Credo

10 hours ago, nauseus said:

It is the job of the military to detect balloons and other possible threats and then notify the President and his staff. If the military don't detect them then there is nothing reported and that is in line with the responses from senior ex Trump officials so far.

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.  

9 hours ago, Hanaguma said:

Are you serious? People don't realize that the guys they pay hundreds/thousands of dollars to drive them to the border are not criminals?  That beggars belief.  The overwhelming influence of gangs and organized crime in smuggling people from central/south America to the US and Canada is well documented. 

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.   

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I don't know about him, but I respected Trump's efforts to prevent them becoming a problem for the US by simply stopping most from being able to just walk into the country.

If they couldn't cross, they became Mexico's problem and would, IMO, have led to Mexico stopping them entering Mexico in the same way, which would have led to people not making the dangerous journey in the first place.

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.

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Then they should apply for legal entry to Canada. Paying criminal gangs to bring them to the US border should result in immediate deportation, IMO.

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'.  

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

While on subject of Immigration:

 

"How many immigrants entered the US in 2022?

According to Vintage 2022 population estimates released today, net international migration added more than a million people to the U.S. population between July 1, 2021 and July 1, 2022.Dec 22, 2565 BE"

https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/12/net-international-migration-returns-to-pre-pandemic-levels.html#:~:text=According to Vintage 2022 population,2021 and July 1%2C 2022.

 

A wee bit more than this number ... some excess:

"The body of law governing U.S. immigration policy is called the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). The INA allows the United States to grant up to 675,000 permanent immigrant visas each year across various visa categories." Sep 14, 2564 BE

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/how-united-states-immigration-system-works

 

How's that compare to rest of the world:

 

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/immigration-by-country

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

11 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

In most cases, they are the equivalent of a Ferrari car body housing a 4 cylinder 90hp engine.  All show and no go. 

 

Yet that's not what the experts say as evidenced through the links in my post and the awful wounds inflicted on those who have been killed of injured.

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.

9 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Any idea how many are legally passing through Mexico though? How many use illegal means like human traffickers?

 

Please show your stats on family unification if you have them. And why this would matter to mexico.

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.

21 minutes ago, Credo said:

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

 

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

49 minutes ago, Longwood50 said:

You are wrong.  The rifle most often characterized as an assault rifle is the AR-15 which does not stand for Assault Rifle.  In terms of power the AR-15 and others like it use the .223 caliber bullet.  That caliber is banned for deer hunting in 10 states because they game officials find the caliber to small to effectively kill a deer.  

Now lets assume that those who wish to ban those "scary" looking military style rifles.  What is accomplished is that those who wish to create carnage merely purchase the identical rifle, that does not have the muzzle flash, pistol grip, plastic stock, or the plastic forearm that gives it the "look" of a military rifle.  The Ruger mini-14 comes as a Rancher model and looks like an everyday hunting rifle.  The Ruger tactical has the appearance that it is used in the military but that is purely cosmetic.  Functionally the two are identical.  They shoot the same exact ammunition, can carry the same number of cartridges, and fire at exactly the same rate.  It is like putting a spoiler, hood scoop, dual exhausts, and racing tires on a car.  It may make the car look like a powerful race car but it is purely cosmetics. 

The other choice would be for the person who is bent on killing people to upgrade to something truly lethal.  The .30-06 caliber is one of the most popular hunting cartridges and can be used on game as large as a grizzly bear.  at .30 it is significantly larger than the .22 caliber used in the AR-15 and similar rifles.  

Lethality of a rifle is based on the speed of the bullet, the construction of the bullet and its weight.  A golf ball is the same size as a ping pong ball but if traveling at the same speed the ping pong ball slows down quicker and has less knock down power because it is lighter.  Same with bullets.  The .223 comes in weights as low as 40 grains and only as large as 77 grains.  By contrast the 30-06 starts at 109.6 grains and goes as larger as 220.7 grains enough to kill a moose or grizzly bear. 

So congratulations banning those puny rifles may well put something truly deadly in their hands instead. 

AR-15-platform rifles are among the most popular firearms being sold. They are today's modern sporting rifle.  The AR in "AR-15" rifle stands for ArmaLite rifle, after the company that developed it in the 1950s. "AR" does NOT stand for "assault rifle" or "automatic rifle."  AR-15-style rifles are NOT "assault weapons" or "assault rifles." An assault rifle is fully automatic -- a machine gun. Automatic firearms have been severely restricted from civilian ownership since 1934.

 

It's best to look at the states that don't allow deer hunting with . 223 diameter bullet or an AR-15 rifle. Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Washington, and West Virginia require larger bullets to be used to hunt game.

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?

16 hours ago, Hanaguma said:

That would be a logical conclusion. Yet somehow they manage to traverse 2000 plus kilometers of Mexico to magically arrive on the Rio Grande. Wonder how that happens...  

 

Anyway, the good Mayor needs a good hiding. Dont play progressive and call your city a "sanctuary", then try to pass off your problem to another country. Canada doesn't want to clean up your mess. 

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.  

11 hours ago, heybruce said:

 Perhaps you were referring to Jim Jordan, however it appears your post is directed at Fetterman.  It's somewhat unreasonable to ask a new Senator sworn in just a few weeks ago to have already passed any bills.

Yes, I was referring to Jim Jordan.

48 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

The parents decisions are besides the point and unconnected with his behaviour .

   If the parents did something wrong, then that's a different issue

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.