“A couple in Perris beat, strangled and shackled their children for years, the abuse escalating from neglect to torture over time, prosecutors said Thursday.
Formal charges were announced Thursday against the parents accused of abusing their 13 children inside their Perris home.
David Turpin, 56, and Louise Turpin, 49, were charged with multiple felony counts of torture, child abuse, abuse of dependent adults and false imprisonment, Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin announced. David Turpin also was charged with one count of a lewd act on a child by force. If convicted, the couple faces up to 94 years to life in prison. They were arrested this week on suspicion of torture and child endangerment.
“As a prosecutor, there are some cases that haunt you,” Hestrin told reporters Thursday. “Some deal with human depravity, and that’s what we’re dealing with here.”
The Turpins’ 13 children, ranging in age from 2 to 29, were captives in the couple’s tract house on Muir Woods Road and appeared to have undergone years of abuse and starvation, authorities said. Some were shackled to their beds.”
“Congress is careening toward the first shutdown in more than four years, with Republicans and Democrats at a seemingly intractable impasse over government funding and the fates of young immigrants facing deportation.
Though House Republicans voted Thursday night to keep the government open, the real drama is in the closely divided Senate, where it’s unclear what, if anything, can clear the chamber’s supermajority threshold. The Senate couldn’t even agree on holding a vote on Thursday night, adjourning after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spurned Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s request to hold a vote and, assuming it failed, restart bipartisan negotiations on immigration and government spending levels.
Senators said they expected a vote on Friday, but had little idea what would come next.
“These are hard issues, there’s a lot of disagreement. Not just on substance but how to proceed to it. And everybody’s trying to gain leverage,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)., the No. 3 GOP leader.”
———————-
Wish we could just fire them all. Top to bottom, all of DC.
“Pope Francis accused victims of Chile’s most notorious pedophile of slander Thursday, an astonishing end to a visit meant to help heal the wounds of a sex abuse scandal that has cost the Catholic Church its credibility in the country.
Francis said that until he sees proof that Bishop Juan Barros was complicit in covering up the sex crimes of the Rev. Fernando Karadima, such accusations against Barros are “all calumny.”
The pope’s remarks drew shock from Chileans and immediate rebuke from victims and their advocates. They noted the accusers were deemed credible enough by the Vatican that it sentenced Karadima to a lifetime of “penance and prayer” for his crimes in 2011. A Chilean judge also found the victims to be credible, saying that while she had to drop criminal charges against Karadima because too much time had passed, proof of his crimes wasn’t lacking.
“As if I could have taken a selfie or a photo while Karadima abused me and others and Juan Barros stood by watching it all,” tweeted Barros’ most vocal accuser, Juan Carlos Cruz. “These people are truly crazy, and the pontiff talks about atonement to the victims. Nothing has changed, and his plea for forgiveness is empty.””
“California Attorney General Xavier Becerra warned employers Thursday of legal repercussions if they assist federal immigration officials in an impending crackdown in the sanctuary state, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Under a new state law – the Immigration Worker Protection Act – employers and businesses could face fines of up to $10,000 if they provide employee information to U.S. Immigration Customs, Becerra said.
If employers “start giving up information about their employees or access to their employees in ways that contradict our new California laws, they subject themselves to actions by my office. We will prosecute those who violate the law,” he said at a news conference.
The law prevents workers of any immigration status from being detained at workplaces. Among other stipulations, federal officials must obtain a warrant before searching a worksite and employers are required to notify their workers before a federal audit of employee records.”
—————————–
So those with illegal paperwork and stolen IDs will have a head start…..
“A four-page memo circulating in Congress that reveals alleged United States government surveillance abuses is being described by lawmakers as “shocking,” “troubling” and “alarming,” with one congressman likening the details to KGB activity in Russia.
Speaking with Fox News, the lawmakers said they could not yet discuss the contents of the memo they reviewed on Thursday after it was released to members by the House Intelligence Committee. But they say the memo should be immediately made public.
“It is so alarming the American people have to see this,” Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan said.
“It’s troubling. It is shocking,” North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows said. “Part of me wishes that I didn’t read it because I don’t want to believe that those kinds of things could be happening in this country that I call home and love so much.”
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said he believed people could lose their jobs after the memo is released.
“I believe the consequence of its release will be major changes in people currently working at the FBI and the Department of Justice,” he said, referencing DOJ officials Rod Rosenstein and Bruce Ohr.
“You think about, ‘is this happening in America or is this the KGB?’ That’s how alarming it is,” Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry said.”
An impressive addition to the William & Faculty faculty. If you are visiting Colonial Williamsburg, the W&M campus is a very interesting place to visit and is immediately adjacent to the old town.
Character has always mattered. I just don’t see the good character involved in lying to the American public, in dismantling your nation’s economic infrastructure, and deliberately supporting and building up a Communist country that kills its own citizens indiscriminately through enforced abortions and in other ways. But that’s just me….
Having a rudimentary understanding of economics is not a sign of bad character. Cheating on your third wife (who just gave birth) with a porn star is such a sign. So is a lifetime of lying, cheating and conning, even when your marks are begging to be conned.
We know we have a president with character issues, rickyw. I suppose you at least deserve credit for doing the only thing there is to do about that for now, which is to get online and make posts complaining about the exact same thing on a daily basis.
I don’t see the good character involved in falsely accusing 47% of the American population of being lazy, stupid, irresponsible or deplorable because they don’t agree with your politics or with twisted concepts of ‘free trade’, or because they care about the future of their country and don’t want to see its economic infrastructure further degraded and dismantled by greed and corruption cloaked in terms of ‘good economics’.
