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Former Myanmar Refugee Finds Freedom as an Army National Guard Soldier

Former Myanmar Refugee Finds Freedom as an Army National Guard Soldier












North Little Rock, Arkansas (PRWEB) June 30, 2011

As a former refugee desperately trying to become a free man, Pvt. Saw Blu celebrates his freedom this 4th of July as a solider in the United States National Guard. Each evening, Pvt. Saw Blut reads his bible and prays, thanking his God for life, freedom and asks for a chance to help others. Just three years ago, Blut was granted asylum in the United States through the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) and was resettled in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Blut, a member of the Karen ethnic group, fled Myanmar (Burma) to Malaysia to escape oppression and ethnic cleansing by the Burmese government. He lived in a refugee camp for two years until he registered with the UNHCR and paperwork was finalized.

“The soldiers would come into our villages, kill and terrorize our people and burn our houses,” Blut said.

While his parents survived past attacks, Blut said some of his extended family members didn’t make it. Coupled with the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that ravaged Myanmar and southeast Asia, Blut said he and his parents are lucky to be alive. Blut grew up in a rural, poor village near Pathein, the fourth largest city in Myanmar. Modern conveniences such as plumbing, electricity and paved roads are considered luxuries. Even before the tsunami, communication was limited. Blut said he speaks with his parents several times a year on a shared line, but disconnections and interference on the line make it difficult to keep in touch. That’s where he said their common Christian faith ties them over the miles and separation. Blut said his parents miss him but are glad that he’s safe and has an opportunity to prosper as an individual.

Over the past five years more than 15,000 Burmese refugees have found asylum in the United States and Blut said he is blessed to be one of them. He received his green card from the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services in 2008, but now as a member of the Army National Guard, Blut is eligible to receive expedited citizenship. He said he looks forward to the day that he becomes a naturalized U.S. citizen.    

Blut enlisted in the Michigan Army National Guard in the spring of 2011. He earned his GED through the National Guard GED Plus program in North Little Rock on June 21, 2011 and reported for basic training at Ft. Jackson, S.C. the following day. Upon graduation, he will attend the Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic School at Ft. Jackson to learn his military occupational skill. Blut said he plans on returning to Grand Rapids, Michigan to attend college and find a full time civilian job.

“America has given me so much,” Blut said. “I just want to give back and serve my new country.”

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Posted on July 22, 2011 by , Reply

Tea Party Movement Happier With the Supreme Court than Other Branches of Government, Survey Finds

Tea Party Movement Happier With the Supreme Court than Other Branches of Government, Survey Finds











Columbia Law School Professor Nathaniel Persily

New York (Vocus) July 19, 2010

Despite a general distrust of government, most Tea Party supporters believe the Supreme Court will correctly decide difficult issues, even if they are unpopular and go against the will of the president or Congress, a new survey finds.

The survey, co-authored by Nathaniel Persily, the Charles Keller Beekman Professor of Law and Political Science at Columbia Law School, also found a majority of Tea Party supporters approve of the Supreme Court’s performance.

The results were taken from an online survey by Knowledge Networks on a wide range of issues that probed attitudes toward constitutional issues, including gun control, abortion rights, and the death penalty.

Some 1,027 people answered questions, including 456 who identified themselves as supporting the Tea Party movement. Harvard University political scientist Stephen Ansolabehere co-wrote the survey with Persily.

Some 80 percent of Tea Party backers either have a great deal or some confidence in the Supreme Court, compared to just 37 percent for Congress and 39 percent for President Obama. Overall, 56 percent approve of the job the Supreme Court is doing, compared to 63 percent of those surveyed who do not support the Tea Party.

On issues before the court, the survey found:


Eighty percent of Tea Party supporters agree the Supreme Court should recognize a right to privacy even if it is not explicitly stated in the Constitution.
Some 48 percent believe the Constitution should be viewed as a general set of principles that can change over time, compared to 74 percent of respondents who do not back the Tea Party.
Asked whether the Supreme Court should focus less on the Constitution’s original intent and more on the effect its decisions will have today, just 38 percent of Tea Party backers support that notion, compared to 69 percent not in the Tea Party.
While 72 percent of those who do not support the Tea Party approve of Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court, just 33 percent of movement supporters back her. Persily said that number was likely held down by President Obama’s low numbers from Tea Party supporters. They gave him just a 26 percent approval rating.

The survey is a follow-up to a similar poll done in 2009. Both have a margin of error of 4 percent.

The full Tea Party survey can be read here. The results from all respondents can be read here.

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Posted on June 23, 2011 by , Reply

Canada hits bottom on freedom-of-information ranking, new study finds

Canada hits bottom on freedom-of-information ranking, new study finds
OTTAWA – A new study ranks Canada dead last when it comes to freedom of information.
Read more on Brandon Sun

Canada hits bottom on freedom-of-information ranking
A new study ranks Canada dead last, behind Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain, among others, when it comes to how well freedom of information laws operate.
Read more on CTV.ca

Posted on January 10, 2011 by , Reply