Slouching Towards Oblivion

Showing posts with label us vs them. Show all posts
Showing posts with label us vs them. Show all posts

Friday, September 16, 2022

The Stunts

Keep in mind that Republicans have had more than a few chances to sit down with the Democrats and hammer something out that at least updates an immigration "system" that's admittedly cumbersome and clunky and badly in need of overhaul. They refuse.

And I think that refusal is not because they're "playing hardball". If that was the case, we'd almost have to have something that works better by now.

So I'm left thinking that Republicans don't want to make it better.

For decades, part of their election strategy has been to keep the rubes amped up, so they'll turn out to vote for the guys who make life miserable for people they don't like - so they'll think they're OK, cuz "at least I've got it better'n them brown folks".



Migrants flown to Martha's Vineyard by Florida governor say they were misled

MARTHA'S VINEYARD, Mass., Sept 15 - Some migrants who were flown to the wealthy island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, said on Thursday they were duped about their destination, and Democratic leaders called for a probe of the move by Florida's Republican governor to send them there from Texas.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is up for re-election in November and seen as a possible presidential contender in 2024, took credit for the two flights, which originated in San Antonio, Texas, and stopped in Florida on the way to Martha's Vineyard.

The White House and residents of the vacation enclave called it a "political stunt," as DeSantis joins Republican governors from Texas and Arizona in sending migrants north. The governors have sought to highlight the two parties' differences on immigration policy and shift the burden of caring for immigrants to Democratic areas.

For months Texas and Arizona have sent busloads of migrants to the Democratic-run cities of New York, Chicago and Washington.

Florida now joins the campaign. Details of how the flights were arranged and paid for remain unclear, as well as an explanation as to why Florida was moving migrants in Texas. The Florida legislature has appropriated $12 million to transport migrants from the state to other locations.

The two flights on Wednesday carried about 50 migrants, mostly Venezuelans, a Martha's Vineyard Airport official said.

Hours after the planes landed, two buses sent by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, another Republican facing re-election, dropped off migrants in a Washington neighborhood not far from Vice President Kamala Harris' official residence on Thursday.

One Venezuelan migrant who arrived at Martha's Vineyard identified himself as Luis, 27, and said he and nine relatives were promised a flight to Massachusetts, along with shelter, support for 90 days, help with work permits and English lessons. He said they were surprised when their flight landed on an island.

He said the promises came from a woman who gave her name as "Perla" who approached his family on the street outside a San Antonio shelter after they crossed from Mexico and U.S. border authorities released them with an immigration court date.

He said the woman, who also put them up in a hotel, did not provide a last name or any affiliation, but asked them to sign a liability waiver.

"We are scared," he said, adding he and others felt they were lied to. "I hope they give us help."

Residents of Martha's Vineyard rallied to aid the confused migrants and offered housing at St. Andrews Episcopal Church.

Martha's Vineyard is best known as a summer retreat populated mostly by affluent liberal Americans, including former President Barack Obama, a Democrat who owns a multimillion-dollar vacation home there.

Locals stopped by to donate money and children's toys, while attorneys mobilized to offer free legal help.

"It's a stunt to make political points and not caring about who gets hurt," said Mike Savoy, 58, a nurse at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School.

DeSantis defended the flights, telling a news conference that Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden "has refused to lift a finger" to secure the border.

"We've worked on innovative ways to be able to protect the state of Florida from the impact of Biden's border policies," DeSantis said.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Republican governors were using migrants as "political pawns."

LEGAL QUESTIONS

Several Democrats, including Charlie Crist, DeSantis' opponent in Florida, and California Governor Gavin Newsom, called on federal authorities to investigate.

Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said at a news conference her office would be "looking into that case" and speaking with the Justice Department.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security developed a plan last year to fly migrants to interior cities in coordination with aid groups to ease pressure on border regions, a Biden administration official told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss internal planning.

The White House never adopted the idea, according to a second U.S. official familiar with the matter.

The use of resources from Florida to move migrants from Texas to Massachusetts raises legal concerns, including about what information was relayed to the migrants before they boarded and whether they were coerced, said immigration law expert Pratheepan Gulasekaram of Santa Clara University School of Law.


U.S. border agents have made 1.8 million migrant arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border since last October. Many are quickly expelled to Mexico or other countries under a public health rule implemented in 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19.

But hundreds of thousands Cubans, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans and others cannot be expelled because Mexico refuses to accept them, or because they can pursue asylum claims.

Many migrants who are released from U.S. custody in border states seek to move elsewhere to join relatives or find jobs. They often must check in with U.S. immigration authorities or attend court hearings to obtain legal status.

Monday, July 11, 2016

Everybody's Doin' It

...so why should I be any different?  

This pic is "important", partly because certain Photo Editors have told us it's important, but I think there may be quite a bit more to it than that.


28-year-old Ieshia Evans, Baton Rouge, July 2016

First, if you show up dressed like you're looking for trouble, I have to think maybe you're looking for trouble.

Along those lines, the feeling of invulnerability the cops have to get from wearing their Play Date Suits* can cause them to be a lot less likely to avoid trouble - and actually, most people become far more likely to start trouble because of that feeling of invulnerability.

(*available at fine Cop Shop outlets everywhere for as little as $400 each - up to $1000 depending on options. And be sure to identify yourself as Military or Police or Security, because they don't sell this shit to just anybody, y'know)


So, do we need to look any further than what seems obvious here?  Do we really have to ask why people get fucked up and fucked over by a police force comprised of officers equipped for urban warfare and trained to deal with American citizens as if they're the enemy?

The shitty little irony is that those cops are convinced they're protecting Ms Evans - nobody seems able to clearly identify exactly what they're protecting her from (which means there's a high probability they're just rationalizing their behavior), but if she's not ridiculously careful, they're gonna protect her to death.  In the end, who protects any of us from our protectors?

And ain't that all kinds of pretty fucked up right there?

Monday, October 06, 2014

Get HBO Right Now

...if for no better reason that to catch John Oliver (most) every Sunday at 11pm.



And again - how come it seems like the "comedy" shows are the only ones on TV where you can get some real news about some of the real shit going on up in this joint?

hat tip = Wonkette