The link doesn't seem to work, and looks rather suspicious, being a video with "xx" in the URL and the message allegedly from you, puddle. Could be legit, but I'd caution others to not click on it. (I have good malware protection on my computers to back up what my ISP provides.)
This is the message I got when I clicked it just now: URL signature expired
It is a 31 second facebook video of a small boy jumping on one side of a window and a black bear waist deep in water jumping in time with him on the other side.
You might could google for it on youtube, which I can't play on my system. It really is superb.
Another day, another round of phone calls, to say:
I am a lifelong US Citizen, and a grandmother. And I am outraged and disgusted at the White House’s insistence on separating immigrant children from their parents, and then incarcerating them like criminals. And I am furious at Congress’ inability to protect our American values!
In many cases, separations are happening to families who seek to enter legally. Furthermore, our agents are keeping people seeking asylum from setting foot across the border. This is not what America is about, and We the People want this stopped. The President and Congress work for We the People, not the other way around!
I called Homeland Security to complain, and I also called my Rep and Sens. But of course I was preaching to the Vermont choir. Peter Welch is headed to the Mexican border this weekend to see what's going on himself.
Tearing families apart was one of the outrages of slavery that was responsible for the moral revulsion that brought about the Civil War. How in God's name could Sessions and Trump not realize the potential for political destruction?
Do we need another John Brown? Do we need another Underground Railroad? Both would be much harder to organize these days, what with the government spying on so much, including communications exactly like this one. Indeed, we must assume that this is being logged by the NSA right now.
One of my Senators is a Republican - Senator Rob Portman, and he even goes so far and to ensure there are no Democrats in his meetings or town halls. Not that he pays any attention to his Republican constituents, because he doesn't. It's a horrible thing to live in a state that is so utterly controlled by the GOP.
Hello to all the wonderful people who made it to the protest today [now yesterday] and to all the people who wanted to but couldn't. As promised, here is the content of the rally handout, which is a compilation of actions currently recommended around the internet. Share freely! I hope that the "Comfort for Kids in ICE Detention" Facebook page will become a place where all of us can post actions we hear about on this issue, so we can keep the momentum going to make change happen!
Q: WHAT CAN I DO TO STOP MORE FAMILIES FROM BEING SEPARATED? A: EXERT PRESSURE FOR POLITICAL CHANGE Q: HOW?
1. Vote for immigrant-friendly candidates at every level of government, whenever you have the option
2. Support legislation protecting immigrant families, such as Feinstein’s “Keep Families Together Act” https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/…/index.cfm/press-releases…
3. Sign petitions condemning the policy of family separation, such as: https://action.aclu.org/petition/separating-families https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-secretary-nielsen… https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/end-family-separation https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/where-are-the-children https://act.credoaction.com/sign/no_family_separation https://www.dailykos.com/…/add-your-name-to-dhs-secretary-n…
4. Contact your representatives and ask them to condemn the policy of family separation and support legislation to stop it.
5. Call the Department of Justice comment line (202-353-1555) and let Jeff Sessions’ staff know what you think of his policies. Possible script outline here: https://www.splcenter.org/action-alert-call-doj-and-stand-a…
6. Donate to organizations fighting for the legal rights of immigrants and asylum seekers ActBlue has created a tool in which your donation is spread either equally or in the amounts you wish between 8 organizations “working to protect kids separated from their families by ICE.” The 8 organizations are: Human Rights First, We Belong Together, Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, Womens Refugee Commission, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), United We Dream Action, La Union Del Pueblo Entero, and Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). You can donate to these 8 organizations in one simple step here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kidsattheborder
Q: WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP SEPARATED FAMILIES? A: SHOW THAT YOU CARE Q: HOW?
1. Donate money to organizations working with immigrants and asylum seekers.
2. Donate items directly to kids via the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project in Tucson, Arizona. About the Project: https://firrp.org/ Amazon wishlist here: https://tinyurl.com/florencewish Full Project wishlist here: https://tinyurl.com/florencewish2
3. Attend rallies and marches to draw attention to their plight and to show solidarity with them The Facebook group “Boston Persists – Events for the Resistance” is a great resource for upcoming actions
4. Sign petitions to draw attention to their plight See above for links
5. Contact your representatives to express your concern about the suffering of separated families, and the unacceptable living conditions they are being forced to endure For example: http://thehill.com/…/391849-texas-health-inspectors-find-do…
6. Health professionals can sign a letter expressing their concern about the psychological damage being done to children by the separation policy https://secure.phr.org/secure/family-separation-sign-letter
7. Exert political pressure to bring about change See above for ideas
8. Keep reading and sharing news on this issue. Keeping this subject trending demonstrates to media organization that there is demand for information about this issue, and coverage will continue, keeping the momentum going to bring about eventual legislative change. The Facebook group “Comfort for Kids in ICE detention” will be trying to aggregate news on this issue.