If Trumpers don’t like trade, there is a simple solution: Don’t but any foreign products. Good luck finding tires, clothing, certain foods, phones, computer products, etc. You may be hungry, naked and on foot, but you can feel good about your character.
You guys are killing this thread. There are only 3 of you who post on a regular basis anymore with 1-3 others rarely posting.
Isn’t there ANYthing else happening in the political world that needs to be discussed? Even my husband has given up on Trump bashing. He said it was beginning to effect his happiness.
When we lived in Annandale, we used to make frequent trips to Williamsburg. We took the Grandkids down there. All school kids should visit Williamsburg. Part of their education.
Yorktown and Jamestown are near by.
Well worth the visit.
I once had a discussion with a guy in my SS class about Luther nailing the thesis to the door of the Wittenberg Chapel door. He didn’t believe the nailing part.
While in Williamsburg, I visited the W&M campus. The door to the chapel was at least an inch thick. Parts of the frame are about three inches thick.
Luther likely nailed the thesis to the door. That was a common way of calling attention to matters in those days.
I have a Bible reading plan that has me reading the Bible in the sequence in which it was written. Ot and NT at the same Time. With a Psalm each day. I am reading the OT ahead while snowed in. I am presently on 6 Feb. in OT reading.
Due to snow.
I am also reading a book: “Secrets of the Secret Service” an interesting, but not pleasant read. I don’t read much at one sitting.
I attempted to change the subject this morning, and acknowledged that Cheryl had a point. I didn’t mention Trump at all, until this sentence. Nor did I take Ricky’s bait.
So who are the 3 journalists (mentioned in the video at link) that Fusion GPS paid to spread propaganda for them under the “guise” of reporting on the Russia matter? I think the viewing public has a right to know.
And why was Fusion taking money from Russians, as well as Democrats?
For those who may have missed this article that Ricky posted recently, I think it is worth a look. Despite the title, it is not really about Trump and his alleged remarks.
“Why We Need to Talk about Trump’s Haiti Remarks
Christians can expand their compassion by looking at the deeper story of development and immigration.”
“3. It implies the narrative that immigrants from certain countries take from American life rather than contributing to it.
This assumption is important to call out because it has been repeatedly proven false. Economic studies show the positive contributions of, say, the Salvadoran community or Haitian community, who are younger than the immigrant population overall and more likely to be a part of the workforce. Nigerian immigrants are highly educated. Immigrants have helped to spur innovation, economic development, and growth within the US.
Economist Michael Clemens has also shown that one of the most effective ways we can help people in poor countries is by letting immigrants come to the US. The immigrants benefit from the opportunities, the people in their home countries benefit from the remittances they are able to send home, and we in the US benefit from their contributions as hard-working, value-creating, tax-paying residents. This is true of the Haitians I know living in South Florida, and it’s the truer narrative about immigrants in general: They’re contributors to our country.”
Not sure, though, what to make of the author’s assertion that Haiti is a beacon of freedom. Maybe he means when it was begun by ex-slaves? He also makes the claim that the majority of Haitians are believers in Jesus. I hope that is true.
From “Secrets of the Secret Service”
”Numerous agents on President Kennedy’s detail revealed years after his assisination tha deespite being in the throes of the Cold War,when Soviet operatives assisinated targets with sophisticated nerve and radioactive poisons, President Kennedy refused to wind back on his frqequent affairs with unscreened mistresses, extreme sports and high –society social life. ……..was even known to remark, “if anyone is craczy enough to want to kill a president…..he can do it. All he needs is a willingness to trade his life for mine.”
Kizzie @2:38, that was a pretty good article because it did focus on the Christian viewpoint rather than conflating the duties of government with those of Christians and Christian organizations.
I do not think our primary way of helping people in poor countries should be immigration. There are many people who want to invest their time and their money to help bring the Gospel and also a better standard of living to countries around the world. I have donated to some of these causes. I have cousins who go to Haiti several times a year to build churches and schools. I have cousins who participate as medical missionaries to Latin American countries on a fairly regular basis. My Dad lived for almost 20 years in the Philippines–ministering and organizing medical and educational missions among other things. These are all ways that Christians respond to poverty and the need for the Gospel in other nations—and in our own.
The US government is responsible for formulating an immigration policy that benefits the citizens of the US. That does not mean we should have no immigration, but that the policy should be formulated specifically for the needs, security, and benefit of the country as a whole, and not for the benefit or needs of the rest of the world. That being said, I am very glad we have humanitarian outreaches by the government—simply because we can. But this is one area that I think private efforts, and particularly Christian efforts, are better.
Few people, me included, argue against legal immigration, although there need to be limits. Illegal immigration is much more costly to the US than legal immigrants are.
My response on remittances is the same though, legal or illegal. It’s not our job to be a cash cow for other countries. Remittance sent home are US dollars removed from the US economy. It’s not our job to prop up other countries failing govts thru such back door bleeds.
And the idea that somehow immigration is a neutral sum game is also false. And like it or not, some countries immigrants are more costly to taxpayers than others. That’s a fact. Also illegal immigrants are supposed to be excluded from public benefits, yet they are not.
