The lens for me is not on the lies and the moral, legal and ethical complications from the lies, but on how the lies are discovered, who discovers them, and how they are exploited. I think that was Jordan Kushner's original intent in raising this issue.
Omar Jamal was prosecuted likely because he is Omar Jamal--a very public, sometimes brash, and extremely articulate advocate who is also a person of color. That draws attention, not only for support but also from the government, from detractors, and those who are threatened by his public status. As a result, he suffers greater scrutiny and faces complaints of all sorts from all sides. I don't know how the INS became aware of alleged discrepancies in Omar Jamal's file, but for me, that is the more interesting public question than his personal decision to lie. Who wanted action on this--not action on another less remarkable file--and how did they become aware of possible discrepancies? My point is this: if you are a dissenter or an advocate that raises the attention of the government and/or angers those who are in positions of authority or wealth, you will almost always face greater scrutiny for your actions, whether personal or public. More significantly, your 'file' will receive an inexplicable sense of importance, which you can attribute to officials' overt knowledge of your status as a dissenter but also an unconscious notion that you aren't like all the others, don't toe the party line, and actually make a lot of people angry (and add to that these days the 'celebrity' factor of a person who appears on TV, radio, and in the news, making it sexy to work on a file of someone who is in the news). Those who are in power or connected to those in authority and power will find their files more protected, their alleged actions surrounded by a denser layer of doubt, and will find that there is a larger level of uncooperative administrators who don't believe a good-natured guy like Joe would lie on a form, or see the real harm in doing so. Thus, if you've done wrong in some way somewhere, you may or may not be discovered. But, if you are a dissenter, that wrong will likely be exploited later and the snowball of inquiry will grow larger and larger as it rolls. We've certainly seen that nationally, and now we see it locally with Omar Jamal. I think Omar Jamal is similar to Martha Stewart in one way: the government is honest that it uses and legally prosecutes public figures as examples to make a point to all others: don't cheat, whether cheating involves taxes, insider trading, immigration status or whatnot. Omar Jamal differs from Martha Stewart, however, in that he had the added burden of being considered a dissenter. It doesn't forgive his crimes, but it does naturally place greater scrutiny on his actions, and thus a larger microscope on his public and private dealings, sometimes simply in an effort to 'bring him down' so that he is not such a brash, articulate, and politically threatening figure. Gregory Luce St. Paul -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Barbara Lickness Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2005 7:11 PM To: Jennifer L. Rubenzer; Gregory Reinhardt; [email protected] Subject: RE: [bcc][faked-from] [Mpls] Mpls Somali activist found guilty ofimmigration fraud Omar Jamal and his wife and children will be paying a VERY high price for the crimes he committed. It will deny them U.S. immigration and eventual citizenship. This situation will throw their immediate future into chaos for awhile. I think it is pretty obvious that gaining immigrant or citizen status in the United States is now and has always been very important to many people around the world. I think when you add to that scenario the fact that they come from a country that has been destroyed by tribal infighting, war and rebels the stakes are that much higher. If you don't gain immigration to the United States and are forced to go back to or remain in the war torn country you are trying to leave, it is unspeakably frightful. In some cases, it means you will be killed just for trying. Omar is not the first immigrant to meet this fate. I have met Omar Jamal a few times. He has done a lot of good work on behalf of his people and was instrumental in helping the Whittier neighborhood on the Elroy issue. I for one owe him a debt of gratitude for what he did for his people and for this neighborhood. I think it's very sad that he will pay such a high price for choices he made when the United States was in a much different place than it is now. I feel sorry that he and his family will be deported or worse that he will be incarcerated here. It's easy for us who sit in nice warm toasty houses in one of the wealthiest countries in the world to condemn Omar for what he did, but none of us are standing in his shoes. I also felt badly that Martha Stewart got thrown in jail. Sometimes good people do bad things. When that happens they pay the price. I just hope the judge is merciful and that the sentence truly fits the crime. Barb Lickness Whittier ===== "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