It is not news that the Devil can quote Scripture. Excuse me for saying so, but that was one of the reasons I was unable follow Christianity. I *am* surprised to see the Devil so manifest in our current government, though. Sure, he was always there, but not so blatant.
Alan, you're absolutely right that it's kidnapping. I have thought the word, but hesitated to use it in my FB post. Why, I don't know. This terrible practice needs to be called by its name.
From the CNN piece:
Supporters of the new program credited it with reducing the number of crossings and repeat offenders, while critics said it overwhelmed the courts and US attorneys' offices with low-level crimes that made it difficult to use resources to go after serious and dangerous crime, like drug smuggling and cartels.
Overwhelming the courts and DAs' offices sounds like exactly the point. Flood the system so it eventually can't function. That will give Trump an excuse to abolish it and either replace it with one that bears no resemblance to justice as we know it or else replace it with nothing at all.
I caught a soundbite of Trump blathering about how the family separation policy is a Dem policy and they could stop it if they wanted to. His heart bleeds for the poor children. I didn't puke, but it was a near thing. I no longer think it matters whether he lies or is so delusional that he believes whatever comes out of his mouth at any given moment. Either way, he is a demonstrable menace to society and must be removed.
Alan, here's an interesting thought to mull: If you reject Christianity, why do you believe in a Devil?
I'm kind of the other way 'round. I believe in the essence of Christianity, but do not think in terms of an entity called a Devil. Rather, I see "the devil" as anything (internal even more than external) that turns us away from "God" ~ by which I mean all that is good and holy and life-giving and loving in the Universe. If it turns you away from Unconditional Love, it's "the devil." John of the Cross (who was way ahead of his time) said that the devil can only get at us through our senses. So when we cannot tell what is happening, we are completely safe. I would add that what most gets in our way is ego. And now we've come full circle and are talking about the government again.
I used the Devil in a figurative sense, listener; certainly I don't think of a sort of exalted being, an evil immortal soul etc. I wouldn't say that I reject Christianity; for a while when I was a teenager I experimented with being anti-Christian, but that just tied me more firmly to it. But if one uses a different frame of reference, there will naturally be both coincidences and contrasts. I just never could make any consistent sense of it. Certainly it can be very romantic at times: "For God gave his only begotten son etc." But there was no consistency to it; they were standing around in a circle saying "I'm right, and all the rest of you are wrong." or so it seemed. Remember, the Devil can quote Scripture. And I have no particular problem with the Christian God or any other; we're cool. But I needed a far bigger and more certain lode star.
So, it seems it's not God you find too small, but faith traditions. I could easily agree with that. Christianity itself might be okay when released from the how-to's. It contains in its own Scripture and the writings of the Mystics all the needed remedies for false faith practices.
Juxtaposition of boys and bears has had this joke banging around inside my skull all day, lol!
NOT WHITTIER
There once was a bear with feet just like a boy's. One day it strayed to where the carver, Chan, displayed the fabled jewelry and toys he fashioned from fine teak. A gifted man, his fame was such that people often came from far and wide to meet him and possess a shapely hunk of wood that bore his name. All men loved his art, the bear no less. In fact, the bear was so entranced by all the carvings that he saw, he stole a sack and raced into the forest to the call of Chan's assistants, screaming "Bear, come back!" The bear could hear them shouting as he ran, "Stop, oh boy-foot bear with teaks of Chan!"
https://video-ort2-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t42.9040-2/35276046_462195424236544_318410097728421888_n.mp4?_nc_cat=0&efg=eyJ2ZW5jb2RlX3RhZyI6InN2ZV9zZCJ9&oh=fd40abc62824e5aa72cf6f5f06993887&oe=5B23965E
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely marvelous.
The link doesn't seem to work, and looks rather suspicious, being a video with "xx" in the URL and the message allegedly from you, puddle. Could be legit, but I'd caution others to not click on it. (I have good malware protection on my computers to back up what my ISP provides.)
DeleteAlan
This is the message I got when I clicked it just now: URL signature expired
DeleteIt is a 31 second facebook video of a small boy jumping on one side of a window and a black bear waist deep in water jumping in time with him on the other side.
You might could google for it on youtube, which I can't play on my system. It really is superb.
http://newjersey.news12.com/clip/14423895/video-child-bear-have-jump-session-in-tennessee
DeleteThis might do if for ya, Alan.
It does, and it IS cute. Thanks, puddle.
DeleteAlan
Risotto, robotics and virtual reality: how Canada created the world's best libraries[Click] Wow!
