#is it because trump has locked up babies in texas

[thetrinityriverlookout]

The Rural Revolution under your nose

May 20, 2022

Reflecting on the rural communities and their toxic relationship with Tucker Carlson types.

An Opinion Editorial by Niklas Service

I'm the son of a rancher from West Central Texas, and I'm so far removed from the fights on the streets in all the large cities that seem to be becoming more frequent as time passes. I don't see the battles in person; I witness the fear and malice these fights inspire in the white bread that surrounds me. Anxiety is masterfully cultivated, similar to how we grow a crop of steers for slaughter. Fox News may seem ridiculous to you folks out there in the large cities but take my word for it. It has found a home here in rural Texas and is slowly melting the reservations of a once timid and quiet people. They aren't touched by the backlash on Twitter. Most of them delegated to Facebook at best and Flip Board at worst, eating up every frightful cry that Tucker Carlson can muster like their daily bread. I wake up to the daily outrage and think how similar it is to Orwell's story 1984 while knowing these sons of bitches have never even cracked the binding of a book like that. I hear my mother making endless justifications for beliefs she would have found formerly reprehensible. My father is saying things like the babies in our concentration camps are the sole reason for the shortage of baby formula in America.  

At first, I would push back. I would try to open the eyes of my loved ones and make them see the easily found truth available with just a 5-minute web search. I tried showing them the defense that Fox used in court to defend their "opinion pieces" and how that's an insult to their intelligence. But it's too late. I've been made part of the faceless enemy, the evil democrats. Even though I personally would lock the democrats in the same cell, I would consign the conservatives. I just don't talk politics with my only remaining friend, we have just decided to agree to disagree, and that's all I got. My personal outrage is my own to bear, and I have no other outlet than writing these articles. At the same time, I watch everyone I ever knew turn slowly fucking insane.

I hate Tucker Carlson for what he has done and what he is. He is just another rich city boy carpet bagger. He comes down here to wreak havoc amongst the country folk with few other sources directed solely at them. I hate him for all the Trump flags that still fly above the homes of those I used to call friends. I fucking hate Tucker Carlson for the grotesque mutation he has caused, turning arguably good people into "brown shirts." Using their devout patriotism as a weapon. People in rural areas are proud of their limited contributions to this country. Life is hard, especially for a farmer. When you get cheated every time you take stock for sale and then see that same meat for sale in a corporate grocery store for over a hundred times what you sold it for, you start looking for a reason for someone to blame. There was that fucking carpet bagger waiting.

I wonder if I will ever get my loved ones back or if the mutation is permanent. We can still relate to hating the government, but the reasons couldn't be more different. I look for allies on the left, and most of the time, all I get is friendly fire because I'm not the most "woke" dude out there, but I'm trying to learn, and I know respect. One thing my hick ass knows how to do is bitch and fight, so here I am telling you about the plight of hillrats. Hoping you might care and help those of us on the left stranded in the wilderness surrounded by the terrorists our families have been turned into. Reach the fuck out and help. Quit expecting everyone to be up to date on the most woke trends because the internet is a new thing out here for anyone over thirty-five. The gatekeeping must stop, and the woke scolding must be reformed. The nazis are all falling in line and unifying. At the same time, we argue over pedantic bullshit, waiting for nazi firing squads to finish the argument for us. Time is wasted, and Twitter fights are stupid. Pull your collective heads out of your asses and realize you are living on the rim of a volcano, and it's about to blow.

#anarchism #rural #Texas #freedom #antifa #antiauthoritarian #anticapitalism #tucker carlson #firetuckercarlson #fox news

[wookie92]

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE A MICROPENIS

My micropenis is approximately ½ to 1 inch long when flaccid and 3.3 inches long when fully erect.  When  fully erect it has an upward angle and a slight banana curve. It is also very thin (2.8), though proportional to the length.  According to calculations my penis has a volume of 36.19 ml / 1.22 fl oz (us).  Various studies suggest that the average American penis is 2.8–3.9 inches flaccid and around 4.7–6.3 inches when erect.  According to online information at SIZEMEUP, in a room of 1000 guys only 1 would be shorter than me.

In an adult, the average stretched penile length is about 13.24 cm (5.21 in.). An adult micropenis is a stretched penile length of 9.32 cm (3.67 in.) or less.  Growing up I remember reading that a micropenis was defined as any penis shorter than 2.8 inches in length.  But have been subsequently given new information that slid me well under the 3.67 inch upper limit.

Where Do I Stand On The Penis Size Chart?

All this to say: the majority of average flaccid penises are longer than mine when I am erect.

I cannot say that I am deeply ashamed of my micropenis, but certainly I have experienced shame with regard to my size.  I can say that I am extremely self aware of my penis size.  This is largely because of the of things I hear women and women say about micropenis, and people’s reaction to my own micropenis.

I can only speak from personal experience, but the number of times I have heard women making fun of men for the size of their manhood is staggering. At one time, I actually overheard three or four of my colleagues at work all agreeing that "men with small dicks should be required to wear a warning sign."

In school, especially high school and as an undergraduate, I was subject to a lot of hazing and bullying that was directly connected to my having a micropenis.  As a sophomore in high school I was depantsed at the pool by three bullies when I got an unwanted erection. They lifted me up and held my arms behind me to prevent me from covering my erection so the entire PE class present saw what happened.  The coach had left the pool area when it happened. While the three boys were penalized, the damage was done any my “secret” became known through out the school before the end of the day.  The teasing commenced immediately and was unrelenting.  Even my mother got calls from some friends who had heard about the incident (and my condition).  My mother reacted in anger at me that somehow I was responsible for the situation (and her subsequent embarrassment).  No empathy there.  I was depantsed three more times before I graduated from high school and it was clear to me why I was being targeted.

I was on the swim team and during a competition with a neighboring town, discovered that two of the players from that town recognized me as the guy with the “baby dick” which got shouted as I started my event.  So, word had spread.  I felt like a pariah.

Numerous scientific studies have suggested time and again that for the majority of women in the western world, tiny penises are simply undesirable. I am 28 and have had just only three sexual experiences (through personal choice) with women, two of which were very humiliating, to say the least.

In high school, my first consensual sexual encounter was with a boy named Billy.  I was 13 and he was 15.  He was interested in anal sex, and wanted to top me.  I was willing to bottom despite the fact that he was very well endowed.  He did tease me about my micropenis, but seemed to accept it.  I was not prepared for how painful the experience of bottoming would be, but he continued to be interested in me, and treated me well (we even kissed) so I was willing to continue to have sex with him as a bottom.  I fell in love.  Then he disclosed to his homophobic older brother that we had been having sex and that put an end to our relationship.  His brother let me know (rather violently) that I was to stay away from Billy or he would castrate and kill me. Billy, who had a black eye, never spoke to me again.

My first sexual encounter with a woman happened during my Junior year in high school.  She was a sophomore and I was a Junior. When I undressed I could tell she was “shocked” even though she was a virgin and had never seen a man naked.  She has seen photographs of naked men, and she had a brother in college.   She was well pleased with my digital and oral skills, and actually squirted into my mouth (something I didn’t even know was a “thing” that might happen). Unfortunately when I attempted to penetrate her, my condom slipped off, and my orgasm was triggered prematurely as I was trying to thrust into her.   She tried to push me off of her as I locked up and started squirting, and was furious that I had ejaculated into her vagina.  She said she could feel me ejaculating.  She got up and douched.  I was too embarrassed to speak more than an apology.  I helped pay for her “morning after” pill and discovered that she had disclosed the whole evening, including my premature ejaculation, and condom mishap, to her friends.

As a freshman in college I encountered a very attractive university student who seemed to be attracted to me. When I stripped, she stared at my micropenis, giggled, and put her hand to her mouth, muttering simply "OK" in a tone that suggested she was taken aback. When it came to actually performing, first I found that the condom wouldn’t stay on, but more frustratingly, my micropenis kept falling out every time I tried to penetrate her. She actually asked the traditional joke question, "Is it in?" mistaking my penis for my finger.  I wanted to die. It was clear that she was getting nothing out of the experience. I genuinely tried my best to make her happy via oral sex, but she didn't orgasm or enjoy that either.   I suspect her encounter with my penis through a wet blanket over the whole experience. When at last I finally thought I was making her content, she suddenly huffed in an annoyed way and got up, saying she needed to use the restroom. And that was the end of it.

I can only imagine the level of disappointment and frustration she must have felt. It must have been a horrendous experience for her.

I decided after that to become a master of cunnilingus so that any future women I encountered would be satisfied, if not by my penis, then my oral skills would more than make up for it.  And I did master the art.

While in graduate school at the University of Texas in Austin, I met and married a girl.  We had engaged in some sexual activity before our marriage, so she was aware of my micropenis.  However our marriage was short lived when I discovered she had been having sex with my then best friend.  When I confronted her with her lack of fidelity, she blamed my shortcomings as a lover and told me that my micropenis disgusted her.

Since that time I have mainly had sexual experiences with gay men, though I had a threesome with a woman that went very well.

Aside from personal experiences, the media doesn’t help my self-esteem either.  Men with small penis are an ongoing source of amusement in TV shows and movies.  I noticed that penis shaming was mostly reserved for villains and comic sidekicks who were never taken seriously.  There are more TV shows with “little dick jokes” than shows that don’t have them.   No shows make fun of women’s breast size, but targeting men with small penises as a source of humor seems to be socially acceptable.  All that tells me that the writers don’t really care if men with small penises are offended or hurt.

The way the media treats the body-shaming of men compared to the body-shaming of women is wildly different. When Donald Trump makes questionable comments about the looks of women, he rightly causes outrage. Lists and videos decrying his sexist remarks have gone viral. Yet when a naked model of Trump with a micropenis was displayed in public in New York City, it was treated like a punch line rather than an attack. Some publications even called it a wonderful piece of art. Hundreds of Americans now have selfies of them laughing at Trump and his micropenis. We defend Heidi Cruz and Megyn Kelly, but where are the people defending small penises?  I am no Trump supporter, but targeting him because of his small penis seems wrong.

GUYS WITH MICROPENISES KNOW THEY ARE NOT WELL-ENDOWED, THEY DON’T NEED REMINDING OF IT.

From my experience (having read hundreds of articles, forum posts, videos, and having spoken to hundreds of men and women online), it feels safe to say that the overwhelming majority of sexual partners aren't thrilled about the prospect of sex with micropenises. And if we don’t accept that these views are likely the majority, then we are never going to challenge this blatant discrimination.

I would like to ask people to think about this: If you are attracted to somebody enough to ask them to bed, and if the guy is kind to you, is it fair to write him off based on size alone?

So what do I plan to do about my love life?

Luckily I am bisexual and enjoy the company of men as well as women. I fear that straight men with the micropenis condition suffer worse shame than men in the gay community.  Let me be clear, a great many gay men are “size queens” and I have been rejected by more than a few gay men, but now that so many men can meet on line I have been able to meet men who actually “prefer” men with small dicks and so they are not surprised by what I have to offer when we meet.  Many of them enjoy SPH (Small Penis Humiliation), but in my life I have adapted to being the subject of humor and, in some cases, can even find that sexually arousing.

So the answer to that question is “nothing”. I try to focus my life on my work, my writing, working out, outdoors activities, sports, and other subjects that interest me. If I started to look for love, it would just make me feel down, and I already struggle with depression and anxiety secretly. I don’t need the humiliation and hurt that looking for love would bring me. Sure, everybody gets rejected, but usually for less hurtful reasons.  As a bottom, many men don’t care how well I am hung.  Instead they care about how I make them feel when they fuck me, and I have learned to be a power bottom.

Guys with micropenises know we are not well-endowed, we don’t need to be reminded of it. If I’m attracted to a sexual partner, then what they have in their pants doesn’t matter to me; I care more about what that partner has in his/her heart.  My extreme self-consciousness about my body makes me feel like everyone else's opinion must be right, that there is something wrong with my size. I just wish people could look past it, so I could too.  Because intellectually I know my size is just a variation.

I try to look at it this way.  Not everyone is attracted to red hair, or freckles, or blue eyes, or black skin, or hairy chests.   People are attracted to differing qualities.  As long as I can find some people who are interested in  the qualities I possess, and are also interested n me personally, than I am gratified.

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Reopening brings more coronavirus cases (NYT) The warning that echoed ominously for weeks is becoming a reality: Once states begin to reopen, a surge in coronavirus cases will follow. Thousands of Americans have been sickened by the virus in new outbreaks, particularly in the Sun Belt and the West. As of Friday, coronavirus cases were climbing in 22 states amid reopenings. Arizona, Texas and Florida are reporting their highest case numbers yet. California and Washington have reopened in a more incremental way, but have still seen an uptick in cases.

Coronavirus survival comes with a $1.1 million, 181-page price tag (Seattle Times) Remember Michael Flor, the longest-hospitalized COVID-19 patient who, when he unexpectedly did not die, was jokingly dubbed “the miracle child?” Now they can also call him the million-dollar baby. Flor, 70, who came so close to death in the spring that a night-shift nurse held a phone to his ear while his wife and kids said their final goodbyes, is recovering nicely these days at his home in West Seattle. But he says his heart almost failed a second time when he got the bill from his health care odyssey the other day. The total tab for his bout with the coronavirus: $1.1 million. $1,122,501.04, to be exact. All in one bill that’s more like a book because it runs to 181 pages. The bill is technically an explanation of charges, and because Flor has insurance including Medicare, he won’t have to pay the vast majority of it. But for now it’s got him and his family and friends marveling at the extreme expense, and bizarre economics, of American health care.

