AOC skipped the briefing to force herself into a cell to try to get dirt on the facility, she screamed at and threatened CBP agents, and then she refused to actually tour the facility.
“U.S. authorities closed an international border bridge in El Paso, Texas, early Monday in response to Central American and Cuban migrants protesting on the Mexican side of the border.
The protesters in Ciudad Juárez were chanting “vamos a cruzar” — “we are going to cross” — before Customs and Border Protection officials closed the bridge about 2 a.m., reported CNN.
The decision to close the bridge came as “a large and unruly group formed on the Mexican side,” according to CBP spokesman Roger Maier.”
From “One News Now’ on my e-mail” I can’t vouch for it:
“The California Assembly has passed a resolution calling on faith leaders in the state to affirm homosexuality and refrain from counseling anyone that change through Christ is possible. It is now headed to the Democrat-heavy State Senate.”
I don’t believe they can do that. It isn’t Constitutional. It will certainly be disobeyed.
“NBC Denies Cutting Mics Despite Claims to the Contrary by Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson
“At no point during the debate was any candidate’s microphone turned off or muted.”
“During the crowded Democrat presidential debate, preference was given first to Elizabeth Warren, who bombed her big opportunity and so shifted to Kamala Harris. Less popular candidates were given substantially less air time and were frequently iced out (see Delaney) and all but completely ignored.
Both Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson claim their mics were shut off unless they were called on, unlike other candidates whose mics were on throughout the entire debate.”
As much fun as I've had laughing at all the understandable hilarious tweets about me today, the mic issue is not funny and yes it did happen. I tried a couple of times to jump in and my mic was not on. Particularly wanted in on the subject of race.
— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) June 29, 2019
Republicans urged to “donate $1 to keep this vibrant democrat on the debate stage. One debate performance is not enough”
“Williamson, an author of some sort and some kind of health guru to the stars, is running as the “conscious” candidate and wants to infuse consciousness into American politics and to catalyze a “moral and spiritual awakening” in America. Or something.
As you can imagine, her kooky new agey ramblings were a huge hit . . . just not with Democrat primary voters or leftstream media who called her performance “bonkers,” “unique,” and “just…wow” (not in a good way).
Instead of lighting up the lefties, Williamson is getting some play on the right as Republicans are donating to her campaign to ensure she wafts her bonkers patchouli-laden hippie nonsense all over the next Democrat presidential debate stage.”
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Can you just imagine a race between her and Trump? 😂🤣😁
Yeah Chas, that’s a thing now. But it’s a resolution not a law, so it carries no real weight. It will be useful for the lefties that run Cali. though, by pointing out those non-compliant churches for further harassment.
“Pastors alarmed by Christian leaders’ push for Calif. churches to accept homosexuality, transgenderism”
“Update June 29 9:30 AM: In a Friday email to The Christian Post, Kevin Mannoia clarified his support for the resolution, saying: “To clarify, I did not speak on behalf of Azusa Pacific University at the committee hearing. I represented a handful of pastors that have been seeking to change the tone of the conversation. We have not altered our belief in the biblical view on human sexuality and that LGBT is not God’s plan. We are thankful that this non-binding resolution successfully averted the passing of a restrictive law that would have hindered pastoral ministry to people struggling with sexual identity who come to our churches.”
Original report:
Individuals who once identified as gay are speaking out against a resolution in the California Assembly that calls upon pastors and other civic leaders to affirm homosexuality and transgenderism, and condemn “conversion therapy.”
The resolution, ACR-99, Civil Rights: Lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people urges counselors, pastors, churches, educators, and others to avoid supporting the historic Christian view of sexual ethics. The measure says such support can result in “disproportionately high” rates of suicide, attempted suicide, and depression among persons who identify as LGBT. The resolution makes a point to condemn in broad terms what is often referred to as conversion therapy, calling the practice, also known as sexual orientation change efforts, “harmful.”
Notable among the supporters of the resolution was Kevin Mannoia who is the former head of the National Association of Evangelicals — which represents tens of thousands of churches from many denominations — and the chaplain of Azusa Pacific University.”
“A Chattanooga pastor visited Clint Detention Center after a public outcry over conditions inside a border patrol facility in Clint, Texas.
He toured the facility down at the southern border on Saturday. He says conditions were better than expected.
Seven pastors including Kevin Wallace who preaches at a church in Chattanooga were invited to the border by Samuel Rodriquez– a man who has advised President Trump on immigration.
“We were told we were the first group of preachers to ever go back there,” Wallace told Channel 3.
Reports came out over the last week detailing inhumane conditions at Clint Detention Center.
“It’s not at all what I had imagined based on the reports that I heard,” recalled Wallace.
He says much of what the media has reported in the last week regarding the center is false.
“The kids in the place were obtaining incredible care. I never saw one soggy diaper, I never saw one hungry child, there are no cages,” said Wallace.
Pastor Wallace says ICE agents and government officials guided him through the facility, including the restricted areas.
“As I walked through I thought– there are people living in America, children living in America– who are living conditions are much worst,” Wallace told Channel 3.
He says it was not uncommon to see ICE agents changing diapers and trying to comfort the children at the Clint Detention Center.
“I saw people in that detention center who demonstrated a true care and concern for those children,” recalled Wallace, “There was not one child that looked malnourished, that looked unfed, that looked unkempt.”
The sermon for next Sunday is from Romans 1;
”
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Isn’t it possible that there are different conditions in different facilities? James Dobson, who believes in curtailing this influx and favors building a wall, wrote of his visit to a facility and said the conditions were heartbreaking. But he also pointed out that this is not the fault of the border agents, who are doing the best they can with very limited resources.
This World report mentions some of the awful conditions, but also points out that it is due to the system being strained beyond what it can bear.
The difference is that some are pointing out the awful conditions and blaming the border control agents and the system, and others are pointing out the same conditions, but defending the agents, as they are completely overwhelmed but trying to do the best they can.
A new study shows Americans have little understanding of their political adversaries—and education doesn’t help.”
“What is corroding American politics is, specifically, negative partisanship: Although most liberals feel conflicted about the Democratic Party, they really hate the Republican Party. And even though most conservatives feel conflicted about the Republican Party, they really hate the Democratic Party. . . .
A new study, called “The Perception Gap,” helps provide an answer. More in Common, an advocacy organization devoted to countering extremism that previously published a viral report on America’s “hidden tribes,” set out to understand how political partisans see each other. Researchers asked Democrats to guess how Republicans would answer a range of political questions—and vice versa. (The survey was conducted among a sample of 2,100 U.S. adults the week immediately following the 2018 midterm elections.) What they found is fascinating: Americans’ mental image of the “other side” is a caricature.
According to the Democratic caricature, most Republicans stridently oppose immigration, hold deeply prejudiced views about religious minorities, and are blind to the existence of racism or sexism. Asked to guess what share of Republicans believe that immigration can strengthen America so long as it is “properly controlled,” for example, Democrats estimated about half; actually, nearly nine in 10 agreed with this sentiment.
Democrats also estimated that four in 10 Republicans believe that “many Muslims are good Americans,” and that only half recognize that “racism still exists in America.” In reality, those figures were two-thirds and four in five.