——————————-
Even with taxes paid credited, 118 billion a year in costs to taxpayers
:”At the federal, state, and local levels, taxpayers shell out approximately $134.9 billion to cover the costs incurred by the presence of more than 12.5 million illegal aliens, and about 4.2 million citizen children of illegal aliens. That amounts to a tax burden of approximately $8,075 per illegal alien family member and a total of $115,894,597,664. The total cost of illegal immigration to U.S. taxpayers is both staggering and crippling. In 2013, FAIR estimated the total cost to be approximately $113 billion. So, in under four years, the cost has risen nearly $3 billion. This is a disturbing and unsustainable trend. The sections below will break down and further explain these numbers at the federal, state, and local levels.”
“Executive Summary
Unlawful immigration and amnesty for current unlawful immigrants can pose large fiscal costs for U.S. taxpayers. Government provides four types of benefits and services that are relevant to this issue:
Direct benefits. These include Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.
Means-tested welfare benefits. There are over 80 of these programs which, at a cost of nearly $900 billion per year, provide cash, food, housing, medical, and other services to roughly 100 million low-income Americans. Major programs include Medicaid, food stamps, the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit, public housing, Supplemental Security Income, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Public education. At a cost of $12,300 per pupil per year, these services are largely free or heavily subsidized for low-income parents.
Population-based services. Police, fire, highways, parks, and similar services, as the National Academy of Sciences determined in its study of the fiscal costs of immigration, generally have to expand as new immigrants enter a community; someone has to bear the cost of that expansion.
The cost of these governmental services is far larger than many people imagine. For example, in 2010, the average U.S. household received $31,584 in government benefits and services in these four categories.
The governmental system is highly redistributive. Well-educated households tend to be net tax contributors: The taxes they pay exceed the direct and means-tested benefits, education, and population-based services they receive. For example, in 2010, in the whole U.S. population, households with college-educated heads, on average, received $24,839 in government benefits while paying $54,089 in taxes. The average college-educated household thus generated a fiscal surplus of $29,250 that government used to finance benefits for other households.
Other households are net tax consumers: The benefits they receive exceed the taxes they pay. These households generate a “fiscal deficit” that must be financed by taxes from other households or by government borrowing. For example, in 2010, in the U.S. population as a whole, households headed by persons without a high school degree, on average, received $46,582 in government benefits while paying only $11,469 in taxes. This generated an average fiscal deficit (benefits received minus taxes paid) of $35,113.
The high deficits of poorly educated households are important in the amnesty debate because the typical unlawful immigrant has only a 10th-grade education. Half of unlawful immigrant households are headed by an individual with less than a high school degree, and another 25 percent of household heads have only a high school degree.
Some argue that the deficit figures for poorly educated households in the general population are not relevant for immigrants. Many believe, for example, that lawful immigrants use little welfare. In reality, lawful immigrant households receive significantly more welfare, on average, than U.S.-born households. Overall, the fiscal deficits or surpluses for lawful immigrant households are the same as or higher than those for U.S.-born households with the same education level. Poorly educated households, whether immigrant or U.S.-born, receive far more in government benefits than they pay in taxes.
In contrast to lawful immigrants, unlawful immigrants at present do not have access to means-tested welfare, Social Security, or Medicare. This does not mean, however, that they do not receive government benefits and services. Children in unlawful immigrant households receive heavily subsidized public education. Many unlawful immigrants have U.S.-born children; these children are currently eligible for the full range of government welfare and medical benefits. And, of course, when unlawful immigrants live in a community, they use roads, parks, sewers, police, and fire protection; these services must expand to cover the added population or there will be “congestion” effects that lead to a decline in service quality.
In 2010, the average unlawful immigrant household received around $24,721 in government benefits and services while paying some $10,334 in taxes. This generated an average annual fiscal deficit (benefits received minus taxes paid) of around $14,387 per household. This cost had to be borne by U.S. taxpayers. Amnesty would provide unlawful households with access to over 80 means-tested welfare programs, Obamacare, Social Security, and Medicare. The fiscal deficit for each household would soar.”
If Christians feel led to help for Christian reasons, they have many avenues to do so, and in their home countries, so there’s no need to bring them here. But there is nothing Christian about what the govt does, nor should there be. Our govt. isn’t a Christian entity. Comparing the Christian and Govt. actions is apples and oranges.
It occurs to me that what I just said about immigration, I could also say about trade:
The US government is responsible for formulating a trade policy that benefits the citizens of the US. That does not mean we should have no foreign trade, but that the policy should be formulated specifically for the needs, security, and benefit of the country as a whole, and not for the benefit or needs of the rest of the world.
AJ – My purpose in sharing that was not in favor of illegal immigration, but rather as a perspective in thinking about legal immigration from countries deemed too poor or backwards. I agree that our government is not a Christian entity, but as Christians, we can support policies that line up with our Christian values, as long as they are also constitutional.
It saddens me that some are advocating cutting off or limiting immigration by those who need it the most. America has been greatly enhanced by the poor and downtrodden coming here and working to make a good life for their families and communities.
Speaking as a Californian, the other problem I see with illegal immigration is it siphons people away from their nations who could be making a difference to CHANGE those countries. If all the entrepeneurs in Mexico move to the US illegally, who is staying behind to lead that country? If all the smart guys move from India to San Francisco, who is staying behind in India to improve that country’s conditions?
Do you see where I’m going?
At the same time, it should not take 12 years to get an appointment to become a US citizen.
If you are a Dreamer student, what have you been doing your whole life to become a US citizen?
I’m the daughter of an immigrant. She was born overseas and moved to the US at 6 months, but her father was a citizen by virtue of serving in the US military. She became a US citizen at birth. Perhaps if we saw some indication that the dreamers were interested in adding to our country rather than demanding their “rights,” some of us might be more sympathetic.