Protests focus on over-policing. But under-policing is also deadly. (Washington Post) By the time he was 18, Jay had already been shot twice. And he’d learned a lesson about how to keep himself safe in his high-crime New York neighborhood: He was always armed. Jay (a pseudonym we gave him to protect his identity) had little faith that the police would ever bring his assailants to justice—or that they could protect him from future attacks. “I just [know] where [my enemies] live and . . . the gang, I know that they be over there. . . . I gotta carry it in bad places.” As the protests sparked by George Floyd’s death at the hands of officers in Minneapolis have continued, fervent calls to “defund the police”—or even abolish departments altogether—have quickly risen to the top of some reformers’ wish lists. This push seems aimed at addressing the dangers of over-policing: not just obvious abuses like Floyd’s death but also heavy-handed law enforcement responses in communities of color to minor offenses, such as loitering, drinking in public or panhandling. But a great deal of scholarship has demonstrated that under-policing also leaves residents feeling perpetually underserved and unsafe. Residents of distressed urban neighborhoods have complained about ineffective policing for centuries, including officers’ rudeness, slow response times and lack of empathy for crime victims. Some residents of high-crime neighborhoods have long concluded that police are either incapable of keeping them safe or unwilling to do so—and a small subset of repeat offenders, like Jay and others we spoke to, have discarded the criminal justice system entirely as a viable mechanism for settling trivial disputes with enemies, opting instead to literally take matters into their own hands. The result is that many black and brown communities now suffer from the worst of all worlds: over-aggressive police behavior in frequent encounters with residents, coupled with the inability of law enforcement to effectively protect public safety. But defunding police departments would address only one side of this problem. And the real, and significant, dangers of under-policing would just get worse in the neighborhoods that most need the police to improve—not disappear.

Tourists dip their toes in water as top Mexican beach getaway reopens (Reuters) Foreign visitors have begun to trickle back to the white sands and warm waters of Mexico’s Caribbean coast as its popular beaches gradually reopen to tourism with new sanitary measures in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. “I’ve been stuck in New York City in my apartment for three months, so I decided that on the beach somewhere open was probably a good call,” said web designer Sam Leon, 31, after arriving Saturday at the airport of famed resort town Cancun. Others were similarly undeterred, even as Mexico reported record infection levels in recent days and in certain areas is at the peak of the pandemic.

Bolivian schoolteacher gives virtual classes as superhero (AP) Sometimes, Jorge Manolo Villarroel is Spiderman. Sometimes, he’s the Flash, or the Green Lantern. But he’s always a teacher—one who lives out his childhood dreams by dressing up as superheroes for the locked-down students who attend his virtual classes. His classes have become so popular that siblings fight for the laptop screen to learn from this costumed teacher. They, in turn, often offer him tech help. At 33, Villarroel speaks with the passion of a child. His modest room is filled with the masks and costumes of his characters, along with images of Christ, several Roman Catholic saints, revolutionary Che Guevara and his parents. Villarroel, who lives in a poorer neighborhood of the Bolivian capital, teaches art at the San Ignacio Catholic School in a wealthier area. His students range from 9 to 14 years old.

Yankee go home: What does moving troops out of Germany mean? (AP) After more than a year of thinly-veiled threats to start pulling U.S. troops out of Germany unless Berlin increases its defense spending, President Donald Trump appears to be proceeding with a hardball approach, planning to cut the U.S. military contingent by more than 25%. About 34,500 American troops are stationed in Germany—50,000 including civilian Department of Defense employees—and the plan Trump reportedly signed off on last week envisions reducing active-duty personnel to 25,000 by September, with further cuts possible. But as details of the still-unannounced plan trickle out, there’s growing concerns it will do more to harm the U.S.’s own global military readiness and the NATO alliance than punish Germany. The decision was not discussed with Germany or other NATO members, and Congress was not officially informed—prompting a letter from 22 Republican members of the House Armed Services Committee urging a rethink.

Delhi to use 500 railway coaches as hospital facilities to fight coronavirus (Reuters) India’s federal government said on Sunday it will provide New Delhi’s city authorities with 500 railway coaches that will be equipped to care for coronavirus patients, after a surge in the number of cases led to a shortage of hospital beds.

China reports 57 new cases, highest daily number in 2 months (AP) China on Sunday reported its highest daily total of new coronavirus cases in two months after the capital’s biggest wholesale food market was shut down following a resurgence in local infections. The Xinfadi market on Beijing’s southeastern side was closed Saturday and neighboring residential compounds locked down after more than 50 people in the capital tested positive for the coronavirus. They were the first confirmed cases in 50 days in the city of 20 million people. Authorities locked down 11 residential communities near the Xinfadi market. Police installed white fencing to seal off a road leading to a cluster of apartment buildings.

Kim Jong Un’s sister threatens S. Korea with military action (AP) The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened military action against South Korea as she bashed Seoul on Saturday over declining bilateral relations and its inability to stop activists from floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. Describing South Korea as an “enemy,” Kim Yo Jong repeated an earlier threat she had made by saying Seoul will soon witness the collapse of a “useless” inter-Korean liaison office in the border town of Kaesong. Kim, who is first vice department director of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee, said she would leave it to North Korea’s military leaders to carry out the next step of retaliation against the South. Kim’s harsh rhetoric demonstrates her elevated status in North Korea’s leadership. Already seen as the most powerful woman in the country and her brother’s closest confidant, state media recently confirmed that she is now in charge of relations with South Korea.

Thai entrepreneur connects Michelin bistros to those in need (AP) Natalie Bin Narkprasart’s business was in Paris. But she was locked down by COVID-19 restrictions and stuck in Thailand. Her heart was in Thailand, too—and it ached for her compatriots who were suffering in the pandemic. So she recruited a network of volunteers, including Michelin-starred chefs, to help those in her homeland whose already modest incomes were shattered by the pandemic restrictions. Her group, COVID Thailand Aid, says it has reached more than 30,000 people in more than 100 locations with care packages and freshly cooked food.

Kids around the world are out of school. Millions of girls might not go back. (Washington Post) She was 13 when the Ebola virus struck her country, shuttering schools across Sierra Leone. The closures lasted nine months, but Mari Kalokoh could not return to the classroom for years. Global shutdowns have pushed approximately 1.5 billion students out of school since March, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, including 111 million girls in the world’s least developed countries. The disruptions are projected to end or seriously delay the education of 10 million secondary-school age girls. Parents in more traditionally conservative nations tend to prioritize the education of their sons, experts say. In West and Central Africa, 73 percent of boys older than 15 can read, compared with 60 percent of girls in the same age group. So when families lose income, they’re more likely to stretch the budget on schooling for boys, said Laila Gad, UNICEF’s representative in Liberia, a former Ebola hotspot. Remote learning, she added, is especially burdensome for girls, who are frequently expected to shoulder more cooking, cleaning and babysitting.

Pope appeals for end to Libyan civil war (Reuters) Pope Francis appealed on Sunday for both sides in the Libyan civil war to seek peace, urging the international community to facilitate talks and protect refugees and migrants he said were victims of cruelty. In an impassioned plea during his noon address in St. Peter’s Square, Francis said he was pained by the situation in Libya, which has had no stable central authority since dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown by NATO-backed rebels in 2011. For more than five years Libya has had rival parliaments and governments in the east and the west, with streets often controlled by armed groups and sporadic fighting.

#headlines #news

[allfathertoday]

The reality of Red Flag gun laws

By Texas Oath Keepers

Red Flag Laws, Think it can't happen? Ask anyone of the many police officers on my page, how it will go down and they'll tell you something like this: It already has in some states where Red Flag laws have been abused.

This sadly is a realistic concern and a very plausible event. Sad to read though.

Red Flag Laws. Here’s what will happen...

It’s a Sunday night and your family has all gone to bed. You let the dogs back in and lock the deadbolt like you do every night. All the lights are off now except a couple of night lights scattered throughout the house leaving that dim glow throughout your home. It’s bedtime and work and school are going to come early in the morning. You crawl in bed, kiss your wife and drift off to sleep being thankful for the air conditioning that allows you to pull that heavy quilt up over your shoulder despite the fact it’s still 85 degrees outside. A few hours pass...

0200 Monday morning and your wife taps your leg and says, “baby I heard something outside”. As you sit up in bed you hear the dog growling in the living room and you know something isn’t right. You grab that trusty ole 870 and head into the living room. Your wife grabs her 9mm and heads down the hall to the kids rooms just like you have rehearsed. “Good boy” you say as you enter the living room, trying to calm both the dog and your wife just as splinters fly across the room and the front door flys open. “Oh shit!” As you shoulder your weapon and send a load of 00 Buck across your living room and see the perpetrator fall in a heap. Before the “thank God” can even run across your brain, you see a second man coming in the door and you fire again. This time you hear the pop of your wife’s 9mm as she has joined in the fight. It has to be those damn meth heads from down in town! Just then you are consumed by a wall of bullets as you see multiple muzzle flashes from just outside the door and you realize something isn’t right. You turn to yell at your wife to “get down” just in time to see her take a load of buckshot to the face and her brain matter splatter the wall behind her. You feel the burning as 5.56 bullets Riddle your body. One clips your spine as you’re scrambling away and paralyzes your lower body. The last thing you see before you bleed out is a SWAT guy from your local PD holding your teenage daughter on the floor with a knee in her back as she screams and cry’s because she just watched her parents being murdered.

Why did this happen? You’re no criminal. You’re a Conservative and an honest family man. Your wife is a school teacher and your daughters are on honor roll. Why did this happen?

Well two days ago, you and your wife went down to welcome the new neighbors to the community. Your wife made them some of her “world famous” cookies and you invited them to church on Sunday. Later that afternoon, you got a friend request on Facebook from your new neighbor, which you gladly accepted. They seemed a little odd, but in the few minutes you talked they were pleasant enough. The next day while you and your family sat in church, your new neighbor scrolled through your Facebook profile. He saw that “Trump 2020” post and got infuriated. See, he’s a staunch liberal and he hates your kind. The next thing he sees are the hunting pictures you took last fall when your daughter bagged her first buck. Now he’s seething with fury because he is wholeheartedly against the “slaughter of innocent animals”. Next he sees your post from the last range day with your buddy and sees those scary black assault weapons on the table and that does it! He has to do something about the racist domestic terrorist living next door. He picks up the phone, calls the local Sheriffs Office and reports you as a threat under the new Red Flag law. The SO follows their SOP’s and conducts a no knock warrant because you have now been denied due process and you are considered guilty until proven innocent.

Now you, your lovely wife and two deputies have been killed for nothing. Your daughter will have absolute hell for the rest of her life. She will never be that successful person you dreamed for her to be because of the mental tragedy caused from seeing her parents murdered. The local news paper will report that you were killed after firing on and killing two deputies and that “over a thousand rounds of ammo and 22 guns were confiscated from your residence”.

Oh, those two deputies were just following orders. They left behind families as well and had served their community for over a decade. They didn’t know you were a stand-up guy with a great family. They weren’t allowed time to investigate things under due process. They were told you had threatened your neighbor and were out in the street waving an AR15 around.

This is the reality of Red Flag gun laws. Innocent people will lose their lives. Red Flag laws will be used for petty and vengeful reasons without merit.

-Chris Anders

[bountyofbeads]

Pence: Border facility conditions are unacceptable

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/12/politics/mike-pence-border-immigration/index.html

I seriously cannot believe how we are allowing this in the country that stands for “freedom and liberty.”

"In McAllen, Pence did not engage directly with any of the men, but he did speak with some of the children and mothers in Donna, asking them if they were well cared for. They all nodded yes. Children told him their journey to the United States by foot took two and three months."

Evangelicals like @VP only care for children before they are born. Once they are born, they are separated from their mother and locked in cages. SAD #EmptyThePews 👇👇😭😭😭🤬🤬🤬

"Yazmin Juarez, a mother whose toddler died weeks after they were released from ICE custody in 2018, recalled the death of her child in emotional testimony before a House panel Wednesday."

"I watched my baby girl die, slowly, and painfully, just a few months before her second birthday," she said through an interpreter, later beginning to cry recounting her 19-month-old daughter being admitted to the ICU.

"Can we get #EmptyThePews trending today in honor of @VP’s disgusting response to our human rights violations at the border and the rape and sex trafficking scandals surrounding white evangelicals’ “chosen by God”" @POTUS? CREDIT: Chrissy Stroop @C_Stroop

#SaturdayMotivation

Pence: Border facility conditions are unacceptable

By Betsy Klein and Pamela Brown |

Updated 1 hour ago Jul 13, 2019 | CNN | Posted July 13, 2019 |

McAllen, Texas (CNN) - Vice President Mike Pence saw the overcrowded conditions facing migrant adults and children in Customs and Border Protection custody firsthand Friday, becoming the highest-ranking member of the Trump administration to visit two federal detention centers in Texas ahead of controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids targeting undocumented immigrants this weekend.

"To be honest with you, I was not surprised by what we saw," Pence told reporters Friday, citing the humanitarian crisis and congestion. "This crisis is real, the time for action is now."

Joined by a group of reporters, Senate Republicans and acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, Pence visited two facilities in the Rio Grande Valley: the Donna Processing Facility, temporarily housing families, and the McAllen Border Patrol Station, housing single adults who have been found crossing into the United States illegally.

In Donna, Pence saw oversized, air-conditioned facilities, with children and their parents lying on cots, watching animated movies and eating snacks.

In McAllen, it was a much different scene: Pence toured a swelteringly hot room called a sally port with hundreds of men, a strong smell of sweat and overcrowding so extreme there was no room for cots, the migrants left to sleep on concrete beneath mylar blankets.

"The Vice President's office specifically instructed CBP to not clean up or sanitize the facility beyond what is routine so the American people could see how serious the crisis at our border is (overcrowding, lack of resources, beds)," an administration official said in an email, noting that there were Secret Service concerns over Pence entering the sally port, but the Vice President's office pushed for press access.

'TIME FOR CONGRESS TO ACT'

Asked by CNN whether the conditions for the detained single adult immigrants were acceptable, Pence said no.

"No, it's not. That's the reason why we demanded that Congress provide $4.6 billion in additional support to Customs and Border Protection," the vice president said in an interview following both tours and a roundtable with Border Patrol officials. "The McAllen station, where our cells are overflowing ... ought to be a very clear message to every American that the time for action is now and the time for Congress to act to end the flow of families that are coming north from Central America to our border is now."

Pence's visit comes ahead of Sunday's scheduled ICE raids targeting migrant families with court-ordered removals that had previously been called off by President Donald Trump. The upcoming ICE operation is expected to target approximately 2,000 people and take place over several days in major cities across the nation.

