This morning, the Justice Department announced that the United States has reached a settlement with the plaintiffs in the case of Ms. L. v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a class action lawsuit filed in 2018 over the Trump administration's policy of separating parents and children at the southwest border to deter migrants. That policy, implemented in 2017 and 2018, resulted in more than 5,500 children being separated from their parents.
As I am writing this, the House is a little over 12 hours away from a vote on Jim Jordan for Speaker. The media is filled with coverage of the “never Jordan’s” who are caving to the pressure of tactics of Hannity and company calling for his listeners to hound their Representatives who have indicated they won’t support Jordan. “Jordan inches closer to Speakership”— Reading the coverage, you get a sickening underlying feeling of inevitability. At best, there is a sense that Democratic strategists are spending their time focused solely on how they could use a Jordan speakership in campaigns to take back the House. They are blind to what is directly in front of their eyes in the near term. The article in Axios (cited below) is a prime example.
Where is the coverage that should be, MUST BE, out there over Jordan’s voting record? It is an absolute guide to what this man will do to destroy democracy if he is elected Speaker and is two heartbeats away from the Presidency.
Where are the editorials in the mainstream media about the dangers Jordan poses?
Where is an impassioned Joe Biden speaking to the nation? Where is Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries? The horror of the Hamas attack on Israel has sucked up all of the media's
oxygen. In the New York Times, the Jordan recap was the 5th story down on the left and not an editorial in sight.
Perhaps we all need a reminder. This quote from the National World War II Museum might jog our collective memory:
By 1932, the Nazis were the largest political party in the Reichstag. In January of the following year, with no other leader able to command sufficient support to govern, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor of Germany.
Different political structures, but the tipping point is control of the Legislative agenda. Fifteen months of Jordan controlling the legislative agenda with the help of the radical right Committee chairs installed by McCarthy will damage by obstruction.
It doesn’t matter that Jordan-approved legislation would not pass the Senate or be vetoed by Biden, that those checks and balances are in place. It also goes the other way; Jordan would now be given his own veto power and can simply stop the wheels of government by gutting funding.
Don’t for an instant think he wouldn’t do it. Cue the man who says, “Only I can save you.”
Heather, thank you for outing the bullies both here and abroad. It’s a shame that so many Congress Critters in swing districts are willing to sell our country down the river for a few months of being employed. We need to watch which vulnerable representatives (from blue districts) vote for Jordan and do our best to see that their cowardice costs them their seats.
Ya gotta luv those Family Values people... as long as you're in the right family, that is.
Separating children from their parents brings to mind what, to me, was probably the most cruel, the ugliest, practice of slave owners in America. Yet Americans in the 21st century endorse this horrible policy, call themselves patriots. and wear little American flag lapel pins. And loudly extol "Family Values!"
Heather, I feel some hope that the children who were so mercilessly torn from the arms of their families, will soon have some resolution. Their lives and those of their parents have been damaged forever, but reuniting them is a path to healing. Thank you for this wonderful letter, packed with information and sanity. Lucian Truscott IV has a terrific article about the Gaza invasion, not yet launched, but keeping us all in tension. When will humans ever stop killing each other? Thank you, dear Heather, for keeping us sane amidst complete insanity!
Thrilled about the election in Poland, devastated about the election in Aotearoa New Zealand, horrified to the core by the possibility that "political terrorist" (so apt) Gym Jordan might actually get the Speakership.
This is another incredible piece outlining the importance and hope for saving Democracy, as well as the incredible loss of integrity, reason and sanity of the Republican Party. Thank you.
Heather’s focus on the ‘rule of law’ brings to mind the Sherlock Holmes mystery in which the failure of a dog to bark was a crucial clue.
For much of the past 15 years Netanyahu has postured as the ‘rule of law’ in Israel. His ruthless politics was based on
1) his assuring Jewish Israelis squeaky tight military protection;
2)supporting the right wing and, especially, the Ultra Orthodox, in shaping a less-and-less democratic Israel; and
3) treating Israeli Arabs and, especially, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, with disdain and draconian rule.
The savage attack by Hamas terrorists resulted in the slaughter of many hundred Israeli citizens, the taking of almost 200 hostages, and an immediate Israel military and intelligence debacle for which Netanyahu should be held personally responsible.
