Are you for or against taking in Syrian refugees? (2 Viewers)

[GrandpaRox]

I am moving from Texas to a city in Mississippi where the demographic breakdown is as follows:

Bet this bothers you a lot and I could not care less what you think.

• White alone 90.3%
• 5.0%Hispanic
• 2.0%Asian alone
• 1.1%Two or more races
• 0.4%Black alone
• 0.3%American Indian alone
• 0.2%Other race alone

 

[Thunderlips]

I see a lot in today's political landscape about American exceptionalism. The greatest country on the planet. Make America great again. Reigniting the promise for America. The ten most common words in presidential campaign slogans since 1828 have been: America/American, leader/leadership, change, prosperity, experience, believe, hope, future/forward/tomorrow, better, and win.

Have we forgotten what makes America exceptional? This right here is what makes America exceptional. B-Deep quoted The New Colossus earlier in this thread, and he's right. This is the country where everyone wants to be. We pride ourselves as the land of opportunity. A place where people can be free to start a business, practice their own religion, give their family a better ####### life.

This is not my grandfather's America, no doubt. The fact that we're having this discussion signals to me just how much worse it has become. Turning our backs on immigrant refugees because we're afraid a handful of them may be ISIS sympathizers (or worse) isn't making America great again. It's giving into terrorism in a dreadful xenophobic way. We're better than this, America. At least I thought we were.

I don't know... we've always been skeptical of immigrants, no matter where they've come from: Irish, Italian, Japanese, doesn't really matter. This just seems dreamy eyed about the past...we "welcome" immigrants, but we/some are also skeptical. Maybe that is the order of things and always will be, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that

I think we've traditionally welcomed immigrants just to give the previous immigrant class someone to beat up, stereotype and complain about.......and only when they get a new immigrant class below them.....are they allowed some slack.

 

[timschochet]

I am moving from Texas to a city in Mississippi where the demographic breakdown is as follows:

Bet this bothers you a lot and I could not care less what you think.

• White alone 90.3%
• 5.0%Hispanic
  
• 2.0%Asian alone
  
• 1.1%Two or more races
  
• 0.4%Black alone
  
• 0.3%American Indian alone
  
• 0.2%Other race alone
  

Are you moving there BECAUSE of this breakdown?

 

[Steve Tasker]

I see a lot in today's political landscape about American exceptionalism. The greatest country on the planet. Make America great again. Reigniting the promise for America. The ten most common words in presidential campaign slogans since 1828 have been: America/American, leader/leadership, change, prosperity, experience, believe, hope, future/forward/tomorrow, better, and win.

Have we forgotten what makes America exceptional? This right here is what makes America exceptional. B-Deep quoted The New Colossus earlier in this thread, and he's right. This is the country where everyone wants to be. We pride ourselves as the land of opportunity. A place where people can be free to start a business, practice their own religion, give their family a better ####### life.

This is not my grandfather's America, no doubt. The fact that we're having this discussion signals to me just how much worse it has become. Turning our backs on immigrant refugees because we're afraid a handful of them may be ISIS sympathizers (or worse) isn't making America great again. It's giving into terrorism in a dreadful xenophobic way. We're better than this, America. At least I thought we were.

I don't know... we've always been skeptical of immigrants, no matter where they've come from: Irish, Italian, Japanese, doesn't really matter. This just seems dreamy eyed about the past...we "welcome" immigrants, but we/some are also skeptical. Maybe that is the order of things and always will be, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that

The "dreamy-eyed" look at the past was in reference to the novel written above about how we should go scorched-earth on portions of the Middle East and not worry about any collateral damage because this isn't his grandfather's America. But the people you refer to.....we look back on those people now and think of them as racist xenophobes. Immigration made this country the melting pot of cultures it is today. Have we ever been so fearful as a society as we are today?

 

[TobiasFunke]

I am moving from Texas to a city in Mississippi where the demographic breakdown is as follows:

Bet this bothers you a lot and I could not care less what you think.

• White alone 90.3%
• 5.0%Hispanic
  
• 2.0%Asian alone
  
• 1.1%Two or more races
  
• 0.4%Black alone
  
• 0.3%American Indian alone
  
• 0.2%Other race alone
  

I don't know why anyone would be bothered by that, and if you truly didn't care what we thought about it you wouldn't post it here.