What WERE their parents doing while they were raising the kids? Were they seeking citizenship the legal way?
Chas, we certainly enjoyed our trip last spring to Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown, among other historic places. I wish our children could have made the trip. Such trips do make the history so much more interesting. It amazed me that students from California regularly fly to Washing DC and that area every spring. It would be nice if all students could do so.
“Both the federal and Puerto Rican government have facilitated the exodus. In the absence of a true plan for recovery on the island, migration has become a form of disaster relief. For the first time in the agency’s history, FEMA created an “air bridge” and chartered cruise ships to evacuate residents. Initially, new arrivals had to seek shelter with family members or in homeless shelters, but they are now being offered hotel stays for up to three months. Traditionally, FEMA offers temporary shelter to homeowners who have been affected by a disaster while they carry out the arduous task of rebuilding. However, in the case of Maria, that rebuilding has been severely stalled by the lack of electricity and running water, and the inability of the U.S. government to supply even the most basic materials, such as tarps.
Those leaving are not just escaping destroyed homes, they are also fleeing a shattered economy. Nearly four months after the storms, many restaurants, stores and offices remain closed — either because of structural damage or the financial hardship of operating on generators. Most hotels are operating with reduced personnel serving only FEMA workers, and some, like El Conquistador in Fajardo, have laid off almost all their workers. Just last week, Walmart, the largest private employer on the island, announced it was closing three of its Sam’s Club stores, including one that had not opened since the storm. Meanwhile pharmaceuticals, which account for nearly half the manufacturing jobs on the island, are carefully weighing their options after the GOP tax bill treated Puerto Rico as a foreign jurisdiction, despite its status as a U.S. territory.”
“The Republican-controlled House got into the spirit of the March for Life today, passing on a largely party-line vote a bill that would require abortionists to provide care for babies born alive during an abortion:
The House passed legislation Friday that obligates healthcare workers to provide a specific level of care to babies who are born alive after an abortion attempt.
The Born Alive Abortion Survivors Act passed the same day that the annual March for Life rally was being held in Washington, D.C., which protests abortion on or around the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion legal nationwide.
The bill passed 241-183, with help from just six Democrats.
The legislation would hold any healthcare provider at the scene criminally accountable if an abortion is botched and a baby is born, and the provider fails to help the infant. Actions they could take include bringing a baby to a hospital or using the same type of medical care that they would toward a baby that is born premature.
Republicans have tried to pass this bill before. In 2015, another form of it passed the House but died in the Senate. Even if it had gotten past a filibuster, then-President Barack Obama would have vetoed it, just as he acted to kill a similar measure in the Illinois state legislature before being elected to the Senate in 2004. Democrats objected to the vote, claiming that the law would be redundant:”
“Rene Boucher, the neighbor who tackled and seriously injured Senator Rand Paul back in November, has signed a plea agreement in which he agrees to plead guilty to a federal charge of assaulting a member of Congress.”
“A government shutdown seemed guaranteed late Friday after a short-term spending bill failed to advance due to opposition from Democrats and some Republicans.
The bill to keep the government open through Feb. 16 collapsed just after 10 p.m. after a vote to end debate failed to garner the necessary 60 votes in the Senate. With the midnight deadline approaching, lawmakers had not agreed to an alternative plan and were expected to leave Capitol Hill for the night.”
Wandering Views 
Cheryl is right. 🙂
So, in other news……
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/horrific-details-emerge-as-perris-parents-accused-of-holding-13-kids-captive-are-charged-with-torture/ar-AAuQZhC?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout
“A couple in Perris beat, strangled and shackled their children for years, the abuse escalating from neglect to torture over time, prosecutors said Thursday.
Formal charges were announced Thursday against the parents accused of abusing their 13 children inside their Perris home.
David Turpin, 56, and Louise Turpin, 49, were charged with multiple felony counts of torture, child abuse, abuse of dependent adults and false imprisonment, Riverside County District Attorney Michael Hestrin announced. David Turpin also was charged with one count of a lewd act on a child by force. If convicted, the couple faces up to 94 years to life in prison. They were arrested this week on suspicion of torture and child endangerment.
“As a prosecutor, there are some cases that haunt you,” Hestrin told reporters Thursday. “Some deal with human depravity, and that’s what we’re dealing with here.”
The Turpins’ 13 children, ranging in age from 2 to 29, were captives in the couple’s tract house on Muir Woods Road and appeared to have undergone years of abuse and starvation, authorities said. Some were shackled to their beds.”
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So will Dems hold military payroll and parks hostage to aid illegals, or will they cave?
And like RKessler noted yesterday, if they’d do a budget like is supposed to be required, this would be a non-issue.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/18/government-shutdown-2018-trump-republicans-345532
“Congress is careening toward the first shutdown in more than four years, with Republicans and Democrats at a seemingly intractable impasse over government funding and the fates of young immigrants facing deportation.
Though House Republicans voted Thursday night to keep the government open, the real drama is in the closely divided Senate, where it’s unclear what, if anything, can clear the chamber’s supermajority threshold. The Senate couldn’t even agree on holding a vote on Thursday night, adjourning after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spurned Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s request to hold a vote and, assuming it failed, restart bipartisan negotiations on immigration and government spending levels.
Senators said they expected a vote on Friday, but had little idea what would come next.
“These are hard issues, there’s a lot of disagreement. Not just on substance but how to proceed to it. And everybody’s trying to gain leverage,” said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)., the No. 3 GOP leader.”
———————-
Wish we could just fire them all. Top to bottom, all of DC.
