A Deeply Fractured US

[kkwd]

I watched his address and I don’t think he did himself any favours.

It was very sad to see him talk about his son Beau.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I see a couple of possibilities.

Congress and the Senate grow some balls and remove him because the SC says he's too frail to withstand a trial. Surely someone has the backbone to sell it. Demand a cognitive test. Failing requires removal.

The SC says "OK, you say your good? Fine, we'll go to trial."

Either way, he should be toast. The SC also didn't exonerate him. They listed lots of lawbreaking. They said it just wasn't worth bringing a mental deficiet to trial.


Biden broke the law and unlawfully retained secret documents, he had zero business having, stored on the floor of the garage,

 

[FJAG]

Biden broke the law and unlawfully retained secret documents, he had zero business having, stored on the floor of the garage,

So did Trump - send them both to trial - win-win for America.

 

[CBH99]

I finally figured out Biden's strategy. It's genius (albeit dangerous and has the potential to cause long lasting damage to the country).

Recently I asked on here what Biden had to gain by allowing this border crisis to spiral. It only seemed to give the Republicans more political ammunition.

Well, consider this first: the US southern border has ALWAYS been an issue. When you are the rich "land of opportunity" with a large difficult to secure border that is adjacent to dozens of poor countries, you're going to have a level of illegal immigration higher than most places in the world. Republicans know this, and they love using the border it as a cudgel to win political points over Democrats. However, Republicans being the dishonest opportunists they are never wanted to actually solve the border crisis. Any meaningful changes during the Biden administration would be nothing more than a win for Biden, and this strategy works because they know in reality the level of illegal immigration (while higher than they might want) poses very little actual danger to the fundamental fabric of the country. There simply wasn't a real crisis, and Republicans knew it.

Biden wants Ukraine aide. Republicans want border reform in exchange, except they really don't; they just want to keep using the border as a political tool.

So, how does Biden get around this? He turns the border into an ACTUAL crisis, so much so that not even Machiavellian Republicans would dare obstruct legitimate efforts to fix it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1751044359569490418

View attachment 82707

The southern border has always been an issue, absolutely.

The last few years (decade +) the levels of illegal immigration has steadily increased, as well as the amount of drugs coming up through the border and hitting American streets.

Add violent cartels to the mix, operating on both sides of the border, and the southern border is worthy of a real national focus by law enforcement, national guards, and federal funding for whatever tools needed to keep it secure and safe.

(At roughly 350 million people, I'd suggest the US could and should put a grinding halt to anybody crossing their southern border right away. They have enough people trying to immigrate legally to keep their population stats fairly healthy)


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Where the current situation differs from that of the past is a Border Patrol that has been directed by the federal government to receive them, process them, and allow them to continue on their way, rather than turn thaw

They've even gone as far as to make a path through various barriers set up by the State of Texas to assist the illegal immigrants through the barriers and into the country.

(The same illegal immigrants they are supposed to be intercepting & turning away. This is unprecedented.)

That, and the sheer number of people coming up through the border is staggering...millions upon millions of people. Year after year. The numbers are absolutely enough to change the demographics In drastic ways.


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One of the consequences of a Border Patrol that allows them in, a federal government that sets them up financially and with a phone, and then allows them to enter...is we have stuff happening like the kids in NY state who got booted from their school because the state decided to house migrants in the school.

American kids have to stop going to school, in America, because a bunch of people who should have been turned away at the border are instead being housed in said school...

Or areas where American citizens have trouble accessing hospitals because they are already full with migrants who, again, shouldn't be in the US in the first place...

If enough of these issues persist for long enough, protests will inevitably start. And the dynamic will be incorrectly painted as a racism issue, when it is in fact a quality of life issue


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US intelligence has already identified several individuals from the Terrorism Watchlist who have entered the United States because of what's happening.

The Afghan government (aka Taliban government) have issued legal passports to individuals (knowingly issuing them in a false name with false info) for the specific purpose of entering the United States to commit terrorism (according to Sarah Adam's, former CIA targeting officer, who knows her stuff)

It's just going to take ONE terror attack at a busy Wal-Mart or shopping mall, and the US is going to be spun upside down.

Legal and administrative chaos will be instant. A struggling retail market will be hit hard by consumers who will just order online rather than risk getting killed to go down the road and buy something in store - which will lead to massive market disruptions & additional challenges in the commercial real estate market.

That, and the justified fear many will have, will be amplified many many times by a news media that thrives on creating fear.

Politicians will feel expected to 'do something' to quell those fears, and who knows what that may look like...