 

[Steve Tasker]

I see a lot in today's political landscape about American exceptionalism. The greatest country on the planet. Make America great again. Reigniting the promise for America. The ten most common words in presidential campaign slogans since 1828 have been: America/American, leader/leadership, change, prosperity, experience, believe, hope, future/forward/tomorrow, better, and win.

Have we forgotten what makes America exceptional? This right here is what makes America exceptional. B-Deep quoted The New Colossus earlier in this thread, and he's right. This is the country where everyone wants to be. We pride ourselves as the land of opportunity. A place where people can be free to start a business, practice their own religion, give their family a better ####### life.

This is not my grandfather's America, no doubt. The fact that we're having this discussion signals to me just how much worse it has become. Turning our backs on immigrant refugees because we're afraid a handful of them may be ISIS sympathizers (or worse) isn't making America great again. It's giving into terrorism in a dreadful xenophobic way. We're better than this, America. At least I thought we were.

I don't know... we've always been skeptical of immigrants, no matter where they've come from: Irish, Italian, Japanese, doesn't really matter. This just seems dreamy eyed about the past...we "welcome" immigrants, but we/some are also skeptical. Maybe that is the order of things and always will be, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that

I think we've traditionally welcomed immigrants just to give the previous immigrant class someone to beat up, stereotype and complain about.......and only when they get a new immigrant class below them.....are they allowed some slack.

As the poet Talib Kweli once opined...."n****s didn't become American til 9/11"

 

[bakes]

I am moving from Texas to a city in Mississippi where the demographic breakdown is as follows:

Bet this bothers you a lot and I could not care less what you think.

• White alone 90.3%
• 5.0%Hispanic
  
• 2.0%Asian alone
  
• 1.1%Two or more races
  
• 0.4%Black alone
  
• 0.3%American Indian alone
  
• 0.2%Other race alone
  

Why the hell would it bother anyone? Free country, live wherever you want to live. The fact that almost everyone lives alone is a bit troublesome, but it makes it easier to target the houses of the people who were on your lawn.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

I am moving from Texas to a city in Mississippi where the demographic breakdown is as follows:

Bet this bothers you a lot and I could not care less what you think.

• White alone 90.3%
• 5.0%Hispanic
  
• 2.0%Asian alone
  
• 1.1%Two or more races
  
• 0.4%Black alone
  
• 0.3%American Indian alone
  
• 0.2%Other race alone
  

Doesn't bother me at all. You're moving farther away from me and I'm sure you'll fit right in.

 

[Thunderlips]

I see a lot in today's political landscape about American exceptionalism. The greatest country on the planet. Make America great again. Reigniting the promise for America. The ten most common words in presidential campaign slogans since 1828 have been: America/American, leader/leadership, change, prosperity, experience, believe, hope, future/forward/tomorrow, better, and win.

Have we forgotten what makes America exceptional? This right here is what makes America exceptional. B-Deep quoted The New Colossus earlier in this thread, and he's right. This is the country where everyone wants to be. We pride ourselves as the land of opportunity. A place where people can be free to start a business, practice their own religion, give their family a better ####### life.

This is not my grandfather's America, no doubt. The fact that we're having this discussion signals to me just how much worse it has become. Turning our backs on immigrant refugees because we're afraid a handful of them may be ISIS sympathizers (or worse) isn't making America great again. It's giving into terrorism in a dreadful xenophobic way. We're better than this, America. At least I thought we were.

I don't know... we've always been skeptical of immigrants, no matter where they've come from: Irish, Italian, Japanese, doesn't really matter. This just seems dreamy eyed about the past...we "welcome" immigrants, but we/some are also skeptical. Maybe that is the order of things and always will be, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that

The "dreamy-eyed" look at the past was in reference to the novel written above about how we should go scorched-earth on portions of the Middle East and not worry about any collateral damage because this isn't his grandfather's America. But the people you refer to.....we look back on those people now and think of them as racist xenophobes. Immigration made this country the melting post of cultures it is today. Have we ever been so fearful as a society as we are today?

We put Japanese Americans into camps. I'd think that was a bit more fearful....

Although to be fair to the fear-mongers of today......one or two terrorists sneaking in with these refugees could do a hella lot more damage than an entire 5th Column of Japanese sympathizers.