Advocacy groups have been hosting "Know Your Rights" trainings and circulating fliers and social medial posts with guidelines about what they say immigrants should do if ICE agents show up at their door.

Pence would not answer four repeated questions from CNN on whether the Sunday ICE raids will separate families.

"The upcoming efforts are going to focus exclusively on individuals who have been fully adjudicated and ordered by a judge to be deported," he said.

Pence said ICE will prioritize immigrants with deportation orders who have also committed crimes in the US, though he was vague on whether those who had not committed crimes could be targeted as well.

"These will be individuals who are facing a deportation order, and the priority that Homeland Security and ICE will be placing will be on those individuals that have also committed crimes in this country, and represent a threat to our communities," he said.

In McAllen, Pence did not engage directly with any of the men, but he did speak with some of the children and mothers in Donna, asking them if they were well cared for. They all nodded yes. Children told him their journey to the United States by foot took two and three months. In Donna, there were rooms filled with health supplies, snacks and changes of clothes for the migrants, many of whom had arrived at the facility with shoes and pants crusted in mud from the journey.

Donna was one of the facilities built to accommodate the recent large increase of family crossings. Standing in a supply room in front of a wall stacked with Kool-Aid Jammers, Pence asked officials whether the children in custody are receiving adequate meals and snacks. They answered affirmatively. The level of care at Donna hasn't necessarily been the case for children at other facilities.

Yazmin Juarez, a mother whose toddler died weeks after they were released from ICE custody in 2018, recalled the death of her child in emotional testimony before a House panel Wednesday.

"I watched my baby girl die, slowly, and painfully, just a few months before her second birthday," she said through an interpreter, later beginning to cry recounting her 19-month-old daughter being admitted to the ICU.

And in testimony from Elora Mukherjee, attorney and Clinical Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, at a House Oversight Committee hearing on the border on Friday, Mukherjee said that in her interviews with hundreds of immigrant children and families that many children in custody are embarrassed to use the toilets because "they are open" and have no privacy.

"In Clint, we talked to girls who were so embarrassed that boys could see them while they were using the toilet," she said. "We talked to a boy who tried not to eat because he was so embarrassed to use the toilet."

'THIS ISN'T HUMAN '

The men in the sally port in McAllen told CNN they had been in Customs and Border Protection custody for more than 40 days. They said they hadn't had access to showers or toothbrushes. They yelled before reporters that they were hungry.

"This isn't human. I'm not a terrorist," one man said.

Patrol agent in charge Michael Banks disputed some of those characterizations. He said a trailer with showers had arrived Thursday, though it was possible some of the men had not bathed yet. He said there were 88,000 disposable toothbrushes on site and that the migrants got three hot meals a day from local restaurants. He said the space, which, despite the heat, does have air-conditioning, was cleaned three times a day. He said none of the migrants had been there longer than 32 days.

The trip came weeks after unannounced inspections of Border Patrol facilities by an internal Department of Homeland Security watchdog found extreme overcrowding and children younger than 7 being held in custody for longer than two weeks -- far more than the allotted 72 hours -- among other "urgent" issues discovered. The watchdog found additional violations of detention policy, such as a lack of hot meals, inadequate access to showers and limited access to a change of clothes.

Additionally, images of squalid conditions and thinly stretched resources found in news reports and congressional Democrats' descriptions of their own visits have captured the nation's attention.

Pence said there should be the "same standard of care" for both families and single adults, defending the disparate conditions.

"What you saw today was a very clean facility where people were being detained indoors, and then you saw a temporary facility that was constructed because this facility is overcrowded. And we can't keep people in a cell beyond what the rules and regulations allow for, but everyone in that temporary facility is getting health care, they're getting hygiene and the Customs and Border Protection is doing their level best in an overcrowded environment and a difficult environment to address this issue, but Congress has got to act," he said.

The images of the vice president walking through the Donna facility Friday stand in stark contrast to photographs of overcrowded conditions facing families with children by DHS inspector general just weeks before. Overcrowded conditions have eased considerably following the movement of most migrant children to Health and Human Services facilities thanks to new funding from Congress. There was a 28% drop in numbers of migrants apprehended at the border in June, in part due to the season, but also, Pence said, because of support from Mexico.

Pence said he had read the report, but added, "I can't account for that," when pressed by CNN about images of conditions similar to those of the McAllen facilities for families with children featured in the DHS inspector general's report.

"The facility you saw today represents the level and the standards of care that we are working to bring to all those caught up in this crisis. Remember, it was just a few short weeks ago that Congress finally acknowledged the crisis and gave us an additional $4.6 billion in humanitarian aid. Now we're going to continue to improve, we're going to continue to provide care at the standard the American people expect," he said, calling on Congress to overhaul asylum laws and close what he characterized as legal loopholes.

Officials say the overcrowding among children has largely been alleviated because of the supplemental funding that Congress just passed. As a result, most have been moved out within the 72-hour time limit to HHS facilities.

Though Pence's office also extended invitations to Senate Democrats for the Friday visit, none were in attendance, underscoring the highly politicized situation as the humanitarian crisis at the US-Mexico border unfolds. A group of congressional Democrats will tour the area on Saturday.

Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii had told CNN on Thursday that she did not want to be part of a politicized trip.

"I don't want to participate in what is basically the Trump show, the Trump-Pence show. What do you think they are going to see? You have a President saying, 'Everything's just fine. These facilities, these detention centers are just being run great.' Yeah, that's what they're going to see. But we know from all of the reports that things are not great," she said.

Hirono continued, "Believe me, when any of us visit, they will make sure that they see what they want us to see. And that's not real."

#donald trump #u.s. news #politics #trump administration #president donald trump #politics and government #trump #white house #republican politics #republican party #international news #us: news #immigration #trump scandals #racism #maga #2020 candidates #elections #civil-rights #u. s. foreign policy #u.s. immigration and customs enforcement #world news #u.s. presidential elections #activism #human rights #humanrights #humanity #migrant crisis #migrants #mike pence

[thesportssoundoff]

DWCS Season 3, Week 2 Preview Primer

Contract totals thus far:

Signed:

1 HW

1 MW

Victor Reyna (10-3, 32 years old, Pro since 2012) vs Miguel Baeza (6-0, 26 years old, Pro since 2015) Welterweights

Victor Reyna Where He Fight At? Like a lot of dudes from Texas, Reyna has pretty much stuck to that region of the United States. He fought a few times in Legacy Fighting Championship and has been primarily fighting for Combates Americas as they've undergone a bit of a growth spurt since 2017. Who’d He Ever Beat? Evan Cutts has some MMA name panache I suppose. Cutts was a part of Bellator's attempt to make a TUF and he's also known as the dude who ended Reagan Penn's brief pro MMA career. He also has a win over Daniel Rodriguez; a then undefeated fighter who has an 8-1 record and a few Bellator appearances. He's even got a key loss on his resume vs Kevin Holland. Record Of Opposition At The Time Of Their Fight? Reyna's fought A LOT of guys who fight quite a bit and so his record of opposition is 80-40. That's pretty damn solid! TUF veteran Marc Stevens was 20-10 when they fought (also Reyna's last loss) as well as 4-0 Kevin Holland, 6-2 Evan Cutts and 6-1 Andrew Parker. Reyna's last fight was against 16-10 Heyward Charles. Why Is He Here? Well he's the beneficiary of an injury!  Fortis MMA's Ramiz Brahimaj got hurt and on 10 days notice, Victor Reyna gets the call up. Reyna has bounced between 170 and 185 lbs a lot in his career so I'm a touch concerned about the chances he makes weight on short notice (although on some of these fights, he weighed as low as 174 lbs). Reyna is here because they needed a Contenders Series main event and he was available. About it. This doesn't mean he CAN'T  get a deal! It just feels more like a case of needing a guy on short notice and having the right number to the right matchmaker or so on so so forth. Reyna's interesting in that he kind of embodies the prototypical MMA prospect tester on the regional scene.

Miguel Baeza Where He Fight At? Florida and only Florida. Places like Fight Time and Titan FC adorn the short resume of Mr. Baeza. Who’d He Ever Beat? Nobody of note! At 6-0 and fighting primarily out of Florida, Miguel's pretty limited in his opposition. The most interesting/insightful factoid is that he holds wins over a pair of brothers in Florida (Gus and Mike D'Angelo). Record Of Opposition At The Time Of Their Fight? 14-10 is the record of Baeza's six opponents at the time of their fights. Gus D'Angelo was 2-2 and Mike D'Angelo was 3-2 when they fought. 5-2 Leo Valdivia is probably his best record opponent who he beat by split decision. Why Is He Here? Baeza was originally supposed to face Fortis MMA's Ramiz Brahimaj in what feels like one of those DWCS fights that's name prospect from region A vs name prospect from region B and whomever wins gets a contract a la Austin Tweedy vs Te Edwards. Baeza has limited footage out there on the interwebs but from what I've seen; he fits the Contender Series model. He's an athlete young guy who seems to hit really hard or at least hard enough to overcome his sometimes apparent flaws. He also fights with an air of composure about him and being composed and knocking people out gets Dana White excited.

Alton Cunningham (7-1, 26 years old, Pro since 2017) vs Tony Johnson (7-2, 32 years old, Pro since 2007) Light Heavyweights

Alton Cunningham Where He Fight At? Alton Cunningham is a former DWCS guy! He fought last season vs Bevon Lewis. Beyond that? Cunningham has a few LFA cameos and a Pure FC spot or two (a developing little regional promotion in Wisconsin). Who’d He Ever Beat? Nobody of note. Cunningham's toughest opponent was the aforementioned Bevon Lewis who he was finished by in the first round. He's beaten a few fighters with winning records but nobody you've heard of beyond that. The most interesting bit of Cunningham's record is that his last four fights have been at LHW, MW and HW. Dude's been all over the damn map so far. Record Of Opposition At The Time Of Their Fight? 54-39-3. Is that good? Bad? I'm kind of not even entirely sure. The undefeated Bevon Lewis at 5-0, 16-27 BJ Lacy and 4-1 Eric Murray Jr in his last fight at LFA are pretty much his best opposition. Why Is He Here? Well there are a few things I suppose. For starters, he's an under 30 guy at 205 lbs. That on its own gives him a secondary chance at the Contenders Series. Most of the guys who get second shots on the Contenders Series are fellas who fight at the bigger weight classes because need trumps value sometimes. Cunningham's also a pretty solid regional prospect at LHW which adds to his value. He's also, when he's on, a really good action fighter. Alton Cunningham struggled with the power of Bevon Lewis which is horrifying since Lewis is a natural 185-er and Cunningham is a big dude 205 lber but all sins can be forgiven I suppose. They literally found a dude who fought twice since 2015 to fight him in hopes he'd get a win. Cunningham is here because there just aren't a bunch of dudes like him here.

Tony Johnson Where He Fight At? Tony Johnson has been boxing and doing BKB stuff more than he has been doing any sort of MMA. Case in point, Johnson has STRIKEFORCE (and not the version of it most of us are familiar with) on it. The headliner for the Stikeforce card he fought on? Babalu Sobral vs Bobby Southworth. He did fight on a Bellator card in 2018. Who’d He Ever Beat? Justin Baseman in 2013 (!!!) is a pretty quality win from a regional perspective. Johnson also fought Clifford Starks and lost back in 2011. Record Of Opposition At The Time Of Their Fight? 31-25. His two losses are a combined 12-2 which means his victories are 19-23. Not a very pretty record. Why Is He Here? I'm not entirely sure? I hate to be negative when it comes to stuff like this but Tony Johnson is 36 years old, has fought infrequently since 2007 and has more highlights of his exploits in boxing than he does in MMA. I cannot believe anything other than "Tony Johnson is just here to get finished by Alton Cunningham so Alton gets a deal." Fine if so but this still feels awfully transparent. Maybe I'm wrong though and Tony Johnson is here to pull off an upset. He's a guy who has fought for over 10 years in various sports and Cunningham was rocked and hurt by a MW.

Zach Zane (12-7, 29 years old, Pro since 2015) vs Justin Gonzales (9-1, 28 years old, Pro since 2016) Featherweights

Zach Zane Where He Fight At? ALASKA FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP, BABY. I'll never not be amused when somebody from AFC winds up on a UFC platform. Zane's fought primarily in Hawaii, California and other Northwestern states but has reinvented himself fighting dudes down in Alaska. Who’d He Ever Beat? Decky Dalton is probably the best win to report; an Irish dude who fought primarily out of BAMMA. Zane's got some reputable losses though! Former DWCS fighter Joey Gomez (lost a split decision to Kevin Aguilar), former UFC fighter Chris Avila (the Diaz Bros training partner dude) and undefeated AFC fighter Nick Novelli are some of his seven losses. Record Of Opposition At The Time Of Their Fight? 56-36 would be the record of opposition at the time Zach Zane's opponents fought him. Zane is currently riding an eight fight winning streak and of those wins, his opponents were a combined 16-10. So if you want to get even MORE math-y, you remove the eight fight winning streak with the opponents at 16-10 and focus just on his 4-7 record prior to the winning streak and his strength of competition THEN was 40-26. Why Is He Here? On paper a dude with a 12-7 record who is about to hit 30 isn't exactly DWCS worthy. Dig deeper though and you're talking about a guy who has an 8 fight winning streak with all 8 fights coming by way of some form of stoppage. Kane has also been fighting across four different weight classes across 145, 150 at a catchweight, 155 and a short notice call up for 170 lbs. If the big goal of the Contenders Series is to collect raw athletic dudes with upside then I'd argue it's secondary hits should be experienced dudes fighting out of nowhere who are lost in the cracks. He also has sort of fixed his career while spending more time at Blackhouse MMA. He also just sort of looks like the kind of guy who the Contenders Series would look; a reckless striker who attacks subs consistently in grappling situations. Also of note is One FC signed him and was going to use him but he fell out on them at the last minute and I guess they just axed that deal right away.

