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Thursday, November 19, 2015

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Obama threatens to veto House GOP bill on Syrian refugee screening

Can you even believe what you just read?


Someone convince me this guy is OUR president. Isn't his first responsibility to keep Americans safe? He seems to have some sort of bizarre aversion to individuals providing proper ID. i.e.  Photo ID to vote is somehow racist. Dare to say this is derived from his paranoid behavior when it comes to his own college transcripts. 

BTW…This comes on the heels of this.


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President Obama threatened late Wednesday to veto legislation aimed at improving screening for Syrian refugees, potentially putting the White House and Congress on a collision course in a matter of days. 

The veto threat came as the House was preparing the bill -- which sets high hurdles for refugee admission including FBI background checks and sign-offs by top officials -- for floor action as early as Thursday. In a committee meeting, Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, accused the president of confusing the public about the intentions of the legislation. 

Moments later, the White House issued a statement defending the current screening process and claiming the changes called for under the bill would create "significant delays and obstacles" for the existing vetting program. 

"Given the lives at stake and the critical importance to our partners in the Middle East and Europe of American leadership in addressing the Syrian refugee crisis ... [Obama] would veto the bill," the White House said. 

But House Republicans touted the legislation as a common-sense answer to security concerns. 

Further, while Republicans a day earlier called for a "pause" in Syrian refugee admissions, some on Wednesday indicated a willingness to accept refugees from Syria and Iraq who are fleeing the civil war and Islamic State militants -- provided the screening process is improved, under the terms of the bill. 

"America has a proud tradition of welcoming refugees into our country, and we lead the world in humanitarian assistance. However, we also must put proper measures in place to ensure our country's safety," House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said in a statement. 

The bill introduced Wednesday would require the FBI director to certify a background investigation for each refugee -- and several top security officials to certify that each refugee is not a security threat to the U.S. -- before a refugee from Iraq or Syria can be admitted. 

House Speaker Paul Ryan said the chamber would vote on the bill later this week, and stressed that it would not subject applicants to a religious test. He made this clarification after some GOP presidential candidates suggested preference should be given to Christians. 

McCaul, in a statement, said that while he wants a "temporary suspension" of Syrian refugee admissions, "It is apparent that the President will ignore these concerns, making this legislation necessary to toughen security measures." 

Indeed, Obama on Wednesday continued to defend plans to bring in an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees over the next year as he threatened to veto the House bill. 

"Slamming the door in the face of refugees would betray our deepest values. That's not who we are. And it's not what we're going to do," Obama tweeted late Wednesday morning. 

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., also touted the latest House bill, saying it was based on legislation he introduced just days earlier. Hudson said the new bill would likely be voted on in the House on Thursday. 

"America is a compassionate nation. No country on Earth does more or spends more to care for our fellow man. But being compassionate doesn't mean we have to have reckless policies that put American lives at risk," he said in a statement. 

McCaul's committee also released a report Wednesday on the Syrian refugee flow, saying it reveals "alarming gaps in the vetting of Syrian refugees at home and abroad." 

Already, the new legislation was facing criticism from both sides of the aisle -- and not just the White House. 

Heritage Action executive officer Michael A. Needham said in a statement that the bill, while setting up better vetting, "provides no leverage for Congress to weigh in and relies solely on President Obama's appointees to carry out the new vetting process." 

House Democrats also voiced opposition, with one House Democratic leadership aide telling Fox News the bill would "end the refugee program altogether." The aide said they hope to "negotiate a bipartisan bill" and are weighing introducing an "alternative bill." 

Meanwhile, CIA Director John Brennan said in a speech Wednesday that about half of Syria's population -- or about 12 million people -- has been displaced by the ISIS onslaught and the civil war, a number that includes both those who have been internally displaced and those forced to flee the country. 

Speaking at the Overseas Security Advisory Council Conference, Brennan said Syria is "approaching 50 percent of the population" that has been displaced. 





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Father Explaining Paris Attack To Young Son




This is supposed to be a heartbreaking video of father explaining to his son the senseless attack in Paris. 

What do you derive from it?


Video 172


 The kid seems to have more sense than his old man. Bet he's thinking...


Ouais papa ... Je prends beaucoup de réconfort à prétendre fleurs et des bougies vont me protéger.