Unsurprisingly, Republicans are also prone to caricature Democrats. For example, Republicans approximated that only about half of Democrats are “proud to be American” despite the country’s problems. Actually, more than four in five Democrats said they are. Similarly, Republicans guessed that fewer than four in 10 Democrats reject the idea of open borders. Actually, seven in 10 said they do.”
Yeah, it’s possible. But note they toured 7 different facilities Kizzie. The main one is the one AOC and Dems insist was deplorable conditions. The 7 pastors say she and those saying otherwise (the media), are lying.
Perhaps what you are reading isn’t accurate. And guys like Dobson and the folks at World have agendas too. Someone is clearly lying here. While Dobson’s agenda may be unclear, but the group of pastors led by the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization, would want what’s best for Hispanics, his ministry field. Right? Sad to say, but either Dobson or the other pastors appears to be spreading untruths.
“Rev. Samuel Rodriguez was “full of indignation” when he saw the reports and heard from politicians about the deplorable and inhumane conditions for illegal immigrants at an El Paso County, Texas migrant detention center. But what he saw at the same facility toured by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. with a group of pastors was “drastically different.”
The president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization, and senior pastor of New Seasons Christian Worship Center in Sacramento shared his firsthand experience touring a migrant detention center during a press briefing Monday.”
““I read the reports, saw the news clips. I just wanted to see what was actually happening in order to better enable our efforts to find a fair and a just solution to our broken immigration system,” Rodriguez, who has advised President Trump and both Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush on immigration reform, noted. “To my surprise, I saw something drastically different from the stories I’ve been hearing in our national discourse. Even as a veteran of immigration advocacy in the U.S., I was shocked at the misinformation of the crisis at the border.”
“The group of pastors saw a very different picture described by Ocasio-Cortez and other politicians and media outlets.”
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““We found no soiled diapers, no deplorable conditions and no lack of basic necessities,” Rodriguez remarked, adding he specifically asked border agents if they staged the facility in response to the negative press. “They unequivocally denied it — we were witnessing the identical conditions the attorneys saw when they toured the facility days earlier.”
In fact, some told him the sources from whom the negative coverage originated “never toured the areas of the facility that we toured” and speculated they might have had political motivations.”
And if you’re looking for children to feel sorry for, here ya’ go. Those in the protective hand of the border patrol are fine. These are the ones you need to worry and pray about most.
And these children will continue to be victimized until the open border crowd and Dems shut down their criminal racket by getting serious about fixing the problems.
“Totally Not Shocking: Mexico Admits Migrants Are Buying Children To Cross Border”
“We’ve been hearing stories for quite some time now about illegal aliens showing up at the southern border with children in tow who turn out to not be their own. In some cases, it’s possible that they may be friends of the family, but in others, they are clearly either trafficking them across the border or hoping to use them as a get out of jail free card. Of course, we’re also regularly assured by Democrats and their friends in the media this either doesn’t happen or is so rare as to be discounted.
Now, however, their tune may need to change. As the Daily Wire reports this week, Mexican officials have admitted that this has been going on for some time and they’ve been warning women in border towns and cities to keep their children under a close watch because migrants have been offering to buy their kids. Also, the numbers of such incidents being discovered at the border is spiking sharply.
Verifying claims by U.S. border authorities that some illegal immigrants are using children who aren’t theirs to try to enter the United States, Mexican authorities have come forward to assert that illegal immigrants in Tijuana are preying on vulnerable single mothers in shelters by suggesting they sell their children to them.
The Seattle Times reports that Tijuana law enforcement authorities are “warning migrant mothers to keep their children close by and supervised, after reports of men offering to purchase migrant children in order to cross.” The Seattle Times quoted one woman from Honduras confessing, “I can’t go to work because I can’t take my eyes off my boys,” adding that the men have offered roughly $350 to buy children at the Iglesia Embajadores de Jesus shelter in Tijuana. She concluded, “They want to rob our kids so they can cross into the United States.”
Pastor Gustavo Banda, who supervises the Iglesia Embajadores de Jesus shelter and secures the shelter with a chain lock, stated, “These are cases of desperation. Of course, the women have not accepted any of these offers, but clearly this is a huge concern because of the danger to the children.”
Apparently, there was a time when this actually was a rare occurrence. Even the New York Times has confirmed that between September of 2016 and August of 2017 there were 46 cases of bogus family claims discovered. But in just the five months from September of 2018 through the end of January of this year, there were 191 cases recorded, representing a 315% increase.
And not to put too fine of a point on this, but that’s only the ones that we were able to identify. “
AJ – James Dobson seems to be a Trump supporter, and as I said above, he is in favor of closing the border. So his agenda is not leftist in any way. His point was about how stretched and overwhelmed the border control agents are.
Being Pro-Life is the Moral Equivalent of Racism?
JULY 1, 2019 BY GENE VEITH
_______________________
Notice that today’s political discourse no longer consists much of rational argument, attempts at persuasion, or intellectual analysis. Instead, it consists largely of social pressure, attempts to make people want to belong to a socially-approved group, appealing to social status, shaming non-conformists, and signaling in-group attitudes.
As an example, here is the response of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) when asked about her promise, if elected president, to approve of no judges who would question the Roe v. Wade decision. From Philip Klein, Kirsten Gillibrand compares judges who don’t agree Roe is settled law to racists and anti-Semite,, in the Washington Examiner:
“I think there’s some issues that have such moral clarity that we have as a society have decided that the other side is not acceptable,” she explained. “Imagine saying that it’s okay to appoint a judge who is racist, or anti-Semitic, or homophobic. Asking someone to appoint someone who takes away basic human rights of any group of people in America I think that we have — I don’t think that those are political issues anymore.”
She concluded, “I believe that for all of these issues, they are not issues that there is a fair other side.” …
Members of a secret Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents made racist, sexually explicit, and callous comments about migrants and Hispanic members of Congress, according to a report published by ProPublica on Monday. Close to 9,500 current and former Border Patrol members were members of the group, the news site noted.
Some of the posts made light of the recent deaths of migrants, including a 16-year-old Guatemalan migrant who died in May. One agent wrote, “If he dies, he dies.” Other posts were sexually explicit or made racist comments about members of Congress, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Veronica Escobar, D-Texas. In one post, an agent volunteered to throw burritos at Ocasio-Cortez and other lawmakers in response to their planned visit to a Border Patrol facility in Clint, Texas.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees Border Patrol, said it will investigate the “disturbing social media activity.” …
… Ocasio-Cortez also tweeted that migrants were forced to “drink out of toilets.” A CBP official denied the allegation, saying that the locations lawmakers toured had appliances where the sink dispenses safe drinking water but is attached to the toilet.
President Donald Trump on Monday signed a $4.6 billion emergency aid package Congress approved to improve conditions at the U.S. border with Mexico.
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While that may be true of Dobson, not so much for some of the groups in the World pieces that’ve been posted. These are groups that have a financial interest in the status quo and who are quoted extensively in World’s articles. Groups like Catholic Charities.
And note also that the World article you linked, while containing much accurate info, is taking the word of activist lawyers over the govt.
