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Lawyers Take Haitian Refugee Rights into the Courts
GUESTS: Candace Jean, Immigration Attorney and advocate for Haitian refugees

The office of Homeland Security has denied temporary protected status to Haitian refugees in response to a request by the Haitian government more than a year ago. Haitian leaders in South Florida have long protested what they call unfair treatment of Haitian refugees as compared to undocumented immigrants from other countries. Last Thursday, refugee advocates announced a new approach: they will fight for Haitians’ freedom in the courts. Several lawyers filed motions on behalf of their clients asking courts across the country to stop deportations because of its deteriorating human rights conditions.

New Drug Prescription Program
GUEST: Deborah S. Socolar, Co-Director of the Health Reform Program at Boston University School of Public Health

The new Medicare prescription drug program was to begin on January 1st, 2006. An estimated six million low-income seniors and disabled Americans were to switch from Medicaid to Medicare. However, the computer system that was to handle the planned one-day transfer was overwhelmed and failed to respond. Long before the current pitfalls of the program, critics assailed the drug benefit plan was costlier than it needed to be. One of the main reasons is the role of competing private insurance plans that provide the prescription drug benefit. Critics also noted that the new program would net an approximate 31% percent rise in drug maker’s profits while burdening them with few added costs.

For more information, visit www.healthreformprogram.org.

The Arabs are Coming To Los Angeles
GUESTS: Dean Obeidallah, co-founder and co-executive producer of The NY Arab-American Comedy Festival, Maysoon Zayid – actor and co-founder of the NY Arab-American Comedy Festival, Waleed F. Zuaiter Festival Co-Producer in 2005, LA 2006.

For the first time ever, the much-acclaimed New York Arab-American Comedy Festival is coming to Los Angeles from January 24th – 26th. The Festival has been featured on national television and radio programs including CNN, NPR, BBC World and in newspapers around the world. According to it’s website arabcomedy.org, the festival features comedic theater consisting of six original plays which take on topics from Hollywood’s casting of Arabs, to Arab-Americans fears of Arab terrorists, and even lessons on how to be a “real Arab”!

For more information, to check the schedule of events, and to purchase tickets, visit www.arabcomedy.org.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day:

“Comedy is so disarming. When people are laughing, it’s very hard for them to continue to be mad at you.” – Dean Obeidallah, Arab American comic.