Immediately Netanyahu responded by declaring war on Gaza. Under the guise of destroying Hamas, he cut off power, food, snd water to 2,000,000 Gaza Palestinians and commenced air attacks. He also mobilized 360,000 military reservists and gave every indication that a large Israeli Defense Force was on the cusp of mounting a powerful invasion. He also told Palestinians to flee to southern Gaza.
So far this invasion has not occurred. There has been wide spread concern about the humanitarian impacts of such an invasion, how this could affect the hostages, and what might be the outcome after weeks of tunnel-by-tunnel fighting.
What I find notable is how Netanyahu has seemed quiet in recent days. A temporary ‘war cabinet’ has been formed, with scant details available to the public. US SecState Blinken has twice visited Israel.
Netanyahu, who loathes President Biden, has had long conversations with the American president, who, quite remarkably, is scheduled to visit Israel this Wednesday.
It’s unclear who is in charge. The fact that Netanyahu has not been barking in recent days suggests to me that, below the surface, there have been some systematic changes in Israel’s power and policy structure.
Personally, as international diplomacy is swirling, I shall watch keenly what Netanyahu does (and doesn’t do).
A classic from the fascist playbook: don’t like the rules? Ignore them, and invent rules of your own.
I don’t know if the US can follow Poland’s example. The Polish experienced first-hand what it’s like when a fascist regime invades your country; Americans haven’t. Plus, in my opinion, in the US, money rules - and it doesn’t like to BE ruled…
“I just never saw a guy who spent more time tearing things apart—never building anything, never putting anything together.” ___ John Boehner
From beginning to end, in today's Letter HCR portrays how 'leaders' in our country and beyond have separated children from their families and, including from acts by Putin to Hamas, have been working to tear us apart. The Letter begins about how we may be brought together... most of all by being together. The Letter ends with, 'Rebuilding democracy will be neither fast nor easy...' We've learned how hard it is.
We must not give up because together we will not be torn apart, and we can endure.
The behavior of trump administration to the immigrants crossing the southern border was inhumane, monstrous and a permanent blight on America. There is no justification, then, now, or ever, for ripping children from the arms of their parents, housing them in cages, and abusing both the children and their parents. Only Hitler loving nazis would approve. Trump should be tried in World Court for this unforgivable crime against humanity.
If Jordan is elected Speaker of the House, we might as well close the House down until January 3, 2025. Why waste time and money supporting those fascist destroyers so mainstream media can make more millions streaming the do-nothing ranting and raving of the MAGAs like lunatics in a now closed asylum. If there are any real Republicans left who want to convene with Democrats to elect a capable, intelligent, speaker and legislate, fine. But I, for one object to spending another cent paying those braying jackasses.
I'm glad Biden, Blinken, and Harris are touring the Middle East in an effort to tamp down the furor there. We do have to stand by our commitment to Israel, but not to Netanyahu, The World Community, UN and NATO need to haul the leaders of Hamas and Hezbolah into International Court an lock them away for a very long time. (Along with Trump and Putin) We need peace and a commitment to mitigate the Climate crisis - which threatens equally, every country o Earth. It's past time to control the out of their minds maniacs, to save the rest of us. Wars of aggression are a wasteful, unnecessary distraction from the real work that needs to be done.
More democracy in action, where inaction is one word:
Louisiana selected a governor in a primary; a Republican, he is said to have garnered 52% of the vote. What was not said is that the turnout was 36%, of 77% who were ‘qualified’ ( registered under restrictive conditions ) to vote.
14% is the result. 14% of potential voters picked this governor. Appalling is not a strong enough word.
14% is not democratic. Calling it 52% is staggeringly depressing, for me, all day.
The wealthiest people in this country, and the world, need a functioning representative democratic republic, with an independent objective swift judiciary, more than the rest of us. Look up ‘defenestration’ Where are they?
I have a tale of two different German experiences right now. Most of the people who I am around here in Germany would be called progressives. However, even so, I am hearing from many the idea that they increasingly feel that how many immigrants they accept reaches its limits. So the intolerance for immigrants is growing. There is a lot of concern also about Islamic terrorists, although one should be equally concerned about the White Supremacist terrorists here. At the same time there is a huge shortage of workers in every industry. I have been seeing a lot of master craftsmen with African apprentices, so there is hope that we will see more diversity in workers in the building trades, which are suffering huge shortages. A big complaint is people moving here who then do not learn intelligible German (many from Asian countries), and then the complaint is those who do not learn perfect German. However, at the same time these people are leading financially successful lives. For a native English speaker German is a level 2 difficulty, whereas Chinese and Arabic are considered a level to be on a level 5 difficulty. I don't know what their difficulty is for Germans, but tonally for the Arabic speaker it is easier to speak German than the Chinese speaker. Still, there is a lot to learn and many from both language groups successfully speak very good German.