 

[timschochet]

Black Box is correct. There has always been a strong anti-immigrant movement in this country, from the Know Nothings of the 1850 to the people who warned about the "Yellow Peril" and passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, to the conservatives who complained about Jewish, Polish, and Italian immigration at the turn of the last century, to those on the west coast who demanded the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, to members of the John Birch society during the 1950s and 60s, to those overly concerned with illegal immigrants from Latin America today.

Nativism and nationalism runs deep in our society, but that doesn't mean we can't try to combat it every time it rears it's ugly, ignorant head.

 

[Henry Ford]

A group of friends and I feed homeless a couple of times a year. Put on quite a spread....the thing that always leaves the biggest impression is how desperate they are for clothing. We bring bags of clothes (things we no longer wear) and spread them out on tables and they take every last article of clothing. Just did this in October. Made sure to bring as many sweatshirts and jackets as we could find. Moral of the story (Give them some winter clothes) it is getting cold out there...Now back to the refugees!

Socks. Watch people's faces light up when you give them a package of socks. It's both heartwarming and heartbreaking.

 

[Nick Vermeil]

I am moving from Texas to a city in Mississippi where the demographic breakdown is as follows:

Bet this bothers you a lot and I could not care less what you think.

• White alone 90.3%
• 5.0%Hispanic
  
• 2.0%Asian alone
  
• 1.1%Two or more races
  
• 0.4%Black alone
  
• 0.3%American Indian alone
  
• 0.2%Other race alone
  

What bothers me most about this is your food take out options.

 

[bakes]

I see a lot in today's political landscape about American exceptionalism. The greatest country on the planet. Make America great again. Reigniting the promise for America. The ten most common words in presidential campaign slogans since 1828 have been: America/American, leader/leadership, change, prosperity, experience, believe, hope, future/forward/tomorrow, better, and win.

Have we forgotten what makes America exceptional? This right here is what makes America exceptional. B-Deep quoted The New Colossus earlier in this thread, and he's right. This is the country where everyone wants to be. We pride ourselves as the land of opportunity. A place where people can be free to start a business, practice their own religion, give their family a better ####### life.

This is not my grandfather's America, no doubt. The fact that we're having this discussion signals to me just how much worse it has become. Turning our backs on immigrant refugees because we're afraid a handful of them may be ISIS sympathizers (or worse) isn't making America great again. It's giving into terrorism in a dreadful xenophobic way. We're better than this, America. At least I thought we were.

I don't know... we've always been skeptical of immigrants, no matter where they've come from: Irish, Italian, Japanese, doesn't really matter. This just seems dreamy eyed about the past...we "welcome" immigrants, but we/some are also skeptical. Maybe that is the order of things and always will be, and I don't think there is anything wrong with that

The "dreamy-eyed" look at the past was in reference to the novel written above about how we should go scorched-earth on portions of the Middle East and not worry about any collateral damage because this isn't his grandfather's America. But the people you refer to.....we look back on those people now and think of them as racist xenophobes. Immigration made this country the melting post of cultures it is today. Have we ever been so fearful as a society as we are today?

We put Japanese Americans into camps. I'd think that was a bit more fearful....

Although to be fair to the fear-mongers of today......one or two terrorists sneaking in with these refugees could do a hella lot more damage than an entire 5th Column of Japanese sympathizers.

Well, given that their sovereign government both declared war on us and attacked us on our soil, it was at least somewhat understandable. Back then, we had no internet, the speed of information within the intelligence community was far slower, and these things greatly limited the options regarding what could be done. Not a decision I agree with, at all, but at least it can be explained away to some degree.

 

[Wrigley]

I am moving from Texas to a city in Mississippi where the demographic breakdown is as follows:

Bet this bothers you a lot and I could not care less what you think.

• White alone 90.3%
• 5.0%Hispanic
  
• 2.0%Asian alone
  
• 1.1%Two or more races
  
• 0.4%Black alone
  
• 0.3%American Indian alone
  
• 0.2%Other race alone
  

What bothers me most about this is your food take out options.

Honey, lets order from the "two or more races" tonight

 

[Black Box]

Black Box is correct. There has always been a strong anti-immigrant movement in this country, from the Know Nothings of the 1850 to the people who warned about the "Yellow Peril" and passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, to the conservatives who complained about Jewish, Polish, and Italian immigration at the turn of the last century, to those on the west coast who demanded the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, to members of the John Birch society during the 1950s and 60s, to those overly concerned with illegal immigrants from Latin America today.

