"The Voice of the New Due Process Army" ————– Musings on Events in U.S. Immigration Court, Immigration Law, Sports, and Other Random Topics by Retired United States Immigration Judge (Arlington, Virginia) and former Chairman of the Board of Immigration Appeals Paul Wickham Schmidt. To see my complete professional bio, just click on the link below.
Gratitude for dreams, learning, and our diversity.
For our country’s most noble ideals.
For science.
Appreciation for the beauty of our planet.
For the wonders of music.
For the mysteries of our consciousness.
Recognition of the persistence of injustice.
Of the struggles for so many.
Of the contagion of hate.
Indebtedness to the support of friends and family.
To the inspiration of teachers.
To all those who refuse to look away from need.
Understanding that civic engagement requires ongoing effort.
That suffering should not be accepted.
That divisions induce weakness.
Praise for the poets who help us understand life, death, and everything in between.
For those whose courage protects us.
For those who came before us determined to make the world a better place.
Blessings for the children who can fix our damaged planet.
For the helpers who provide shoulders on which to lean.
For the leaders who refuse to abandon hope.
A deep and heartfelt thankfulness to all of you who have created a community of care, support, and steadiness.
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The courage, determination, skills, and humanity of migrants of all kinds who enrich our nation with their presence;
Family, friends, and colleagues;
Pets, particularly Smokey the Cat, “Dunky Dog,” his friends ( canines & humans) from the “7 AM, 711 Dog Club,” and the extended “Schmidt Family Menagerie;”
Duncan “Dunky Dog” Schmidt
My wonderful colleagues @ The Round Table, AYUDA, Georgetown Law, and the rest of the NDPA for their tireless efforts to guarantee due process and fundamental fairness for all!
🇺🇸Happy Thanksgiving and Due Process Forever from Courtside!
Where else on the peninsula would you see in a church five young foreigners laughing and speaking in Turkish with a 96-year-old parishioner, exchanging contacts and making plans to visit again?
With love, the Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor welcomed over 186 workers from away who traveled from other countries and around the USA to work in our community on June 27. This long tradition continues to “welcome strangers” and give them community support information to make their stay safer and more enjoyable.
Thirty-seven (37) of those 186 were able to get to the church to enjoy a “lunch and learn.” The remaining received gift bags from the church which were hand delivered to 149 workers by the Mission Committee.
At the “lunch meet” this shy and reticent group of 37 soon turned into an upbeat and hopeful number of workers who got to know each other and make plans to socialize together. We, the Mission Committee, learned a lot, too, about each of their homes of origin, their aspirations and fears.
There were workers from Russia, Serbia, Romania, India, Moldova, Albania, Croatia, Turkey and Montenegro as well as Texas, Maine, Washington, D.C., Silver Spring, Maryland and Kansas.
With a delicious takeaway lunch on site, they heard from our pastor, police department; Rotary and our town’s resources. They appreciated learning how to feel safe here and how to utilize our local services. Included in this event were Rotary bikes for loan with a $100 deposit.
For those who could not attend, we distributed gifts to the participating businesses’ 145 workers with gifts of information and fun food. Nearly every business that hires these folks participated and voiced their appreciation of the event.
The workers were interested in fun together in their free time and agreed to share their contact information with each other. They asked for us to arrange for a second event in September so that they might learn from each others’ experiences. One medical student asked to participate in a local community project and will be a guest at our upcoming Mission Committee meeting.
We offer a special thanks to all of the businesses which chose to participate and especially to Hannaford which donated a great deal of food.
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Workers from abroad have been an essential part of the summer economy here in Boothbay Harbor for the decades we have been coming here. They enrich everyone’s experience while learning and experiencing some “real Americana!”
And, there can be little doubt why the Boothbay Region is an international,drawing card!
S/V Believe Home Port, Bradenton FL Anchored in Linekin Bay Captains Rick & Julie PetersonLewis CoveGo Pack! — Go Badgers!The Isaac H. EvansLinekin BayBoothbay Harbor from East Side — Whales Tale Pub“Dunky Dog”
