Why children are being taken from their families - the simple facts and other Saturday stuff
Donald Trump is claiming that it is a law passed by Democrats that is causing the separation of children from their families at the border. That's false on its face. It is the policy of his administration to choose to prosecute every person who violates our borders. That is a change of policy from previous administrations.
Is there even a kernel of truth in his claim? The last major legislation on immigration was the Immigration Control Act of 1990. It passed the House with more votes from Democrats than Republicans. But it passed the Senate with more votes from Republicans than Democrats. It was introduced by a Democrat, the late Ted Kennedy. If we want to fix blame on this law, shouldn't we blame the person who signed it, President George H. W. Bush?
The problem isn't the law. The law contains no provision requiring the separation of families at the border. It is the policy of Trump's administration to choose to prosecute every person that is forcing those separations.
There was a lawsuit, Reno v Flores where a settlement was reached in 1997. In the settlement, the INS, among other things, agreed to:
"...treat all minors in its custody with dignity, respect and special concern for their particular vulnerability as minors."
Some who support the actions of Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump in this zero-tolerance policy are trying to compare the separation of families to situations where a parent is being jailed for a crime and there is no one to care for that parent's children. It isn't the same. The old system worked.
Trump is doing what he's doing because he campaigned on it. Because it is an issue that appeals strongly to his core constituency. Because it distracts us from issues he doesn't want us to focus on.
He doesn't give a damn about the children, in spite of his statements to the contrary.
As for the notion that this was a new idea, consider this video of then Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly talking about using the separation of families as a deterrent.
* * *
Speaking of videos, a SnapChat video cost a 20 year old Missouri woman her waitressing job and her position in the Air Force Reserve.
You can see the video here. Even censored, it is still not suitable for me to insert here in and of itself.
20 year old Tabitha Duncan denied being a racist, saying she had engaged in under-age drinking and done "something stupid."
In vino veritas, Ms Duncan.
* * *
Do you know who this man is? He approached a black woman and her daughter who were swimming in a pool at the Westin Hotel in Pasadena and asked if they'd showered before entering the pool. He did not pose this question to the other guests who were swimming in the pool, none of whom were black. He claimed to be from the health department.
If impersonating a government official is a crime, he should be prosecuted.
* * *
In the next week, I will find time to go take my own picture of this.
That's a mural on the side of Grammercy Bar in Santa Monica. Great tribute to Anthony Bourdain.
* * *
In honor of today being the 40th anniversary of the release of Grease, here's some trivia from the film.
John Travolta did do the play on Broadway, but he played the goofball "Doody" rather than the lead "Danny Zuko."
Among the major cast members, only Lorenzo Lamas was under 20 years of age when the movie was shot.
Jeff Conaway had a major crush on Olivia Newton-John and actually wound up marrying her sister, Rona Newton-John.
"Teen Angel" (Frankie Avalon) sings "wipe off that Angel Face and go back to high school." Angel Face was a brand of makeup popular at the time. Here's one of their ads from a 1960 issue of Life Magazine.
Deep Throat star Harry Reems was cast in the role of the Coach. Sid Caesar replaced him after Reems' work in porn threatened the film's box office success.
* * *
Rudy Guiliani has no room to talk about Joe Biden being mentally deficient considering Rudy's own displays of mental midgetdom.
* * *
Morgan Stanley is estimating that tax refunds next year will be over $60 billion more than this year, due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. They may be right. What will happen to all that "extra" money hitting wallets in a short time? We'll have to wait and see.
Is there even a kernel of truth in his claim? The last major legislation on immigration was the Immigration Control Act of 1990. It passed the House with more votes from Democrats than Republicans. But it passed the Senate with more votes from Republicans than Democrats. It was introduced by a Democrat, the late Ted Kennedy. If we want to fix blame on this law, shouldn't we blame the person who signed it, President George H. W. Bush?
The problem isn't the law. The law contains no provision requiring the separation of families at the border. It is the policy of Trump's administration to choose to prosecute every person that is forcing those separations.
There was a lawsuit, Reno v Flores where a settlement was reached in 1997. In the settlement, the INS, among other things, agreed to:
"...treat all minors in its custody with dignity, respect and special concern for their particular vulnerability as minors."
Some who support the actions of Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump in this zero-tolerance policy are trying to compare the separation of families to situations where a parent is being jailed for a crime and there is no one to care for that parent's children. It isn't the same. The old system worked.
Trump is doing what he's doing because he campaigned on it. Because it is an issue that appeals strongly to his core constituency. Because it distracts us from issues he doesn't want us to focus on.
He doesn't give a damn about the children, in spite of his statements to the contrary.
As for the notion that this was a new idea, consider this video of then Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly talking about using the separation of families as a deterrent.
* * *
Speaking of videos, a SnapChat video cost a 20 year old Missouri woman her waitressing job and her position in the Air Force Reserve.
You can see the video here. Even censored, it is still not suitable for me to insert here in and of itself.
20 year old Tabitha Duncan denied being a racist, saying she had engaged in under-age drinking and done "something stupid."
In vino veritas, Ms Duncan.
* * *
If impersonating a government official is a crime, he should be prosecuted.
* * *
Random Ponderings
In the next week, I will find time to go take my own picture of this.
That's a mural on the side of Grammercy Bar in Santa Monica. Great tribute to Anthony Bourdain.
* * *
In honor of today being the 40th anniversary of the release of Grease, here's some trivia from the film.
John Travolta did do the play on Broadway, but he played the goofball "Doody" rather than the lead "Danny Zuko."
Among the major cast members, only Lorenzo Lamas was under 20 years of age when the movie was shot.
Jeff Conaway had a major crush on Olivia Newton-John and actually wound up marrying her sister, Rona Newton-John.
"Teen Angel" (Frankie Avalon) sings "wipe off that Angel Face and go back to high school." Angel Face was a brand of makeup popular at the time. Here's one of their ads from a 1960 issue of Life Magazine.
* * *
Rudy Guiliani has no room to talk about Joe Biden being mentally deficient considering Rudy's own displays of mental midgetdom.
* * *
Morgan Stanley is estimating that tax refunds next year will be over $60 billion more than this year, due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. They may be right. What will happen to all that "extra" money hitting wallets in a short time? We'll have to wait and see.
posted by me at 7:35 AM
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