“Meanwhile, detained migrants are suffering in overcrowded, dirty facilities. This week, about 100 migrant children were returned to the holding facility in Clint, Texas, where a group of lawyers reported seeing more than 250 dirty, hungry, and sick kids during a recent inspection. They said they saw children as young as eight taking care of strangers’ babies, toddlers who did not have diapers, and kids who hadn’t been allowed to shower in a month.”
The reporter did not see this, and is simply passing on what he’s heard….. from activist lawyers….. which the 7 visiting pastors say is false.
But big deal. Dark humor is how soldiers, police, EMS, nurses, and many other professions deal with the horrors they see every day. It’s a coping mechanism. Same as it’s always been. But of course as always, some rear echelon clown doesn’t get it and is offended. This is just another hit piece on the BP from the left to take some heat of of AOC and other complicit Dems. Yawn.
In case you haven’t seen it, this help’s clarify what Dobson is saying. I agree with him. He clearly is not taking the same line as groups like Catholic Charities and their open borders pope.
“Ten years ago, 90 percent of illegals apprehended at the border were single males, mainly from Mexico. Now, more than 50 percent show up with babies and children, and 90 percent of them are from countries other than Mexico with 64 percent being family units or unaccompanied alien children. Together, they claim to be “families” and within three weeks, they will be home free in America. Is there any doubt why there have been more than half a million illegal immigrants this year alone?
Before I conclude, I must tell you about the agents who have to deal with this chaos. They are compassionate men and women, sworn to uphold federal law and protect our borders.
They obviously care about the detainees, and I respect them highly. They work tirelessly feeding people three times a day and providing clean clothing. They must also maintain the portable toilets in the cells. It is a never-ending task. There are only two large showers in the facility, one for males, the other for females. Their capacity is for only 20 people at a time, which is insufficient.
The border patrol agents administer this program, but most of them didn’t sign up to be caregivers. Agents were trained to patrol the border and apprehend drug runners, traffickers, smugglers, murderers, and every kind of lawbreaker. This is very dangerous work. But, please understand this: the border patrol agents are so busy caring for refugees seeking entry to the United States that they have very little time to police the borders. It is so porous that huge quantities of contraband, including all kinds of narcotics, flow into this country every day. Then it is transported northward to America’s cities to be consumed by adolescents and millennials. Lawless gangs, such as MS-13, are also pouring into the culture, making violence for inner cities a way of life.
There is one more aspect to the work of the agents that you should know. They are openly hated by citizens who resent the work they do. They are routinely vilified and mocked and demonized. Their families are also subjected to ridicule. These agents need our appreciation and prayers. They have one of the most thankless jobs in America.
The situation I have described is the reason President Donald Trump’s border wall is so urgently needed. He seems to be the only leader in America who comprehends this tragedy and is willing to address it. Those who oppose him do everything they can to impede his effort. That is why I went to the border to see the situation for myself. I came away with an array of intense emotions. First, I was profoundly grieved over the misery of thousands of people. Second, I felt a deep appreciation for those who are doing their best to help in an impossible circumstance. Third, and frankly, I was angry at the political fat cats who have deliberately allowed this chaos to occur for political or financial gain. They, and their friends in the fake media, have told the American people that there is no crisis at the border! Shame on them all.”
Haha. Trust me, we have plenty of dark humor in journalism. We see it all, too. I get that.
Not outraged by this (outrage is definitely not my thing, I was too well trained in old-school journalism), but I thought it was an interesting story. ProPublica is a nonprofit outlet, a couple of the LA Time reporters transitioned through there, we’ve subscribed to their service in the past, not sure if we still do or not.
I read something a while back that said that outrage becomes like an addiction. When we feel outraged (aka “righteous indignation” or “righteous anger”), it causes us to feel a sense of superiority, even if we don’t recognize it as that, and become something we seek out, like an addiction.
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What Christianity Teaches about Politics
JUNE 5, 2019 BY GENE VEITH
We have been discussing different political ideologies, including debates between Christians. It’s worth asking now, what do the various Christian perspectives on politics–no matter where they fall on the ideological spectrum–have in common? That is, what are the specific political implications and influences of Christianity?
Michael Matheson Miller has written a perceptive article in Law & Liberty entitled Five Insights Christianity Brings to Politics. You really need to read the entire piece, which discusses each of the five “insights” in some depth. But let me list them, along with a very brief explanation of each of them from Miller:
* The State is Not Divine …
* The State is Not the Final Arbiter of Justice …
* The Common Good (The third major element of a Christian vision of government is the commitment to the common good. The common good consists of the political and the social conditions that enable individuals, families, and communities to “reach their fulfillment.”. . .)
* A Community of Communities …
* A Naturally Anti-Utopian Creed
…. This is a purposefully minimalistic list. Some Christians would add more about social justice or concern for the poor, while others see Christianity emphasizing individual liberty. Monarchies and democracies have drawn on Christianity in different ways, and there are controversies over whether Christianity can in some way rule the state or if it needs to be completely separate from the world. But all of that gets us into the theological and political differences. …
“House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said Monday that the heads of border and immigration agencies should face criminal prosecution for what he says is child abuse at border detention facilities.
“This is inhuman. Frankly, I think it’s criminal,” Nadler, a New York Democrat, told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
“There ought to be criminal prosecutions of some of the agency heads and some of the people for child abuse. This is clearly child abuse. It violates probably half a dozen laws.””
“Amnesty International is alleging that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Justice Department are using the justice system to target illegal immigrant activists.
“Amnesty International has found since 2018 that the United States (US) government has executed an unlawful and politically motivated campaign of intimidation, threats, harassment, and criminal investigations against people who defend the human rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers (‘migrant human rights defenders’) on the US–Mexico border,” reads a portion of the report, which was obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The London-based human rights organization interviewed 23 “human rights defenders” who claim they have being targeted by the U.S. government because of their work on behalf of immigrants. Of the 23 who were interviewed, 10 were put under a DHS watch list for their alleged involvement in human smuggling — criminal investigations that Amnesty International referred to as “dubious.” Others alleged instances of targeted harassment and intimidation at the hands of U.S. authorities.
The people interviewed by human rights group included activists, lawyers and others who work to promote the interests of illegal aliens.
“The Trump administration’s targeting of human rights defenders through discriminatory misuse of the criminal justice system sets it on a slippery slope toward authoritarianism,” Erika Guevara-Rosasa, Americas director for Amnesty International, said in a prepared statement included in the report. “The US government is disgracing itself by threatening and even prosecuting its own citizens for their vital work to save the lives of people in a desperate situation at the border.”
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Amnesty International’s report does not have any documented evidence that proves a U.S. government official, or any U.S. agency as a whole, targeted an individual specifically because of their immigration rights activism or work. Instead, the report significantly relies on drawing a connection between activists and their subsequent run-ins with the law.”
Amnesty International wrote at length about Dr. Scott Warren, a member of No More Deaths, an organization that leaves behind water and food in the Arizona desert for immigrants to consume as they illegally cross into the United States. Warren was arrested in 2017 and charged with three felony criminal charges related to human smuggling.
