By This is fantastic news.
On a unanimous consent vote, the U.S. Senate late this afternoon passed a bill honoring the late U.S. Marine Sgt. Michael Ferschke of Maryville – and granting permanent residency to his Japanese wife, Hotaru Ferschke.
The private bill, addressing narrowly the Ferschke family’s situation, still must be approved by the U.S. House.
Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., Bob Corker, R-Tenn., Jim Webb, R-W.Va., and Mark Udall, D-Colo., introduced the private bill last year. It must now be considered by the House of Representatives.
“The very least the country Michael Ferschke died serving can do is honor Michael’s last wish – that his wife be allowed to raise their son near their family in Tennessee,” Alexander said in a statement.
*****
Hota Ferschke was pregnant at the time they wed, and she and Sgt. Ferschke had agreed to raise their son in Tennessee. But she can’t move to the U.S. because their marriage is not recognized under a Cold War-era immigration law.
The current law dictates that marriage between an American citizen and a foreign national must be consummated after the wedding before the non-American can gain permanent residency status. The measure was enacted to stop foreigners from entering into sham marriages so they can gain permanent U.S. residency.
A bill before Congress would close the immigration law loophole by writing in an exemption for couples who are unable to consummate their marriage because one of them was on active duty in the armed forces.
That bill, called “the Marine Sgt. Michael H. Ferschke Jr. Memorial Act,” cleared the U.S. House last month with support from Democrats and Republicans. Supporters were hoping to push the measure quickly through the U.S. Senate as well, but objections from key senators – including Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee – slowed it down.
Opponents felt the broader bill would remove immigration safeguards.
The substitute private bill passed today would narrowly only affect the Ferschkes, and supporters are hoping for a quick consent vote in the House.- Knoxville News Sentinel
The House passed the original bill unanimously. So I think they will do the same with the private bill. President Obama would also have to sign it into law. I don’t get why Senators objected to the original bill, it only applied to spouses whose husbands died in Action. In any case like that, we should honor the fallen soldier’s family.
I’ll take this however and I’m sure the Ferschkes feel the same. You’re coming to America Hotaru Ferschke. God bless you and Mikey.
11:13 am on December 3rd, 2010 1
And now that her American Dream has come true, she will turn into just another fat American housewife.
9:45 pm on December 3rd, 2010 2
Tom #1, I think you’ve crossed the line with this one. Her husband is dead.
10:14 pm on December 3rd, 2010 3
Tom, most Asians do not balloon up, even if they go live their lives in the west. Have you put on a few
poundskilos?10:20 am on December 4th, 2010 4
Almost exactly one year ago today commenter#1 aka Tom wrote the following-
Tom is a clueless and twisted commenter here at ROK Drop. He’s the one with serious psychological problems.
12:59 am on December 5th, 2010 5
Tom,
If this is the sort of stuff that amuses you, then maybe you need to get on antidepressants. I'm being totally serious.
1:00 am on December 5th, 2010 6
…and non-judgmental. Antidepressants are a life savor for those those who need them.
1:32 am on December 5th, 2010 7
Looking at her, she's already put up a few more pounds. Pretty soon, she'll fit right in there.
1:43 am on December 5th, 2010 8
TD, there is no real cure for sociopaths, you just hope they don't kill.
3:56 am on December 5th, 2010 9
Well, this is wonderful news. I hope the broader Ferschke Bill passes so that others in her situation won't be stuck in the same cruel limbo.
Leon LaPorte wrote:
Define "most." Switching from a mostly Asian diet to what's readily available in the US as well as the relatively sedentary American lifestyle, it's easy for adult women who come to the US from Korea, Japan, or China to gain a lot of weight.
I know various women here in Hawaii (which has a load of overweight Asian-Americans) who came over to the US (some of them on the Mainland before coming to Hawaii) as students or professors and gained ten, twenty, thirty pounds. Almost all gained at least ten, and this is on a frame where they are only ninety or a hundred pounds to begin with, so it's noticeable.