Justin Gonzales Where He Fight At? Justin Gonzales has fought out of one place every single time. He's fought at SCL; a promotion that's held over 70 events in Colorado. Big fan of the name Sparta Combat League. Who’d He Ever Beat? The resume is actually pretty damn good for regional MMA. Gonzales has wins over then undefeated Derek Brenon (who was making some noise with CFFC and LFA), 8-1 Bruno Ferreia and Combates veteran and then undefeated Enrique Gonazles. Throw in regional veteran Drew Brookenshire at 18-8 and there's damn good competition here. Record Of Opposition At The Time Of Their Fight? 54-15 is what Justin Gonzales has faced in his undefeated career. Again among those were 18-8 Drew Brookenshire, 6-0 Derek Brennon and 3-0 Enrique Gonazales. His last fight out with a win over 8-1 Bruno Ferreira. Why Is He Here? He's the kind of guy who should be here. Justin Gonzales is an undefeated high level wrestler who has finishing chops on the feet and on the ground. He fights at a weight class of power where the top talent really does shine through. He's here because if you made a show LIKE this, you'd want a guy LIKE this on it. Gonzales IMO is the one dude who is a near lock to get signed if he wins.

Michael Lombardo (8-1, 29 years old, pro since 2016) vs Kyle Daukaus (6-0, 26 years old, pro since 2017) Middleweights

Michael Lombardo Where He Fight At? An ATT guy and a Florida native, I suppose it's no surprise Lombardo fights primarily in Florida and Louisiana. He made a few appearances in Titan FC and also pinch hit at a Bellator card too. Not the world's worst places to ply your craft. Who’d He Ever Beat? A whole lot of fluff. There's nobody here you'd know of but who he could've fought (Punahele Soriano) is the most interesting bit of the resume. Record Of Opposition At The Time Of Their Fight? 25-25-1. Lombardo's strength of schedule is not exactly his strong suit and that kind of record speaks to it. His best opponent is 6-3 David Mundell who he lost to decision against. Why Is He Here? Gym, record and weight class! Lombardo is an under 30 middleweight as the division is undergoing a bit of a renaissance in the UFC. He trains with ATT and so you know the good word has probably been put in a time or two. He's 8-1 and comes into this fight with five straight wins and four of those before the final bell. Lombardo's got some fights out there on youtube and he doesn't really strike me as anything but a middleweight-y type fighter. He's big on takedowns, he clinches a lot, he's a brawler in space and he tends to fight in spurts. He's not a bad fighter and we've seen middleweights find homes  in the UFC before and stick around with that kind of style. Just not sure if THAT gets him signed.

Kyle Daukaus Where He Fight At? CFFC and ROC! Those are really good regional promotions on the East Coast. Who’d He Ever Beat? Daukaus enters the UFC with pretty much much the best win of any Contenders Series guy so far; Jonavin Webb. Webb is a former UFC flame out but a pretty high level East Coast fighter well worthy of starring off on a resume. Record Of Opposition At The Time Of Their Fight? 27-12 is the record of opposition for Kyle Daukaus. The fact that Webb was 12-2 when they fought means that his opposition outside of the toughest fight of his career is a not too pretty 15-10. Still not entirely awful. Why Is He Here? Beating a UFC veteran can/should always make you somebody of note to promoters and matchmakers. Jonavin Webb is a super reputable high level win worthy of flexing about. The fact that he's a fight finisher who hasn't seen the judges in his career and fights at 185 lbs makes him all the more intriguing.

Richie Santiago (7-1, 26 years old, Pro since 2016) vs Miles Johns (8-0, 25 years old, Pro since 2014) Bantamweights

Richie Santiago Where He Fight At? CES MMA. The former home of BATISTA has become a pretty reputable East Coast regional organization that's churned out Contenders Series guys and  quality fighters. Who’d He Ever Beat? NOBODY! I guess his best win is Billy Giovanella who had a few Bellator appearances in 2015. Record Of Opposition At The Time Of Their Fight? 31-32-2. His record of opposition is not exactly going to get mounted on anybody's wall. It's somewhat skewered by a very rough opening to his career (his first four opponents were a combined 8-17). His pro loss was to a 3-2 fighter. It also was last year so it's like it happened in the deep past. Why Is He Here? Well for starters, watching Santiago suggests that he's not a bad fighter and the sort of dude the UFC SHOULD have an eye on. Maybe it's the face and the bald-ish head but dude reminds me a lot of Eddie Alvarez from an offensive standpoint. I've seen him hurt, rocked and then rally back with some surprisingly crisp striking. His big performance is an LFA fight where he got hurt a bunch, wobbled a few times, landed a big knee and then scored a RNC sub almost within the blink of an eye. He also is a part time flyweight as well which sort of gives him a leg up if that division is going to stick around.

Miles Johns

Where He Fight At? LFA mostly. He's the current LFA bantamweight champion to be exact. Who’d He Ever Beat? A lot of really great fighters on the regional circuit. Wins over Levi Mowles, Adrian Yanez and Caio Machado may not be super big wins or the kind of stuff that gets you shuttled up to the UFC but they're impressive enough that his DWCS spot almost feels a little unncessary. Win an LFA belt and you get into the UFC; thems the rules. Record Of Opposition At The Time Of Their Fight? 40-12 would be the record of opposition for Miles Johns. Wins over 11-3 Caio Machado, 7-2 Adrian Yanez and 6-2 Levi Mowles stand out big time.   Why Is He Here? I mean the Contenders Series really should be based around THESE sorts of fights. Two guys with pretty records on paper, both big deals of their respective universes, fighting for a contract. Johns is clearly ahead of the curve though vs Santiago. Primarily or namely speaking, Johns trains with an elite gym (Fortis MMA is DWCS royalty at this point), he fights with the bigger org and he's fought the better competition. He also has the sort of style I can see Dana liking a lot. He's here because he belongs here.

"Who Might Get A Contract?" Rankings

1- Alton Cunningham 2- Kyle Daukaus 3- Michael Lombardo 4- Miles Johns 5- Justin Gonzales 6- Miguel Baeza 7- Zach Zane 8- Richie Santiago 9- Tony Johnson 10- Victor Reyna

#MMA #UFC #DWCS #Contracts #Fights

[moonwalkertrance]

Protests Across U.S. Call for End to Migrant Family Separations

Protesters marched into Lafayette Square opposite the White House on Saturday and chanted “families belong together” to counter President Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, and were joined in declaring that message by dozens of other rallies from New York to California. While the occupant of the White House was away for the weekend at his Bedminster, N.J., golf club, images of the rallies were broadcast by cable news networks throughout the day.

Animated by what they view as the cruel treatment of migrants seeking refuge in the United States from violence in their home countries, the crowds turned out Saturday bearing homemade signs that read “Abolish ICE” — the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency — and “Zero tolerance for family separation.”

For two sisters, Claudia Thomas and Monica Escobar, the sight of immigrant children being taken from their parents hit close to home. When they were young, they immigrated to the United States from Guatemala, one of several Central American countries that is a source of migrants today. They said they were out at Saturday’s protest in the nation’s capital to stand up for “human decency.”

“No human being should be going through what they’re going through,” Ms. Escobar said. “God bless those families.”

While Washington was the political epicenter of the protests, similar scenes unfolded in cities around the country, including large, border cities like El Paso, state capitals like Salt Lake City and Atlanta, and smaller, interior towns like Redding, Calif. In total, organizers anticipated more than 700 protests, in all 50 states and even internationally.

The protesters were largely peaceful as they descended on statehouses and Immigration and Customs Enforcement buildings, and gathered in plazas and in parks, where they danced, chanted and sang. Many clutched signs in one hand with messages berating Mr. Trump and his immigration policies. And, given the summer heat, many clutched water bottles in the other hand, as they sweltered under temperatures that across much of the United States crept into the 90s.

In Chicago, all police stations, fire departments and hospitals opened as cooling stations, and in Washington fire trucks misted attendees with water, to cheers.

Celebrities like Kerry Washington, star of the hit ABC series “Scandal,” and the comedian Amy Schumer joined the protests in New York, and politicians like Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, joined the demonstration in Boston.

Mr. Trump signed an executive order on June 20 meant to quell outrage over the separation of families by housing parents and children together, for an indefinite period, in ad hoc detention centers. The order explicitly states that the authorities will continue to criminally prosecute adults who cross the border illegally.

Many of the more than 2,300 children separated from their migrant parents remain at makeshift shelters and foster homes. Although a federal judge in San Diego issued an order on Tuesday calling for the reunification of families separated at the border within 30 days, White House officials have said that following the ordered timetable would be difficult.

“We don’t want a situation where we’re replacing baby jails with family camps,” said Karthik Ganapathy, a spokesman for MoveOn, a progressive advocacy organization that helped organized the protest.

The Washington rally was in many ways a festive affair, a moment of unification under a scorching sun. One protester arrived dressed as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; another wore a shirt saying “It’s Mueller time,” a reference to the special counsel leading the inquiry into Russian meddling in the election.

Adam Unger, a local software engineer, wore a five-gallon bucket turned into a drum, with a felt covering depicting an American flag with the insignia of the Rebel Alliance from “Star Wars” replacing the stars. “This drum has gotten its use over the last year and a half,” Mr. Unger said. He first used it to protest Mr. Trump’s travel ban on people from several predominantly Muslim countries when it was announced in January 2017.

Some showed up because they said they were angry; others, because they said they had not been angrier sooner. Maggie Mason, a new mother, said that for two weeks she could not go on Facebook because of news stories about children in detention centers, such as the audio published by ProPublica of immigrant children crying after being separated from their parents. Now, with her 7-week-old baby sleeping in the stroller next to her, she said it was time to come out.

Over the past month, marches across the country have cropped up, adding to the pressure on the Trump administration to yield to calls to end the practice of splitting up or detaining families.

“The idea of kids in cages and asylum seekers in prisons and moms being separated from breast-feeding children, this is just beyond politics, it really is just about right and wrong,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington State. On Thursday, she was arrested with more than 500 other women who occupied a Senate office building as part of a Women’s March protest against Mr. Trump’s immigration policy.

Ms. Jayapal said she has visited a federal prison just south of Seattle and met with 174 women and several dozen men who had been transferred from the Texas border. She said she was moved by the stories of asylum seekers and parents — stories of family members killed, of children left behind, of violent physical attacks and domestic abuse.

“I promised them that I would get their stories out and I promised them I would do everything I could to reunite their families,” Ms. Jayapal said.

In New York, protesters overflowed Foley Square in Lower Manhattan and filled the surrounding sidewalks. At every intersection on the way to the central march location, clusters of people chanted, “When children are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back!”

Crowds also inched across the Brooklyn Bridge, a little more than a mile long, for more than two hours. On one side, in Brooklyn, protesters filed into Cadman Plaza, where people stood in the center or sat in the shade, displaying colorful signs and listening to speakers onstage.

“We were walking by cars and all the people driving were honking, giving us the peace sign, shaking fists,” said Laura Rittenhouse, who lives in Manhattan and walked across the bridge. “The most important question is what is the process to reunite these families?” she asked.

Carmela Huang, from Brooklyn, brought her two young children to the march. Both children were carrying rectangular cardboard signs they had made this morning that read “REUNITE” in large sharpie letters.

Ms. Huang said they had not been to a protest yet in 2018. “But today feels really important,” she said. “I’ve had my head in the sand, just feeling tremendously sad.” She described the march as “reassuring, energizing and rejuvenating.”

Some protesters carried rainbow umbrellas and blew bubbles, while a trombone player accented chants of activists.

Sadatu Mamah-Trawill, a community organizer with the group African Communities Together, brought her 9-year-old son to the protest. A Muslim woman, Ms. Mamah-Trawill said she still had family in Ghana, her place of birth, and could not imagine being separated from her children.

“I’m hoping our government hears us very clearly,” she said. “This is big. I don’t think anybody should miss it.”

A small group of mostly women and children rallied in Marquette, Mich., in one of the few counties in the state that voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Silke-Maria Weineck, a German studies and comparative literature professor at the University of Michigan, dressed her service dog, Meemo, with an “Abolish ICE” sign for the occasion.

“It’s certainly a conservative part of the country,” she added, “but people feel very strongly about their children.”

Outside the Bedminster country club where Mr. Trump was spending the weekend, a few protesters could be seen. “My civility is locked in a cage,” said one sign. “Reunite families now.”

Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks reported from Washington and Zoe Greenberg from New York. Mihir Zaveri contributed reporting from New York.

#warren #elizabeth #Donald Trump #Immigration #Latin America #Politics #Immigrants #Familiesbelongtogether #DACA #Dreamact #Hispanic

[fapangel]

You've been screeching bitch tears about antifa as though you're part of an opressed people, yet you never once showed anywjere near the same condemnation when a white supremacists shot up a black church.

This showed up in my inbox alongside this: 

Note the focus on non-whites getting shot. I haven’t condemned any recent mass-shootings by other spree-killers either, but all he cares about is the one where white people shot black people. Hmm. 

The same applies to police shootings. Gun owners - like me - are keenly aware of how often cops kill law-abiding gun owners of any color for no reason - such as Daniel Shaver, who was gunned down in a hallway as he was belly-crawling towards police on their orders. Why? Because someone saw him, through his hotel window, holding one of the air rifles he used in his pest-control job and called the cops. And the cops - upon being told that a private citizen was seen holding a longarm in the privacy of his own hotel room, decided to come down on the place with a fucking SWAT team like he’d been seen strapping on a baby-lined suicide vest or something. The cops shouldn’t have been there at all, much LESS fucking magdumped on him as he was crawling towards them face-down, on their orders. 

Or how about the recent killing of a white woman from Australia, who was shot dead by the very police officers she herself called for help? Better yet, the fuckup who shot her fired because he heard a “loud noise” - and he shot across the squad car, past his own goddamn partner in the driver’s seat. 

But who gives a fuck? They’re all just “a white male”, right? But when people of color are murdered for no fucking reason by incompetent cops, then it’s a big fucking deal. Then it’s problematic, and systemic racism. As someone who has a concealed carry permit, I’m intimately familiar with how many cops persecute permit holders - the guy dating my sister for a while was pulled over by the cops in a nearby town, and they split them up and started questioning my sister and a friend that was with them about why her boyfriend had a gun. He has his permit on him, and they knew it was valid, since they can look that up in their car’s computer. But they still treated him like a criminal waiting to happen. 