The human rights group claims that the charges are a “retaliatory attack” for No More Deaths releasing a video allegedly showing Border Patrol agents destroying water jugs left in the desert. However, it is, in fact, a crime to help an alien illegally enter the U.S., harbor an illegal alien, or otherwise encourage such an action. “
Intetesting story on AOC…she forced herself into a cell to talj to inmates yet I read she didnt actually tour the facility. More accurately she refused to take the official guided tour. Instead she managed to find inmates on her own. She toured the place. She just didn’t take the official sanitized tour.
I’m also amused physically fit armed border guards were frightened by AOC. She’s 5’4. The verbal conflict wss due to guards taking unauthorized pictures of the delegation. The Congresspersons were told it was secure facility and personal devices were not alllowed yet the guards had their own phones. The discrepancy raised suspicions.
I dont buy the overwhelmed excuse. Corporations are being paid hundreds of dollars per inmate. If they don’t have the facilities, rent hotels. Rent entire floors….there’s housekeeping, soap, sheets, shampoo…all for a low price. It may not be as secure but lets face it not too many Central Americans will leave free accomodations at the Holiday Inn.
However, this won’t happen because it won’t accomplish the two goals of these facilities. First its too deter and punish and second they need to make a profi. Only the bare minimum for human life is given in order to punish migrants and deter other possible migrants. Second, renting the Holiday Inn will cut out the for profit prison companies who need to make a profit.
The poor conditions are not the result of overwhelmed companies but the result of deliberate policy of deterrence, punishment and profit.
Kizzie, 4:08, whatever it was that you read, I had to cringe a little at this part:
“When we feel outraged (aka “righteous indignation” or “righteous anger”), it causes us to feel a sense of superiority…”
IMHO, I don’t think outrage in a general political context necessarily equates with righteous anger. Some forms of outrage can be sinful, others not, but the Word never condemns righteous anger.
Sinful anger is another thing entirely. “In your anger, do not sin.” To me, that verse says that anger in and of itself is not sin. There’s sinful anger, and there’s righteous (unsinful) anger. If anger and outrage are always wrong, would not God have said, “Do not get angry,” instead of saying we shouldn’t sin in our anger?
Jesus exhibited righteous anger. I would say flipping the money changers’ tables in the temple was one example of that. For the article author to say that “when we feel…’righteous anger’, it causes us to feel a sense of superiority,” would that author say that Jesus must have been acting in a superior way, too, when he flipped the tables?
That is why I cringed. Jesus humbled Himself, becoming a man and coming to earth. He never acted in a superior manner, and He never sinned in any way.
Righteous anger has a place in the lives of Christ followers, just as it did for Jesus Himself. To mention righteous anger in the middle of talk about sinful outrage, addiction, self-superiority, and the like could be quite misleading to anyone who doesn’t know much about what the Bible says about anger.
I’d only say, though, that we aren’t Jesus and I hardly trust myself to wield the sword of righteous anger the way he did and without sin in attitude or action. But that’s me. I know that I have a flash of unChrist-like (worldly) temper inside me that can jump up and make a mess of things all too easily.
6 Arrows – I’m sorry that I did not clarify what I meant by those terms. Yes, there is such a thing as righteous anger. What I was referring to, though, was the kind of outrage a person feels and then convinces themselves is righteous anger. I thought using the quotation marks might get my point across, but I can see that wasn’t enough, and I should have been clearer.
When we do feel righteous anger, we need to make sure it truly is what we think it is, and not our own anger/outrage masquerading as something righteous.
DJ, ha ha — it’s news that I’m on the news thread! And, well, you were half right because one of those letters is one of my initials. 🙂
Kizzie, I noticed the quotation marks after I hit “Post Comment” and thought, oh, I’ll bet I missed the point. I guess I picked up more on the “aka” — also known as — so thought originally that you were saying what came after the aka was exactly what came before the aka.
Too bad we can’t edit on here. Oh well.
But, yes, discerning whether our anger is truly righteous or not is important. And like DJ said, it can be tricky with righteous anger to avoid crossing the line into unholy anger. I don’t believe we’re forbidden from using righteous anger at times, but just because something isn’t forbidden doesn’t mean we have to utilize it. It may in fact not be a good idea to use it, depending on the circumstances and/or on who’s involved (both the one who is angry and the one or more at whom the anger is directed).
Let me also add that how or when people express righteous anger may look different from person to person, and that’s OK. It’s part of our unique makeup. I’m glad that God knows the heart of all people at all times, even when we humans with our limited knowledge and inability to see the heart may think someone else is getting more bent out of shape than we might think a certain situation warrants.
Being rooted in the Word and discerning how God would have each of us as individuals address a situation, if at all, is key. How His Spirit is leading anyone else is God’s business. I can rest in that.
In many cases the facilities BP uses are private facilities run by outside groups. This is necessary because of the sheer volume involved here. The normal facilities used long ago passed their capabilities, so it’s been contracted out. Groups that provide medical, food, and housing are often private companies. Catholic Charities and numerous other Christian groups are also utilized for this.
But now those companies get the Haliburton treatment from ignorant leftists who are too uninformed to realize that there are only a few companies out there that do that type of work. Haliburton didn’t get the job because they were Bush’s buddies, they got it for being one of only three companies in the entire world who could put out oil rig fires, and they were the only one from the US. But hey, like now, why let facts get in the way of a good leftist meme?
Yes private companies are involved. Yes, they’re making money, as private companies have been known to do. But there is no other option.
And sorry HRW, turning them all loose solves nothing. But you already knew that.
If they have to suffer some for breaking the law, tough. Actions have consequences, especially illegal ones.
Wandering Views 
The only thing fake is the politicians.
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AOC lied? Again.
I’m shocked….. 🙄
—————
https://twitter.com/mollyfprince/status/1145785035112493056
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Polly wanna cracker?
————–
She’s a……. fraud. Sorry, but she is.
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Nope, no crisis here……
https://thehill.com/latino/451223-border-crossing-shut-down-after-large-and-unruly-group-forms-in-mexico
“U.S. authorities closed an international border bridge in El Paso, Texas, early Monday in response to Central American and Cuban migrants protesting on the Mexican side of the border.
The protesters in Ciudad Juárez were chanting “vamos a cruzar” — “we are going to cross” — before Customs and Border Protection officials closed the bridge about 2 a.m., reported CNN.
The decision to close the bridge came as “a large and unruly group formed on the Mexican side,” according to CBP spokesman Roger Maier.”
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From “One News Now’ on my e-mail” I can’t vouch for it:
“The California Assembly has passed a resolution calling on faith leaders in the state to affirm homosexuality and refrain from counseling anyone that change through Christ is possible. It is now headed to the Democrat-heavy State Senate.”
I don’t believe they can do that. It isn’t Constitutional. It will certainly be disobeyed.
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Sorry, but you’re not the media’s choice.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/07/nbc-denies-cutting-mics-despite-claims-to-the-contrary-by-andrew-yang-and-marianne-williamson/
“NBC Denies Cutting Mics Despite Claims to the Contrary by Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson
“At no point during the debate was any candidate’s microphone turned off or muted.”
“During the crowded Democrat presidential debate, preference was given first to Elizabeth Warren, who bombed her big opportunity and so shifted to Kamala Harris. Less popular candidates were given substantially less air time and were frequently iced out (see Delaney) and all but completely ignored.
Both Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson claim their mics were shut off unless they were called on, unlike other candidates whose mics were on throughout the entire debate.”
