The things two men left behind
Wednesday April 22, 2009
Categories: Immigration, Politics (general)
My friend and combox regular Bill Holston, a Dallas immigration attorney, e-mails news from his day (so far) at the office: I tried an Ethiopian asylum case this morning. My client was imprisoned for five years, opposing the Marxist Dergue,...
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About Crunchy Con
Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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The Puritans kept making waves in England, despite periodic government repression. They were unable to entirely transform their country. Eventually they came here for religious freedom.
Bad news for the Indians.
As my mother used to tell us, "A man is mature when he plant a tree under which he will never sit."
Excellent and moving post.
I just knew that before the end of the story excerpt that this story would not have a happy ending!
Nice to wrong!!
What fish said. I was expecting a tragic story of deportation. Thank God I was wrong. And thanks to Mr. Holston for his pro-bono work for refugees, which I see from the link that Rod provides is extensive. Now *that,* to turn to Fr. Arseny's words, is work to leave behind you for which many will call your memory blessed.
I always feel compelled to point out, that it's a blessing to do this work. I truly think that I get more than I receive. The hug from my client, was worth the months of preparation that went into the case. It's a privilege to get to do this sort of work, and one I really appreciate. My client is the hero.
I can't equal Holston's aid to this much-deserved client, but nothing is professionally better than giving a client his or her life back.
Remember Holston the next time you tell a lawyer joke. We can take it. And members of our profession often deserve to be the butt of a joke. But, if I may undeservedly ride on Holston's coattails, we do a lot of good, too.
One sad part of this story is that the client needed a top-notch lawyer. USCIS is all too often a Kafkaesque nightmare for immigrants to navigate.
In any case, nicely done!
Oliver Cromwell was a puritan. No wonder the English wanted to be rid of them.
I am proud to have this former Ethiopian in America.
Those who lived with real tyranny will be vocal in preventing it here. Welcome.
Bill is someone who discounts his contribution to humanity because he gleans more from it than he feel he gives. But in truth, when good people do good things for someone else for the best of all reasons, simply 'because they can'---they are 15 second/minute saints for a moment in earthly time.
As someone who have come to know Bill, he defines the goal I feel anyone should set as their spititual compass; to become wiser and happier and thus ...in the best and most real sense of the word 'younger' as we age.. As opposed to becoming still another lost soul who equates getting more and rigid---confusing intolerance and (in a negative sense) 'conservative' ("I got mine" / "today sucks"/ "yesterday was the ideal" "they are moral roaches") dogma with wizened maturity.
Maturity to me is when you realize that other people really DO matter. Helpless strangers be they old people, children, animals or alien culture victims. Recognizing that the way you were raised is interesting but anecdotal. What you done with it is what matters.
Bravo for my nightcap read...........
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