Becoming Politically Fit
by Weam Namou
Yesterday Robert W. DeKelaita, an attorney who was born in Iraq, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit immigration and naturalization fraud for his Christian clients. This is the message he wrote on his Facebook page to the people: I am asking something of you. Don’t ever be afraid. When you fight, fight with courage. Did you see what they did to our ancestral lands in Assyria (Iraq)? They kicked us out and brought us here and look at what they’ve done to us here. Have faith in yourselves and have faith in me as an attorney who has fought until the last minute.
Mr. DeKelaita is an activist for Christian Iraqis and ironically his verdict came just as a book which I spent six years writing comes out. The Great American Family: A Story of Political Disenchantment was released this week. It is about a case that had all the political elements that Mr. DeKelaita’s had, which made me realize this: Although we came here for America’s freedoms, as an immigrant, I’m seeing how we are losing the very things we came here for.
This realization is the result of six years of research, which began the day a family approached me to write a story about their daughter, who was then serving a 6-year prison term. She was accused of conspiring to broker telecommunication equipment to Iraq during the sanctions. Unbeknownst to Dawn and the jury which tried her, her co-conspirator was actually a CIA operative. The project was sponsored by the United States to listen in on Saddam and his men.
I was drawn to this story and decided to write about it as a cautionary tale. Through the lens of a single case, I touch on a number of important issues that are robbing American families from living the American dream: a criminal justice system that is based on greed and profit; big lies that lead to wars, sanctions, terrorism and other costly consequences; a democracy that is based on double standards.
To purchase a copy of The Great American Family: A Story of Political Disenchantment, visit http://www.amazon.com/Great-American-Family-Political-Disenchantment/dp/0977679055/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462991178&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Great+American+Family%3A+A+Story+of+Political
To learn more about the documentary that accompanies this book, which will be released later this year, visit www.TheGreatAmericanFamilyDocumentary.com
Cultural Glimpse 
Coincidentally, or not maybe, I am currently reading a book called The Immortal Irishman, a non-fiction book, and it deals in part with this very subject and aspects. There is much that we Americans do not know or realize, and there are those powers that be that want it that way. I look forward to reading this book. I remember you sharing parts with us in the writer’s group.
It took a long time to write this book because of the amount of research and because it was very uncomfortable to look at what takes place behind gov’s closed doors.