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Republicans want to keep Williamson and her craziness in the picture. 🙂
https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/07/democrat-presidential-candidate-marianne-williamson-gets-post-debate-donation-boost-from-republicans/
“Democrat Presidential Candidate Marianne Williamson Gets Post-Debate Donation Boost … From Republicans
Republicans urged to “donate $1 to keep this vibrant democrat on the debate stage. One debate performance is not enough”
“Williamson, an author of some sort and some kind of health guru to the stars, is running as the “conscious” candidate and wants to infuse consciousness into American politics and to catalyze a “moral and spiritual awakening” in America. Or something.
As you can imagine, her kooky new agey ramblings were a huge hit . . . just not with Democrat primary voters or leftstream media who called her performance “bonkers,” “unique,” and “just…wow” (not in a good way).
Instead of lighting up the lefties, Williamson is getting some play on the right as Republicans are donating to her campaign to ensure she wafts her bonkers patchouli-laden hippie nonsense all over the next Democrat presidential debate stage.”
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Can you just imagine a race between her and Trump? 😂🤣😁
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Yeah Chas, that’s a thing now. But it’s a resolution not a law, so it carries no real weight. It will be useful for the lefties that run Cali. though, by pointing out those non-compliant churches for further harassment.
https://www.christianpost.com/news/pastors-alarmed-christian-leaders-push-california-churches-accept-homosexuality-transgenderism.html
“Pastors alarmed by Christian leaders’ push for Calif. churches to accept homosexuality, transgenderism”
“Update June 29 9:30 AM: In a Friday email to The Christian Post, Kevin Mannoia clarified his support for the resolution, saying: “To clarify, I did not speak on behalf of Azusa Pacific University at the committee hearing. I represented a handful of pastors that have been seeking to change the tone of the conversation. We have not altered our belief in the biblical view on human sexuality and that LGBT is not God’s plan. We are thankful that this non-binding resolution successfully averted the passing of a restrictive law that would have hindered pastoral ministry to people struggling with sexual identity who come to our churches.”
Original report:
Individuals who once identified as gay are speaking out against a resolution in the California Assembly that calls upon pastors and other civic leaders to affirm homosexuality and transgenderism, and condemn “conversion therapy.”
The resolution, ACR-99, Civil Rights: Lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people urges counselors, pastors, churches, educators, and others to avoid supporting the historic Christian view of sexual ethics. The measure says such support can result in “disproportionately high” rates of suicide, attempted suicide, and depression among persons who identify as LGBT. The resolution makes a point to condemn in broad terms what is often referred to as conversion therapy, calling the practice, also known as sexual orientation change efforts, “harmful.”
Notable among the supporters of the resolution was Kevin Mannoia who is the former head of the National Association of Evangelicals — which represents tens of thousands of churches from many denominations — and the chaplain of Azusa Pacific University.”
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Here’s the resolution.
http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200ACR99
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Don’t believe the lies.
https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/40726492/a-chattanooga-pastor-visits-an-immigrant-detention-center-amid-border-crisis
“A Chattanooga pastor visited Clint Detention Center after a public outcry over conditions inside a border patrol facility in Clint, Texas.
He toured the facility down at the southern border on Saturday. He says conditions were better than expected.
Seven pastors including Kevin Wallace who preaches at a church in Chattanooga were invited to the border by Samuel Rodriquez– a man who has advised President Trump on immigration.
“We were told we were the first group of preachers to ever go back there,” Wallace told Channel 3.
Reports came out over the last week detailing inhumane conditions at Clint Detention Center.
“It’s not at all what I had imagined based on the reports that I heard,” recalled Wallace.
He says much of what the media has reported in the last week regarding the center is false.
“The kids in the place were obtaining incredible care. I never saw one soggy diaper, I never saw one hungry child, there are no cages,” said Wallace.
Pastor Wallace says ICE agents and government officials guided him through the facility, including the restricted areas.
“As I walked through I thought– there are people living in America, children living in America– who are living conditions are much worst,” Wallace told Channel 3.
He says it was not uncommon to see ICE agents changing diapers and trying to comfort the children at the Clint Detention Center.
“I saw people in that detention center who demonstrated a true care and concern for those children,” recalled Wallace, “There was not one child that looked malnourished, that looked unfed, that looked unkempt.”
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The sermon for next Sunday is from Romans 1;
”
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
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Isn’t it possible that there are different conditions in different facilities? James Dobson, who believes in curtailing this influx and favors building a wall, wrote of his visit to a facility and said the conditions were heartbreaking. But he also pointed out that this is not the fault of the border agents, who are doing the best they can with very limited resources.
This World report mentions some of the awful conditions, but also points out that it is due to the system being strained beyond what it can bear.
The difference is that some are pointing out the awful conditions and blaming the border control agents and the system, and others are pointing out the same conditions, but defending the agents, as they are completely overwhelmed but trying to do the best they can.
https://world.wng.org/content/caught_in_the_middle
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This was very interesting, and something that I have noticed.
“Republicans Don’t Understand Democrats—And Democrats Don’t Understand Republicans
A new study shows Americans have little understanding of their political adversaries—and education doesn’t help.”
“What is corroding American politics is, specifically, negative partisanship: Although most liberals feel conflicted about the Democratic Party, they really hate the Republican Party. And even though most conservatives feel conflicted about the Republican Party, they really hate the Democratic Party. . . .
A new study, called “The Perception Gap,” helps provide an answer. More in Common, an advocacy organization devoted to countering extremism that previously published a viral report on America’s “hidden tribes,” set out to understand how political partisans see each other. Researchers asked Democrats to guess how Republicans would answer a range of political questions—and vice versa. (The survey was conducted among a sample of 2,100 U.S. adults the week immediately following the 2018 midterm elections.) What they found is fascinating: Americans’ mental image of the “other side” is a caricature.
According to the Democratic caricature, most Republicans stridently oppose immigration, hold deeply prejudiced views about religious minorities, and are blind to the existence of racism or sexism. Asked to guess what share of Republicans believe that immigration can strengthen America so long as it is “properly controlled,” for example, Democrats estimated about half; actually, nearly nine in 10 agreed with this sentiment.
Democrats also estimated that four in 10 Republicans believe that “many Muslims are good Americans,” and that only half recognize that “racism still exists in America.” In reality, those figures were two-thirds and four in five.
Unsurprisingly, Republicans are also prone to caricature Democrats. For example, Republicans approximated that only about half of Democrats are “proud to be American” despite the country’s problems. Actually, more than four in five Democrats said they are. Similarly, Republicans guessed that fewer than four in 10 Democrats reject the idea of open borders. Actually, seven in 10 said they do.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/06/republicans-and-democrats-dont-understand-each-other/592324/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share&fbclid=IwAR1hHHejZB4VPtvcj4BVVrNj_BBaJ9UtWVGWVjX7O34FqCAtbYQH2t783VU
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Yeah, it’s possible. But note they toured 7 different facilities Kizzie. The main one is the one AOC and Dems insist was deplorable conditions. The 7 pastors say she and those saying otherwise (the media), are lying.