Translation:

Yeah Dad...I take a lot of solace in pretending flowers and candles are going to protect me.







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Senate committee approves removing Confederate statue





I have an old dusty American history book in the closet. 

Got it out the other day.

Chapter 10  The civil war
 was missing.



A measure that would remove a statue of a Confederate general born in Florida from the U.S. Capitol was quickly approved by a state Senate panel Tuesday, though the proposal drew its first opposing vote.

The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee passed the bill (SB 310) on a 4-1 vote, with Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, in opposition. The debate over the statue of Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, one of two Floridians represented in the National Statuary Hall at the Capitol, comes amid a backlash against symbols of the Confederacy after a man with white supremacist views was accused of killing nine African-American worshipers in June at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C.

Seber Newsome III, from Yulee, told the committee that the backlash was an overreaching attempt to erase Southern history. And he questioned the motives of Sen. John Legg, a Trinity Republican who is sponsoring the bill and was first elected to the Legislature in 2004.

"If it is so important to him to remove the statue of General Smith, why did he wait 11 years?" Newsome asked.

But Legg said he had been "planning on it for a couple of decades actually," recalling that he would take his history students to the U.S. Capitol and have them write about Florida's two statues. Legg noted that Smith left Florida when he was 12.

"His impact on Florida was not significant," Legg said. "He just did not shape Florida's history."

Each state is allowed a pair of statues in the hall. A replacement for Smith would be nominated by a committee responsible for selecting recipients of the Great Floridian award. The Florida Department of State would submit a report to the Legislature by Jan. 1, 2017, including the name of the nominee, the sculptor and the estimated cost.

The House version of the bill was unanimously approved by the House Economic Development and Tourism Subcommittee this month. The measures are filed for the 2016 session, which starts in January.





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Obama warns China on South Sea expansion





 I think he meant yellow.


President Obama calls on China to halt advances in disputed South China Sea

President Obama called on China to halt land reclamation and construction in the disputed South China Sea in his latest show of support for Southeast Asian nations unnerved by China’s assertiveness in the region.

Obama met Wednesday with Philippine President Benign Aquino III on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila, where he called for “bold steps” to lower tensions over the contested waters.

The last time Barry took bold steps it was to get to the bathroom because he had diarrhea.

China claims most of the South China Sea, creating a fault-line in relations with its Southeast Asian neighbors including the Philippines and Vietnam.

Through land reclamation, China has created artificial islands from reefs to bolster its claims. But the U.S. has recently responded with military maneuvers near the islands to show it won’t allow freedom of navigation to be compromised in seas that are crucial to political stability in Asia and global trade.

Obama said he and Aquino discussed the impact that China’s land reclamation is having on regional stability. He’s said that maritime disputes need to be resolved peacefully.

“We agree on the need for bold steps to lower tensions, including pledging to halt further reclamation, new construction, and militarization of disputed areas in the South China Sea,” Obama said.

Aquino said freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea must be continuously ensured, consistent with international law.

South China Sea disputes and the Paris attacks have overshadowed the trade- and business-focused agenda of the annual APEC summit.

China’s president Xi Jinping did not mention the South China Sea in his speech Wednesday to a business conference held alongside APEC.

The 21-member bloc accounts for about 60 percent of global GDP. It groups the United States and China with midlevel powers such as Australia as well as developing nations in Asia and South America.









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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

More than half the nation's governors say Syrian refugees not welcome








So what we have is Republican governors who are more concerned about citizen safety juxtaposed to Democratic  governors who are more concerned about political correctness. Another interesting facet is Federal law trumps State law. So if this is the case why are sanctuary cities allowed to exist in direct violation? 

At least one guy in Europe gets it. Maybe we should take a cue from him.

Please watch to the end. Sorry about the lip sync.

Video 171  



When Muslims immigrate to a new country they take no pride, have no loyalty, and show no patriotism for that new country. Because the goal never was assimilation... it is colonization.

For the most part there are two basic groups of Muslims. Those who commit the atrocities and those who give their tacit approval by keeping their mouth shut. 

Barry at the G20 Summit... “ISIS is a handful of killers brutalizing local populations." 

Then how do you explain this?


More from the "religion of peace" 


Think it may be a bit more than a handful.

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More than half the nation's governors say they oppose letting Syrian refugees into their states, although the final say on this contentious immigration issue will fall to the federal government. 