Nativism and nationalism runs deep in our society, but that doesn't mean we can't try to combat it every time it rears it's ugly, ignorant head.

I was with you up until the last sentence. It is natural to be skeptical of outsiders. It is unnatural to welcome everyone and everybody with open arms. There will always be bad actors, and a healthy skepticism is necessary to keep them from doing harm to our little group here. Just the natural order of things. I suspect that over time, we will continue to allow Syrians to settle here in controlled numbers. We will be skeptical of them, we will vet them with a wary eye out of necessity, but they will prove themselves by and large. Then they'll be up in arms when we try and bring in the next migrant group that they don't like.

So it goes, so it will be.

 

[bakes]

I am moving from Texas to a city in Mississippi where the demographic breakdown is as follows:

Bet this bothers you a lot and I could not care less what you think.

• White alone 90.3%
• 5.0%Hispanic
  
• 2.0%Asian alone
  
• 1.1%Two or more races
  
• 0.4%Black alone
  
• 0.3%American Indian alone
  
• 0.2%Other race alone
  

What bothers me most about this is your food take out options.

Eh, they just go out back and whomp a nutria in the head. It's not delivery, it's deliverance.

 

[Henry Ford]

Anyone voting 'for' willing to open their home and take in and care for a few?

Yes. Unfortunately, that's not really the way it works. But I would.

You mean if you offer to take someone in they wouldn't let you? Why?

Offer to whom? I don't have a refugee hotline where they'll just connect me to someone I can take in. These people get shuffled around a camp until they're cleared to head to a particular area, where a government-backed local charity usually deals with relocation, including housing for the person/family, etc. They don't show up in Louisiana with a duffel bag and start looking at apartments or for someone to take them in.

People found a way to rent their unused rooms to total strangers using airbnb. Giving it away can't be too hard. A google search found sites for other countries where you can offer housing. If they come to the US, I'd bet there would be sites for here as well. A search for housing in Louisiana turned up this and this. It looks like contacting Catholic Charities would get it done.

I'm not picking on you but the point is it's easy to vote 'yes' but if people really wanted to help, they could. No matter how little room or how bad someone's balance sheet looks, both are likely better than the government's.

You're welcome to pick on me using your vast knowledge of how to make this happen using a Google search and a series of suppositions.

That's not how refugee relocation works. Catholic Charities relocates people to actual places to live, it doesn't bounce them from couch to couch. They set up apartments instead.

 

[GrandpaRox]

I am moving from Texas to a city in Mississippi where the demographic breakdown is as follows:

Bet this bothers you a lot and I could not care less what you think.

• White alone 90.3%
• 5.0%Hispanic
  
• 2.0%Asian alone
  
• 1.1%Two or more races
  
• 0.4%Black alone
  
• 0.3%American Indian alone
  
• 0.2%Other race alone
  

Are you moving there BECAUSE of this breakdown?

Not really why but it certainly did not change my decision.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Black Box is correct. There has always been a strong anti-immigrant movement in this country, from the Know Nothings of the 1850 to the people who warned about the "Yellow Peril" and passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, to the conservatives who complained about Jewish, Polish, and Italian immigration at the turn of the last century, to those on the west coast who demanded the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, to members of the John Birch society during the 1950s and 60s, to those overly concerned with illegal immigrants from Latin America today.

Nativism and nationalism runs deep in our society, but that doesn't mean we can't try to combat it every time it rears it's ugly, ignorant head.

I was with you up until the last sentence. It is natural to be skeptical of outsiders. It is unnatural to welcome everyone and everybody with open arms. There will always be bad actors, and a healthy skepticism is necessary to keep them from doing harm to our little group here. Just the natural order of things. I suspect that over time, we will continue to allow Syrians to settle here in controlled numbers. We will be skeptical of them, we will vet them with a wary eye out of necessity, but they will prove themselves by and large. Then they'll be up in arms when we try and bring in the next migrant group that they don't like.

So it goes, so it will be.

Say what?