I wish that all of the people who are complaining, such as a friend who is a teacher, would have to go somewhere and live where they do not speak the language. Most of the people I hear complaining are monolingual anyway. None of them speak another language fluently. That is part of why they place such dependence of others speaking German. Language is a huge part of being able to integrate into a new system, particularly one as bureaucratic at the German one.
My second story is of a former American colleague and her Canadian husband who moved to Germany this year, as she is now teaching at a DOD school. Neither of them speak German, but they have rented a house off base (which is a 10 minute bike ride to the base school, and a 10 minute bike ride to the Day Care they have for their 4 children). It is because of their 4 children under the age of 6, that they moved to Germany. They looked at the cost of college in the USA, and knew from me that it is tuition free here in Germany, and they decided that even though they don't speak the language they would raise their children here, and have them go to German schools so that they could speak well enough to go to University here. While it took them 1.5 months to find a house, and now they get to register themselves here, which means they can collect child money from the government, which means 1000€ additional they are adjusting. Their oldest children ages 5 and twins aged 3, are in the child care, and they have to pay 70€ a month for each of them, but that basically covers the cost of food, which she tells me is wonderful. It is filled with locally sourced organic fruits and veggies, and lots of legumes and on one day a week they have Fish. While this might sound strange as a diet, it is accommodating a variety of diets, including Halal and vegan. Her husband has to accompany their now 10 month old to the daycare, and the child is only allowed there an hour a day, even though she has been in full time day care since she was 3 months old, because they don't normally let in children under 2. For children 3 and over the childcare is basically free, except for the food fees, which I assume are on a sliding scale. They will be sending their children to German public schools, which have their problems, but everyone goes, and hardly anyone goes to private schools, and then on to trades, and other specialized work, or to German university. So, they can put their money to saving for a house, since they will not have to save it for university. However, neither of them speaks any German. She has not had time to learn, though I have pointed her to some online courses, and he is getting more exposure in his hour a day in the child care with his youngest. I think they have to hire someone for the rest of the day, so he, who works at home can get their work done. If the people they encounter resent their not speaking German, they have not heard about it. She tells me that at a recent birthday party their sons went to, all of the parents made effort to speak English to them. Also, the DOD is taking care of them, so they have the best of both worlds right now. Of course, this can all change, and if Trump gets elected, who knows if the DOD will have schools in Germany anymore, or any bases. All I know is that people here are belt tightening, but they get a lot of government support with it. I am unsympathetic to European complaints of immigrants coming from North African and African countries, because many of their countries benefitted from colonizing and exploiting Africa, and got wealthy from their exports and enslavement of the local people they were colonizing.
After WWII many of them benefitted from the US Marshall plan, again in a country where some of our wealth has come from the backs of slaves, Native Americans, and the exploitation of others. I think more Americans need to try to live in other countries. A lot of Germans do live in other countries, like the USA, which is a fairly easy country to adapt to, because the cultures are similar, and many are multilingual. Our schools should do more to ensure that is true of American students as well. It is useful right in the USA. The situation in the Middle East is going to lead to much movement of people, probably mostly to Arabic speaking countries, who are on overload too, and to the USA, Canada, Europe and South America. Both the EU and the USA are currently a crapshoot, for how someone will be received. I think that it is a pretty good bet that there are still many, many communities in the USA which will be welcoming even though the resources are not there. Part of this is congress' inability to address immigration with a plan. Jim Jordan is one of those people who will further these problems. Right now in Chicago I am reading that people are sleeping in police stations, and in tents outside the police stations, which still led to two immigrants getting shot, and being terrified of their living circumstances. Shelters are limited, and need to be increased. Not sure why certain spaces are not being offered, but will be asking both the governor and the mayor about that. I have an immigrant parent and spouse, and many, many friends. All of them brought skills and heart to the USA. While our friends are mostly university professionals, so they have their own path to coming to the USA, and also agency to go elsewhere if things are not to their liking, those are not the only professions in the USA that have a worker demand. We, like Europe have an aging population and need to have new people coming in, in contrast to the Republican plan to just force women to breed to make up those differences, and then remove child labor protection laws. I would like to see our government inviting Palestinians and Israeli's to live in the USA and Europe, but there is no guarantee of safety in either place with the Antisemitism and Islamophobia they can face in both regions. Getting shot and killed is an American reality that we need to address too. However, currently there are not rockets being aimed at our cities, and that might just be enough of a difference to make it attractive. Sometimes moving is not giving up, but opening up to new possibilities. I hope that Jim Jordan does not become the speaker of the house and that we get bipartisan leadership there, so that we can move forward and that includes helping our allies, taking care of our own (we need military and diplomatic appointments to go forward) and developing a plan to help us address the legal immigration of people to the USA.