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The pope is out of line here.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pope-shocks-chile-by-accusing-sex-abuse-victims-of-slander/ar-AAuRP6k?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout
“Pope Francis accused victims of Chile’s most notorious pedophile of slander Thursday, an astonishing end to a visit meant to help heal the wounds of a sex abuse scandal that has cost the Catholic Church its credibility in the country.
Francis said that until he sees proof that Bishop Juan Barros was complicit in covering up the sex crimes of the Rev. Fernando Karadima, such accusations against Barros are “all calumny.”
The pope’s remarks drew shock from Chileans and immediate rebuke from victims and their advocates. They noted the accusers were deemed credible enough by the Vatican that it sentenced Karadima to a lifetime of “penance and prayer” for his crimes in 2011. A Chilean judge also found the victims to be credible, saying that while she had to drop criminal charges against Karadima because too much time had passed, proof of his crimes wasn’t lacking.
“As if I could have taken a selfie or a photo while Karadima abused me and others and Juan Barros stood by watching it all,” tweeted Barros’ most vocal accuser, Juan Carlos Cruz. “These people are truly crazy, and the pontiff talks about atonement to the victims. Nothing has changed, and his plea for forgiveness is empty.””
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California is putting employers in an untenable position.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/19/california-ag-will-prosecute-employers-who-violate-sanctuary-laws.html
“California Attorney General Xavier Becerra warned employers Thursday of legal repercussions if they assist federal immigration officials in an impending crackdown in the sanctuary state, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Under a new state law – the Immigration Worker Protection Act – employers and businesses could face fines of up to $10,000 if they provide employee information to U.S. Immigration Customs, Becerra said.
If employers “start giving up information about their employees or access to their employees in ways that contradict our new California laws, they subject themselves to actions by my office. We will prosecute those who violate the law,” he said at a news conference.
The law prevents workers of any immigration status from being detained at workplaces. Among other stipulations, federal officials must obtain a warrant before searching a worksite and employers are required to notify their workers before a federal audit of employee records.”
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So those with illegal paperwork and stolen IDs will have a head start…..
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Hmmmmmm……
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/18/gop-lawmakers-demand-alarming-memo-on-fisa-abuses-be-made-public.html
“A four-page memo circulating in Congress that reveals alleged United States government surveillance abuses is being described by lawmakers as “shocking,” “troubling” and “alarming,” with one congressman likening the details to KGB activity in Russia.
Speaking with Fox News, the lawmakers said they could not yet discuss the contents of the memo they reviewed on Thursday after it was released to members by the House Intelligence Committee. But they say the memo should be immediately made public.
“It is so alarming the American people have to see this,” Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan said.
“It’s troubling. It is shocking,” North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows said. “Part of me wishes that I didn’t read it because I don’t want to believe that those kinds of things could be happening in this country that I call home and love so much.”
Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said he believed people could lose their jobs after the memo is released.
“I believe the consequence of its release will be major changes in people currently working at the FBI and the Department of Justice,” he said, referencing DOJ officials Rod Rosenstein and Bruce Ohr.
“You think about, ‘is this happening in America or is this the KGB?’ That’s how alarming it is,” Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry said.”
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An impressive addition to the William & Faculty faculty. If you are visiting Colonial Williamsburg, the W&M campus is a very interesting place to visit and is immediately adjacent to the old town.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/comey-to-teach-course-on-ethical-leadership-for-college-of-william-and-mary/2018/01/18/4ea7b2ca-fc8d-11e7-8f66-2df0b94bb98a_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_comey-802am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.cc2ab0570ced
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Character has always mattered. I just don’t see the good character involved in lying to the American public, in dismantling your nation’s economic infrastructure, and deliberately supporting and building up a Communist country that kills its own citizens indiscriminately through enforced abortions and in other ways. But that’s just me….
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I don’t see the good character involved in creating a ‘greed is good’ business environment and calling it ‘free trade’.
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Yes, Rick W, we know all that stuff.
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Having a rudimentary understanding of economics is not a sign of bad character. Cheating on your third wife (who just gave birth) with a porn star is such a sign. So is a lifetime of lying, cheating and conning, even when your marks are begging to be conned.
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We know we have a president with character issues, rickyw. I suppose you at least deserve credit for doing the only thing there is to do about that for now, which is to get online and make posts complaining about the exact same thing on a daily basis.
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I don’t see the good character involved in falsely accusing 47% of the American population of being lazy, stupid, irresponsible or deplorable because they don’t agree with your politics or with twisted concepts of ‘free trade’, or because they care about the future of their country and don’t want to see its economic infrastructure further degraded and dismantled by greed and corruption cloaked in terms of ‘good economics’.
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If Trumpers don’t like trade, there is a simple solution: Don’t but any foreign products. Good luck finding tires, clothing, certain foods, phones, computer products, etc. You may be hungry, naked and on foot, but you can feel good about your character.
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You guys are killing this thread. There are only 3 of you who post on a regular basis anymore with 1-3 others rarely posting.
Isn’t there ANYthing else happening in the political world that needs to be discussed? Even my husband has given up on Trump bashing. He said it was beginning to effect his happiness.
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Ok. The thread is yours. Have at it. Peace to all. ;–)
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When we lived in Annandale, we used to make frequent trips to Williamsburg. We took the Grandkids down there. All school kids should visit Williamsburg. Part of their education.
Yorktown and Jamestown are near by.
Well worth the visit.
I once had a discussion with a guy in my SS class about Luther nailing the thesis to the door of the Wittenberg Chapel door. He didn’t believe the nailing part.
