rgbecker

rgbecker's Journal

February 19, 2017

Immigration Experts: A lesson on Marrage and Adoption Please?

With Trump in charge, I'm seeing little hope for Children (Some now grown) who were brought to the US and although they are essentially now Americans, they can now be legally "deported". These are people who fall under Obama's DACA rules.

What are the rules concerning those who marry US citizens? Can they automatically receive legal residence in the US?

What are the rules concerning those who are adopted by US citizens? What is their status concerning residence and/or citizenship.
What would be the legal procedure involved in adopting a DACA child/adult? Are the rules the same every state or are some states more lenient than others?

Thanks for your input on this.

I'm wondering about real action that could be taken to avoid a catastrophe here in the USA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_Arrivals

February 17, 2017

Massachusetts: Large herd of Robins just landed in the yard.

About 50 of them.

I'm suddenly extremely optimistic.

Fuck Trump and everything he stands for.

February 15, 2017

After the introduction to Stephen Miller last weekend....

I'm guessing we will finally get to hear from Steve Bannon directly very soon.

Should be good for a few laughs on the late night shows.

February 14, 2017

I can't sleep until I understand the voter fraud talk...so to the internets it is.

Here's the report from Kansas:

Despite his claims that there are “aliens” illegally voting in Kansas and elsewhere, the six cases that Kobach has prosecuted so far have all targeted older white Republican men who say they mistakenly voted in two places, blaming the confusion on moving, a retirement or caring for elderly parents.

http://kmuw.org/post/kobach-files-ninth-case-alleged-voter-fraud

Notice the 2012 dates for the crook on the loose who voted in Kansas and Texas!

Video of Fox News interview where he reports that he is bringing 150 federal cases in Kansas. "Can you imagine what's going on in Texas or California? There must be hundreds of thousands of them!"

video.foxnews.com/v/5321510281001/

February 12, 2017

President Small Hands needs to show his strength with a handshake.

First with Gorsuch then with Abe.

Has to tell Abe he has strong hands....in case Abe missed that.

February 12, 2017

This must be the report Steve Miller referred to about non-citizens registering to vote.

I questioned the 14% of illegal immigrants figure and have several problems with the report. Maybe another statistician/economist will have some comments.???

Wonder who sponsored this research which is actually just an analysis of data compiled by others.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261379414000973

I live in Massachusetts and there are illegal immigrants coming and going, but I'd be surprised to see any listed on the voter registration roles, much less meet up with any showing up on election day to vote.

February 8, 2017

My question for Sean Spicer and Donald Trump. Add yours.

Today there was another terror attack in the country of Afghanistan which wasn't included in the travel ban placed by your administration last week. Why wasn't the country which harbored the terrorists who bombed the World Trade Center included in the ban?

February 7, 2017

Should a terrorist attack the US, Trump reaction could spell the end of USA as we know it.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/ryan-lizza/how-president-trump-could-seize-more-power-after-a-terrorist-attack

This New Yorker Magazine article spells out some scenarios that turn my stomach.

“I do believe the world faces a serious and growing terrorist threat,” Evan McMullin, the former C.I.A. officer and Republican who ran for President as an independent candidate against Trump, said. “But Trump, either by ignorance or malice, is distorting the nature of that threat by targeting very well-vetted immigrants, including legal permanent residents and refugees. He simply does not have a strong national-security case to make against these people, which is why it is reasonable to wonder if he has some ulterior motive for taking such extreme steps against them.”

Yesterday, Trump’s campaign to highlight this threat took a bizarre turn when he accused the media of burying coverage of terror attacks. “It’s gotten to a point where it’s not even being reported,” he said in remarks to troops at MacDill Air Force Base, in Tampa. “In many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn’t want to report it. They have their reasons.” The White House later released a list of attacks since 2014 that it insisted had not received enough attention.

Matt Olsen, the former head of the National Counterterrorism Center, told me that he didn’t agree with Goldsmith’s suggestion that Trump actually wants the executive order overturned, but he said that he thought Trump was laying the groundwork for arguments he might make after an attack. “This is a win-win for Trump,” Olsen said. “We can assume there will be another terrorist attack in the U.S. If the executive order is in place, he will point to the attack as support for the executive order and the need to expand it to other countries with bad dudes (Muslims). If the executive order has been struck down, Trump will blame judges and Democrats for the attack.”

Olsen was also concerned that Trump might undo many of the changes that Barack Obama put in place to rein in the excesses of the Bush era. “As for other options in a post-attack scenario, just look back to 9/11,” he said. “C.I.A. black sites, enhanced interrogations, Gitmo, and warrantless surveillance will all be on the table. In addition, regardless of nationality, there will be changes to immigration and refugee policies.” He added that he could also imagine an effort to loosen restrictions on surveillance inside the United States.

Many more experts quoted by author, Ryan Lizza.

January 31, 2017

My Senator Markey (Mass.) will vote against DeVos.

Here's his response to my email asking him to oppose DeVos.

EDWARD J. MARKEY
MASSACHUSETTS

218 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON, DC 20510
(202) 224-2742

United States Senate

January 31, 2017

Dear Roger:

Thank you for contacting me about the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of Education. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter.

I am deeply concerned about President Trump's nomination of Betsy DeVos. DeVos has spent her career promoting policies that divert students and resources away from public schools. Through her powerful lobbying group, the Great Lakes Education Project, DeVos has advocated for voucher programs that would use taxpayer dollars to pay for private school tuition and supported the expansion and deregulation of charter schools, regardless of the school's performance.

I also have serious doubts about DeVos' qualifications to be Secretary of Education. She has never been a public school teacher, worked in a school as an administrator, or even attended public school herself. Yet as Secretary, DeVos would be in charge of the department that oversees more than 50 million public elementary and secondary school students. American students and families need a Secretary of Education who will fight for public education and fully fund the programs and initiatives that help students succeed, not someone who views public education as an industry and prioritizes the profits and privatization of education.

DeVos was also in charge of the All Children Matter Political Action Committee (PAC) in 2008 when it violated federal and state campaign finance laws. The PAC was fined $5.3 million for breaking the law, but instead of paying the penalty, the group halted operations and disbanded. In December 2016, I joined Senators Udall, Brown, Merkley, and Sanders in two letters calling for DeVos to ensure that the PAC for which she was responsible pays the millions of dollars in fines and late fees it owes to the state of Ohio. We believe that DeVos must ensure that all payments are made before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and the full Senate, vote on her nomination.

The doubts I had about this nomination were reinforced when DeVos testified before the Senate HELP committee. She was unprepared to share her beliefs on measurements of student proficiency-versus-growth standards, a central piece of elementary and secondary education policy that has been discussed for years. She was confused when answering a question about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which allows students access to appropriate and effective public education in all states. DeVos was unwilling to commit to continuing the Obama Administration's regulations and practices for combating sexual assault on college campuses. And perhaps most troubling, she refused to say that guns have no place in schools and suggested that it was an issue that should be left up to the states.

I believe that all children deserve access to a quality public education regardless of their household income, race, ethnicity, neighborhood, or disability status. I believe that the Secretary of Education should fight for all students and families across America. I have serious concerns that Betsy DeVos does not share these beliefs, and I have numerous concerns about her qualifications to serve as Secretary of Education. I therefore am opposed to her nomination.

Thank you again for contacting me about this issue. If I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. To sign up for my newsletter, visit http://www.markey.senate.gov/newsletter. You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Sincerely,

Signature

Edward J. Markey
United States Senator

January 20, 2017

Did anyone else catch Roy Blunt dis the Mo. State Chorus?

He said he lived just down the street from them in Springfield so they were easy to find, and they showed up!

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