Originally posted on Citizen Orange.

The “DREAM Now Series: Letters to Barack Obama” is a social media campaign that launched Monday, July 19, to underscore the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, S. 729, would help tens of thousands of young people, American in all but paperwork, to earn legal status, provided they graduate from U.S. high schools, have good moral character, and complete either two years of college or military service.  With broader comprehensive immigration reform stuck in partisan gridlock, the time is now for the White House and Congress to step up and pass the DREAM Act!

Dear Mr. President,

In May, my mother and I were picked up in an immigration raid in our home. I was told that in 2002, when I was just 12, I missed a court date at which I was ordered removed from this country. I’ve been in detention for three months, now, awaiting my deportation.  My mother was deported on Friday, August 6th, and I’m set to be deported any day now.

The Obama administration had been cleared to effect the deportation of cleared Guantanamo prisoner Abdul Aziz Naji by no less than the Supreme Court, who rejected a lower court order blocking the action. What hasn’t been reported thus far is the role of Congress, who was mandated to have advance notice of the transfer. Meanwhile, in Algeria, Naji told the press about torture and the drugging of prisoners at Guantanamo.

July 15 (Reuters) – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission voted 3-2 to settle fraud charges with Goldman Sachs (GS.N), sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSWEN710120100715

Not one senator had the guts to vote against the new top general in Afghanistan who’s pledging to stay the course.

Amidst all the hoopla heading into Memorial Day weekend over the ‘repeal’ of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network very wisely posted a warning to all members of all service branches: nothing has changed. As a public service, I am re-posting SLDN’s warning here.

Well, this was a refreshing bit of candor at the end of the New York Times’ article on the House action Thursday evening to ‘repeal’ DADT.

The Senate Armed Services Committee, after a closed door session this evening, voted 16-12 for the Lieberman/Levin DADT ‘repeal’ that the full House will vote on tonight or Friday morning.

This is disturbing. Center for American Progress is not only taking credit for what I call the sham ‘repeal’ compromise, they are also crowing about circulating the legislative language two months ago on Capitol Hill — while our primary LGBT national organizations on repeal were still fighting to end discharges right now under a full repeal.

This needs immediate pushback from the White House. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen announced — to a town hall of his troops! — that he’s very happy with the compromise working its way through Congress today, since it gives the senior military leaders the final say in whether it is implemented. Do you understand now why I’ve called this a sham since it surfaced earlier this week?

Well, the pro-”repeal” folks seem to have talked Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) into supporting their sham compromise, although they needed to add another step to the process to get his vote: a 60-day post-report review process to ensure Congress is happy with the certification provided by the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.