"In 2017, former Republican House speaker John Boehner told journalist Tim Alberta: “Jordan was a terrorist as a legislator going back to his days in the Ohio House and Senate…. A terrorist. A legislative terrorist.” In 2021, he clarified: “I just never saw a guy who spent more time tearing things apart—never building anything, never putting anything together.”
Speaker material? Sounds more like a member of Hamas.
"[T]oday’s Republican Party: its extremist leaders no longer believe that rules apply to them."
I don't f'ing CARE what they "believe." After Biden wins in '24, and Trump's 91 charges slog their way through the US Justice System, today's Republican Party may find those "beliefs" challenged in US courts of LAW.
To those who thought up the idea and publicly rationalized the action to rip children from the safety of their parents arms, 5.500. children you traumatized (and families), of which you were so haphazard you didn't even respect the U.S. citizenship of 290 of these children. Such cruelty! Is your depraved need for feeling superior to those with brown skin or your need to use them as pawns to get power, so insane that you take pleasure in traumatizing children? Children? Thankfully, the current administration who is not insanely cruel, worked to reunite the children and families, who you saw as your enemy and so didn't care if you kept records on them.. 85 children are still lost to their families. None of you should have the power to inflict pain and suffering on so many people again.
As I am writing this, the House is a little over 12 hours away from a vote on Jim Jordan for Speaker. The media is filled with coverage of the “never Jordan’s” who are caving to the pressure of tactics of Hannity and company calling for his listeners to hound their Representatives who have indicated they won’t support Jordan. “Jordan inches closer to Speakership”— Reading the coverage, you get a sickening underlying feeling of inevitability. At best, there is a sense that Democratic strategists are spending their time focused solely on how they could use a Jordan speakership in campaigns to take back the House. They are blind to what is directly in front of their eyes in the near term. The article in Axios (cited below) is a prime example.
Where is the coverage that should be, MUST BE, out there over Jordan’s voting record? It is an absolute guide to what this man will do to destroy democracy if he is elected Speaker and is two heartbeats away from the Presidency.
Where are the editorials in the mainstream media about the dangers Jordan poses?
Where is an impassioned Joe Biden speaking to the nation? Where is Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries? The horror of the Hamas attack on Israel has sucked up all of the media's
oxygen. In the New York Times, the Jordan recap was the 5th story down on the left and not an editorial in sight.
Perhaps we all need a reminder. This quote from the National World War II Museum might jog our collective memory:
By 1932, the Nazis were the largest political party in the Reichstag. In January of the following year, with no other leader able to command sufficient support to govern, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler chancellor of Germany.
Different political structures, but the tipping point is control of the Legislative agenda. Fifteen months of Jordan controlling the legislative agenda with the help of the radical right Committee chairs installed by McCarthy will damage by obstruction.
It doesn’t matter that Jordan-approved legislation would not pass the Senate or be vetoed by Biden, that those checks and balances are in place. It also goes the other way; Jordan would now be given his own veto power and can simply stop the wheels of government by gutting funding.
Don’t for an instant think he wouldn’t do it. Cue the man who says, “Only I can save you.”
https://www.axios.com/2023/10/16/democrats-jim-jordan-speakers-campaign-ads
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/16/us/politics/jordan-speakership-holdouts.html
https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/how-did-adolf-hitler-happen
Heather, thank you for outing the bullies both here and abroad. It’s a shame that so many Congress Critters in swing districts are willing to sell our country down the river for a few months of being employed. We need to watch which vulnerable representatives (from blue districts) vote for Jordan and do our best to see that their cowardice costs them their seats.