 

[Black Box]

Black Box is correct. There has always been a strong anti-immigrant movement in this country, from the Know Nothings of the 1850 to the people who warned about the "Yellow Peril" and passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, to the conservatives who complained about Jewish, Polish, and Italian immigration at the turn of the last century, to those on the west coast who demanded the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, to members of the John Birch society during the 1950s and 60s, to those overly concerned with illegal immigrants from Latin America today.

Nativism and nationalism runs deep in our society, but that doesn't mean we can't try to combat it every time it rears it's ugly, ignorant head.

I was with you up until the last sentence. It is natural to be skeptical of outsiders. It is unnatural to welcome everyone and everybody with open arms. There will always be bad actors, and a healthy skepticism is necessary to keep them from doing harm to our little group here. Just the natural order of things. I suspect that over time, we will continue to allow Syrians to settle here in controlled numbers. We will be skeptical of them, we will vet them with a wary eye out of necessity, but they will prove themselves by and large. Then they'll be up in arms when we try and bring in the next migrant group that they don't like.

So it goes, so it will be.

Say what?

The FFA. It's why we need to keep LHUCKS out.

 

[GrandpaRox]

I am moving from Texas to a city in Mississippi where the demographic breakdown is as follows:

Bet this bothers you a lot and I could not care less what you think.

• White alone 90.3%
• 5.0%Hispanic
  
• 2.0%Asian alone
  
• 1.1%Two or more races
  
• 0.4%Black alone
  
• 0.3%American Indian alone
  
• 0.2%Other race alone
  

I don't know why anyone would be bothered by that, and if you truly didn't care what we thought about it you wouldn't post it here.

You apparently don't watch the news or follow the various BLM blogs.

I b rought it up ONLY because Tim referenced it in his post about Emminence.

So put the blame where it belongs, on Tim

 

[Steve Tasker]

Black Box is correct. There has always been a strong anti-immigrant movement in this country, from the Know Nothings of the 1850 to the people who warned about the "Yellow Peril" and passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, to the conservatives who complained about Jewish, Polish, and Italian immigration at the turn of the last century, to those on the west coast who demanded the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, to members of the John Birch society during the 1950s and 60s, to those overly concerned with illegal immigrants from Latin America today.

Nativism and nationalism runs deep in our society, but that doesn't mean we can't try to combat it every time it rears it's ugly, ignorant head.

I was with you up until the last sentence. It is natural to be skeptical of outsiders. It is unnatural to welcome everyone and everybody with open arms. There will always be bad actors, and a healthy skepticism is necessary to keep them from doing harm to our little group here. Just the natural order of things. I suspect that over time, we will continue to allow Syrians to settle here in controlled numbers. We will be skeptical of them, we will vet them with a wary eye out of necessity, but they will prove themselves by and large. Then they'll be up in arms when we try and bring in the next migrant group that they don't like.

So it goes, so it will be.

I have no problem at all with natural skepticism, and anyone who says he has never stereotyped is a liar. I do have a problem with our political climate with respect to immigrants. People are literally drowning in droves trying to get away from their entire lives...but we are so worried that Abdul the pharmacist or Muhammad the farmer or Hassan the businessman is connected with radical Islam that we're willing to turn our back on the atrocity of what is happening? Like I said, I just thought we were better than this is all. Maybe we're not.

 

[GrandpaRox]

I am moving from Texas to a city in Mississippi where the demographic breakdown is as follows:

Bet this bothers you a lot and I could not care less what you think.

• White alone 90.3%
• 5.0%Hispanic
  
• 2.0%Asian alone
  
• 1.1%Two or more races
  
• 0.4%Black alone
  
• 0.3%American Indian alone
  
• 0.2%Other race alone
  

What bothers me most about this is your food take out options.

Yeah but Bay St Louis and Long Beach are really close, great seafood and Cajun food. Thanks for your concern.

 

[SWC]

hey grandparox i officially notery that is a list in my eyes take that to the bank

 

[Rohn Jambo]

It is exactly at times like this when we have to protect the values that make this a great country.

 

[Henry Ford]

I guess for Grandpa and others, we should probably discuss how refugees are re-settled.