Perhaps what you are reading isn’t accurate. And guys like Dobson and the folks at World have agendas too. Someone is clearly lying here. While Dobson’s agenda may be unclear, but the group of pastors led by the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization, would want what’s best for Hispanics, his ministry field. Right? Sad to say, but either Dobson or the other pastors appears to be spreading untruths.
More.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/immigration-border-facility-aoc-hispanic
“Rev. Samuel Rodriguez was “full of indignation” when he saw the reports and heard from politicians about the deplorable and inhumane conditions for illegal immigrants at an El Paso County, Texas migrant detention center. But what he saw at the same facility toured by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. with a group of pastors was “drastically different.”
The president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the world’s largest Hispanic Christian organization, and senior pastor of New Seasons Christian Worship Center in Sacramento shared his firsthand experience touring a migrant detention center during a press briefing Monday.”
““I read the reports, saw the news clips. I just wanted to see what was actually happening in order to better enable our efforts to find a fair and a just solution to our broken immigration system,” Rodriguez, who has advised President Trump and both Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush on immigration reform, noted. “To my surprise, I saw something drastically different from the stories I’ve been hearing in our national discourse. Even as a veteran of immigration advocacy in the U.S., I was shocked at the misinformation of the crisis at the border.”
“The group of pastors saw a very different picture described by Ocasio-Cortez and other politicians and media outlets.”
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““We found no soiled diapers, no deplorable conditions and no lack of basic necessities,” Rodriguez remarked, adding he specifically asked border agents if they staged the facility in response to the negative press. “They unequivocally denied it — we were witnessing the identical conditions the attorneys saw when they toured the facility days earlier.”
In fact, some told him the sources from whom the negative coverage originated “never toured the areas of the facility that we toured” and speculated they might have had political motivations.”
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Like I said. Agendas.
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Another myth destroyed.
And if you’re looking for children to feel sorry for, here ya’ go. Those in the protective hand of the border patrol are fine. These are the ones you need to worry and pray about most.
And these children will continue to be victimized until the open border crowd and Dems shut down their criminal racket by getting serious about fixing the problems.
https://hotair.com/archives/2019/07/02/totally-not-shocking-mexico-admits-migrants-buying-children-cross-border/
“Totally Not Shocking: Mexico Admits Migrants Are Buying Children To Cross Border”
“We’ve been hearing stories for quite some time now about illegal aliens showing up at the southern border with children in tow who turn out to not be their own. In some cases, it’s possible that they may be friends of the family, but in others, they are clearly either trafficking them across the border or hoping to use them as a get out of jail free card. Of course, we’re also regularly assured by Democrats and their friends in the media this either doesn’t happen or is so rare as to be discounted.
Now, however, their tune may need to change. As the Daily Wire reports this week, Mexican officials have admitted that this has been going on for some time and they’ve been warning women in border towns and cities to keep their children under a close watch because migrants have been offering to buy their kids. Also, the numbers of such incidents being discovered at the border is spiking sharply.
Verifying claims by U.S. border authorities that some illegal immigrants are using children who aren’t theirs to try to enter the United States, Mexican authorities have come forward to assert that illegal immigrants in Tijuana are preying on vulnerable single mothers in shelters by suggesting they sell their children to them.
The Seattle Times reports that Tijuana law enforcement authorities are “warning migrant mothers to keep their children close by and supervised, after reports of men offering to purchase migrant children in order to cross.” The Seattle Times quoted one woman from Honduras confessing, “I can’t go to work because I can’t take my eyes off my boys,” adding that the men have offered roughly $350 to buy children at the Iglesia Embajadores de Jesus shelter in Tijuana. She concluded, “They want to rob our kids so they can cross into the United States.”
Pastor Gustavo Banda, who supervises the Iglesia Embajadores de Jesus shelter and secures the shelter with a chain lock, stated, “These are cases of desperation. Of course, the women have not accepted any of these offers, but clearly this is a huge concern because of the danger to the children.”
Apparently, there was a time when this actually was a rare occurrence. Even the New York Times has confirmed that between September of 2016 and August of 2017 there were 46 cases of bogus family claims discovered. But in just the five months from September of 2018 through the end of January of this year, there were 191 cases recorded, representing a 315% increase.
And not to put too fine of a point on this, but that’s only the ones that we were able to identify. “
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AJ – James Dobson seems to be a Trump supporter, and as I said above, he is in favor of closing the border. So his agenda is not leftist in any way. His point was about how stretched and overwhelmed the border control agents are.
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https://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2019/07/being-pro-life-is-the-moral-equivalent-of-racism/
Being Pro-Life is the Moral Equivalent of Racism?
JULY 1, 2019 BY GENE VEITH
_______________________
Notice that today’s political discourse no longer consists much of rational argument, attempts at persuasion, or intellectual analysis. Instead, it consists largely of social pressure, attempts to make people want to belong to a socially-approved group, appealing to social status, shaming non-conformists, and signaling in-group attitudes.
As an example, here is the response of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) when asked about her promise, if elected president, to approve of no judges who would question the Roe v. Wade decision. From Philip Klein, Kirsten Gillibrand compares judges who don’t agree Roe is settled law to racists and anti-Semite,, in the Washington Examiner:
“I think there’s some issues that have such moral clarity that we have as a society have decided that the other side is not acceptable,” she explained. “Imagine saying that it’s okay to appoint a judge who is racist, or anti-Semitic, or homophobic. Asking someone to appoint someone who takes away basic human rights of any group of people in America I think that we have — I don’t think that those are political issues anymore.”
She concluded, “I believe that for all of these issues, they are not issues that there is a fair other side.” …
_____________________________
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Report reveals ‘disturbing’ secret Border Patrol Facebook group
https://world.wng.org/content/report_reveals_disturbing_secret_border_patrol_facebook_group
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Members of a secret Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents made racist, sexually explicit, and callous comments about migrants and Hispanic members of Congress, according to a report published by ProPublica on Monday. Close to 9,500 current and former Border Patrol members were members of the group, the news site noted.
Some of the posts made light of the recent deaths of migrants, including a 16-year-old Guatemalan migrant who died in May. One agent wrote, “If he dies, he dies.” Other posts were sexually explicit or made racist comments about members of Congress, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Veronica Escobar, D-Texas. In one post, an agent volunteered to throw burritos at Ocasio-Cortez and other lawmakers in response to their planned visit to a Border Patrol facility in Clint, Texas.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees Border Patrol, said it will investigate the “disturbing social media activity.” …
… Ocasio-Cortez also tweeted that migrants were forced to “drink out of toilets.” A CBP official denied the allegation, saying that the locations lawmakers toured had appliances where the sink dispenses safe drinking water but is attached to the toilet.
President Donald Trump on Monday signed a $4.6 billion emergency aid package Congress approved to improve conditions at the U.S. border with Mexico.
_________________________________
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While that may be true of Dobson, not so much for some of the groups in the World pieces that’ve been posted. These are groups that have a financial interest in the status quo and who are quoted extensively in World’s articles. Groups like Catholic Charities.
And note also that the World article you linked, while containing much accurate info, is taking the word of activist lawyers over the govt.