While in Williamsburg, I visited the W&M campus. The door to the chapel was at least an inch thick. Parts of the frame are about three inches thick.
Luther likely nailed the thesis to the door. That was a common way of calling attention to matters in those days.
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Well my apologies I went looking for some news to share. It seems everywhere is All Trump All the Time.
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I have a Bible reading plan that has me reading the Bible in the sequence in which it was written. Ot and NT at the same Time. With a Psalm each day. I am reading the OT ahead while snowed in. I am presently on 6 Feb. in OT reading.
Due to snow.
I am also reading a book: “Secrets of the Secret Service” an interesting, but not pleasant read. I don’t read much at one sitting.
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Kim,
I attempted to change the subject this morning, and acknowledged that Cheryl had a point. I didn’t mention Trump at all, until this sentence. Nor did I take Ricky’s bait.
I’m making an effort.
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And yeah, there is that “all Trump all the time” thing too. He is the news anymore.
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Here’s some footage from March for Life, with Pence and Trump’s speeches at the end.
Notice the clowns at ABC can’t call it The March for Life. Since they’re in the pro-death camp, they refer to it as an anti-abortion rally.
https://youtu.be/AuteH_kg33I
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More from The March here.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2018/01/follow-the-march-for-life-open-thread/#more-239789
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More on Obama’s weaponizing of FISA for political purposes.
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https://legalinsurrection.com/2018/01/republicans-demand-declassification-of-deeply-troubling-report-on-obama-doj-fbi-russia-collusion-investigation/
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So who are the 3 journalists (mentioned in the video at link) that Fusion GPS paid to spread propaganda for them under the “guise” of reporting on the Russia matter? I think the viewing public has a right to know.
And why was Fusion taking money from Russians, as well as Democrats?
http://dailycaller.com/2018/01/19/fusion-gps-glenn-simpson-house-intel/
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OK, look I’m trying here, but there’s a lot going on that involves Trump, since he is President.
How about I throw a bunch in one post, read it, skip it, whatever. I’ll keep it comment free, just links.
https://conservativetribune.com/trump-promise-pulls-funding-un/
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https://hotair.com/archives/2018/01/18/blue-wave-stall-marist-shows-dems-lead-plunging-generic-congressional-ballot/
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OK one non-Trump comment- It’s 538, so buyer beware, but I know some of you like them, so…
🙂
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/theres-been-a-massive-shift-to-the-right-in-the-immigration-debate/
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http://thefederalist.com/2018/01/18/house-intel-committee-democrats-started-false-russia-facebook-story/
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http://thefederalist.com/2018/01/18/this-defense-of-fbis-handling-of-the-steele-dossier-is-one-of-the-weakest-yet/
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http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2018/01/house-committee-document-could-mean-trouble-for-anti-trump-deep-statists.php
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If it isn’t about Trump, it has to be about Clinton.
Everyone is afraid to say anything about Obama.
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For those who may have missed this article that Ricky posted recently, I think it is worth a look. Despite the title, it is not really about Trump and his alleged remarks.
“Why We Need to Talk about Trump’s Haiti Remarks
Christians can expand their compassion by looking at the deeper story of development and immigration.”
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/january-web-only/trump-remark-immigration-haiti.html
“3. It implies the narrative that immigrants from certain countries take from American life rather than contributing to it.
This assumption is important to call out because it has been repeatedly proven false. Economic studies show the positive contributions of, say, the Salvadoran community or Haitian community, who are younger than the immigrant population overall and more likely to be a part of the workforce. Nigerian immigrants are highly educated. Immigrants have helped to spur innovation, economic development, and growth within the US.
Economist Michael Clemens has also shown that one of the most effective ways we can help people in poor countries is by letting immigrants come to the US. The immigrants benefit from the opportunities, the people in their home countries benefit from the remittances they are able to send home, and we in the US benefit from their contributions as hard-working, value-creating, tax-paying residents. This is true of the Haitians I know living in South Florida, and it’s the truer narrative about immigrants in general: They’re contributors to our country.”
Not sure, though, what to make of the author’s assertion that Haiti is a beacon of freedom. Maybe he means when it was begun by ex-slaves? He also makes the claim that the majority of Haitians are believers in Jesus. I hope that is true.
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From “Secrets of the Secret Service”
”Numerous agents on President Kennedy’s detail revealed years after his assisination tha deespite being in the throes of the Cold War,when Soviet operatives assisinated targets with sophisticated nerve and radioactive poisons, President Kennedy refused to wind back on his frqequent affairs with unscreened mistresses, extreme sports and high –society social life. ……..was even known to remark, “if anyone is craczy enough to want to kill a president…..he can do it. All he needs is a willingness to trade his life for mine.”
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Kizzie @2:38, that was a pretty good article because it did focus on the Christian viewpoint rather than conflating the duties of government with those of Christians and Christian organizations.
I do not think our primary way of helping people in poor countries should be immigration. There are many people who want to invest their time and their money to help bring the Gospel and also a better standard of living to countries around the world. I have donated to some of these causes. I have cousins who go to Haiti several times a year to build churches and schools. I have cousins who participate as medical missionaries to Latin American countries on a fairly regular basis. My Dad lived for almost 20 years in the Philippines–ministering and organizing medical and educational missions among other things. These are all ways that Christians respond to poverty and the need for the Gospel in other nations—and in our own.
The US government is responsible for formulating an immigration policy that benefits the citizens of the US. That does not mean we should have no immigration, but that the policy should be formulated specifically for the needs, security, and benefit of the country as a whole, and not for the benefit or needs of the rest of the world. That being said, I am very glad we have humanitarian outreaches by the government—simply because we can. But this is one area that I think private efforts, and particularly Christian efforts, are better.