The federal government can't conscript state governments into its refugee/relocation plans, so instead it works with local charities - often Catholic Charities because they do a huge amount of immigration work. The feds give a one-time assistance payment of about $1000 to help the family get set up. Catholic Charities (or whatever organization) keeps them in a halfway house (usually owned or long-term rented by the organization) until an apartment is found, rented, and furnished/stocked by volunteers and the family goes out and gets jobs in order to support themselves. Then they move in. Then you almost never hear about them being refugees until someone writes a feel-good piece about them.

Look through that whole thing and let me know where the part is that they should stay inside some random person's house.

 

[whoknew]

Black Box is correct. There has always been a strong anti-immigrant movement in this country, from the Know Nothings of the 1850 to the people who warned about the "Yellow Peril" and passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, to the conservatives who complained about Jewish, Polish, and Italian immigration at the turn of the last century, to those on the west coast who demanded the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, to members of the John Birch society during the 1950s and 60s, to those overly concerned with illegal immigrants from Latin America today.

Nativism and nationalism runs deep in our society, but that doesn't mean we can't try to combat it every time it rears it's ugly, ignorant head.

I was with you up until the last sentence. It is natural to be skeptical of outsiders. It is unnatural to welcome everyone and everybody with open arms. There will always be bad actors, and a healthy skepticism is necessary to keep them from doing harm to our little group here. Just the natural order of things. I suspect that over time, we will continue to allow Syrians to settle here in controlled numbers. We will be skeptical of them, we will vet them with a wary eye out of necessity, but they will prove themselves by and large. Then they'll be up in arms when we try and bring in the next migrant group that they don't like.

So it goes, so it will be.

I have no problem at all with natural skepticism, and anyone who says he has never stereotyped is a liar. I do have a problem with our political climate with respect to immigrants. People are literally drowning in droves trying to get away from their entire lives...but we are so worried that Abdul the pharmacist or Muhammad the farmer or Hassan the businessman is connected with radical Islam that we're willing to turn our back on the atrocity of what is happening? Like I said, I just thought we were better than this is all. Maybe we're not.

The problem is "we" aren't a single group of people. There are a whole ton of pr***s that live in the US. And a lot of good people. And a bunch of scared people. And rednecks.

So "we" aren't better than anything. Some of us are good. Some of us suck.

 

[Ned]

I see a lot in today's political landscape about American exceptionalism. The greatest country on the planet. Make America great again. Reigniting the promise for America. The ten most common words in presidential campaign slogans since 1828 have been: America/American, leader/leadership, change, prosperity, experience, believe, hope, future/forward/tomorrow, better, and win.

Have we forgotten what makes America exceptional? This right here is what makes America exceptional. B-Deep quoted The New Colossus earlier in this thread, and he's right. This is the country where everyone wants to be. We pride ourselves as the land of opportunity. A place where people can be free to start a business, practice their own religion, give their family a better ####### life.

This is not my grandfather's America, no doubt. The fact that we're having this discussion signals to me just how much worse it has become. Turning our backs on immigrant refugees because we're afraid a handful of them may be ISIS sympathizers (or worse) isn't making America great again. It's giving into terrorism in a dreadful xenophobic way. We're better than this, America. At least I thought we were.

I wonder how much of this is because we have access to virtually every single person's thoughts on this via social media.

 

[GrandpaRox]

hey grandparox i officially notery that is a list in my eyes take that to the bank

Didn't paste very well though.

 

[Ilov80s]

We have taken in 1.5 million immigrants from the ME since 9/11. Nothing has happened in America to make me think we should stop.

 

[Steve Tasker]

I see a lot in today's political landscape about American exceptionalism. The greatest country on the planet. Make America great again. Reigniting the promise for America. The ten most common words in presidential campaign slogans since 1828 have been: America/American, leader/leadership, change, prosperity, experience, believe, hope, future/forward/tomorrow, better, and win.

Have we forgotten what makes America exceptional? This right here is what makes America exceptional. B-Deep quoted The New Colossus earlier in this thread, and he's right. This is the country where everyone wants to be. We pride ourselves as the land of opportunity. A place where people can be free to start a business, practice their own religion, give their family a better ####### life.

This is not my grandfather's America, no doubt. The fact that we're having this discussion signals to me just how much worse it has become. Turning our backs on immigrant refugees because we're afraid a handful of them may be ISIS sympathizers (or worse) isn't making America great again. It's giving into terrorism in a dreadful xenophobic way. We're better than this, America. At least I thought we were.

