Credo

I don't know if the military could detect a birthday party, let alone a balloon. It's going to be particularly disconcerting when they go through all the recovered data and find a long range forecast for the weather.????

Musk should stick what he purports to do best, and that is certainly not diplomacy.

Of course, I am serious. Do you think the people who pay a tour operator in Thailand know if they are legal or not?

This sounds like one giant conspiracy. The US had no reason to blow up a pipeline. The US government doesn't sell fuel to Europe, the oil companies do. Politically, it would have been better to keep that fuel in the US and lower the prices.

He created a massive mess. He separated children from their parents. Parents who met the criteria to remain in the states were moved to other facilities and eventually turned loose. By that time, the children had been moved. In many cases, the parents were deported an again the children remained in custody. The end result was thousands of children separated from their parents with no way of being reunified. The Trump administration never kept records of where parents or children were sent or which kids belonged to which parents. It was, and still is, a mess of epic proportion. And the cost of caring for those children was $800++ a day for basic care, not including things like health care and other services. Here's a little from Reuters about 8 days ago: Close to 1,000 migrant children separated by Trump yet to be reunited with parents U.S.-Mexico border by the administration of former President Donald Trump have yet to be reunited with their parents despite a two-year effort by President Joe Biden. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Thursday of the 998 children still separated, 148 were in the process of reunification. Biden, a Democrat, issued an executive order shortly after taking office in January 2021 that established a task force to reunite children separated from their families under Trump, a Republican and immigration hardliner, calling such separations a "human tragedy." https://www.reuters.com/world/us/close-1000-migrant-children-separated-by-trump-yet-be-reunited-with-parents-2023-02-02/ Not a shred of humanity in Trump. None.

Where does it say that they were not applying for legal entry? Where do you think the buses are taking them? To some place in the middle of the woods? These are not chartered buses, they are normal bus services to regular destinations. People very often have no idea that those transporting them are 'traffickers'.

Those numbers are under the Trump administration. I thought he was the one you admired for his immigration policies?

And now the Court has made it easier for those involved in domestic violence to keep their guns. A less than brilliant move. A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the government can't stop people who have domestic violence restraining orders against them from owning guns https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/02/federal-appeals-court-strikes-down-domestic-violence-gun-law-00081053

Well, it seems your wrong. From BKK Brian's post: The 300 Blackout name is perfect because it is heavier and larger than other calibers. This sturdy caliber is even designed for special operation forces.

Mexico has its own problems with refugees seeking to remain in Mexico. It is certainly not equipped to deal with those who wish to travel through Mexico to the US (or Canada). Most are allowed up to 180 days in Mexico, but this law was largely ignored once the Trump administration started the 'remain in Mexico' policy. Mexico has relatively recently changed visa requirements for a number of countries, making it much harder for people from Venezuela, Haiti and Cuba to enter Mexico. I don't know if there is any readily available data on those with family connections, but it's high and always has been. If you look at asylum seekers worldwide, you see many single males. Once they are in the US (or most other countries), they are in a position to either bring or sponsor immediate family members. US policy is to not grant refugee status if a person is eligible for a sponsored petition by a relative. In other words, they are admitted as an immigrant, not a refugee. If someone is requesting asylum, legally they can't be returned until they have a hearing to determine their status. If that person has an immediate family member who may be eligible to sponsor them, deportation may be delayed pending approval of a petition for admission to the US.

Thanks. And there are people who seem to think it's OK to have these weapons of war and require DNA analysis of school children simply to identify what's left of their body.

No, actually it is not whataboutism. The two situations are quite comparable.

Oh, you mean like when Comey reopened the investigation on Hillary right before the election? That was gaslighting of the highest order.

How sportsman like to kill an animal with an assault-style weapon. I don't know anyone that would take pride in hunting with such a weapon. Perhaps the same people who fish using explosives?

Your lack of understanding and compassion are noted. People seeking asylum are under no obligation to apply for refugee status in Mexico. Mexico is under no obligation to deny them legal passage to the US border. In general, those who are traveling to the US have a familial connection to someone in the US and on the basis of that, most would be permitted transit. It's called family reunification. For those who have been legally permitted to enter the US, there is no reason why they have to remain if their destination is Canada. The Mayor is not 'sending' anyone anywhere. He is facilitating the travel of those who want to go elsewhere, including to Canada. Canada may well not permit them entry. That is a decision for Canada to make.

I am not a supporter of the death penalty, but some people, like this guy, make me want to go silent on the issue. I don't think people like this should have a voice, either in or out of prison.

Well, I am glad to hear they don't use them in war. Then they should be banned completely and totally. They have no use except to kill people.

Whether it is 'measurable' is questionable, but we do know that they do nothing but add to the problem of mass shootings. Those guns have no other purpose than killing people. They are a weapon of war and do not belong in a civil society.

Over the past years, it's become clear that these assault-style weapons have no place in society. None. It's sickening to see the enormous body count that results from the use of these weapons on innocent victims. I suspect a lot of mass shooters would not be quite so brave without them.

I watched the entire speech. I am usually not a fan of Biden's speeches. It usually feels more like a lecture from my 7th grade social studies teacher. This speech was much better, much more dynamic and inspiring. I think most of us forget just how far we have come since the pandemic and how much we lost during that dark time. I think we also saw how devastating it was to have poor leadership during that time of crisis. I liked how he took Social Security and Medicare off the table and got the Republicans to agree, right there in front of the nation. He handled the crowd well. I was also surprisingly impressed with Kevin McCarthy. He was appropriate, cautious, and willing to stand and applaud for those things he agreed with. I came away with a new-found respect for both McCarthy and Biden. I hope it remains that way.

It is not illegal to seek asylum in the US.

They are sending them where they are requesting to go. They are free to travel in the US -- especially since many have been bused to NYC by the likes of DeSantis and Abbott. NYC is now helping those who wish to be at a specific place, to get to that place.

Yes, I was referring to Jim Jordan.

I think a lot of parents, just like kids, are enamored by fame and the ordinary red flags get thrown out the window. It was the same mentality with Michael Jackson. Parents who would never dream of allowing their children to have a sleep-over with an adult suddenly seem to think it's OK if it is someone famous like MJ.

I am not sure what you are getting at. It's a balloon, and it appears to have limited maneuverability. It can obviously change altitude to get into a wind carrying it towards its destination. It most likely can also move it short distances, but it isn't 'driven' in any normal sense.