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Kizzie,
Few people, me included, argue against legal immigration, although there need to be limits. Illegal immigration is much more costly to the US than legal immigrants are.
My response on remittances is the same though, legal or illegal. It’s not our job to be a cash cow for other countries. Remittance sent home are US dollars removed from the US economy. It’s not our job to prop up other countries failing govts thru such back door bleeds.
And the idea that somehow immigration is a neutral sum game is also false. And like it or not, some countries immigrants are more costly to taxpayers than others. That’s a fact. Also illegal immigrants are supposed to be excluded from public benefits, yet they are not.
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Even with taxes paid credited, 118 billion a year in costs to taxpayers
https://fairus.org/issue/publications-resources/fiscal-burden-illegal-immigration-united-states-taxpayers
:”At the federal, state, and local levels, taxpayers shell out approximately $134.9 billion to cover the costs incurred by the presence of more than 12.5 million illegal aliens, and about 4.2 million citizen children of illegal aliens. That amounts to a tax burden of approximately $8,075 per illegal alien family member and a total of $115,894,597,664. The total cost of illegal immigration to U.S. taxpayers is both staggering and crippling. In 2013, FAIR estimated the total cost to be approximately $113 billion. So, in under four years, the cost has risen nearly $3 billion. This is a disturbing and unsustainable trend. The sections below will break down and further explain these numbers at the federal, state, and local levels.”
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https://www.heritage.org/immigration/report/the-fiscal-cost-unlawful-immigrants-and-amnesty-the-us-taxpayer
“Executive Summary
Unlawful immigration and amnesty for current unlawful immigrants can pose large fiscal costs for U.S. taxpayers. Government provides four types of benefits and services that are relevant to this issue:
Direct benefits. These include Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation.
Means-tested welfare benefits. There are over 80 of these programs which, at a cost of nearly $900 billion per year, provide cash, food, housing, medical, and other services to roughly 100 million low-income Americans. Major programs include Medicaid, food stamps, the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit, public housing, Supplemental Security Income, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Public education. At a cost of $12,300 per pupil per year, these services are largely free or heavily subsidized for low-income parents.
Population-based services. Police, fire, highways, parks, and similar services, as the National Academy of Sciences determined in its study of the fiscal costs of immigration, generally have to expand as new immigrants enter a community; someone has to bear the cost of that expansion.
The cost of these governmental services is far larger than many people imagine. For example, in 2010, the average U.S. household received $31,584 in government benefits and services in these four categories.
The governmental system is highly redistributive. Well-educated households tend to be net tax contributors: The taxes they pay exceed the direct and means-tested benefits, education, and population-based services they receive. For example, in 2010, in the whole U.S. population, households with college-educated heads, on average, received $24,839 in government benefits while paying $54,089 in taxes. The average college-educated household thus generated a fiscal surplus of $29,250 that government used to finance benefits for other households.
Other households are net tax consumers: The benefits they receive exceed the taxes they pay. These households generate a “fiscal deficit” that must be financed by taxes from other households or by government borrowing. For example, in 2010, in the U.S. population as a whole, households headed by persons without a high school degree, on average, received $46,582 in government benefits while paying only $11,469 in taxes. This generated an average fiscal deficit (benefits received minus taxes paid) of $35,113.
The high deficits of poorly educated households are important in the amnesty debate because the typical unlawful immigrant has only a 10th-grade education. Half of unlawful immigrant households are headed by an individual with less than a high school degree, and another 25 percent of household heads have only a high school degree.
Some argue that the deficit figures for poorly educated households in the general population are not relevant for immigrants. Many believe, for example, that lawful immigrants use little welfare. In reality, lawful immigrant households receive significantly more welfare, on average, than U.S.-born households. Overall, the fiscal deficits or surpluses for lawful immigrant households are the same as or higher than those for U.S.-born households with the same education level. Poorly educated households, whether immigrant or U.S.-born, receive far more in government benefits than they pay in taxes.
In contrast to lawful immigrants, unlawful immigrants at present do not have access to means-tested welfare, Social Security, or Medicare. This does not mean, however, that they do not receive government benefits and services. Children in unlawful immigrant households receive heavily subsidized public education. Many unlawful immigrants have U.S.-born children; these children are currently eligible for the full range of government welfare and medical benefits. And, of course, when unlawful immigrants live in a community, they use roads, parks, sewers, police, and fire protection; these services must expand to cover the added population or there will be “congestion” effects that lead to a decline in service quality.
In 2010, the average unlawful immigrant household received around $24,721 in government benefits and services while paying some $10,334 in taxes. This generated an average annual fiscal deficit (benefits received minus taxes paid) of around $14,387 per household. This cost had to be borne by U.S. taxpayers. Amnesty would provide unlawful households with access to over 80 means-tested welfare programs, Obamacare, Social Security, and Medicare. The fiscal deficit for each household would soar.”
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If Christians feel led to help for Christian reasons, they have many avenues to do so, and in their home countries, so there’s no need to bring them here. But there is nothing Christian about what the govt does, nor should there be. Our govt. isn’t a Christian entity. Comparing the Christian and Govt. actions is apples and oranges.
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It occurs to me that what I just said about immigration, I could also say about trade:
The US government is responsible for formulating a trade policy that benefits the citizens of the US. That does not mean we should have no foreign trade, but that the policy should be formulated specifically for the needs, security, and benefit of the country as a whole, and not for the benefit or needs of the rest of the world.