I wonder how much of this is because we have access to virtually every single person's thoughts on this via social media.

Agreed.

 

[Henry Ford]

Hey, look at the French.

“Life should resume fully,” Hollande told a gathering of the country’s mayors, who gave him a standing ovation. “What would France be without its museums, without its terraces, its concerts, its sports competitions?

“France should remain as it is. Our duty is to carry on our lives.”

In the same spirit, he added, “30,000 refugees will be welcomed over the next two years. Our country has the duty to respect this commitment,” explaining that they will undergo vigorous security checks.

Hollande noted that “some people say the tragic events of the last few days have sown doubts in their minds,” but called it a “humanitarian duty” to help those people … but one that will go hand in hand with “our duty to protect our people.”

“We have to reinforce our borders while remaining true to our values,” he said.

 

[Eminence]

We have taken in 1.5 million immigrants from the ME since 9/11. Nothing has happened in America to make me think we should stop.

Boston Bombing?

 

[Tom Servo]

Lisa Daftari ‏@LisaDaftari 2h2 hours ago
Breaking: 5 Syrians arrested at airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, attempting to enter the US w/stolen Greek passports, according to police.

 

[Henry Ford]

We have taken in 1.5 million immigrants from the ME since 9/11. Nothing has happened in America to make me think we should stop.

Boston Bombing?

Agreed. No more eight-year-old immigrants!

 

[Tom Servo]

We have taken in 1.5 million immigrants from the ME since 9/11. Nothing has happened in America to make me think we should stop.

Boston Bombing?

No worries, the Tsarnev brothers passed through clean as a whistle.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

We have taken in 1.5 million immigrants from the ME since 9/11. Nothing has happened in America to make me think we should stop.

IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN?

 

[moleculo]

Lisa Daftari ‏@LisaDaftari 2h2 hours ago
Breaking: 5 Syrians arrested at airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, attempting to enter the US w/stolen Greek passports, according to police.

the system worked, I see.

 

[Nick Vermeil]

We have taken in 1.5 million immigrants from the ME since 9/11. Nothing has happened in America to make me think we should stop.

Boston Bombing?

These guys weren't from the ME I don't think.

 

[GrandpaRox]

Nah no way this would EVER happen:

Police in Honduras caught five Syrians who were trying to make their way to the United States with stolen and doctored passports, a police spokesman in Tegucigalpa told Reuters Wednesday.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Nah no way this would EVER happen:

Police in Honduras caught five Syrians who were trying to make their way to the United States with stolen and doctored passports, a police spokesman in Tegucigalpa told Reuters Wednesday.

What does that have to do with the refugees?

 

[TobiasFunke]

We have taken in 1.5 million immigrants from the ME since 9/11. Nothing has happened in America to make me think we should stop.

Boston Bombing?

Agreed. No more eight-year-old immigrants!

Also not really Middle Eastern. India stretches further east than Kyrgyzstan, which like India shares a border with China.

Lunatics and ###holes come from everywhere. And btw they don't always immigrate either- the 9/11 guys were mostly on student visas IIRC.

Like I said many pages ago, there's no "quick fix" unless you want to completely shut down travel to the United States and take ridiculous security measures at all possible points of entry. The way to limit exposure is through improved intelligence and careful, targeted military efforts along with a farsighted approach to foreign policy dedicated to winning over hearts and minds. Everything else is a placebo at best and in many cases counterproductive.

 

[GrandpaRox]

Yeah let Obama take them in.

"All of Europe should now be opposed to the migrants," said Cristian Albu, a legal expert in Romania. "We have to prevent what happened in Paris happening elsewhere."

Even some of the migrants themselves are worried about the security gaps that have come with the largest movement of refugees across European borders since World War II. Some say they fear that the same Islamic State extremists they are fleeing will infiltrate the masses of migrants, carry out more attacks and create greater distrust of legitimate asylum-seekers.

"Europe made a big mistake. They should not allow all the people," said Emile Tarabeh, a customs officer from Syria at a migrant center in Presevo, Serbia, who is hoping to reach Sweden.

 

[GrandpaRox]

Nah no way this would EVER happen:

Police in Honduras caught five Syrians who were trying to make their way to the United States with stolen and doctored passports, a police spokesman in Tegucigalpa told Reuters Wednesday.

What does that have to do with the refugees?