Since they can't fight it out of the 10,000 ship 5,000 to Washington DC, deposit 3,000 in Pelosi's neighborhood and ship the other 2,000 to Reid's.

States protesting the admission of refugees range from Alabama and Georgia, to Texas and Arizona, to Michigan and Illinois, to Maine and New Hampshire. Among these 31 states, all but one have Republican governors. 

The announcements came after authorities revealed that at least one of the suspects believed to be involved in the Paris terrorist attacks entered Europe among the current wave of Syrian refugees. He had falsely identified himself as a Syrian named Ahmad al Muhammad and was allowed to enter Greece in early October.

Some leaders say they either oppose taking in any Syrian refugees being relocated as part of a national program or asked that they be particularly scrutinized as potential security threats. 

Only 1,500 Syrian refugees have been accepted into the United States since 2011, but the Obama administration announced in September that 10,000 Syrians will be allowed entry next year.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Monday, "Defeating ISIS involves projecting American ideals to the world. Governors who reject those fleeing war and persecution abandon our ideals and instead project our fears to the world." 

Authority over admitting refugees to the country, though, rests with the federal government -- not with the states -- though individual states can make the acceptance process much more difficult, experts said.

American University law professor Stephen I. Vladeck put it this way: "Legally, states have no authority to do anything because the question of who should be allowed in this country is one that the Constitution commits to the federal government." But Vladeck noted that without the state's participation, the federal government would have a much more arduous task. 

"So a state can't say it is legally objecting, but it can refuse to cooperate, which makes thing much more difficult."

Kevin Appleby, director of migration policy at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said one tactic states could use would be to cut their own funding in areas such as resettling refugees. The conference is the largest refugee resettlement organization in the country.

But "when push comes to shove, the federal government has both the plenary power and the power of the 1980 Refugee Act to place refugees anywhere in the country," Appleby said.

More than 250,000 people have died since the violence broke out in Syria in 2011, and at least 11 million people in the country of 22 million have fled their homes. Syrians are now the world's largest refugee population, according to the United Nations. Most are struggling to find safe haven in Europe.

In announcing that his state would not accept any Syrian refugees, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Monday on his personal account, "I demand the U.S. act similarly," he said. "Security comes first."

In a letter to President Barack Obama, Abbott said "American humanitarian compassion could be exploited to expose Americans to similar deadly danger," referring to Friday's deadly attacks in Paris. 

In a statement from Georgia's governor, Republican Nathan Deal, he said Georgia will not accept Syrian refugees "until the federal government and Congress conducts a thorough review of current screening procedures and background checks."

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley also rejected the possibility of allowing Syrian refugees into his state and connected refugees with potential terror threats.

"After full consideration of this weekend's attacks of terror on innocent citizens in Paris, I will oppose any attempt to relocate Syrian refugees to Alabama through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program," Bentley said Sunday in a statement.

"As your governor, I will not stand complicit to a policy that places the citizens of Alabama in harm's way."

There is currently no credible threat against the state, the governor's office said, and no Syrian refugees have been relocated to Alabama so far. 

As the list of states blocking refugees grows, at least one state, Delaware, announced that it plans to accept refugees.

"It is unfortunate that anyone would use the tragic events in Paris to send a message that we do not understand the plight of these refugees, ignoring the fact that the people we are talking about are fleeing the perpetrators of terror," Gov. Jack Markell said in a statement.


States whose governors oppose Syrian refugees coming in:

-- Alabama 

-- Arizona 

-- Arkansas 

-- Florida 

-- Georgia

-- Idaho

-- Illinois 

-- Indiana 

-- Iowa

-- Kansas

-- Louisiana 

-- Maine

-- Maryland

-- Massachusetts 

-- Michigan 

-- Mississippi

-- Nebraska

-- Nevada

-- New Hampshire

-- New Jersey 

-- New Mexico

-- North Carolina

-- North Dakota

-- Ohio 

-- Oklahoma

-- South Carolina

-- South Dakota

-- Tennessee

-- Texas

-- Wisconsin

-- Wyoming

States whose governors say they will accept refugees:

-- Colorado 

-- Connecticut

-- Delaware

-- Hawaii

-- Pennsylvania

-- Vermont

-- Washington

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said the state would "put on hold our efforts to accept new refugees."