Ya gotta luv those Family Values people... as long as you're in the right family, that is.
Separating children from their parents brings to mind what, to me, was probably the most cruel, the ugliest, practice of slave owners in America. Yet Americans in the 21st century endorse this horrible policy, call themselves patriots. and wear little American flag lapel pins. And loudly extol "Family Values!"
Hypocricy is too kind a word.
Heather, I feel some hope that the children who were so mercilessly torn from the arms of their families, will soon have some resolution. Their lives and those of their parents have been damaged forever, but reuniting them is a path to healing. Thank you for this wonderful letter, packed with information and sanity. Lucian Truscott IV has a terrific article about the Gaza invasion, not yet launched, but keeping us all in tension. When will humans ever stop killing each other? Thank you, dear Heather, for keeping us sane amidst complete insanity!
Thrilled about the election in Poland, devastated about the election in Aotearoa New Zealand, horrified to the core by the possibility that "political terrorist" (so apt) Gym Jordan might actually get the Speakership.
This is another incredible piece outlining the importance and hope for saving Democracy, as well as the incredible loss of integrity, reason and sanity of the Republican Party. Thank you.
Heather’s focus on the ‘rule of law’ brings to mind the Sherlock Holmes mystery in which the failure of a dog to bark was a crucial clue.
For much of the past 15 years Netanyahu has postured as the ‘rule of law’ in Israel. His ruthless politics was based on
1) his assuring Jewish Israelis squeaky tight military protection;
2)supporting the right wing and, especially, the Ultra Orthodox, in shaping a less-and-less democratic Israel; and
3) treating Israeli Arabs and, especially, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, with disdain and draconian rule.
The savage attack by Hamas terrorists resulted in the slaughter of many hundred Israeli citizens, the taking of almost 200 hostages, and an immediate Israel military and intelligence debacle for which Netanyahu should be held personally responsible.
Immediately Netanyahu responded by declaring war on Gaza. Under the guise of destroying Hamas, he cut off power, food, snd water to 2,000,000 Gaza Palestinians and commenced air attacks. He also mobilized 360,000 military reservists and gave every indication that a large Israeli Defense Force was on the cusp of mounting a powerful invasion. He also told Palestinians to flee to southern Gaza.
So far this invasion has not occurred. There has been wide spread concern about the humanitarian impacts of such an invasion, how this could affect the hostages, and what might be the outcome after weeks of tunnel-by-tunnel fighting.
What I find notable is how Netanyahu has seemed quiet in recent days. A temporary ‘war cabinet’ has been formed, with scant details available to the public. US SecState Blinken has twice visited Israel.
Netanyahu, who loathes President Biden, has had long conversations with the American president, who, quite remarkably, is scheduled to visit Israel this Wednesday.
It’s unclear who is in charge. The fact that Netanyahu has not been barking in recent days suggests to me that, below the surface, there have been some systematic changes in Israel’s power and policy structure.
Personally, as international diplomacy is swirling, I shall watch keenly what Netanyahu does (and doesn’t do).
A classic from the fascist playbook: don’t like the rules? Ignore them, and invent rules of your own.
I don’t know if the US can follow Poland’s example. The Polish experienced first-hand what it’s like when a fascist regime invades your country; Americans haven’t. Plus, in my opinion, in the US, money rules - and it doesn’t like to BE ruled…
“I just never saw a guy who spent more time tearing things apart—never building anything, never putting anything together.” ___ John Boehner
From beginning to end, in today's Letter HCR portrays how 'leaders' in our country and beyond have separated children from their families and, including from acts by Putin to Hamas, have been working to tear us apart. The Letter begins about how we may be brought together... most of all by being together. The Letter ends with, 'Rebuilding democracy will be neither fast nor easy...' We've learned how hard it is.
We must not give up because together we will not be torn apart, and we can endure.
The behavior of trump administration to the immigrants crossing the southern border was inhumane, monstrous and a permanent blight on America. There is no justification, then, now, or ever, for ripping children from the arms of their parents, housing them in cages, and abusing both the children and their parents. Only Hitler loving nazis would approve. Trump should be tried in World Court for this unforgivable crime against humanity.
If Jordan is elected Speaker of the House, we might as well close the House down until January 3, 2025. Why waste time and money supporting those fascist destroyers so mainstream media can make more millions streaming the do-nothing ranting and raving of the MAGAs like lunatics in a now closed asylum. If there are any real Republicans left who want to convene with Democrats to elect a capable, intelligent, speaker and legislate, fine. But I, for one object to spending another cent paying those braying jackasses.
