Using children as a pawn

So the kids are being cared for and separated from their parents who tried to enter the US illegally, and it is a big kerfuffle.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,I seem to remember that this was being done before the election, but like the 300 thousand folks deported under president Obama, no one except a few bishops and the UK Guardian (2014 article) bothered to notice (the Guardian even has a photo of kids sleeping on the floor of a "detention center").

The Obama administration has directed immigration officials to prioritise the deportation of people with criminal records and prior immigration violations over undocumented immigrants who have strong family ties to the US. Even so, deportations continue at record levels – nearly 438,500 expulsions in 2013, an increase of more that 20,000 removals since the previous year.

This "bipartisan" site does manage to mention these things have been done since 2005, if you bother to read down to paragraph nine...

So Trumpie boy tells the press that he is just enforcing a law passed by the "democrats" and wants them to help change the law.

Why does he mentiong the "democrats"? Because Ryan is trying to push an amnesty bill, and the conservative anti immigration folks of the Republican party are mad about it (link goes to Breitbart to show how mad they are) and won't vote for it, but the mainstream/cheap labour/ pro business branch of the Republican party is willing to support the bill.

So to pass such a bill, Congress will need the cooperation of the Democrats.

And Trumpie boy is calling their bluff.

Did anyone in the US MSM notice this? I don't know: internet has essentially been off for four days, and I don't trust the TV news, which we have many different versions (Fox, CNN, BBC, AlJ, NHK, Bloomberg) because the reports are slow and tend to be superficial. I prefer to read.

,,,,



backstory: a lot of the "blue wave" Democrats are actually not the rabid left wing Democrats, but blue dog Democrats. So there seems to be a realignment of both parties to the center.

and there is an election coming up. Democrats who are not rabidly anti Trump will win over the mainstream Repubican "never Trump" candidates.

Dirty little secret is that Trumpie boy is essentially a Clinton type blue dog democrat in many issues, which is one reason the mainstream Republican party opposed him. (the other reason? He talks bluntly, and has a Bronx (working class New York) accent, and is seen as uncouth... pass the smelling salts).

but never mind: the newfound discovery that these kids are being housed separate from their parents is now getting publicity to bash Trumpieboy.  But it will backfire, because the publicity will discourage people from deciding they can illegally immigrate into the US (in the same way that Obama's policy late in his term encouraged such immigration).

I have no problem with increased immigration of families, but the dirty little secret is that, like Europe, it is not just families looking for a better place to raise their kids, but like in Europe, include a lot of young men looking for opportunity and jobs, but young men without adult supervision are sometimes are prone to crime and gangs.

Thanks to Trumpie boy, who cut regulations by choosing jobs over the environment, there are more jobs out there.

By increasing jobs, there is now a worker shortage in the US, and lower unemployment, so the country will be more willing to support an amnesty and increased immigration.

and the stress by the Democrats on illegals who get into the country without papers causes resentment in some of us who try to follow the rules, and are turned down, while drug runners and gang members ignore the law and sneak into the US.

For example, My son couldn't even get a visa to visit his brother in Florida, even though he owns a business in Colombia and once had a green card (which he carelessly allowed to lapse). The embassy thought him a high risk visitor.

On the other hand, my other son's wife was illegal, but became a citizen thanks to President Reagan's amnesty back in the 1980s. Hmm.. what is that saying? Only Nixon can go to China, so only anti immigrant types can manage an amnesty... so things might not be as bad as it seems.

By the way: Colombia is having an election: AlJ has a report.
Backstory: do you let those who did atrocities get away with murder by electing a leftist who puts "human rights" at the forefront? or do you go for "law and order"?

In other news:  Ruby says one of her classmates (from her international school) is home in Nicaragua, where they are having anti government demonstrations (AKA "riots") and she is worried about her. Keep that country in your prayers.

on the home front, there was a huge Requium mass for the priest killed in our area.

The killer, a professional hit man, has been arrested, but the usual commenters to the story in the papers say nah, he didn't do it it was duterte to blame. Alas, I can't follow the Tagalog papers or radio call in programs, so it's hard to say what is the grassroots opinion, except that folks are upset about the murder.

The PNP has said it is looking into three possible motives for the killing: a land dispute, Nilo’s support for rape victims and his reputation as a staunch critic of Iglesia ni Cristo.
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1001303/suspect-held-as-thousands-bury-slain-priest#ixzz5IXiRYbta Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

I'm betting it was about the "land dispute": These murders are alas common here.

The maid said it was  because he condemned drugs (i.e. crooked cops and politicians who let the drug trade go on), but the cook says it might be because he preached against the Iglesia, a local Protestant church that other protestants call a "cult", and not Christian because they don't believe Jesus is God, just a man. But the Iglesia tends to be left in orientation, which is why they backed Duterte (who is also trying to make nice with the grass roots left and NPA, but not with the international elite left who hate him).