But of course the left-wing fucks who’ve fought gun rights in general, and concealed-carry in particular, every step of the way, don’t give a flying fuck - until a black man with a concealed license was shot, and then they’re racing to make up lies about how the NRA didn’t denounce it “enough.”  All because the NRA didn’t immediately take to social media to denounce the cop as evil racist murdering scum. Failure to automatically assume the cop was 100% at fault was unacceptable, nay, counter-revolutionary. Never-you-fucking-mind that Colin Noir, a black man, gun supporter, and chief champion of the Black Guns Matter movement, pointed out that “the NRA doesn’t need to make a statement about Philando, because they gave him his own show. I’ve been fighting for gun rights under the NRA brand for years.” Yeah, this young black man has his own damn show on “NRATV;” and as the Guardian story notes, this NRA-sponsored, endorsed and supported commentator, using the NRA’s own platform, was scathingly harsh on the police for the Philando Castile shooting. But who fucking cares about that, right? Failure to reflexively and immediately blame whitey for being the evil one is unacceptable. 

This is symptomatic of the racist narratives that underpin the entire left-wing’s movement - it’s clearly visible in the anarcho-communist Antifa’s obsession with “defending minority communities by any means necessary.” It’s the way collectivists think - not of individuals, but of communities. Ergo, the Black Community, the Asian-American community, etc., is the smallest unit of concern they have. To conceive of people as individual citizens, equal before the law, is alien to their way of thinking. Witness this shithead lambasting me for talking like I’m an “oppressed people-” to him, that’s the only unit of legitimacy there is. Only oppressed people get to bitch - and if they are oppressed than any murder, violence and mayhem is justified in the name of revolution. 

This is why Black Lives Matter supporters are ambushing cops across the country, and why anyone who disagrees with leftists on immigration policies - including Trump and all his supporters - are labeled fascist Nazis who deserve to have their heads smashed. The left is just as racist and race-obsessed as the white supremacists they claim to be saving us from. They’re just another team playing the same horrific game - and naturally, if you dare disagree with them at all, you’re labeled as one of them, as this fuckface here’s trying to do with me. And as we’ve seen with the spate of craven cowardice from various GOP politicians and CEOs, being called a Nazi or white supremacist is a slander with terrible power in our society. It’s how the left bullies dissidents into silence so they don’t point out that violent, radical leftists are the exact same kind of scum. Fortunately, there’s still people with the courage to call them out. 

As for this violence not being “new,” that’s a blatant fucking lie. “Neonazi” groups in the past could be broken down into two rough groups; skinheads, who are violent chav fucksticks in general who get Nazi tattoos because they’re edgy and mean, and Illinois Nazis, goose-stepping attention-whore clowns that’ve been the butt of jokes since the 1980s, as the linked clip demonstrates. You’ll also recall that when Antifa staged mass riots to disrupt Trump’s inauguration and torched a Muslim-American immigrant’s limousine in the process, or when they showed up with shields and weapons to violently assault people at Milo’s University of Washington speech, or when they smashed windows and brutally beat bystanders before Milo’s planned speech at Berkeley, there was no organized resistance to them by anyone at all. The first time someone actually came prepared to fight back, he was so alone in that regard that he became his own meme, the “Alt-Knight.” It wasn’t until the April 15th event that the “alt-right” showed up at all; that event was when about 50 Oath Keepers showed up and a white supremacist with a characteristically retarded haircut socked some skanky antifa pornstar. (This is also the event where Eric Clanton went around smashing skulls with a u-lock for Antifa.) Since the media is useless and real reporting is dead, Mr. Retardo Haircut is the only White Supremacist's presence I can verify, but at the time I saw discussion on /pol/ naming white supremacists that’d flown in from Europe, which should give you some idea of how miniscule their numbers are - Antifa mobilized 1,500 or so rioters - not “protesters,” but actual masked hooligans with weapons smashing shit - to shut down Milo’s speech. Hell, the Ku Klux Klan themselves had a fucking rally in Charlottesville back in July, and they mustered... 50 total dudes. The “white supremacists” have had better turnout during various clashes in Portland, but as the Willamette Week notes, said supremacists are almost always skinheads and biker gangs, demographics more defined by being criminal, anti-social fuckbags in general, with “white supremacy” being an excuse to put cool viking patches on their jackets. Not surprising, considering Portland’s been called “skinhead city” in the past. 

Compare that to Charlottesville. The media breathlessly predicted as many as “a thousand” white supremacists would show up - how many actually did, I haven’t seen any news agency put a fucking number to, aside from “hundreds,” referring to both sides - and considering that they were carpooling and flying in from as far away as Texas, I doubt there was that many - but it was still more than showed up at any prior event. If one presumes that the retards carrying tiki torches the night before were all white supremacists (as opposed to everyone who showed up for the actual event the day after,) counting torches visible in this video and this one with airborne drone shots, there were at least 150 or so - still pathetic turnout for an event scraping people from all over the country, but still three times the actual white supremacists verifiable present at any other event. Furthermore, this time, lots of them brought shields and clubs and helmets, ready to scrap - mirroring antifa’s own tactics. 

This is new - and if you want to know where it comes from? What’s driving this? Look no further than this video that shows the white supremacists, in their own words, crediting the unceasing aggression and violence of the radical left as being the chief thing pushing new recruits into their arms. Fucking hell, Bannon went on-record crowing about how he wants Democrats to talk about racism every day not five days ago. And what’s more, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE FUCKING TOLD YOU ASSHOLES WOULD HAPPEN. I, personally, said it on this very goddamned blog: 

Some people do actually believe this shit and they are mostly Democrats - hell, here’s a Gallup poll with the numbers if you doubt my analysis. And to re-iterate, they’re inflaming extremists on both sides of the spectrum, because the more violence antifa commits, the more the Illinois Nazis will croon “see, we were right all along!”

The “Nazis” were a bunch of fucking retarded CHUDs seig heiling on dodgy message boards and defending the supreme might of das Reich’s wunderweapons on WWII forums - until you miserable fucks catapulted them into the national spotlight, and then legitimized them by using violence against people you claimed were them; making it seem like you couldn’t beat their arguments, so you had to resort to force, like knuckle-dragging thugs. You could never tell the difference, because you’re insane zealots who consider any disagreement with your sacred politics - such as immigration law - to be absolutely unforgivably fascist. You motherfuckers started this, because you refused, refused to accept the outcome of a democratic election. You vile bastards are pushing this country further and further towards civil unrest and even civil war, and you’ve got the fucking gall to tell me I’m pretending to be concerned about them becoming violent, when I was warning about this back in fucking May? 

I’m not going to stop blogging, writing, or tweeting - because you fucks will never stop trying to destroy the foundations of our nation’s civil order to get your way. I’m not going to stand silent while you bastards do your utmost to plunge our peaceful and prosperous nation into a new era of civil strife, hatred and bloodshed.

So keep crying, you bastard, because I’m not going anywhere. 

[plusorminuscongress]

New story in Politics from Time: Lawyers Say Migrant Children Are Living in ‘Traumatic and Dangerous’ Conditions at Border Detention Site

(EL PASO, Texas) — A legal team that recently interviewed over 60 children at a Border Patrol station in Texas says a traumatic and dangerous situation is unfolding for some 250 infants, children and teens locked up for up to 27 days without adequate food, water and sanitation.

A team of attorneys who recently visited the facility near El Paso told The Associated Press that three girls, ages 10 to 15, said they had been taking turns keeping watch over a sick 2-year-old boy because there was no one else to look after him.

When the lawyers saw the 2-year-old boy, he wasn’t wearing a diaper and had wet his pants, and his shirt was smeared in mucus. They said at least 15 children at the facility had the flu, and some were kept in medical quarantine. Children told lawyers that they were fed uncooked frozen food or rice and had gone weeks without bathing or a clean change of clothes at the facility in Clint, in the desert scrubland some 25 miles southeast of El Paso.

“In my 22 years of doing visits with children in detention I have never heard of this level of inhumanity,” said Holly Cooper, an attorney who represents detained youth. “Seeing our country at this crucible moment where we have forsaken children and failed to see them as human is hopefully a wake up for this country to move toward change.”

The lawyers visited the facility in Clint because they are involved in a legal settlement known as the Flores agreement that governs detention conditions for migrant children and families. The lawyers negotiated access to the facility with officials, and say Border Patrol knew the dates of their visit three weeks in advance.

Many children the lawyers interviewed had arrived alone at the U.S.-Mexico border, but some of the kids had been separated from adult caregivers such as aunts and uncles, the attorneys said. Government rules call for the children to be held by the Border Patrol for no longer than 72 hours before they are transferred to the custody of Health and Human Services, which houses migrant youth in facilities around the country.

But many children interviewed by the lawyers said they were kept inside the facility near El Paso beyond 72 hours.

Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to the allegations about the conditions, but has said in recent weeks that it is overwhelmed and needs more money and help from the gridlocked Congress.

The allegations about the conditions inside the El Paso facility are the latest complaints about mistreatment of immigrants at a time when record numbers of migrant families from Central America have been arriving at the border. Government facilities are overcrowded and five immigrant children have died since late last year after being detained by the U.S. government. A teenage mother with a premature baby was found last week in a Texas Border Patrol processing center after being held for nine days by the government.

The Trump administration has been scrambling to find new space to hold immigrants as it faces withering criticism from Democrats that it’s violating the human rights of migrant children by keeping so many of them detained.

By CCEDAR ATTANASIO, GARANCE BURKE AND MARTHA MENDOZA / AP on June 20, 2019 at 05:12PM

#Time #politics #PlusOrMinusCongress #±Congress #Indega± #IndegaPlusOrMinus #TimeMag #TimeMagazine

[newstfionline]

Saturday, August 14, 2021

Census shows US is diversifying (AP) The U.S. became more diverse and more urban over the past decade, and the non-Hispanic white population dropped for the first time on record, the Census Bureau said Thursday as it released a trove of demographic data that will be used to redraw the nation’s political maps. The figures show continued migration to the South and West at the expense of counties in the Midwest and Northeast. The share of the non-Hispanic white population fell from 63.7% in 2010 to 57.8% in 2020, the lowest on record. White people continue to be the most prevalent racial or ethnic group, though that changed in California, where Hispanics became the largest racial or ethnic group, growing to 39.4% from 37.6% over the decade, while the share of white people dropped from 40.1% to 34.7%. “The U.S. population is much more multiracial and much more racially and ethnically diverse than what we have measured in the past,” said Nicholas Jones, a Census Bureau official. The share of children in the U.S. declined because of falling birth rates, while the share of adults grew, driven by aging baby boomers. Adults over age 18 made up more than three-quarters of the population in 2020, or 258.3 million people, an increase of more than 10% from 2010.

Migrants find themselves stranded abroad by new US policy (AP) Shortly after crossing the border in south Texas with her 5-year-old daughter, Karla Leiva of Honduras found herself on a chartered U.S. government flight, learning midair that she was headed to the provincial capital of Villahermosa in southern Mexico. Authorities there put her on a bus to Mexico’s southern border and on Thursday she sat on the patio of a migrant shelter in a remote Guatemalan border town. Her swift expulsion through three countries was part of a highly unusual partnership between the governments of the United States and Mexico that the Biden administration hopes will deter migrants from returning to the U.S. border. The U.S. government has intermittently flown Mexicans deep into Mexico for years to discourage repeat attempts, but flights that began last week from Brownsville, Texas, to Villahermosa and Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border, appear to be the first time that Central Americans have been flown to Mexico.

Britain’s first mass shooting in more than a decade leaves 5 dead, plus suspected gunman (Washington Post) A 22-year-old gunman who posted YouTube videos filled with despair and self-loathing is suspected of killing five people, including his mother and a 3-year-old girl, in the first mass shooting in Britain in more than a decade, police said. Thursday night’s shooting rampage in the seaside city of Plymouth, in southwest England, stunned the country, which has some of the toughest gun laws in the world. Police confirmed that the suspect, identified as Jake Davison, held a license for the gun used. There was no immediate, clear motive, police said.

Italy may have seen Europe’s hottest day ever (NBC News) Europe may just have seen its hottest day ever. A temperature of almost 120 degrees Fahrenheit was reported in Sicily on Wednesday and, if verified, would be a record for the continent. The 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.84 Fahrenheit) temperature was recorded by Sicily’s agriculture-meteorological information service, SIAS, at the Syracuse station on the island’s southeast. The hottest verified temperature on the continent is 48 degrees Celsius, or 118.4 degrees Fahrenheit, in Greece on July 10, 1977. The high temperature reading came as a heatwave is baking parts of the Mediterranean and contributing to massive wildfires that have killed dozens of people.

Turkey combats Black Sea floods, death toll rises to 27 (Reuters) Emergency workers battled to relieve flood-hit areas of Turkey’s Black Sea region on Friday, as the death toll rose to 27 in the second natural disaster to strike the country this month. The floods, among the worst Turkey has experienced, brought chaos to northern provinces just as authorities were declaring wildfires that raged through southern coastal regions for two weeks had been brought under control. Torrents of water tossed dozens of cars and heaps of debris along streets, with bridges destroyed, roads closed and electricity cut to hundreds of villages.

