. kick

[queenie]

8. we cannot give up hope

There is alot of crying going on at the moment because most people do not know what to do. The options that they are being given is the same ones from which they were taken eight years ago. They have lost their homes and dread going back into the shelters.

[DELUSIONAL]

9. The impact of that many people on a small island

will be devastating.

The island is very small -- and 2/3 is covered in ash -- many feet thick.

The population now is about 4,500 -- and there is no housing except for the shelters.

The Montserrat Reporter -- and other websites have photos of the shelters -- these are long shed like buildings -- where the evacuated population from the south lived for months and in some cases years -- until houses were build in the north.

Suddenly the US is going to return nearly 1,000 people -- some of them US citizens.

What the hell is Tony Blair doing? Can't he talk to his buddy bush??

At the moment this seems like where the pressure will have to come from.

Of course these people could be sent to England -- and then England would be faced with finding houses and jobs for about 1,000 people.

The point is that these people are settled -- and they are TAXPAYERS!! They are putting money INTO the economy!

More proof that the bushies have no sense -- they are just a bunch of stupid fools.

[queenie]

10. Our dogs that were brought here......

I do not know how many people remember that about 20 or dogs that were rescued and brought to the United States early on in the crisis. I am left to wonder if there owners are going to be asked to send them home as well.

[DELUSIONAL]

11. More concern for the dogs then the people

[queenie]

12. right about now it seems like it

[DELUSIONAL]

13. OK what else can we do?

Send messages to UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw??

Do you have a address for him?

[queenie]

14. UK should assist with relocation

I think that Tony Blair www.number-10.gov.uk Jack Straw and Charles Clarke from the Home Office should show how humane they are and assist with the relocation of the Montserratians who will have to leave in a few days. 90% or so are women and children.