ReplyDelete—Alan
Another day, another round of phone calls, to say:
ReplyDeleteI am a lifelong US Citizen, and a grandmother. And I am outraged and disgusted at the White House’s insistence on separating immigrant children from their parents, and then incarcerating them like criminals. And I am furious at Congress’ inability to protect our American values!
In many cases, separations are happening to families who seek to enter legally. Furthermore, our agents are keeping people seeking asylum from setting foot across the border. This is not what America is about, and We the People want this stopped. The President and Congress work for We the People, not the other way around!
I called Homeland Security to complain, and I also called my Rep and Sens. But of course I was preaching to the Vermont choir. Peter Welch is headed to the Mexican border this weekend to see what's going on himself.
DeleteTearing families apart was one of the outrages of slavery that was responsible for the moral revulsion that brought about the Civil War. How in God's name could Sessions and Trump not realize the potential for political destruction?
DeleteDo we need another John Brown? Do we need another Underground Railroad? Both would be much harder to organize these days, what with the government spying on so much, including communications exactly like this one. Indeed, we must assume that this is being logged by the NSA right now.
Alan
One of my Senators is a Republican - Senator Rob Portman, and he even goes so far and to ensure there are no Democrats in his meetings or town halls. Not that he pays any attention to his Republican constituents, because he doesn't. It's a horrible thing to live in a state that is so utterly controlled by the GOP.
DeleteI am sharing this from Emily Ross on Facebook...
ReplyDeleteHello to all the wonderful people who made it to the protest today [now yesterday] and to all the people who wanted to but couldn't. As promised, here is the content of the rally handout, which is a compilation of actions currently recommended around the internet. Share freely! I hope that the "Comfort for Kids in ICE Detention" Facebook page will become a place where all of us can post actions we hear about on this issue, so we can keep the momentum going to make change happen!
Q: WHAT CAN I DO TO STOP MORE FAMILIES FROM BEING SEPARATED?
A: EXERT PRESSURE FOR POLITICAL CHANGE
Q: HOW?
1. Vote for immigrant-friendly candidates at every level of government, whenever you have the option
2. Support legislation protecting immigrant families, such as Feinstein’s “Keep Families Together Act”
https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/…/index.cfm/press-releases…
3. Sign petitions condemning the policy of family separation, such as:
https://action.aclu.org/petition/separating-families
https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-secretary-nielsen…
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/end-family-separation
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/where-are-the-children
https://act.credoaction.com/sign/no_family_separation
https://www.dailykos.com/…/add-your-name-to-dhs-secretary-n…
4. Contact your representatives and ask them to condemn the policy of family separation and support legislation to stop it.
5. Call the Department of Justice comment line (202-353-1555) and let Jeff Sessions’ staff know what you think of his policies. Possible script outline here:
https://www.splcenter.org/action-alert-call-doj-and-stand-a…
6. Donate to organizations fighting for the legal rights of immigrants and asylum seekers
ActBlue has created a tool in which your donation is spread either equally or in the amounts you wish between 8 organizations “working to protect kids separated from their families by ICE.” The 8 organizations are: Human Rights First, We Belong Together, Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, Womens Refugee Commission, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), United We Dream Action, La Union Del Pueblo Entero, and Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). You can donate to these 8 organizations in one simple step here:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kidsattheborder
Q: WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP SEPARATED FAMILIES?
A: SHOW THAT YOU CARE
Q: HOW?
1. Donate money to organizations working with immigrants and asylum seekers.
2. Donate items directly to kids via the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project in Tucson, Arizona.
About the Project: https://firrp.org/
Amazon wishlist here: https://tinyurl.com/florencewish
Full Project wishlist here: https://tinyurl.com/florencewish2
3. Attend rallies and marches to draw attention to their plight and to show solidarity with them
The Facebook group “Boston Persists – Events for the Resistance” is a great resource for upcoming actions
4. Sign petitions to draw attention to their plight
See above for links
5. Contact your representatives to express your concern about the suffering of separated families, and the unacceptable living conditions they are being forced to endure
For example: http://thehill.com/…/391849-texas-health-inspectors-find-do…
6. Health professionals can sign a letter expressing their concern about the psychological damage being done to children by the separation policy
https://secure.phr.org/secure/family-separation-sign-letter
7. Exert political pressure to bring about change
See above for ideas
8. Keep reading and sharing news on this issue. Keeping this subject trending demonstrates to media organization that there is demand for information about this issue, and coverage will continue, keeping the momentum going to bring about eventual legislative change. The Facebook group “Comfort for Kids in ICE detention” will be trying to aggregate news on this issue.