Oh nothing at all.

 

[Rohn Jambo]

Yes, terrorism starts when people take "Look At Me" to the extreme.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3323776/Missouri-supporters-tweet-outrage-Paris-attacks-took-spotlight-away-movement.html

 

[Chadstroma]

Not a yes or no question for me.

In general, absolutely we should accept refugees.

As we do, we need to screen them to make sure we are not accepting in people who would seek to do us harm. Even the best of the best vetting programs in ideal conditions will fail. Look at people like Nidal Hasan (Ft Hood shooter- US Army), Bradley Manning (Wikileaks- US Army), and Edward Snowden (Intelligence leaked- NSA) to name a few high profile. A vetting program for Syrian refugees has no data bases that would provide much needed data other than if the person already is on the CIA or FBI radars and we can not interview or investigate in the war torn area. The vetting process is flawed to begin with. Officials in the Obama Administration have given various warnings before all of this saying as much. We already have cases of arrests made in the US accused of plots in the name of Daesh and or other jihadist movements. So, the idea that refugees may pose a threat is not an unthinkable occurrence. So, how many can we properly screen? Not many I would think.

I also have issue with having read reports that Iraqi Christians have been denied visas. I am at a loss to explain that. The people that at most under threat and they are not allowed to come in under this administration? It does not add up.

I think we do need to accept refugees but not at the expense of common sense. The threat is not made up or imagined. The threat is real. We have to act accordingly.

 

[Quez]

I'm down with sending them some FEMA trailers, but screw letting them come here.

 

[Henry Ford]

We have taken in 1.5 million immigrants from the ME since 9/11. Nothing has happened in America to make me think we should stop.

Boston Bombing?

Agreed. No more eight-year-old immigrants!

Also not really at all Middle Eastern. India stretches further east than Kyrgyzstan, which like India shares a border with China.

Lunatics and ###holes come from everywhere. And btw they don't always immigrate either- the 9/11 guys were mostly on student visas IIRC.

Like I said many pages ago, there's no fix unless you want to completely shut down travel to the United States and take ridiculous security measures at all possible points of entry. The fix is improved intelligence and careful, targeted military efforts along with an farsighted approach to foreign policy dedicated to winning over hearts and minds. Everything else is a placebo at best and in many cases counterproductive.

Fixed. Also, they didn't come over from Kyrgyzstan

 

[B-Deep]

Not a yes or no question for me.

In general, absolutely we should accept refugees.

As we do, we need to screen them to make sure we are not accepting in people who would seek to do us harm. Even the best of the best vetting programs in ideal conditions will fail. Look at people like Nidal Hasan (Ft Hood shooter- US Army), Bradley Manning (Wikileaks- US Army), and Edward Snowden (Intelligence leaked- NSA) to name a few high profile. A vetting program for Syrian refugees has no data bases that would provide much needed data other than if the person already is on the CIA or FBI radars and we can not interview or investigate in the war torn area. The vetting process is flawed to begin with. Officials in the Obama Administration have given various warnings before all of this saying as much. We already have cases of arrests made in the US accused of plots in the name of Daesh and or other jihadist movements. So, the idea that refugees may pose a threat is not an unthinkable occurrence. So, how many can we properly screen? Not many I would think.

I also have issue with having read reports that Iraqi Christians have been denied visas. I am at a loss to explain that. The people that at most under threat and they are not allowed to come in under this administration? It does not add up.

I think we do need to accept refugees but not at the expense of common sense. The threat is not made up or imagined. The threat is real. We have to act accordingly.

we cannot actually want to consider one's religion when considering if they can come to this country. That's about as clearly unconstitutional as I can think of.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Yeah let Obama take them in.

"All of Europe should now be opposed to the migrants," said Cristian Albu, a legal expert in Romania. "We have to prevent what happened in Paris happening elsewhere."

Even some of the migrants themselves are worried about the security gaps that have come with the largest movement of refugees across European borders since World War II. Some say they fear that the same Islamic State extremists they are fleeing will infiltrate the masses of migrants, carry out more attacks and create greater distrust of legitimate asylum-seekers.

"Europe made a big mistake. They should not allow all the people," said Emile Tarabeh, a customs officer from Syria at a migrant center in Presevo, Serbia, who is hoping to reach Sweden.

Well, I'm sold.