Troops Rush In (Independent UK, CNN, ABC News) U.S. troops in Afghanistan kept the Taliban at bay for two decades. It was America’s longest war. In the 1990s, the Taliban captured Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city, after claiming the country as an Islamic state. They were forced out when U.S. troops invaded in 2001. On Thursday, Taliban fighters again took back that strategic southern city. Kandahar is the birthplace of their fundamentalist Islamic movement, and the 12th provincial capital out of the country’s 34 that the militants have seized in their week-long campaign. The initial U.S. projection for when the country’s capital of Kabul might fall under Taliban control was six to twelve months. A recent military analysis said Kabul could be isolated and captured in 30 to 90 days, but that timeline appears to be accelerating. There are also credible reports that the militants are executing Afghan troops who’ve surrendered. Taliban leaders have denied the accusations, but last month CNN obtained a video showing 22 unarmed members of an Afghan Special Forces unit being executed while trying to surrender. The Taliban now controls two-thirds of the country. The rapidly deteriorating security situation prompted a decision to send 3,000 troops back in to help evacuate personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. The Pentagon said one Army and two Marine infantry battalions will enter Afghanistan within the next two days to assist at the Kabul airport with the partial evacuation. The embassy has a staff of 4,000, including 1,400 Americans. Great Britain will also send 600 troops into the country to help support British nationals as they leave. As Western powers line up to leave, it’s difficult to overstate the tragedy of a situation where thousands have been killed, millions have become refugees, and trillions of dollars in resources have been burned only for Afghanistan to end up where it started 20 years ago.

Afghanistan’s rapid collapse is part of a long, slow U.S. defeat (Washington Post) The collapse seems so sudden. In the space of a few blistering summer months, Taliban forces have swept across much of Afghanistan. But the writing has been on the wall for a long time. As my colleague Craig Whitlock has revealed with his award-winning reporting on a cache of internal U.S. government documents scrutinizing the failures of the American war-making and nation-building efforts in Afghanistan, successive U.S. administrations recognized that the Taliban were not going to be easily vanquished, that the Afghan state was weak and riddled with corruption, and that muddling through without a coherent strategy was still preferable to admitting defeat. “The interviews and documents, many of them previously unpublished, show how the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump hid the truth for two decades,” Whitlock explained. “They were slowly losing a war that Americans once overwhelmingly supported. Instead, political and military leaders chose to bury their mistakes and let the war drift.”      “The turning point came at the end of 2005, beginning of 2006 when we finally woke up to the fact that there was an insurgency that could actually make us fail,” one administration official later told government interviewers. “Everything was turning the wrong way at the end of 2005.” Almost a decade later, at the end of 2014, Obama attempted to hail the end of the American military mission in the country after years of counterinsurgency, declaring in a statement that “the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion.” But U.S. officials knew that there was little end in sight and the Obama administration, Whitlock reported, “conjured up an illusion.” Then came Trump, who loudly called for an end to costly U.S. military entanglements abroad. But he authorized an intensification of aerial bombing campaigns against Islamist militant targets that, according to one study, saw Afghan civilian casualties increase by about 330 percent. Biden, a veteran of the Obama years, now owns his own moment in Afghanistan’s tumultuous history, a tragedy many years in the making.

Australia capital’s lockdown until no more virus (AP) Australia’s capital Canberra will remain locked down until there are no more COVID-19 infections in the city, a government leader said on Friday. The Australian Capital Territory, which comprises Canberra and two villages, locked down for a week after a man tested positive on Thursday.

Processed foods (Food Dive) A new study published in JAMA found that 67 percent of U.S. children and teens’ diets come from ultra-processed foods, up 5.6 percentage points compared to the levels seen in 1999. Most of the increase came from ready-to-eat meals, which rose from 2.2 percent of daily calories to 11.2 percent of calories. Interestingly, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages like soda actually took a pretty considerable dip, falling from 10.8 percent of calories in 1999 to 5.3 percent in 2018.

A stranger helped a Jamaican athlete get to his Olympic race. He won gold. (Washington Post) As a star hurdler, Jamaica’s Hansle Parchment is familiar with overcoming barriers. But he was unprepared for a different kind of obstacle: getting lost in Tokyo on the day of his Olympic race, and rapidly running out of time to get there. The 31-year-old athlete posted a video this weekend on Instagram explaining how panic turned to hope after he met a “good Samaritan,” a volunteer working at the Games, who ultimately gave him money to take a taxi to the correct venue—where he won a gold medal in the men’s 110-meter hurdles on Aug. 5. Parchment, with gold medal in hand, went to find the stranger who had gone out of her way to help him—to thank her for helping him when he needed it the most. Parchment found Trijana Stojkovic, who was volunteering at the Olympics, telling her, “You were instrumental in me getting to the final that day.” He showed her his gold medal. “Really, you got this?!” she replied. Jamaica’s Ministry of Tourism has since invited Stojkovic to the island. Jamaican officials branded Stojkovic a good Samaritan and said an “official invitation” from the minister of tourism had been extended for her to visit.

#headlines #news

[iamlordmoldyshorts]

I signed up long ago to receive travel tips and discounts through Travel Zoo.  It wasn’t until recently that I actually took them up on an offer and decided to visit Riga, Latvia…because why the hell not?

Booked well in advance, it didn’t occur to me until I’d landed in Latvia that I’d be there during both the Trump inauguration and the Women’s March.  As a result, this blog will contain many of my emotions/thought processes in addition to the standard fare of pictures containing my experiences in my very first Baltic country.

If that’s not your cup of tea, feel free to see yourself out and return for my next blog: Berlin!  Any political commentary on either side of the equation in the comments will be deleted.  Consider yourself warned. :)

I landed in Riga at “night”(damn, it gets dark early!) and saw real live snow on the ground.  As a Texas girl who has spent considerable time in Jerusalem, Israel and Miami, Florida this was a real treat for me.  So what do I do?

Snow selfie!

I asked a handy nearby fellow for directions to the bus and went to wait at the stop where I witnessed a grown-ass man rolling around in the snow, making snow balls behind the bus stop.  See?  I’m not the only one excited about seeing snow!

After an hour long bus ride and a twenty minute walk to my hotel, I settled a bit and went out to find dinner at about 8:30.

Whilst traveling, I tend to splurge a bit on food.  I like to taste cuisine like the locals do.  Often times, I’ve found, that doesn’t actually mean eating the local cuisine (as you’ll see from my large variety of meals in Latvia.)

For my first meal, I wound up at KID*, an extremely cozy Italian restaurant that had the strangest and best music selection of any restaurant I’ve ever been to…full stop.  I was serenaded by a Nicki Minaj/Sir Mix Alot Anaconda/Baby Got Back crossover on banjo and a four-string jazz version of Eleanor Rigby.  Also, the food wasn’t bad either. ;)

I headed back to my hotel afterwards because while I don’t mind traveling by myself, I do have some manor of common sense about walking around alone in the dark at night in a foreign country where I don’t speak the language.

Upon returning to my room, I decided to do a bit of research regarding the Latvian impression of Trump, considering the time of my visit coincided with his taking office.  I’ll admit, I was slightly concerned that I’d be a lone blue swimming in a sea of red.  Surprisingly (or not surprisingly, when you actually take more than a second to think about it,) Latvia (and Latvians) are most definitely not fans of Donald Trump.

In fact, upon doing some research, I discovered that Latvians fear what Trumps presidency means for Europe and are preparing for the worst.

“Unlike any other president before him, Trump has declared he would not necessarily challenge Russian aggression – particularly in the Baltic states. […] Many feel that just as the situation in Ukraine became something that the world could wilfully ignore, without the threat of US interference, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania could face a similar future.” Source

So I guess I wasn’t alone in my displeasure of the upcoming day.  But beyond that, in my irrational mind with a constant mantra of “You’re a lone American female in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language,” I was a little fearful to be in such close proximity to Russia on January 20th.  (Did I say irrational?  Hindsight shows that thought process to be stupid.  He wasn’t going to do anything on Day 1.  Obviously.)

I turned on the television to try and calm my mind a bit only to discover that my channel options were rather intriguing.  Between English, Latvian, and Russian, my channel options were limited to National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and poorly dubbed Disney Channel.  Jade Fever it is!

Day 1

The first day out and about in Latvia’s capital city of Riga was layered in a dense fog.  Not to be deterred, I set out to do all the things!

The architecture looked…sparse but decorated at the same time. Honestly, most of it looked like it was still part of the Soviet bloc, very minimalist and concrete. But I could also see where they were trying to build and differentiate as well.

Early morning courtyard filled with snow.

Riga Central Station and also a huge mall.

Made it to the hop-on/hop-off tour bus. I’m the only one on the bus. Good sign or bad sign?

I took the tour bus in a wide loop around the city, almost doubling back near to my hotel.  It was nice to warm up a bit, but my toes got cold while I was just sitting there, so I got off at the third stop and walked for the rest of the day.

Loved the architecture lines at the Riga Nativity of Christ Cathedral.

I’m standing where the Lenin monument used to be until 1991. Then they tore it down and renamed the street Freedom Street.

Freedom monument during changing of the guards.

The river was completely frozen over. I couldn’t resist!

Walking along the frozen river. Newly wed locks left on their wedding day.

I’m standing on the frozen river. Eeeek! (Technically, it’s a City Canal. Whatever.)

Found this just too funny. I didn’t realize Canada ever had a need to “re-establish diplomatic relations” with ANYONE! What?

Found this standing atop Bastion Hill.  Words to live by.

Maris Liepa outside the Opera House. I asked a passing stranger to take the picture…best decision I made in Latvia.

This passing stranger turned out to be a tour guide!  She invited me to join her for hot chocolate at Vilhelms Ķuze, a coffee shop known for having the best chocolate in the city.  We sat and traded stories while warming up a bit.  Based on my interests (and cultural background,) she recommended I cross the big river (Daugava River) and visit the Zanis Lipke Memorial.  We went our separate ways, her towards work, and me towards the river.

Partially frozen river from halfway across the bridge where I crossed.

Immediately on the other side, I saw these gorgeous red bushes a bit off the road. Determined to take that photo, I slogged through hella-deep snow to get that pic. Couldn’t feel my toes. #worthit

Walking along the opposite bank of the river, looking back at the bridge I crossed. The entire marina (that’s what you’re looking at) was frozen solid.

So on the recommendation of said tour-guide, I made the trek to the Zanis Lipke Memorial.  Now, if you (like me) have never heard of Zanis, let me briefly educate you.

Zanis was born in 1900.  He received three years of elementary education but had a good grasp of Russian, German, and Latvian languages.  After fighting in the Latvian War of Liberation, he married his wife Johanna (she was 17) in 1920.  He worked at the Riga port as a dockworker and in 1938, he acquired the right to rent a small house and a plot of land slightly inland from the river.

At the outbreak of World War II, he retrained in order to become a contractor for the Luftwaffe, and then used his position to smuggle Jewish workers out of the Riga ghetto and camps in and around Riga, whom he concealed with the aid of his wife until the arrival of the Red Army in October 1944.

At first he found shelter for them in various parts of Riga, but when the circumstances became too dangerous, he took them across the river to his house and hid them in a special bunker that he dug in his back yard.  When the numbers became too great for even that, he transported the runaways to a parish roughly 80 km away from Riga.

The Lipkes and their various helpers saved forty people in this way, one fifth of the approximately 200 Jews who survived the war in Latvia.

Information taken from the Memorial guidebook at Wikipedia.

Inside the Zanis Lipke Memorial.

Inside the Zanis Lipke Memorial with a super-not-at-all-sneaky flash.

A birds-eye look into the bunker.  TV’s are on the floor.

Lipke house.  A relative still lives there.  The Memorial is located right next door and is designed to resemble an inverted Noah’s ark.

At the end of the tour, I discovered that Zanis and Johanna have a tree dedicated to them at Yad Vashem (the Holocaust museum in Jerusalem).  Not only have I been there (several times) but I’ve seen and taken pictures in front of their tree and had absolutely no idea who they were!

Small world…

At this point, I decided to cross back over the river and hit some more monuments/museums before heading home.

The Swedish Gate is situated in Riga, Latvia, and was erected 1698 as a part of the Riga Wall to provide access to barracks outside the city wall.

The Three Brothers is a building complex consisting of three houses. The houses together form the oldest complex of dwelling houses in Riga.

Riga Cathedral

No idea WHY the fire….but it smelled like fire. I hovered for two minutes or so. Smelled like home.

House of Blackheads (home of the president,) with the Museum of Occupation of Latvia next to it.

The Museum of Occupation of Latvia was truly fascinating and if you ever have the opportunity to visit, I highly recommend it.

By the time I finished, it was dark out.  (Not that that means much.  It was about 5:00pm.  I told you it gets dark early there, right?)

I wandered back to the hotel at this point, determined to scope out a possible venue for dinner.  By the time I made it back, researched restaurants, and left again, it was about 7:30pm.  I went to the restaurant I found and lo and behold, it was closed for reconstruction.  Bereft, I wandered back down the street towards my hotel wherein I found salvation in the form of the UniCon Cafe.  Honestly, all it took was the TARDIS in the window for me to poke my head in.

Unfortunately, they didn’t serve food, but I asked the bartender where I could find good food in the general area and was told to go check out WokiToki for their Chinese take-away food.

After grabbing my Chinese food, I went back to UniCon and ate dinner there.  I fell in love with the concept.  An espresso and alcoholic beverage bar with two TV’s; one displaying anime, the other being used to play Mortal Combat.  They also had a huge wall of board games.

I would have been in nerd heaven if not for two things; most patrons were speaking a foreign language.  Don’t get me wrong, I have no issue striking up conversations with groups of strangers…but it’s hard to strike up a conversation if you don’t know if they speak your own language.  Also, by that time it was about 8:30pm.  For those of you who can’t play the time-difference game…8:30pm in Latvia was exactly 1:30pm in Washington D.C. on January 20th, 2017.

I wasn’t feeling very chipper from that point on.  I left and headed back to my hotel.  I spent the next two hours scrolling through my facebook news feed, twitter, and CNN before calling it a night and turning on the TV to distract myself.

Day 2

The following day, I was determined to take it easy and treat this trip more like a vacation and less like…well…a trip.  I slept in a bit later, I ate breakfast a bit slower.  I really only had a few things left on my tourism list that I wanted to check out.

I walked back over to the Riga Central Station (and got a better picture!  The sun came out!)

Rather than continue south towards the river (as I’d done the day prior) I hung a left and meandered over to the Riga Central Market on the recommendation of my tour-guide friend from the day before.

Old zeppelin factories that now house numerous food markets. Unfortunately the first one I walked into was fish. (*gag*)

The market stalls extended outside too. I walked around for a good hour out here. Found a cute sweater too…but wasn’t willing to pay asking price, so I walked away.