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AJ – My purpose in sharing that was not in favor of illegal immigration, but rather as a perspective in thinking about legal immigration from countries deemed too poor or backwards. I agree that our government is not a Christian entity, but as Christians, we can support policies that line up with our Christian values, as long as they are also constitutional.
It saddens me that some are advocating cutting off or limiting immigration by those who need it the most. America has been greatly enhanced by the poor and downtrodden coming here and working to make a good life for their families and communities.
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Speaking as a Californian, the other problem I see with illegal immigration is it siphons people away from their nations who could be making a difference to CHANGE those countries. If all the entrepeneurs in Mexico move to the US illegally, who is staying behind to lead that country? If all the smart guys move from India to San Francisco, who is staying behind in India to improve that country’s conditions?
Do you see where I’m going?
At the same time, it should not take 12 years to get an appointment to become a US citizen.
If you are a Dreamer student, what have you been doing your whole life to become a US citizen?
I’m the daughter of an immigrant. She was born overseas and moved to the US at 6 months, but her father was a citizen by virtue of serving in the US military. She became a US citizen at birth. Perhaps if we saw some indication that the dreamers were interested in adding to our country rather than demanding their “rights,” some of us might be more sympathetic.
What WERE their parents doing while they were raising the kids? Were they seeking citizenship the legal way?
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Chas, we certainly enjoyed our trip last spring to Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown, among other historic places. I wish our children could have made the trip. Such trips do make the history so much more interesting. It amazed me that students from California regularly fly to Washing DC and that area every spring. It would be nice if all students could do so.
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Interesting read, and relevant to the immigrant discussion.
We’ve already got an extremely needy group coming in, who have every right to do so.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/01/19/how-the-u-s-will-replace-immigrant-workers-with-puerto-ricans/?utm_term=.511d8ff8c0b0
“Both the federal and Puerto Rican government have facilitated the exodus. In the absence of a true plan for recovery on the island, migration has become a form of disaster relief. For the first time in the agency’s history, FEMA created an “air bridge” and chartered cruise ships to evacuate residents. Initially, new arrivals had to seek shelter with family members or in homeless shelters, but they are now being offered hotel stays for up to three months. Traditionally, FEMA offers temporary shelter to homeowners who have been affected by a disaster while they carry out the arduous task of rebuilding. However, in the case of Maria, that rebuilding has been severely stalled by the lack of electricity and running water, and the inability of the U.S. government to supply even the most basic materials, such as tarps.
Those leaving are not just escaping destroyed homes, they are also fleeing a shattered economy. Nearly four months after the storms, many restaurants, stores and offices remain closed — either because of structural damage or the financial hardship of operating on generators. Most hotels are operating with reduced personnel serving only FEMA workers, and some, like El Conquistador in Fajardo, have laid off almost all their workers. Just last week, Walmart, the largest private employer on the island, announced it was closing three of its Sam’s Club stores, including one that had not opened since the storm. Meanwhile pharmaceuticals, which account for nearly half the manufacturing jobs on the island, are carefully weighing their options after the GOP tax bill treated Puerto Rico as a foreign jurisdiction, despite its status as a U.S. territory.”
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Good news.
https://hotair.com/archives/2018/01/19/house-passes-born-alice-abortion-survivors-act-march-life-2018-begins/
“The Republican-controlled House got into the spirit of the March for Life today, passing on a largely party-line vote a bill that would require abortionists to provide care for babies born alive during an abortion:
The House passed legislation Friday that obligates healthcare workers to provide a specific level of care to babies who are born alive after an abortion attempt.
The Born Alive Abortion Survivors Act passed the same day that the annual March for Life rally was being held in Washington, D.C., which protests abortion on or around the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion legal nationwide.
The bill passed 241-183, with help from just six Democrats.
The legislation would hold any healthcare provider at the scene criminally accountable if an abortion is botched and a baby is born, and the provider fails to help the infant. Actions they could take include bringing a baby to a hospital or using the same type of medical care that they would toward a baby that is born premature.
Republicans have tried to pass this bill before. In 2015, another form of it passed the House but died in the Senate. Even if it had gotten past a filibuster, then-President Barack Obama would have vetoed it, just as he acted to kill a similar measure in the Illinois state legislature before being elected to the Senate in 2004. Democrats objected to the vote, claiming that the law would be redundant:”
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Good.
https://hotair.com/archives/2018/01/19/rand-pauls-attacker-charged-felony/
“Rene Boucher, the neighbor who tackled and seriously injured Senator Rand Paul back in November, has signed a plea agreement in which he agrees to plead guilty to a federal charge of assaulting a member of Congress.”
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Hmm.
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J. D. Vance has decided not to run for the Senate in Ohio in 2018. He is wise. I would like to see him write another book.
https://twitter.com/jdvance1/status/954382304738234369
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Last one out shut ‘er down, and hit the lights.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/vote-on-funding-bill-fails-in-senate-virtually-assuring-government-shutdown-at-midnight/ar-AAuTlMT?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout
“A government shutdown seemed guaranteed late Friday after a short-term spending bill failed to advance due to opposition from Democrats and some Republicans.
The bill to keep the government open through Feb. 16 collapsed just after 10 p.m. after a vote to end debate failed to garner the necessary 60 votes in the Senate. With the midnight deadline approaching, lawmakers had not agreed to an alternative plan and were expected to leave Capitol Hill for the night.”
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I think that they should be locked into their respective houses, Senate and House, until they come up with a budget.
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