_______________________________________


I know the above may sound alarmist, and my imaginary scenario snowballed into some big cataclysm at a time when neither the US nor Canada can really handle any less morale nationally.

But I see the above scenario, or a similar version, likely to happen. I almost guarantee it will.

Just look at the recent attack on 2 NYPD officers & the suspects being released on no-cash bail, the accused looking smug as they gave everybody the middle finger as they walked out of the courthouse as free people...

This is just the beginning of the high profile incidents, not to mention the countless that will happen that the media won't/can't cover.

And just wait until some average person defends themselves against an attack from one of these migrants, and finds themselves behind bars & not the attacker...que massive nationwide protests all over again


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Ultimately, I appreciate your view on the issue and I wish it was an innocent matter of politicians using the issue as a prop to try to score points over each other.

I have no doubt that each party see's the border crisis as an opportunity to win voters, and that opportunity is right now with the election this year.

But make no mistake, this isn't some long standing issue being presented as a crisis for short term political gain. This is a crisis that will have very real consequences for America even if it ended tomorrow.




Rant of the day....doonneee!!

 

[mariomike]

The numbers are absolutely enough to change the demographics In drastic ways.

Even at the water park. < comedy satire

 

[Fishbone Jones]

I just learned that the first step of his removal is a recommendation by Harris. If she doesn't say anything Biden remains POTUS. The cabinet become the approver of her recommendation.

 

[FJAG]

The southern border has always been an issue, absolutely.

The last few years (decade +) the levels of illegal immigration has steadily increased, as well as the amount of drugs coming up through the border and hitting American streets.

Actually, its only been recently that more Mexican came into the US than left to go back to Mexico.

Prior to 2000 there was a massive influx. For the first decade and a half of this century, more Mexicans left the US than came in. Since the turn of the century there has been a rough parity of between those entering and leaving. The US has not been overrun by brown people in the last two decades.

Before COVID-19, more Mexicans came to the U.S. than left for Mexico for the first time in years

An estimated 870,000 Mexican migrants came to the U.S. between 2013-18, while an estimated 710,000 left the U.S. for Mexico during that time.

www.pewresearch.org

I'm not saying that a country shouldn't do something to stop illegal immigration, it clearly should, but this has become a racial dog whistle issue on the part of certain members of US society well beyond the issue that it is.

 

[Brad Sallows]

I'm not saying that a country shouldn't do something to stop illegal immigration, it clearly should, but this has become a racial dog whistle issue on the part of certain members of US society well beyond the issue that it is.

Illegal immigration has been a significant problem since Reagan and O'Neill negotiated their deal. That's almost 40 years. I can see from the reports that the border communities are under strain, and that people aren't happy with criminals coming into the country and thumbing their noses at authorities. Not exactly something anyone should rush to hide behind skirts of "racism!". Undoubtedly there are some racialists out there. I wonder where we slot the people who want inexpensive brown people to do their house and yard work and nanny their children, and what kind of political allegiances such people have. Might be surprising.

Generally if you hear a whistle, you're the dog.

 

[KevinB]

So how’s Trump’s wall doing then ?

 

[Brad Sallows]

So how’s Trump’s wall doing then ?

Last few weeks, I've read a few articles citing Democrats who want at least part of one built. Ask them.

 

[KevinB]

Last few weeks, I've read a few articles citing Democrats who want at least part of one built. Ask them.

Honestly I’m a fan of a wall, with set crossing points. It just makes sense. My comment on the Trump wall, was that it really just enriched some of his buddies as opposed to doing anything.

 

[Remius]

Honestly I’m a fan of a wall, with set crossing points. It just makes sense. My comment on the Trump wall, was that it really just enriched some of his buddies as opposed to doing anything.

Mexico certainly didn’t pay for it…

 

[Fishbone Jones]

The WH Counsel is currently on stage pleading the case for Biden. They are slamming their own DOJ report on bidens condition. The WH is opining that there is nothing wrong and the SC was out of bounds.

The SC said a number of biden's moves were illegal, but it wouldn't be fair to put him on trial because of his infirmity. Not that he didn't do anything illegal.

I think this would be too easy to settle. If the WH continues to back biden's brain, saying he's fine, then put him on trial for his alleged crimes.

They are trying to spin the fact that he gave everything back as soon as it was found. There is some discrepancy on that one.

What they aren't spinning is that he stole documents, some top secret, some from SCIFs, all stored against protocol. None of which he was entitled to as Senator or as VP. The excuse that it was the packers fault is ridiculous. He shouldn't have had them in the first place.