The ghetto. It is now a section for the arts in the city…which I consider to be AWESOME.

This imposing building looming over the Ghetto and marketplace is apparently the Latvian Academy of Sciences.

From there, I meandered my way back West and happened upon the Freedom Monument again…but this time, featuring BLUE SKIES!

I had a late lunch, my traditional McDonald’s excursion, and decided to walk in the general direction of my hotel for lack of anything better to do.

This was about the time the Women’s March was starting, so while I walked, I scoured Twitter to read the fun political signs.  I even saw someone walking down the street in Riga wearing a Hufflepuff scarf and a pussy hat.  As she walked by, I told her I liked her hat.  Thank goodness she spoke English…cause that would have been awkward.  xD

In my wandering, I ended up back at UniCon where I sat for about three hours and just read a book and drank some coffee.  So relaxing.

Called it a night early and went back to the hotel.

Day 3

On my final day in the city, I woke up and didn’t really have much of a plan.  I packed my stuff and checked out of the hotel, slowly making my way back to the airport.

On the way, I finally spotted some of the weather vanes I’d been looking for.  Riga is known for its eclectic weather vanes.  The rooster and the cat were my faves. Here are two roosters.  (It was too foggy to take a picture of the cat.)

I caught the bus to the airport and left Latvia behind me.

All in all, I felt very alone on this trip.  Not because I was traveling alone but more due to the fact that I felt isolated in my corner of the world playing tourist while so much was going on both in the States and in the UK (with the inauguration and the Marches).

Between Rome and Latvia, I’m kinda sick and tired of Donald Trump ruining my vacations.  I’m going to need him to work on that……among other things.

ANYWAYS!  Next stop: Germany for the Berlinale International Film Festival.

Because Why The Hell Not I signed up long ago to receive travel tips and discounts through Travel Zoo.  It wasn't until recently that I actually took them up on an offer and decided to visit Riga, Latvia...because why the hell not?

#Europe #Latvia #Travel #Wanderlust

[socialjusticeartshare]

All migrant children must be released from US detention by Friday because of coronavirus. Some parents fear that could mean separation

WASHINGTON ― She lost her first child while pregnant in her native Haiti when armed men raped and beat her for speaking out against the country’s human rights abuses.

She thought she would find safety in Santiago, Chile, where she fled to join her husband. But their second child barely survived after she was forced to give birth to him on a city street when hospital workers denied her medical care because she is Haitian.

The racism and violence sent them fleeing to the United States, but they’re still not safe. The couple is fighting deportation from inside a Pennsylvania detention center, and now a judge’s ruling and the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration approach is forcing the couple and dozens of other immigrants to make a cruel choice.

A federal judge has ordered the release of immigrant children in the nation’s three family detention centers by Friday because of the coronavirus outbreak and possible violations of public health practices at the facilities. But immigration officials aren’t expected to allow their parents to leave with them.

So the parents must decide: abandon their asylum claims and face imminent deportation with their children to countries where their lives are in danger or allow their children to be released to a sponsor or relative here and risk separation if the parents are later deported.

“The thought of being separated from my child is literally killing me,” the woman said, her voice shaking with emotion on a phone call from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Berks County Family Residential Center this week. She asked that her name be withheld out of concern for her safety.

Immigrant rights advocates and lawyers who initially rejoiced when the federal judge’s ruling came down last month are trying to figure out what will happen Friday for parents still waging legal battles against deportation.

“There is no real option for them that they could choose that would be a safe choice for their children — none,” said Bridget Cambria, director of ALDEA — The People’s Justice Center and part of a coalition working to ensure families are released and kept united.

ICE officials on Tuesday declined to comment, citing pending litigation over the release of families in detention.

Federal officials and immigrant rights lawyers have been locked in legal battles over the fate of immigrants and their children since the pandemic began to tear across the world in March. As the Trump administration shut down borders and restricted foreign travelers, it moved slowly to release people from detention centers and close immigration courts, sparking concerns the centers and courtrooms were petri dishes for infection.

On June 26, US District Judge Dolly M. Gee of California ordered federal officials to remove all of the children from the three family detention facilities in Texas and Pennsylvania with “all deliberate speed.” She pointed to findings from an independent monitor and a Stanford University pediatrics professor who examined conditions at the family detention centers and observed “non-compliance or spotty compliance with masking and social distancing rules.”

At the time of her ruling, 11 people detained at the facility in Karnes County, Texas, and four employees at another family detention center in the nearby city of Dilley had tested positive for COVID-19. Although no cases had been reported at Berks, Gee wrote, six children had been infected in April with viral stomatitis, an inflation of the mouth, “further demonstrating the ease with which contagion can spread in congregate settings.”

The family detention centers “are ‘on fire’ and there is no more time for half measures,” she said, giving immigration officials until Friday to release the children.

On Monday, immigrant rights lawyers in a separate Washington, D.C., case asked a federal judge to order the release of all parents in the family detention centers. In all, at the time, there were more than 300 adults and children who remained locked up, including a third who are under 10 years old.

A complaint filed by Proyecto Dilley, the People’s Justice Center, RAICES, and other immigration legal groups over the weekend detailed medical care that has “been substandard at best, and negligent at worst.” And the lawyers cited concerns parents would be separated from their children. Families had already been locked up for more than 180 days, though none had criminal charges.

Vanessa Molina, with the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, on Monday advised the judge against the “wholesale release” of detainees, saying government officials have met all court orders and are following federal public health guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A ruling is not expected until early next week.

In Pennsylvania, activists have called on Governor Tom Wolf to close the Berks detention center, where 16 people remained as of Monday and more arrived on Wednesday.

The Haitian couple entered the United States in March at the Mexican border and turned themselves in to Border Patrol officials. But a federal judge denied the family the chance to plead for asylum under the Trump administration’s transit ban, which prevented thousands of migrants from applying for asylum unless they first sought and were denied refuge in another country on their route. Another federal judge this month struck down that policy.

“We are in this real stalemate because ICE has stopped using their discretion to release families who have been detained for a long time,” Cambria said. “I have a tough time understanding who gets released or when. It is very indiscriminate.”

The couple said they arrived at Berks after a six-day, cross-country journey through different detention centers, during which they had no access to lawyers or basic hygiene necessities, such as showers or toothbrushes.

Their son, who turns 2 next month, had diarrhea and vomited several times along the way, his mother said. Now they’re worried they could all contract the coronavirus while stuck in immigration limbo, the parents said.

Another immigrant father at Berks — also from Haiti — described a similar harrowing transfer with his wife and two children, ages 11 and 3. That man, a former Red Cross worker who asked that his name be withheld out of fear of retaliation from US officials, said he and his family only get to spend a few hours together a day and that the conditions are taking their toll.

They have lost weight and often struggle with frigid temperatures at the facility. His children have suffered from a virus that leaves blisters on their tongues and lips and prevents them from eating, he said. He fears the coronavirus but a possible separation even more, he said.

“I feel like extreme pain because they are asking me, they are asking us to give up our kids or [all] stay in prison,” he said on the phone from the Berks facility this week.

Immigration lawyers and activists have fought child detention for decades. A 1997 case established minimum federal standards for holding children and has been interpreted as limiting the time a child can be held in immigration detention to 20 days.

But under President Trump, federal officials have separated families at the southwestern border, sought to allow the indefinite detention of children, and narrowed the path to asylum to deter families from immigrating to the United States.

As the pandemic has allowed Trump to ramp up his immigration crackdown, the Black Lives Matter protests have cast new attention on those hardest hit by the policies: Black immigrants from Caribbean and African nations who lawyers say are often detained for longer under higher bonds. More than 140 Haitian asylum-seekers, including more than 20 children, were deported after Gee ordered all children released, lawyers said.

“One of the things that is clear is that the fight for Black lives is a universal fight,” said Guerline Jozef, cofounder and executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, a coalition of Haitian activists and organizers in California dedicated to helping Haitian immigrants navigate life in the United States.

The former Red Cross worker fears deportation to Haiti, where he said he was attacked by a rival political group in 2015 and barely escaped alive. He had hoped to find a better life in Santiago, where he met his wife ― a neighbor with smarts and a beautiful smile — but protests against Haitian immigrants increased there, as did assaults.

The Haitian woman and her husband had been law students and activists speaking out in favor of women’s and students’ rights in their homeland. He was forced to flee to Chile first after he was shot at and beaten, he said. She continued her activism until members of a government-backed gang attacked, raped, and sodomized her, she said.

The gang killed her parents not long after.

In Santiago, her husband helped deliver her baby on the street. He tied the umbilical cord with his shoelaces and wrapped him in his jacket, as they searched for a hospital that would take them in.

“I am extremely traumatized by what happened in Haiti,” she said. “To have to experience the trauma and abuse again because of being Black in Chile and now to be put in prison where the is no hope, I feel like I am losing my mind. I cannot [go on] anymore. Please help.”

Article Source

#migrant children #must be released #US Detention #coronavirus

[vsplusonline]

Lockdown politics increasingly pit economic, health concerns

New Post has been published on https://apzweb.com/lockdown-politics-increasingly-pit-economic-health-concerns/

Lockdown politics increasingly pit economic, health concerns

The global health crisis is taking a nasty political turn with tensions worsening between governments locked down to keep the coronavirus at bay and people yearning to restart stalled economies and forestall fears of a depression.

Protesters worrying about their livelihoods and bucking infringements on their freedom have taken to the streets in some places. A few countries are acting to ease restrictions, but most of the world remains unified in insisting it’s much too early to take more aggressive steps.

In the United States, there is clear evidence of the mounting pressure. The Trump administration says parts of the nation are ready to begin a gradual return to normalcy. Yet some state leaders say their response to the pandemic is hindered by a woefully inadequate federal response.

After insisting the country’s virus testing system was without fault, President Donald Trump announced Sunday evening that he would be using the Defense Production Act to compel increased manufacturing of testing swabs — one of several products governors have been begging the president to help them acquire. White House officials will also be holding a call Monday with the nation’s governors to help walk them through where to find supplies, he said.

Trump also remained defensive, however, vowing that there were enough swabs to go around. “Swabs are easy,” the president said, bringing one to his news briefing and waving it in front of reporters.

That came hours after Washington state’s Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, accused Trump of encouraging insubordination and “illegal activity” by goading protesters who flouted shelter-in-place rules his own administration has encouraged.

“To have an American president to encourage people to violate the law, I can’t remember any time during my time in America where we have seen such a thing,” Inslee told ABC’s “This Week.? He said it was ”dangerous because it can inspire people to ignore things that actually can save their lives.”

Trump supporters in several states have ignored social distancing and stay-at-home orders, gathering to demand that governors lift controls on public activity. The largest protest drew thousands to Lansing, Mich., on Wednesday, and others have featured hundreds in several states. The president has invoked their rallying cry, calling on some states with Democratic governors to “LIBERATE,” and he defended the demonstrations Sunday night, saying “these people love our country. They want to go back to work.”

Inslee likened Trump’s response to “schizophrenia.” Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland, said it “just doesn’t make any sense.”

“We’re sending completely conflicting messages out to the governors and to the people, as if we should ignore federal policy and federal recommendations,” Hogan said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Shutdowns have disrupted economic, social, cultural and religious life and plunged the world into a deep economic slump unseen since the Great Depression. Tens of millions of workers have lost their jobs and millions more fear they’ll be next.

With the arc of infection different in every nation and across U.S. states, proposals have differed for coping with the virus that has killed more than 165,000.

China, where the pandemic began, has lifted travel and other restrictions, but customer traffic has been slow to return.

Germany is enforcing social distancing but on Monday intends to begin allowing some small stores, like those selling furniture and baby goods, to reopen. Spain said children can leave their homes beginning April 27. Albania planned to let its mining and oil industries reopen Monday, along with hundreds of businesses.

The death toll in the U.S. was near 41,000 with more than 758,000 confirmed infections, while the global total has surpassed 2.4 million, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The European Center for Disease Control said the continent now has more than 1 million confirmed cases and almost 100,000 deaths from the coronavirus.

The true figures are likely significantly higher since mild infections can be missed, testing is limited and many countries have been too overwhelmed by illnesses to effectively count them or have tried to underplay the extent of their outbreaks.

The International Monetary Fund expects the global economy to contract 3% this year. That’s a far bigger loss than 2009’s 0.1% after the global financial crisis. Still, many governments are resisting pressures to abruptly relax lockdowns.

“We must not let down our guard until the last confirmed patient is recovered,” said South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in.

In Britain, which reported 596 more coronavirus-related hospital deaths on Sunday, officials also said they’re not ready to ease efforts to curb the virus’s spread. U.K. minister Michael Gove told the BBC that pubs and restaurants “will be among the last” to leave the lockdown, which is now in place until May 7.

France’s health agency urged the public to stick to social distancing measures that have been extended until at least May 11 and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said people could be required to wear masks on public transportation, and suggested no one plan faraway summer vacations even after that.

Trump is pushing to begin easing the U.S. lockdown in some states even before his own May 1 deadline, a plan that health experts and governors from both parties say will require a dramatic increase in testing capacity. But Vice President Mike Pence insisted the country has “sufficient testing today” for states to begin working toward the initial phases of reopening their economies.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said his state can’t begin lifting restrictions until it is able to test more people daily. “Right now, we’re not even close as a nation, let alone as a state, to where we should be on testing,” he said.

Economic concerns that have increasingly collided with measures to protect public health are popping up throughout the U.S.

Business leaders in Louisiana have slammed New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell for imposing restrictions they say have unfairly shuttered economic activity outside the city. A full-page ad in The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate newspaper urged an easing of lockdowns, even as the paper featured nearly nine pages of obituaries in a city hard-hit by the virus.

States including Texas and Indiana have announced plans to allow some retail and other activity to resume. But in New York, where the daily coronavirus death toll hit its lowest point in more than two weeks, officials warn that heavily effected areas aren’t ready to ease shutdowns of schools, businesses and gatherings.

