Donald Trump, Racist or just Loved by Racists?

This column in the Washington Post (#NotFakeNews) by the great Dave Zirin pretty much says everything needed about the Jemele Hill ESPN kerfuffle. I could write a long column but I'll just let Dave, who is a professional sportswriter express my feelings. Just click on the link below.

No, Jemele Hill should not be fired. That's what happens in countries like Russia, Turkey, and many other autocratic countries.

Here's a link to an article full of great information about "Dreamers"


Dreamers, Who are they and where do they come from?


Read the previous article too!!!

The Straw that Broke My Back

I would like to write a few word about the actions taken by the inhabitant of the White House that are the “straw that broke this camel’s back.”

I’m not interested in the legalities of President Obama’s executive order. I’m not a constitutional expert or attorney. I’m just a fat old guy who has reached a point of extreme disgust at the actions of the inhabitant of the White House. There have been too many horrible actions perpetrated by this person since January 20 but the decision to end DACA is the most horrible as far as I’m concerned. Never mind that he has no clue what he’s doing on most days. He certainly has no clue what DACA is all about. I would willingly give $1000.00 to any journalist who would as him to define DACA. There is no way in the world he would even be able to answer what those four letters stand for, much less what the program means and the requirements that must be met to be accepted into the program.

Attorney General Sessions Remarks on DACA on September 5, 2017

https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-sessions-delivers-remarks-daca

On September 5, 2017 the inhabitant of the White House sent his Attorney General to deliver the decision on DACA. With a huge smile and an attitude of glee not seen since a television advertisement featuring his fellow Keebler Elves back in 2012 Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III delivered a statement filled with lies, bullshit, and inflammatory statements.

In his second paragraph he uttered the term “illegal alien.” This is the preferred term used by the   “conservative press.” I have a huge problem with denigrating immigrants by using this term. Not because of “political correctness” but because it is incorrect and dehumanizing.

Let’s all just take a breath and unpack that term.

Calling somebody an illegal alien should never be the wording that you use. Not because it’s not “politically correct” but because those two words completely dehumanize the situation that these people are in and the hardships they have endured.

We don’t call people who come to the U.S. via the legal channels “legal aliens” we call them Americans. They gave up their old lives in order to work for a better life in the United States.

At the end of the day, every single undocumented immigrant in this country is a person. Can we all agree that? Which means they can’t be illegal. No human being is illegal. And just like no human being can be illegal, no human being can be alien. I don’t care how the dictionary defines “alien”, in everyday speech, alien is use to define something not from this world. These immigrants are very clearly from this world.

The first lie, in the 5th paragraph:

“The effect of this unilateral executive amnesty, among other things, contributed to a surge of unaccompanied minors on the southern border that yielded terrible humanitarian consequences. It also denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing those same jobs to go to illegal aliens.”

There's that term again, “illegal aliens.”

There was a surge of unaccompanied minors on the Southern border in 2012. Most of them teens however many were as young as five years of age. The majority of these minors were from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. These children were fleeing conditions of horror and violence. None of these children met the requirements for DACA despite the words of the AG.

DACA was enacted as the result of an Executive Order signed by President Obama in June 2012. As of June 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had received 844,931 initial applications for DACA status, of which 741,546 (88%) were approved, 60,269 (7%) were denied, and 43,121 (5%) were pending. Over half of those accepted reside in California and Texas.

There seems to be some confusion about the eligibility and requirements to be accepted into DACA. This is a list of the requirements:

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) Regulations

From the National Immigration Law Center

https://www.nilc.org/issues/daca/faqdeferredactionyouth/

Who is eligible for an initial grant of DACA?

To be eligible for deferred action under the DACA program, you must:

A. Have come to the United States before your sixteenth birthday.

B.  Have lived continuously in the U.S. since June 15, 2007.

C.  Have been present in the U.S. on June 15, 2012, and on every day since August 15, 2012.

D.  Not have a lawful immigration status on June 15, 2012. To meet this requirement, (1) you             must have entered the U.S. without papers before June 15, 2012, or, if you entered lawfully, your lawful immigration status must have expired before June 15, 2012; and (2) you must not have a lawful immigration status at the time you apply for DACA.

E.  Be at least 15 years old at the time you apply for DACA. If you are currently in deportation proceedings, have a voluntary departure order, or have a deportation order, and are not in immigration detention, you may apply for DACA even if you are not yet 15 years old.

F.  Have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, be an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or U.S. armed forces, or “be in school” on the date you submit your DACA application. See below for more information about meeting the “be in school” requirement.

H.  Have not been convicted of a felony offense. A felony is a federal, state, or local criminal offense punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year.

I. Have not been convicted of a significant misdemeanor offense or three or more misdemeanor offenses. See below for more information about offenses that may disqualify you.

J.  Not pose a threat to national security or public safety. DHS has not defined precisely what these terms mean but has indicated that they include gang membership, participation in criminal activities, or participation in activities that threaten the U.S.


So, as you can see. all of those who were part of the surge of unaccompanied minors on the Southern border in 2012 are NOT ELIGIBLE FOR DACA.

One of the other misperceptions is that these immigrants are taking jobs away from Americans. The fact of the matter is that immigrants who are covered under DACA are, in many cases, enrolled in college, serving in the armed forces, are teachers or working in other professions and are paying taxes supporting families.

Many who came here as children speak only English, have no memories of any other home, and have children who were born in the United States. They now are in danger because they paid money to apply for DACA. They completed detailed applications and now have given the US Government their addresses.

So, what are we as a country? Have we lost our minds? Have we given up our morality? Are we going to deport hard working young adults? Are we going to deport children who are American citizens?

I know what I feel. I feel total disgust and embarrassment. I’m ashamed.

How do you feel?