 

[Good2Golf]

So how’s Trump’s wall doing then ?

…aside from a few anomalies, pretty fortress like they say.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

<sarcasm>
Jeez Kev, it looks like you're working for the WH! Trying to divert the conversation away from your POTUS mental capacity. At least you're not blaming it on a childhood stutter.
</sarcasm>

 

[Brad Sallows]

Mexico certainly didn’t pay for it…

Maybe Egypt will. They are practically the same thing, it seems.

 

[KevinB]

<sarcasm>
Jeez Kev, it looks like you're working for the WH! Trying to divert the conversation away from your POTUS mental capacity. At least you're not blaming it on a childhood stutter.
</sarcasm>

Hey I’m the first to admit neither party’s front runner is viable.

 

[mariomike]

Hey I’m the first to admit neither party’s front runner is viable.

The 25th Ammendment, and the Goldwater Rule, have been in the news for the past 8 years.

Goldwater rule - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

My bet would be on their chances of biological survival until 2029, rather than political.

So how’s Trump’s wall doing then ?

Speaking of border security, apparently there was a "Take our border back" trucker convoy.

 

[Kirkhill]

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2024/02/09/poll_shows_biden_border_policy_has_backfired_with_latinos_150463.html

A poll by the University of Houston was released last week on the prospects for the March primary elections and the November general election in Texas. The poll unsurprisingly projected that Biden and Trump were headed to another showdown in November, and that Trump was leading Biden in that rematch by 9% in Texas. However, what I suspect the Biden campaign team found shocking was that Biden was losing to Trump with Latino voters by a 47-41 margin. Only 55% of Latino Democratic primary voters said they were committed to vote for Biden. The other 45% were undecided.

First, there is no monolithic “Latino community.” Those of Mexican American heritage are the predominant group but there are also Americans from every other country in Central and South America. And they all have very different perspectives on just about every aspect of life, and especially on politics.

Even among those whose families originally immigrated from Mexico there are vast differences. I have a Latino friend who is a sixth-generation Texan. He joked with me one day that he didn’t know he was a “minority” until he went to college. I can assure you that his views on immigration are very different than a recent immigrant from Mexico who is trying to get the other family members into the country.

In a recent UT poll, 71% of Latinos supported “tightening U.S. border security and providing Border Patrol with increased technology, infrastructure, and personnel.” That was not far behind whites at 85% and African Americans at 81%.

But......

But there is nuance in the polling. While Latinos generally feel about the same as their non-Latino neighbors regarding the state of the border, their views on other immigration issues vary significantly. For example, only 29% support the immediate deportation of immigrants here illegally, with 41% strongly opposed. That compares to 51% of whites who support immediate deportation. Similarly, 68% of Latinos support a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants compared to 56% of whites. 61% of Latinos support harsher penalties for employers who hire workers here illegally compared to 82% of whites. Latinos also support a continuation of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, often referred to as Dreamers) at significantly higher levels than whites.

Tighten the border (build the wall)

Whites - 85%
Blacks - 81%
Latinos - 71%

Immediate deportation of illegal entrants

Whites - 51%
Latinos - 29%

Pathway to citizenship for illegals

Whites - 56%
Latinos - 68%

Penalties for employers hiring illegals

Whites - 82%
Latinos - 61%

Observations -

I suspect -

That Latinos show a high tendency to keep a strong border is to reduce the amount of trouble in their lives. The local Latino population that looks like the incoming population are the first people that will be impacted by negative attitudes. If you are a 6th generation American of Hidalgo origin it isn't going to matter if you look like a someone that just waded across the Rio Grande.

Similar thinking is likely to colour attitudes on pathways and punishments. Any procedures that impact the illegals in their day to day lives are likely to impact that 6th generation Hidalgo. Another check stop. Another set of documents to show. Another inconvenience, annoyance, aggravation.

The Old Stock Mexican Americans are also likely to be the ones most likely exposed to the impacts of crime in their neighbourhoods and competition in their schools because the incomers will go to the neighbourhoods where they can be understood.

....

Then you have the Cubanos and Venezuelanos who escaped Castro and Chavez. I haven't met many of them that were kindly disposed to anything that looked like socialism.

....

People come to America because it is America and not the place they came from. Once here they are looking for the same thing that all the rest of us are looking for - a quiet life.

 

[Remius]

Maybe Egypt will. They are practically the same thing, it seems.

Yes. Both crappy candidates seem to be geographically and memory deficient. I really don’t envy Americans going into the election. Senile clueless old guy and senile dangerous old guy.

Give me the crab juice…