Geopolitical and religious tensions stretching back centuries have further complicated the global response to the virus. But Jordan’s King Abdullah II said the outbreak has made “partners” out of “our enemies of yesterday, or those that were not friendly countries yesterday — whether we like it or not.”

“I think the quicker we as leaders and politicians figure that out, the quicker we can bring this under control,” he told CBS’ “Face the Nation.?

IndiaToday.in has plenty of useful resources that can help you better understand the coronavirus pandemic and protect yourself. Read our comprehensive guide (with information on how the virus spreads, precautions and symptoms), watch an expert debunk myths, check out our data analysis of cases in India, and access our dedicated coronavirus page. Get the latest updates on our live blog.

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#Politics

[bountyofbeads]

Claim: Migrant children molested in US-funded foster care

https://apnews.com/b44559a135654616aa0e69a3ec7d2339

Claim: Migrant children molested in US-funded foster care

By GARANCE BURKE, JULIET LINDERMAN AND MARTHA MENDOZA |

Published August 16, 2019 | AP | Posted August 16, 2019 |

SANTA ANA, California (AP) — This story is part of an ongoing joint investigation between The Associated Press and the PBS series FRONTLINE on the treatment of migrant children, which includes an upcoming film.

___

After local Guatemalan officials burned down an environmental activist's home, he decided to leave his village behind and flee to the United States, hoping he'd be granted asylum and his little boy, whose heart was failing, would receive lifesaving medical care.

But after crossing the border into Arizona in May of last year, Border Patrol agents tore the man's 7-year-old son from his arms and sent the father nearly 2,000 miles (3,220 kilometers) away to a detention center in Georgia. The boy, now 8, went into a U.S.-funded foster home for migrant children in New York.

The foster care programs are aimed at providing migrant children with care while authorities work to connect them with parents, relatives or other sponsors. But instead the boy told a counselor he was repeatedly sexually molested by other boys in the foster home.

A review of 38 legal claims obtained by The Associated Press — some of which have never been made public — shows taxpayers could be on the hook for more than $200 million in damages from parents who said their children were harmed while in government custody.

The father and son are among dozens of families — separated at the border as part of the Trump administration's zero tolerance policy — who are now preparing to sue the federal government, including several who say their young children were sexually, physically or emotionally abused in federally funded foster care.

With more than 3,000 migrant children taken from their parents at the border in recent years, many lawsuits are expected, potentially totaling in the billions. Families who spoke to the AP and FRONTLINE did so on the condition of anonymity over fears about their families' safety.

"How is it possible that my son was suffering these things?" the father said. "My son is little and couldn't defend himself."

The families — some in the U.S., others already deported to Central America — are represented by grassroots immigration clinics and nonprofit groups, along with some of the country's most powerful law firms. They're making claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act as a precursor to filing lawsuits. The FTCA allows individuals who suffer harm as a direct result of federal employees to sue the government.

"It's the tip of the iceberg," said Erik Walsh, an attorney at Arnold & Porter, which has one of the world's leading pro bono programs.

The firm has so far filed 18 claims on behalf of nine families, totaling $54 million, and Walsh says dozens more are likely coming.

The government has six months to settle FTCA claims from the time they're filed. After that, the claimants are free to file federal lawsuits.

The departments of Justice and Homeland Security — both named in claims — did not respond to requests for comment.

In a statement, Health and Human Services — the agency responsible for the care of migrant children — said it does not respond to pending litigation and that it serves children in a compassionate and organized manner through its Office of Refugee Resettlement.

"The important work happening in each of the facilities and programs in the ORR network around the country — work ORR has done successfully since 2003 — takes an experienced team of competent, hardworking men and women dedicated to the welfare of the children," HHS spokesman Mark Weber said. "We treat the children in our care with dignity and respect."

Last year, the Office of Refugee Resettlement cared for nearly 50,000 children who crossed the border by themselves, as well as children who were separated from their families under the zero tolerance policy. The agency housed them in foster programs, residential shelters and detention camps around the country, sometimes making daily placements of as many as 500 new arrivals, from babies to teens.

The allegations of abuse and assaults in foster care raise fresh questions about the government's efforts to place younger children with families in lieu of larger shelters and packed detention facilities.

The legal claims, a recent federal court filing and Health and Human Services documents released by Congress earlier this year allege that children have suffered serious emotional trauma after being physically harmed or fondled by other children while in foster care.

Six of the claims for damages involve children who were in foster care. And one recent court filing refers to a migrant child being abused in foster care.

The records released by Congress show the Office of Refugee Resettlement referred at least seven foster care allegations of sexual abuse to the Justice Department in 2017 and 2018. Because some are anonymous to protect the children's privacy, it's unclear if some of the claims are duplicates.

Justice has not responded to repeated queries about those cases from members of Congress.

Three of the four incidents involving physical harm outlined in legal filings occurred at Cayuga Centers in New York, the largest foster care placement for migrant children, housing up to 900 babies and children at a time. The kids are supposed to be placed with Spanish-speaking families who are paid $1,000 per month per child.

In a statement on Friday, Cayuga Centers said it takes the safety of children in its care seriously and reports allegations of abuse to the proper local, state and federal authorities, including the New York State Office of Children Services, the New York Police Department and Office for Refugee Resettlement.

"Child protection is our number one priority. If a concern is raised about child safety in a foster home, it is investigated immediately. Our staff are all mandated reporters," the group said in the statement. "Children are removed from a foster home immediately when an allegation is raised and if necessary, a foster home would be suspended until cleared following a thorough investigation."

In one Cayuga home, a foster parent found a little girl being forced to touch another child's private parts and kiss her on the lips, according to a memo submitted as part of a federal lawsuit related to family separation.

The girl was 3 when immigration officials took her from her father in March, after they'd crossed the border in Texas. As a result of her trauma, the little girl began to regress in foster care, having difficulty eating, drinking and using the toilet, according to her attorney. The girl was sent back to Honduras on Wednesday, a month after her father was deported.

One Guatemalan mother whose 5-year-old daughter was placed in Cayuga last year says her little girl still wakes up crying from what she endured at the foster home.

"Now she's scared each time we go out or when she sees a police car or someone in uniform," said the mother, who has filed a $6 million claim. "She says 'Mami, don't let them separate us again.'"

Another 5-year-old Guatemalan girl said a boy grabbed her chest and touched her inappropriately, both in her foster home and during daytime classes at a Safe Haven for Children New York foster program, according to a $3 million injury claim. The girl was moved to a new foster home, but there she suffered verbal abuse from her foster parent's mother, who called her names and locked her alone in rooms as punishment, according to the claim.

A spokesman for Lutheran Social Services of New York, which oversees the Safe Haven for Children New York foster program, declined to comment on the allegation.

Two claims blame the government for wrongful deaths: one, seeking $20 million, was filed by the wife of a Honduran father who killed himself in a padded cell after officers pulled his 3-year-old son from his arms.

"Essentially what this policy does, is it makes examples out of families that get ripped apart to deter others," said John Escamilla, who is representing the man's wife and two children. He said he plans to file a federal lawsuit stemming from his FTCA claim as soon as Friday. "The people making these policies intended this level of suffering, and that's what's unconscionable."

In another case not involving child separation, a Guatemalan toddler died after a three-week stay in a family detention center. Her mother's $60 million claim alleges the government failed to give the girl proper medical attention.

The government has not settled any family separation cases in the administrative claims stage. But one federal lawsuit is currently in litigation in Massachusetts, and in February, a federal judge in Connecticut approved a $125,000 settlement in a separate case, for a Honduran mom and her son, then 6, who had been detained for four months and threatened with separation under the Obama administration.

Aseem Mehta, a law student at the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School who worked on the case, said the settlement — the first of its kind — sends a clear message that such claims have legal standing. Mehta added that Trump's significantly harsher border policies, including family separation, could make for even stronger cases before courts.

"Our case is a benchmark," Mehta said. "The most important takeaway is these claims are viable, and courts will entertain them, and the Department of Homeland Security views them as meritorious; they don't settle cases unless they think there's liability they're exposed to."

Janet Napolitano, who led Homeland Security from 2009 to 2013, said she recalled a number of tort claims were filed against the agency at the time, though she said family separations were rare. The delays in reunifying families and children under the Trump administration may have left the agency open to legal challenges, she added.

"There very well may be some vulnerability there," said Napolitano, now the president of the University of California.

Lawsuits stemming from family separation policies under the Trump administration are expected to be filed by mid-August.

Attorneys for migrant children have aimed several recent legal challenges at larger facilities that are not state-licensed and have held thousands of teens. Some say misconduct is less easily identified in foster care because it requires a child reporting or a foster parent happening to walk in on something occurring in the home.

"We may never know the extent to which children suffered particular abuses in foster homes," said Michelle Lapointe, a senior supervising attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The Guatemalan father, now living in Southern California, is still struggling to soothe his son's lasting nightmares. He says his once talkative and outgoing third-grader is now withdrawn and frequently says he wants to leave this world.

"This can't happen again because for those of us who live through this, it is terrifying," he said.

___

Daffodil J. Altan of FRONTLINE contributed to this report

[gyrlversion]

Migrant Children Describe Neglect, Mistreatment At Texas Border Facility

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A 2-year-old boy locked in detention wants to be held all the time. A few girls, ages 10 to 15, say they’ve been doing their best to feed and soothe the clingy toddler who was handed to them by a guard days ago. Lawyers warn that kids are taking care of kids, and there’s inadequate food, water and sanitation for the 250 infants, children and teens at the Border Patrol station.

The bleak portrait emerged Thursday after a legal team interviewed 60 children at the facility near El Paso that has become the latest place where attorneys say young migrants are describing neglect and mistreatment at the hands of the U.S. government.

Data obtained by The Associated Press showed that on Wednesday there were three infants in the station, all with their teen mothers, along with a 1-year-old, two 2-year-olds and a 3-year-old. There are dozens more under 12. Fifteen have the flu, and 10 more are quarantined.

Three girls told attorneys they were trying to take care of the 2-year-old boy, who had wet his pants and no diaper and was wearing a mucus-smeared shirt when the legal team encountered him.

“A Border Patrol agent came in our room with a 2-year-old boy and asked us, ‘Who wants to take care of this little boy?’ Another girl said she would take care of him, but she lost interest after a few hours and so I started taking care of him yesterday,” one of the girls said in an interview with attorneys.

Law professor Warren Binford, who is helping interview the children, said she couldn’t learn anything about the toddler, not even where he’s from or who his family is. He is not speaking.

Binford described that during interviews with children in a conference room at the facility, “little kids are so tired they have been falling asleep on chairs and at the conference table.”

She said an 8-year-old taking care of a very small 4-year-old with matted hair couldn’t convince the little one to take a shower.

“In my 22 years of doing visits with children in detention I have never heard of this level of inhumanity,” said Holly Cooper, who co-directs University of California, Davis’ Immigration Law Clinic and represents detained youth.

The lawyers inspected the facilities because they are involved in the Flores settlement, a Clinton-era legal agreement that governs detention conditions for migrant children and families. The lawyers negotiated access to the facility with officials, and say Border Patrol knew the dates of their visit three weeks in advance.

Many children interviewed had arrived alone at the U.S.-Mexico border, but some had been separated from their parents or other adult caregivers including aunts and uncles, the attorneys said.

Government rules call for the children to be held by the Border Patrol for no longer than 72 hours before they are transferred to the custody of Health and Human Services, which houses migrant youth in facilities around the country.

Government facilities are overcrowded and five immigrant children have died since late last year after being detained by Customs and Border Protection. A teenage mother with a premature baby was found last week in a Texas Border Patrol processing center after being held for nine days by the government.

In an interview this week with the AP, acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner John Sanders acknowledged that children need better medical care and a place to recover from their illnesses. He urged Congress to pass a $4.6 billion emergency funding package includes nearly $3 billion to care for unaccompanied migrant children.

He said that the Border Patrol is holding 15,000 people, and the agency considers 4,000 to be at capacity.

“The death of a child is always a terrible thing, but here is a situation where, because there is not enough funding … they can’t move the people out of our custody,” Sanders said.

The arrival of thousands of families and children at the border each month has not only strained resources but thrust Border Patrol agents into the role of caregivers, especially for the many migrant youth who are coming without parents.

But children at the facility in Clint, which sits amid the desert scrubland some 25 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of El Paso, say they have had to pick up some of the duties in watching over the younger kids.

A 14-year-old girl from Guatemala said she had been holding two little girls in her lap.

“I need comfort, too. I am bigger than they are, but I am a child, too,” she said.

Children told lawyers that they were fed oatmeal, a cookie and a sweetened drink in the morning, instant noodles for lunch and a burrito and cookie for dinner. There are no fruits or vegetables. They said they’d gone weeks without bathing or a clean change of clothes.

A migrant father, speaking on condition of anonymity because of his immigration status, told AP Thursday that authorities separated his daughter from her aunt when they entered the country. The girl would be a second grader in a U.S. school.

He had no idea where she was until Monday, when one of the attorney team members visiting Clint found his phone number written in permanent marker on a bracelet she was wearing. It said “U.S. parent.”

“She’s suffering very much because she’s never been alone. She doesn’t know these other children,” said her father.

Republican Congressman Will Hurd, whose district includes Clint, said “tragic conditions” playing out on the southern border were pushing government agencies, nonprofits and Texas communities to the limit.

“This latest development just further demonstrates the immediate need to reform asylum laws and provide supplemental funding to address the humanitarian crisis at our border,” he said.

Dr. Julie Linton, who co-chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics Immigrant Health Special Interest Group, said CBP stations are not an appropriate place to hold children.

“Those facilities are anything but child friendly,” said Dr. Julie Linton. “That type of environment is not only unhealthy for children but also unsafe.”

The Trump administration has been scrambling to find new space to hold immigrants as it faces criticism that it’s violating the human rights of migrant children by keeping so many of them detained.

San Francisco psychoanalyst Gilbert Kliman, who has evaluated about 50 children and parents seeking asylum, says the trauma is causing lasting damage.

“The care of children by children constitutes a betrayal of adult responsibility, governmental responsibility,” he said.

Burke reported from San Francisco. Mendoza reported from Santa Cruz, California.

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