“Meanwhile, detained migrants are suffering in overcrowded, dirty facilities. This week, about 100 migrant children were returned to the holding facility in Clint, Texas, where a group of lawyers reported seeing more than 250 dirty, hungry, and sick kids during a recent inspection. They said they saw children as young as eight taking care of strangers’ babies, toddlers who did not have diapers, and kids who hadn’t been allowed to shower in a month.”
The reporter did not see this, and is simply passing on what he’s heard….. from activist lawyers….. which the 7 visiting pastors say is false.
See the issue I have?
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No offense DJ,
But big deal. Dark humor is how soldiers, police, EMS, nurses, and many other professions deal with the horrors they see every day. It’s a coping mechanism. Same as it’s always been. But of course as always, some rear echelon clown doesn’t get it and is offended. This is just another hit piece on the BP from the left to take some heat of of AOC and other complicit Dems. Yawn.
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Kizzie,
In case you haven’t seen it, this help’s clarify what Dobson is saying. I agree with him. He clearly is not taking the same line as groups like Catholic Charities and their open borders pope.
That’s a good thing. 🙂
https://drjamesdobson.org/about/july-newsletter-2019?sc=FEM&mc=FEM0719NL&spMailingID=21712513&spUserID=MjM0MzUxMTczODc3S0&spJobID=1521709428&spReportId=MTUyMTcwOTQyOAS2&fbclid=IwAR0iLERejgSI2TCiK7C1RqBgocx2tLIFZXLcUnKdNNvaodGDczMCv8aOX5g&utm_source=sumome&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=sumome_share
“Ten years ago, 90 percent of illegals apprehended at the border were single males, mainly from Mexico. Now, more than 50 percent show up with babies and children, and 90 percent of them are from countries other than Mexico with 64 percent being family units or unaccompanied alien children. Together, they claim to be “families” and within three weeks, they will be home free in America. Is there any doubt why there have been more than half a million illegal immigrants this year alone?
Before I conclude, I must tell you about the agents who have to deal with this chaos. They are compassionate men and women, sworn to uphold federal law and protect our borders.
They obviously care about the detainees, and I respect them highly. They work tirelessly feeding people three times a day and providing clean clothing. They must also maintain the portable toilets in the cells. It is a never-ending task. There are only two large showers in the facility, one for males, the other for females. Their capacity is for only 20 people at a time, which is insufficient.
The border patrol agents administer this program, but most of them didn’t sign up to be caregivers. Agents were trained to patrol the border and apprehend drug runners, traffickers, smugglers, murderers, and every kind of lawbreaker. This is very dangerous work. But, please understand this: the border patrol agents are so busy caring for refugees seeking entry to the United States that they have very little time to police the borders. It is so porous that huge quantities of contraband, including all kinds of narcotics, flow into this country every day. Then it is transported northward to America’s cities to be consumed by adolescents and millennials. Lawless gangs, such as MS-13, are also pouring into the culture, making violence for inner cities a way of life.
There is one more aspect to the work of the agents that you should know. They are openly hated by citizens who resent the work they do. They are routinely vilified and mocked and demonized. Their families are also subjected to ridicule. These agents need our appreciation and prayers. They have one of the most thankless jobs in America.
The situation I have described is the reason President Donald Trump’s border wall is so urgently needed. He seems to be the only leader in America who comprehends this tragedy and is willing to address it. Those who oppose him do everything they can to impede his effort. That is why I went to the border to see the situation for myself. I came away with an array of intense emotions. First, I was profoundly grieved over the misery of thousands of people. Second, I felt a deep appreciation for those who are doing their best to help in an impossible circumstance. Third, and frankly, I was angry at the political fat cats who have deliberately allowed this chaos to occur for political or financial gain. They, and their friends in the fake media, have told the American people that there is no crisis at the border! Shame on them all.”
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Haha. Trust me, we have plenty of dark humor in journalism. We see it all, too. I get that.
Not outraged by this (outrage is definitely not my thing, I was too well trained in old-school journalism), but I thought it was an interesting story. ProPublica is a nonprofit outlet, a couple of the LA Time reporters transitioned through there, we’ve subscribed to their service in the past, not sure if we still do or not.
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All that said, it is wise these days to be careful on social media. 🙂
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And a sign of our times — I just opened an email sent from a state senator about some upcoming bill.
His opening words? “I’m outraged … ”
We must live in the Age of Outrage.
It’s exhausting.
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I read something a while back that said that outrage becomes like an addiction. When we feel outraged (aka “righteous indignation” or “righteous anger”), it causes us to feel a sense of superiority, even if we don’t recognize it as that, and become something we seek out, like an addiction.
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More from Veith
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2019/06/what-christianity-teaches-about-politics/
______________________________________
What Christianity Teaches about Politics
JUNE 5, 2019 BY GENE VEITH
We have been discussing different political ideologies, including debates between Christians. It’s worth asking now, what do the various Christian perspectives on politics–no matter where they fall on the ideological spectrum–have in common? That is, what are the specific political implications and influences of Christianity?
Michael Matheson Miller has written a perceptive article in Law & Liberty entitled Five Insights Christianity Brings to Politics. You really need to read the entire piece, which discusses each of the five “insights” in some depth. But let me list them, along with a very brief explanation of each of them from Miller:
* The State is Not Divine …
* The State is Not the Final Arbiter of Justice …
* The Common Good (The third major element of a Christian vision of government is the commitment to the common good. The common good consists of the political and the social conditions that enable individuals, families, and communities to “reach their fulfillment.”. . .)
* A Community of Communities …
* A Naturally Anti-Utopian Creed
…. This is a purposefully minimalistic list. Some Christians would add more about social justice or concern for the poor, while others see Christianity emphasizing individual liberty. Monarchies and democracies have drawn on Christianity in different ways, and there are controversies over whether Christianity can in some way rule the state or if it needs to be completely separate from the world. But all of that gets us into the theological and political differences. …
___________________________________
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The actions of Democrats on the issue continue to be reprehensible and un-American.
https://dailycaller.com/2019/07/02/nadler-prosecute-border-agencies-child-abuse/?utm_medium=push&utm_source=daily_caller&utm_campaign=push
“House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler said Monday that the heads of border and immigration agencies should face criminal prosecution for what he says is child abuse at border detention facilities.
“This is inhuman. Frankly, I think it’s criminal,” Nadler, a New York Democrat, told MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow.
“There ought to be criminal prosecutions of some of the agency heads and some of the people for child abuse. This is clearly child abuse. It violates probably half a dozen laws.””
—————-
He is of course lying. As always.
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Like I said, there are agendas in play. This should be constantly kept in mind when reading anything from the activists involved.
Maybe if they are being targeted, it’s with good reason. Also note, the activists provide no evidence to support their allegations.
https://dailycaller.com/2019/07/01/amnesty-international-report-migrants/?utm_medium=push&utm_source=daily_caller&utm_campaign=push
“Amnesty International is alleging that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Justice Department are using the justice system to target illegal immigrant activists.
“Amnesty International has found since 2018 that the United States (US) government has executed an unlawful and politically motivated campaign of intimidation, threats, harassment, and criminal investigations against people who defend the human rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers (‘migrant human rights defenders’) on the US–Mexico border,” reads a portion of the report, which was obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The London-based human rights organization interviewed 23 “human rights defenders” who claim they have being targeted by the U.S. government because of their work on behalf of immigrants. Of the 23 who were interviewed, 10 were put under a DHS watch list for their alleged involvement in human smuggling — criminal investigations that Amnesty International referred to as “dubious.” Others alleged instances of targeted harassment and intimidation at the hands of U.S. authorities.