"Michigan is a welcoming state and we are proud of our rich history of immigration. But our first priority is protecting the safety of our residents," he said in a statement. 

Snyder demanded that the Department of Homeland Security review its security procedures for vetting refugees but avoided blanket suspicion of people from any region.

"It's also important to remember that these attacks are the efforts of extremists and do not reflect the peaceful ways of people of Middle Eastern descent here and around the world," Snyder said.

And Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson posted on his official Twitter account that he would "oppose Syrian refugees being relocated to Arkansas."

As Governor I will oppose Syrian refugees being relocated to Arkansas.— Gov. Asa Hutchinson (@AsaHutchinson) November 16, 2015
Mississippi, Ohio bristle at taking refugees

The governors of Ohio and Mississippi announced their states would not allow Syrian refugees. 

Jim Lynch, a spokesman for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, issued this statement: 

"The governor doesn't believe the U.S. should accept additional Syrian refugees because security and safety issues cannot be adequately addressed. The governor is writing to the President to ask him to stop, and to ask him to stop resettling them in Ohio. We are also looking at what additional steps Ohio can take to stop resettlement of these refugees."

Kasich is a Republican presidential candidate. 

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant wrote on Facebook that he was working with the state's homeland security department to "determine the current status of any Syrian refugees that may be brought to our state in the near future.

"I will do everything humanly possible to stop any plans from the Obama administration to put Syrian refugees in Mississippi. The policy of bringing these individuals into the country is not only misguided, it is extremely dangerous. I'll be notifying President Obama of my decision today to resist this potential action."
Louisiana: 'Kept in the dark'

Louisiana governor and GOP presidential candidate Bobby Jindal complained bitterly in an open letter to Obama that the federal government had not informed his government about refugees being relocated to his state last week.

Iraqi official: ISIS leader ordered attacks 


"It is irresponsible and severely disconcerting to place individuals, who may have ties to ISIS, in a state without the state's knowledge or involvement," Jindal said in his letter Saturday.

He demanded to know more about the people being placed in Louisiana to avoid a repeat of the Paris attacks and wanted to know whether screening would be intensified for refugees holding Syrian passports. 

And he suggested Obama hold off on taking in more refugees.

"It would be prudent to pause the process of refugees coming to the United States. Authorities need to investigate what happened in Europe before this problem comes to the United States," Jindal said.

Republican candidate Donald Trump called accepting Syrian refugees "insane."

"We all have heart and we all want people taken care of, but with the problems our country has, to take in 250,000 -- some of whom are going to have problems, big problems -- is just insane. We have to be insane. Terrible," Donald Trump said at a rally in Beaumont, Texas. 

It's not clear why Trump used the 250,000 figure. 

The Obama administration has previously announced plans to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees next year. 

While addressing reporters on Monday, Obama called out Republican candidates who have objected to admitting refugees to the United States. 

"When I hear a political leader suggesting that there should be a religious test for which a person who is fleeing from a war torn country is admitted... when some of those folks themselves come from families who benefited from protection when they were fleeing political persecution, that is shameful," the President said. "We don't have religious tests to our compassion."
New York: 'Virtually no vetting'

A senior White House security official attempted to allay concerns about the vetting of Syrian refugees.

On NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday, White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said, "We have very extensive screening procedures for all Syrian refugees who have come to the United States. There is a very careful vetting process that includes our intelligence community, our National Counter Terrorism Center, the Department of Homeland Security, so we can make sure that we are carefully screening anybody that comes to the United States." 

New York Rep. Peter King, speaking on Fox News, cast doubt on Rhodes' comments.

"What he said about the vetting of the refugees is untrue. There is virtually no vetting cause there are no databases in Syria, there are no government records. We don't know who these people are." 

On Sunday, investigators said that one of the Paris bombers carried Syrian identification papers -- possibly forged -- and the fear of Syrian refugees grew worse.

"It's not that we don't want to -- it's that we can't," Florida Sen. and Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio told ABC's George Stephanopoulos. "Because there's no way to background check someone that's coming from Syria." 


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Update:
Paris terror attack mastermind killed in raid

Good job France



Now all they have to do is shit down his throat wrap him in pig's blood stick a pound of bacon up his ass before dumping him the local landfill.










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