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The Republican Utopia


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As for me, I've never understood why, in a country where these protected status things aren't supposed to matter, those are always the first questions on virtually any federal form. And it's been that way for a long, long time. If it doesn't matter, why ask?

I have to say, I don't know why a lot of things are on a lot of forms.

 

If the Feds don't ask, they can't keep stats on all kinds of things, like crimes for example. It's not just about a crime being committed, it's about who's committing those crimes, where they're congregated, stuff like that. They can put a stronger police presence in areas that need it.

 

Now, don't run with that specific ball because it happened to be the first example that popped in my head. Here's another: Whether you know it or not, the cookies on your computer are collecting data about you every time you click a page. They use that data to tailor ads to you. The Feds use the data from those forms to tailor aid to areas where it will be most effective.

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Are the Syrians coming to America even immigrants? Or are they refugees? Because there's a distinction, and that would throw a wrench into the (weird) claim more Muslims immigrated to America than Christians.I'd also, still, like to know why we're drawing a distinction between religions.

Sorry, I just noticed this question went unanswered.

I wasn't the one drawing the religion distinction. That was text I copied and pasted from the linked source. I don't know why the US government started making religious affiliation data available in 2002. Maybe we should ask NoCo, he's up to date on federal regulations and such. (Sorry, still being snarky) As for me, I've never understood why, in a country where these protected status things aren't supposed to matter, those are always the first questions on virtually any federal form. And it's been that way for a long, long time. If it doesn't matter, why ask?

 

No worries. I wasn't directing that question at you, just asking in general. CNCH answered me on the last page. It's a good conversation, if you missed it.

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And, you're seriously asking about "what violence" when looking at the Women's March website and don't get it? I don't get your question. You think violence against women is a thing in the past?

 

And do you think it wasn't topical for them?

 

"The administration is looking to eliminate all 25 grant programs that are managed by the Justice Departments Office of Violence Against Women."

 

I'm pro-life, btw.

 

Sorry, you misunderstood me. I wasn't saying "what violence?" in terms of women. I was talking about the website focusing on police violence as if it's some sort of epidemic.

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And, you're seriously asking about "what violence" when looking at the Women's March website and don't get it? I don't get your question. You think violence against women is a thing in the past?

 

And do you think it wasn't topical for them?

 

"The administration is looking to eliminate all 25 grant programs that are managed by the Justice Departments Office of Violence Against Women."

 

I'm pro-life, btw.

Sorry, you misunderstood me. I wasn't saying "what violence?" in terms of women. I was talking about the website focusing on police violence as if it's some sort of epidemic.

My bad, but it's weird that people pretend it's not an issue at all by saying things like "what violence?"

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I challenge anyone skeptical of the US vetting process already in place (looking at you, ED) to read that piece with an open mind. Really, everyone should read it.

It's a recollection of the process of going through the vetting process by a Syrain refugee who lived it. It really sheds light on how profoundly ignorant our new leader was when he led people over the "“People are pouring in from regions of the Middle East. We have no idea who they are, where they come from" cliff.

 

Some things that really stood out to me:

 

 

My family grew accustomed to waiting – who knew when we would receive the next phone call? Maybe if we were rejected, we never would be told? I now know that as the months rolled by, I was being screened by any number of U.S. agencies, such as the State Department, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center, to name a few. For cases of Syrian refugees specifically, the Department of Homeland Security conducts an enhanced review.

 

Syrian refugees were in fact treated more carefully than other immigrants.

 

 

Finally, after nearly a year and a half of being poked and prodded, physically and figuratively, I had been given clearance to start a new life in the United States. The U.S. government by then had a complete picture of who I am and who I’ve been. Getting through the five interviews was truly an exercise of autobiography, and if you told me beforehand the depth and breadth of United States’ vetting process, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. It was definitely extreme.

 

But not everyone in my family was given the same offer to move to the U.S. Only my sister and I were granted the opportunity, and my sister decided she didn’t want to part with her parents and other siblings. As for my mom and the others, after the final interview, they never heard back from the American resettlement agency. Luckily, they eventually received offers from other countries; my mom, my brother and one of my sisters are in Sweden, I have another sister in Germany, and my father is still in Turkey but hopes to join my mom in Sweden soon.

 

People don't just "pour" in. In this fellow's case, only two members of his family were granted a new life here. Only one of them took the opportunity. The rest found asylum throughout Europe. Hopefully the father does as well.

 

 

President Trump knows both who I am and where I’m from, and a whole lot more. If there is something else he’d like to know – anything short of my family renouncing its Syrian and Muslim identities – I can’t imagine what it might be.

 

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It’s almost beyond belief to me that anyone could mischaracterize the U.S. government’s vetting process as weak and insufficient, when it’s clearly anything but, to justify shutting the gate to millions of Syrian refugees. There is no way to look at my experience and the experience of tens of thousands of other refugees living in America and conclude that the country’s vetting system is not exhaustive and thorough.

 

To me, the real rationale behind Friday’s executive order is obvious: The president and his supporters do not trust people like me. Being both Syrian and Muslim (though I'm not personally religious) makes me doubly suspicious. I’m happy to be in the United States, a country I love. But it saddens me deeply to see what is happening here.

 

This is the most dressed-down, direct condemnation of the move I've seen, and I heartily agree.

 

This was a move made of ignorance, not rooted in fact or knowledge, made to appeal to a group of people who have likewise been led to ignore facts and be similarly ignorant. There is a human cost to closing our borders to those seeking shelter from war and its atrocities. Innocents will die. It's important to not push that fact to the background when having this discussion.

 

Donald Trump did not bar refugees because they're unsafe. He barred them because they're Muslims, and Muslims are scary and fundamentally evil. That is this man's worldview, and that is what this is about.

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