Ohhh, so many links! I have made them complete and clickable below:
Delete“Keep Families Together Act”
https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?id=4C678FA3-F7A5-42FF-B8B5-D7ED4DD1F3CB
PETITIONS:
https://action.aclu.org/petition/separating-families
https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-secretary-nielsen?source=da
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/end-family-separation
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/where-are-the-children
https://act.credoaction.com/sign/no_family_separation
https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petition/add-your-name-to-dhs-secretary-nielsen-stop-separating-migrant-families-at-the-border
Department of Justice comment line (202-353-1555)
https://www.splcenter.org/action-alert-call-doj-and-stand-american-values
ActBlue:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kidsattheborder
Donate Directly to the Children:
https://firrp.org
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/ZQUIJR2WW1FG?&sort=default
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdlMmF2cqfAAOBltt-R5tnpxcbmG-VcJUlUejsgStLQuPhJhQ/viewform
Texas health inspectors find dozens of violations at shelters for immigrant children: report
http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/391849-texas-health-inspectors-find-dozens-of-violations-at-shelters-for?amp&__twitter_impression=true
Health Professionals letter (a "must read")
https://secure.phr.org/secure/family-separation-sign-letter
Thanks, listener.
DeleteAlan
When the US government snatches children, it's biblical to resist the law[Click] Daniel José Camacho
ReplyDeleteIt is not news that the Devil can quote Scripture. Excuse me for saying so, but that was one of the reasons I was unable follow Christianity. I *am* surprised to see the Devil so manifest in our current government, though. Sure, he was always there, but not so blatant.
—Alan
‘This Is Not America’: Outrage Spreads Over Trump Mural At Migrant Children Facility[Click]
ReplyDelete—Alan
Alan, you're absolutely right that it's kidnapping. I have thought the word, but hesitated to use it in my FB post. Why, I don't know. This terrible practice needs to be called by its name.
ReplyDeleteFrom the CNN piece:
Supporters of the new program credited it with reducing the number of crossings and repeat offenders, while critics said it overwhelmed the courts and US attorneys' offices with low-level crimes that made it difficult to use resources to go after serious and dangerous crime, like drug smuggling and cartels.
Overwhelming the courts and DAs' offices sounds like exactly the point. Flood the system so it eventually can't function. That will give Trump an excuse to abolish it and either replace it with one that bears no resemblance to justice as we know it or else replace it with nothing at all.
I caught a soundbite of Trump blathering about how the family separation policy is a Dem policy and they could stop it if they wanted to. His heart bleeds for the poor children. I didn't puke, but it was a near thing. I no longer think it matters whether he lies or is so delusional that he believes whatever comes out of his mouth at any given moment. Either way, he is a demonstrable menace to society and must be removed.
Alan, here's an interesting thought to mull: If you reject Christianity, why do you believe in a Devil?
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of the other way 'round. I believe in the essence of Christianity, but do not think in terms of an entity called a Devil. Rather, I see "the devil" as anything (internal even more than external) that turns us away from "God" ~ by which I mean all that is good and holy and life-giving and loving in the Universe. If it turns you away from Unconditional Love, it's "the devil." John of the Cross (who was way ahead of his time) said that the devil can only get at us through our senses. So when we cannot tell what is happening, we are completely safe. I would add that what most gets in our way is ego. And now we've come full circle and are talking about the government again.
I used the Devil in a figurative sense, listener; certainly I don't think of a sort of exalted being, an evil immortal soul etc. I wouldn't say that I reject Christianity; for a while when I was a teenager I experimented with being anti-Christian, but that just tied me more firmly to it. But if one uses a different frame of reference, there will naturally be both coincidences and contrasts. I just never could make any consistent sense of it. Certainly it can be very romantic at times: "For God gave his only begotten son etc." But there was no consistency to it; they were standing around in a circle saying "I'm right, and all the rest of you are wrong." or so it seemed. Remember, the Devil can quote Scripture. And I have no particular problem with the Christian God or any other; we're cool. But I needed a far bigger and more certain lode star.
Delete---Alan
Ooooooo, I love that term "Lode Star."
DeleteSo, it seems it's not God you find too small, but faith traditions. I could easily agree with that. Christianity itself might be okay when released from the how-to's. It contains in its own Scripture and the writings of the Mystics all the needed remedies for false faith practices.
Juxtaposition of boys and bears has had this joke banging around inside my skull all day, lol!
ReplyDeleteNOT WHITTIER
There once was a bear with feet just like a boy's.
One day it strayed to where the carver, Chan,
displayed the fabled jewelry and toys
he fashioned from fine teak. A gifted man,
his fame was such that people often came
from far and wide to meet him and possess
a shapely hunk of wood that bore his name.
All men loved his art, the bear no less.
In fact, the bear was so entranced by all
the carvings that he saw, he stole a sack
and raced into the forest to the call
of Chan's assistants, screaming "Bear, come back!"
The bear could hear them shouting as he ran,
"Stop, oh boy-foot bear with teaks of Chan!"
ROFL!!!
Delete