Lost in Translation

I know these forms exist in Spanish. I've seen them. But still, for some reason or other, people come in with English forms that were sent them by the DHS office, or by their legal counsel, or... who knows? They're applying for foodstamps, or medical cards. One lady came in the other day with paperwork regarding a child support case. And they need them translated because they don't speak the language. They can't read it.

The child support case threw me for a loop. I do not have most of the vocabulary needed for these things, but can generally get by okay. But I've never done a child support case before. And we were right in the middle of Pantry Day, the absolute busiest day of the week. And Maria's in Mexico, so I was doing her job in addition to mine. Had dozens of people lined up waiting for me.

I skimmed the documents, and briefly listed what information she would need. I asked if she could come back later in the week so we could sit down and do it. She expressed her concern about getting everything done on time. So I showed her the due date-- a month from now. And her anxiety melted away. She couldn't even tell when everything was due. The date itself meant nothing, because she had no context for it. The sentence could have said, "Your court date is April 22. Have all of your information submitted one month before." Or it could say, "Hey, we're also having a barbecue on April 22, if you want to come." How would she ever know?

It's funny to me how thankful people are for even simple translations like that. I didn't really help her. I didn't translate the document, fill it out, send it in. I just told her when it was due, and she laughed and said thank you and patted me on the cheek like I was just the dearest thing in her life. Because I told her to come back later. Well, no. I guess because I told her she had time to come back later.

There is so much fear surrounding these 'official' things. Applying for public aid, for foodstamps, medical cards and the like... people are so afraid of it. And they're afraid of their caseworkers and the officials that process their paperwork. It's like going to the Great and Terrible Oz... this all-powerful giant head that will yell at you and demand so very much in return. And they quail before them. And it is scary. Because to me and you, those caseworkers are people. But when they're YOUR caseworker, they hold your life in their hands. And sometimes the forms don't even come in the right language.

Jeez, it's so scary. Be nice to poor people. They have so much other shit to deal with. Cut 'em a break, already.

What cunning wit

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play, bring a friend... if you have one."
- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one."
- Winston Churchill in reply to Shaw

Visitorific

Everyone came last week. Molly and Eric and Ian came to visit. Emily's family came to visit. Our Missouri volunteers came to visit. All at once. We had many people in the house. It was awesome.

The Alspaughs wound up only able to stay for a day, due to a family emergency. They'll be back soon, though, and when they do come back, they're just going to stay at our place rather than getting a hotel. And, perhaps we'll get to go see a Cubs game. Eric started talking about that when we very first moved to Chicago four years ago. When Ian was 2. He's 6 now. Did I mention that? What a neat little kid.

They came over for dinner with everyone on Thursday night, and when they left, the first thing Tim (Missouri volunteer) said was, "That is one smart kid." Michelle was excited to see him reading so much. She has a brother the same age, so she knows little kids better than me. And what an imagination!

One of the Missouri volunteers was a housemate of ours last year, so John and Michael and I were especially happy to see him. Little reunions. How awesome. Made me very happy.

Coming up next is a visit from Trevor and Lena. Haven't seen them in years. They're passing through Chicago this week on the way to ... ... somewhere else, to see someone else. Dunno. It'll be awesome though. Trevor is one of Michael''s friends from back in elementary school. So, you know. Good times.

In the meantime, still waiting for April 5. That's the big day where everything becomes official for what's happening in the fall. Next Thursday. Oh my god.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

I feel much safer today, knowing that the mastermind behind all terrorist attacks ever has finally confessed to his depravity. And I'm glad that he was disappeared by the CIA and held in Guantanamo Bay without charge or legal council for three years. And I feel well protected by my government, knowing that this man will not receive an independent trial, but will rather be tried by military tribunal, run by the same military that tortured him before he confessed.

I'm sorry. But is anyone really buying this? The thing is, it doesn't matter anymore if this man is a terrorist, if he's done horrible things, if he is actually the worst person to ever have walked the face of this planet. It doesn't matter because we will never know these things. You can't disappear someone, and torture someone, and ever know the truth. These things take the truth away.

We will never, ever, EVER know the truth about Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The CIA made sure of that. The United States government, with their policy of exported torture, made sure of that.

This is not just a human rights issue. There is no truth after torture. And there is no justice.

This is not what we wanted. Say that out loud, and say it often. It is time to be outraged.

Foodstamp advocacy

"Good thing I'm not a torpedo." --Michael Corlew

It's funny out of context. In context, perhaps you had to be there. So I'll just leave it at that.

It's been pretty exciting at the pantry lately. Lot of people coming through. Plus, for awhile we've been gathering complaints and grievances from the clients of our local DHS office, in particular regarding this one bastard caseworker who tells his clients he'll only give them foodstamps if they sleep with him. It's sick what he's been doing... and for so long. The first complaint of this type we've found recorded was from 9 years ago. Nine years.

In addition to processes related to this, related to upping the funding for the IDHS offices so they can hire more caseworkers (who tend to manage about 800-1500 cases each-- waaaay to many), and raising the minimum $10 a month allocation to something that would actually help a person to eat, I'm starting this week to gather stories of people who are on public aid... the process of getting it and keeping it, why they need it, if/how it helps, if it's worth it, how much for how many people, etc. I realize as we lobby for all of this that the middle class and higher really doesn't have much of a concept of what it is to need foodstamps. And they don't have much of a concept of how you get them, and all of that stuff. I know I didn't. And I also think it might be too much to expect everyone who is not impoverished to go work in a food pantry and talk to people who do have a concept... so I want to gather a few stories and see what I can do with it. My first interview is tomorrow afternoon. We'll see what comes from this.

We have a couple that comes through sometimes. They just moved into a hotel not too far away. We get a lot of clients from there. They'd been homeless for three years beforehand, and are just so... cheerful. There's no other word for it. The city sanitation crew had thrown away all of their belongings, so they have nothing. But they have a roof over their heads and just couldn't be happier. For months the lady's been telling me she's gonna go apply for foodstamps, but would put it off, put it off. She admitted to me today that she had them already while she was still homeless. But when you're homeless, there's not much you can do with groceries, and she met a family with three little kids and they didn't qualify for foodstamps, so she gave them hers.

This is, of course, not the way people are supposed to use foodstamps. Cases like this can be twisted and used as proof that people are falsifying... whatever. She told me she had so much, and this family had so little. It didn't seem right. My god, I wish there were more people like them in the world.