I'm glad Biden, Blinken, and Harris are touring the Middle East in an effort to tamp down the furor there. We do have to stand by our commitment to Israel, but not to Netanyahu, The World Community, UN and NATO need to haul the leaders of Hamas and Hezbolah into International Court an lock them away for a very long time. (Along with Trump and Putin) We need peace and a commitment to mitigate the Climate crisis - which threatens equally, every country o Earth. It's past time to control the out of their minds maniacs, to save the rest of us. Wars of aggression are a wasteful, unnecessary distraction from the real work that needs to be done.
More democracy in action, where inaction is one word:
Louisiana selected a governor in a primary; a Republican, he is said to have garnered 52% of the vote. What was not said is that the turnout was 36%, of 77% who were ‘qualified’ ( registered under restrictive conditions ) to vote.
14% is the result. 14% of potential voters picked this governor. Appalling is not a strong enough word.
14% is not democratic. Calling it 52% is staggeringly depressing, for me, all day.
The wealthiest people in this country, and the world, need a functioning representative democratic republic, with an independent objective swift judiciary, more than the rest of us. Look up ‘defenestration’ Where are they?
best luck to US -- b.rad
I keep hoping Jordan will be guest of honor in a single-car fatality there in DC.
I have a tale of two different German experiences right now. Most of the people who I am around here in Germany would be called progressives. However, even so, I am hearing from many the idea that they increasingly feel that how many immigrants they accept reaches its limits. So the intolerance for immigrants is growing. There is a lot of concern also about Islamic terrorists, although one should be equally concerned about the White Supremacist terrorists here. At the same time there is a huge shortage of workers in every industry. I have been seeing a lot of master craftsmen with African apprentices, so there is hope that we will see more diversity in workers in the building trades, which are suffering huge shortages. A big complaint is people moving here who then do not learn intelligible German (many from Asian countries), and then the complaint is those who do not learn perfect German. However, at the same time these people are leading financially successful lives. For a native English speaker German is a level 2 difficulty, whereas Chinese and Arabic are considered a level to be on a level 5 difficulty. I don't know what their difficulty is for Germans, but tonally for the Arabic speaker it is easier to speak German than the Chinese speaker. Still, there is a lot to learn and many from both language groups successfully speak very good German.
https://effectivelanguagelearning.com/language-guide/language-difficulty/
https://www.businessinsider.de/wissenschaft/welche-sprachen-leicht-und-schwer-fuer-deutsche-muttersprachler-zu-lernen-sind-2018-2/
I wish that all of the people who are complaining, such as a friend who is a teacher, would have to go somewhere and live where they do not speak the language. Most of the people I hear complaining are monolingual anyway. None of them speak another language fluently. That is part of why they place such dependence of others speaking German. Language is a huge part of being able to integrate into a new system, particularly one as bureaucratic at the German one.
My second story is of a former American colleague and her Canadian husband who moved to Germany this year, as she is now teaching at a DOD school. Neither of them speak German, but they have rented a house off base (which is a 10 minute bike ride to the base school, and a 10 minute bike ride to the Day Care they have for their 4 children). It is because of their 4 children under the age of 6, that they moved to Germany. They looked at the cost of college in the USA, and knew from me that it is tuition free here in Germany, and they decided that even though they don't speak the language they would raise their children here, and have them go to German schools so that they could speak well enough to go to University here. While it took them 1.5 months to find a house, and now they get to register themselves here, which means they can collect child money from the government, which means 1000€ additional they are adjusting. Their oldest children ages 5 and twins aged 3, are in the child care, and they have to pay 70€ a month for each of them, but that basically covers the cost of food, which she tells me is wonderful. It is filled with locally sourced organic fruits and veggies, and lots of legumes and on one day a week they have Fish. While this might sound strange as a diet, it is accommodating a variety of diets, including Halal and vegan. Her husband has to accompany their now 10 month old to the daycare, and the child is only allowed there an hour a day, even though she has been in full time day care since she was 3 months old, because they don't normally let in children under 2. For children 3 and over the childcare is basically free, except for the food fees, which I assume are on a sliding scale. They will be sending their children to German public schools, which have their problems, but everyone goes, and hardly anyone goes to private schools, and then on to trades, and other specialized work, or to German university. So, they can put their money to saving for a house, since they will not have to save it for university. However, neither of them speaks any German. She has not had time to learn, though I have pointed her to some online courses, and he is getting more exposure in his hour a day in the child care with his youngest. I think they have to hire someone for the rest of the day, so he, who works at home can get their work done. If the people they encounter resent their not speaking German, they have not heard about it. She tells me that at a recent birthday party their sons went to, all of the parents made effort to speak English to them. Also, the DOD is taking care of them, so they have the best of both worlds right now. Of course, this can all change, and if Trump gets elected, who knows if the DOD will have schools in Germany anymore, or any bases. All I know is that people here are belt tightening, but they get a lot of government support with it. I am unsympathetic to European complaints of immigrants coming from North African and African countries, because many of their countries benefitted from colonizing and exploiting Africa, and got wealthy from their exports and enslavement of the local people they were colonizing.