The people interviewed by human rights group included activists, lawyers and others who work to promote the interests of illegal aliens.
“The Trump administration’s targeting of human rights defenders through discriminatory misuse of the criminal justice system sets it on a slippery slope toward authoritarianism,” Erika Guevara-Rosasa, Americas director for Amnesty International, said in a prepared statement included in the report. “The US government is disgracing itself by threatening and even prosecuting its own citizens for their vital work to save the lives of people in a desperate situation at the border.”
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Amnesty International’s report does not have any documented evidence that proves a U.S. government official, or any U.S. agency as a whole, targeted an individual specifically because of their immigration rights activism or work. Instead, the report significantly relies on drawing a connection between activists and their subsequent run-ins with the law.”
Amnesty International wrote at length about Dr. Scott Warren, a member of No More Deaths, an organization that leaves behind water and food in the Arizona desert for immigrants to consume as they illegally cross into the United States. Warren was arrested in 2017 and charged with three felony criminal charges related to human smuggling.
The human rights group claims that the charges are a “retaliatory attack” for No More Deaths releasing a video allegedly showing Border Patrol agents destroying water jugs left in the desert. However, it is, in fact, a crime to help an alien illegally enter the U.S., harbor an illegal alien, or otherwise encourage such an action. “
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Everyone has an agenda.
Intetesting story on AOC…she forced herself into a cell to talj to inmates yet I read she didnt actually tour the facility. More accurately she refused to take the official guided tour. Instead she managed to find inmates on her own. She toured the place. She just didn’t take the official sanitized tour.
I’m also amused physically fit armed border guards were frightened by AOC. She’s 5’4. The verbal conflict wss due to guards taking unauthorized pictures of the delegation. The Congresspersons were told it was secure facility and personal devices were not alllowed yet the guards had their own phones. The discrepancy raised suspicions.
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I dont buy the overwhelmed excuse. Corporations are being paid hundreds of dollars per inmate. If they don’t have the facilities, rent hotels. Rent entire floors….there’s housekeeping, soap, sheets, shampoo…all for a low price. It may not be as secure but lets face it not too many Central Americans will leave free accomodations at the Holiday Inn.
However, this won’t happen because it won’t accomplish the two goals of these facilities. First its too deter and punish and second they need to make a profi. Only the bare minimum for human life is given in order to punish migrants and deter other possible migrants. Second, renting the Holiday Inn will cut out the for profit prison companies who need to make a profit.
The poor conditions are not the result of overwhelmed companies but the result of deliberate policy of deterrence, punishment and profit.
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Kizzie, 4:08, whatever it was that you read, I had to cringe a little at this part:
“When we feel outraged (aka “righteous indignation” or “righteous anger”), it causes us to feel a sense of superiority…”
IMHO, I don’t think outrage in a general political context necessarily equates with righteous anger. Some forms of outrage can be sinful, others not, but the Word never condemns righteous anger.
Sinful anger is another thing entirely. “In your anger, do not sin.” To me, that verse says that anger in and of itself is not sin. There’s sinful anger, and there’s righteous (unsinful) anger. If anger and outrage are always wrong, would not God have said, “Do not get angry,” instead of saying we shouldn’t sin in our anger?
Jesus exhibited righteous anger. I would say flipping the money changers’ tables in the temple was one example of that. For the article author to say that “when we feel…’righteous anger’, it causes us to feel a sense of superiority,” would that author say that Jesus must have been acting in a superior way, too, when he flipped the tables?
That is why I cringed. Jesus humbled Himself, becoming a man and coming to earth. He never acted in a superior manner, and He never sinned in any way.
Righteous anger has a place in the lives of Christ followers, just as it did for Jesus Himself. To mention righteous anger in the middle of talk about sinful outrage, addiction, self-superiority, and the like could be quite misleading to anyone who doesn’t know much about what the Bible says about anger.
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Points appreciated, AJ.
I’d only say, though, that we aren’t Jesus and I hardly trust myself to wield the sword of righteous anger the way he did and without sin in attitude or action. But that’s me. I know that I have a flash of unChrist-like (worldly) temper inside me that can jump up and make a mess of things all too easily.
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6 Arrows – I’m sorry that I did not clarify what I meant by those terms. Yes, there is such a thing as righteous anger. What I was referring to, though, was the kind of outrage a person feels and then convinces themselves is righteous anger. I thought using the quotation marks might get my point across, but I can see that wasn’t enough, and I should have been clearer.
When we do feel righteous anger, we need to make sure it truly is what we think it is, and not our own anger/outrage masquerading as something righteous.
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HRW – What do you mean about corporations being paid to take care of the immigrants? I haven’t heard about that.
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The last thing I read said that the costs are taken from the border patrol budget.
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Meant to say 6 arrows in my comment, apparently. Not used to see you here 🙂
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DJ, ha ha — it’s news that I’m on the news thread! And, well, you were half right because one of those letters is one of my initials. 🙂
Kizzie, I noticed the quotation marks after I hit “Post Comment” and thought, oh, I’ll bet I missed the point. I guess I picked up more on the “aka” — also known as — so thought originally that you were saying what came after the aka was exactly what came before the aka.
Too bad we can’t edit on here. Oh well.
But, yes, discerning whether our anger is truly righteous or not is important. And like DJ said, it can be tricky with righteous anger to avoid crossing the line into unholy anger. I don’t believe we’re forbidden from using righteous anger at times, but just because something isn’t forbidden doesn’t mean we have to utilize it. It may in fact not be a good idea to use it, depending on the circumstances and/or on who’s involved (both the one who is angry and the one or more at whom the anger is directed).
Let me also add that how or when people express righteous anger may look different from person to person, and that’s OK. It’s part of our unique makeup. I’m glad that God knows the heart of all people at all times, even when we humans with our limited knowledge and inability to see the heart may think someone else is getting more bent out of shape than we might think a certain situation warrants.
Being rooted in the Word and discerning how God would have each of us as individuals address a situation, if at all, is key. How His Spirit is leading anyone else is God’s business. I can rest in that.
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Kizzie,
In many cases the facilities BP uses are private facilities run by outside groups. This is necessary because of the sheer volume involved here. The normal facilities used long ago passed their capabilities, so it’s been contracted out. Groups that provide medical, food, and housing are often private companies. Catholic Charities and numerous other Christian groups are also utilized for this.
But now those companies get the Haliburton treatment from ignorant leftists who are too uninformed to realize that there are only a few companies out there that do that type of work. Haliburton didn’t get the job because they were Bush’s buddies, they got it for being one of only three companies in the entire world who could put out oil rig fires, and they were the only one from the US. But hey, like now, why let facts get in the way of a good leftist meme?
Yes private companies are involved. Yes, they’re making money, as private companies have been known to do. But there is no other option.
And sorry HRW, turning them all loose solves nothing. But you already knew that.
If they have to suffer some for breaking the law, tough. Actions have consequences, especially illegal ones.
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Thanks for the explanation, AJ.
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