Of course, a lot of them were too skinny to begin with, but Hotaru Ferschke reminds me of one of my profs who had her baby here in Hawaii and noticeably packed on the pounds — baby weight in China and baby weight in the US end up different.
But even with an extra bit of weight, Hotaru Ferschke looks just fine. She is not overweight; she looks healthy and now she can happily raise her child in Okinawa or Tennessee if she wants. Or both.
축하합니다, Mrs Ferschke.
5:04 am on December 5th, 2010 10
Very happy to hear this news. Good luck to her and the child.
11:01 am on December 5th, 2010 11
I think she's cute. Hey, it's not the 1800's. It's okay to say a widow is attractive.
11:06 am on December 5th, 2010 12
Don't mess with Tom, he's a mean killing machine.
http://www.reelmovienews.com/gallery/kip-dynamite…
11:40 am on December 5th, 2010 13
"I think she’s cute."
I thought she was a Filipina.
12:26 pm on December 5th, 2010 14
An American diet will definitely cause you to put on weight, I'm living proof. My ex-daughter-in-law came from Cambodia, she was a very petite woman who when she came to the states probably didn't weigh 100 lbs. I warned her not to eat too much American food which she heeded, she weighs a little bit more now, maybe 105 lbs but she still looks pretty good. There was a Korean girl that I knew who worked in a bar in El Paso when I was stationed at Ft Bliss, TX. A couple of people that I knew said that they knew her when she was in Korea & that she was a 'business girl'(surprise, surprise, lol). Anyway she had a beautiful face but she ate American fast food almost exclusively so when I knew her she was overweight. It's a shame since those couple of friends told me that in Korea she was really hot. Anyway Mrs Fersheke doesn't look fat to me.
12:55 pm on December 5th, 2010 15
Look where she lives, in Hill Billy country.
Give it another couple of years, she'll balloon like a hippopotamus.
12:55 pm on December 5th, 2010 16
At Mr. Langley
An American diet can be just as healthy as any other countries diet and in some cases, even more healthy. It's about choice! If you choose to eat at McDonalds, Wendy's and KFC, don't be surprised if you max out in blubber. On the flip side, the amount of food choices/food products that are avialable in the U.S. and the overwhelming science behind nutrition, could lead individuals to be lean machines, if they so choose. Unfortunately, quite a few do not choose this option and it shows.
Looking at professional athletes and most athletes in the U.S., you see some serious physical specimens. I doubt they are at KFC 5 times a week.
P.S. Hotaru looks fine. In my opinion, her husband seems to have made a good choice. I hope she lives a good life of her choosing.
1:17 pm on December 5th, 2010 17
Zilchy #16, You are correct, I should have specified an American fast food diet.
4:38 pm on December 5th, 2010 18
Deleted
5:15 pm on December 5th, 2010 19
Deleted
9:56 pm on December 5th, 2010 20
@16,
I totally agree. People like to blame the evil food corporations, the government, their family's and even their genetics for carrying extra weight but they never blame themselves. People eat too much carbohydrates and don't exercise to work it off and their bodies will do whats natural and store the excess for later use.
10:11 pm on December 5th, 2010 21
Tom has never heard of Korean friend chicken, jajjangmyeon, Lotteria, samgyeopsal, bo-sam, chok-pal, and all the other great things that makes most kids in my very athletic son's class fatter than he is. Nah, he's about as Korean as beer with hops.
10:41 pm on December 5th, 2010 22
Have you seen a Korean fat person and an American fat person?
The Korean fat person would be considered about average or even thin in America. 
1:13 am on December 6th, 2010 23
Tom,
Arguing which fat man is more obese than another is like arguing which moron is the smartest. I won't even bother bringing up the difference in how fat is stored (you can still appear thin and have a high body fat ratio).
5:47 am on December 6th, 2010 24
I rather be fat in the inside but look thin, then be fat on the outside and inside and look like beached blubbery big fat wale.
7:32 am on December 6th, 2010 25
Tom #24, good point.