https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/partition-africa/
After WWII many of them benefitted from the US Marshall plan, again in a country where some of our wealth has come from the backs of slaves, Native Americans, and the exploitation of others. I think more Americans need to try to live in other countries. A lot of Germans do live in other countries, like the USA, which is a fairly easy country to adapt to, because the cultures are similar, and many are multilingual. Our schools should do more to ensure that is true of American students as well. It is useful right in the USA. The situation in the Middle East is going to lead to much movement of people, probably mostly to Arabic speaking countries, who are on overload too, and to the USA, Canada, Europe and South America. Both the EU and the USA are currently a crapshoot, for how someone will be received. I think that it is a pretty good bet that there are still many, many communities in the USA which will be welcoming even though the resources are not there. Part of this is congress' inability to address immigration with a plan. Jim Jordan is one of those people who will further these problems. Right now in Chicago I am reading that people are sleeping in police stations, and in tents outside the police stations, which still led to two immigrants getting shot, and being terrified of their living circumstances. Shelters are limited, and need to be increased. Not sure why certain spaces are not being offered, but will be asking both the governor and the mayor about that. I have an immigrant parent and spouse, and many, many friends. All of them brought skills and heart to the USA. While our friends are mostly university professionals, so they have their own path to coming to the USA, and also agency to go elsewhere if things are not to their liking, those are not the only professions in the USA that have a worker demand. We, like Europe have an aging population and need to have new people coming in, in contrast to the Republican plan to just force women to breed to make up those differences, and then remove child labor protection laws. I would like to see our government inviting Palestinians and Israeli's to live in the USA and Europe, but there is no guarantee of safety in either place with the Antisemitism and Islamophobia they can face in both regions. Getting shot and killed is an American reality that we need to address too. However, currently there are not rockets being aimed at our cities, and that might just be enough of a difference to make it attractive. Sometimes moving is not giving up, but opening up to new possibilities. I hope that Jim Jordan does not become the speaker of the house and that we get bipartisan leadership there, so that we can move forward and that includes helping our allies, taking care of our own (we need military and diplomatic appointments to go forward) and developing a plan to help us address the legal immigration of people to the USA.
"In 2017, former Republican House speaker John Boehner told journalist Tim Alberta: “Jordan was a terrorist as a legislator going back to his days in the Ohio House and Senate…. A terrorist. A legislative terrorist.” In 2021, he clarified: “I just never saw a guy who spent more time tearing things apart—never building anything, never putting anything together.”
Speaker material? Sounds more like a member of Hamas.
"[T]oday’s Republican Party: its extremist leaders no longer believe that rules apply to them."
I don't f'ing CARE what they "believe." After Biden wins in '24, and Trump's 91 charges slog their way through the US Justice System, today's Republican Party may find those "beliefs" challenged in US courts of LAW.
To those who thought up the idea and publicly rationalized the action to rip children from the safety of their parents arms, 5.500. children you traumatized (and families), of which you were so haphazard you didn't even respect the U.S. citizenship of 290 of these children. Such cruelty! Is your depraved need for feeling superior to those with brown skin or your need to use them as pawns to get power, so insane that you take pleasure in traumatizing children? Children? Thankfully, the current administration who is not insanely cruel, worked to reunite the children and families, who you saw as your enemy and so didn't care if you kept records on them.. 85 children are still lost to their families. None of you should have the power to inflict pain and suffering on so many people again.