BY RAUL HERNANDEZ
HOUSE SAYS NO TO DESPERATE REFUGEES
“Forty-seven House Democrats broke with the White House on Thursday to vote for a bill aimed at pausing admittance of Syrian and Iraqi refugees by adding requirements to an already lengthy screening process, and putting pressure on intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security officials to act with caution,” according to published reports.
The vote to turn down these refugees by spineless politicians who are kowtowing to fear or racism or xenophobia is cruel and heartless. These cowards can’t see beyond their next election.
I wish one of these politicians would have the intestinal fortitude to tell the parents of this dead child (on 
the right) and other children that the land of the Free and the Home of the Brave rejected their pleas for help when they fled a worn torn country.
Secretary John Kerry said today that more than 780,000 refugees have come into the U.S. since 2009
“Of that, only 12 people were either arrested or deported at some point in time,” he told reporters.
Noting that the U.S. has the world’s strongest vetting process for refugees.
But House politicians who rejected the refugees will be home with their families for the holidays, and will sing “Joy to the World” and “Away in a Manger” to celebrate the birth of a Prince of Peace, Love and Compassion.
Oh, and pass the pumpkin pie.
Seriously, Ryan?
Speaker of the HousePaul Ryan said there will be no religious test for Syrian refugees.
BUT: “People understand the plight of those fleeing the Middle East,” Ryan said. “But they also want basic assurances for the safety of this country.”
“It would mean a pause in the program until we can be certain beyond any doubt that those coming here are not a threat,” Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said commenting on a vetting program for Syrian refugees. “And I don’t think it’s asking too much.”
Basically, Ryan is on a short leash, although he will not admit it, from right-wing conservatives and will clutter the refugee conversation with carefully crafted words to sidestep the refugee issue.
In the criminal justice system, the legal standard is “beyond a REASONABLE doubt” to be found guilty but with those who are fearful of facts and cannot or will not listen to reason, Ryan knows that “beyond any doubt” is the deal-killer wording that is bullet proof against any reasoning or facts
This puts smiles on many of Ryan’s right-wing Christian conservatives’ compassionate faces.
Fact: Terrorist are already active, committing crimes of violences in his country and for the most part, they are White Supremacists who subscribe to racist Christian beliefs, according to the FBI.
Also the Southern Poverty Law Center has documented the growth of these racist terrorists.
Fear and TV Ratings
If Jesus Christ washed up on some South Georgia beach on a raft in this political climate, the Bubbas would detain and deport him as a Middle East, leftist radical crazy who wants to overthrow the government.
Americans are some of the most skittish and fearful people on the planet, and the latest fear is that a terrorist or two might sneak into the country using Syrian and Iraqi refugees as cover.
Through the years, American have been fearful of many things. Here are a few of the phobias: swine and bird flus, killer bees, flesh-eating bacteria, the ebola and AIDS viruses, and my favorite: Sharks gone wild.
I was surprised a politician didn’t propose that we close the oceans to stop the shark bites.
Fact: More people are killed throughout the world from lightening than sharks.
I remember during one of the “flu is coming like a freight train” scares, which was fueled in large part by the media, there were free hand-washing dispensers every ten feet or so to make sure we killed the flu germs and keep them from spreading.
Months after that flu scare was over, the free hand-washing dispensers were as scarce as pay telephones.
After that, I believe the ebola scare surfaced and the media ignited the “we are all going to die” fears.
Fear, however, is good for TV ratings, network profits and of course, for making poll numbers rise by pandering to the fears of spooked voters.
Using the airwaves and continuously telling people that they should be very concerned that a Syrian terrorist or two might sneak into the country and wreck havoc on the nation without putting everything into perspective is irresponsible journalism.
Journalism that puts ratings and profits above integrity and professionalism.
It’s one thing to report the facts and put stories into proper perspective. It’s another thing to exploit a horrific tragedy where more than 130 innocent lives were lost for fun, fear and profit.
Yes, despite a stringent vetting process, there is no guarantee that a terrorist or terrorists might enter the country and join hundreds of our home-grown domestic terrorists already in the U.S.
Quite frankly, if I were a terrorist, I’d use one of the many cartel tunnels the Mexican dug up to smuggle drugs and illegal immigrants across the border. The ones with the lights and rail system.
At last count, they found eight tunnels in San Diego.
Unfortunately, Paris won’t be the last terrorist attack. America and its allies on the war on terror, including Russia, must find better ways of communicating and finding better ways to try and eradicate this evil scourge from the planet.
HOW ABOUT THEM COWBOYS!
I am a big Cowboy fan. But, no doubt, Cowboy Owner Jerry Jones would put Genghis Kahn in a uniform if the Mongol could help the Cowboys win a Super Bowl ring.
Jones is the general manager of the team he owns. But on the side, he is the Father Flanagan of professional football. The Dallas Cowboys have unofficially opened a “The Second Chance” halfway house, which, for years, has been a home for troubled and problem professional football players.
Jones recently got Defensive Greg Hardy, a very talented football player, to sign with the Cowboys because Jerry believes in second chances.
No problem with that.
Jones called Hardy who bruised and injured his ex-girlfriend a “team leader” and didn’t spare the accolades when Hardy joined the team.
But most recently, Hardy got into squabbles with Cowboy teammates. Most recently, in week 10, Hardy was seen yelling at opposing fans and missed team meetings prior to the game.
After the photos of his girlfriend’s injuries surfaced, Hardy wrote in Twitter a “yeah, but” insincere apology.
News reports indicate that Jones’ patience with Hardy is wearing thing, according to the UPI.
People who beat women or children or go after their mothers with hammers deserve a Rodney-King-size, ass kicking. It’s disgraceful, cowardly and despicable.
Hardy got a second chance to play with the Cowboys, and he squandered it.
Hardy is an arrogant ass with serious mental problems who is toxic to the team and despite his talent should be given his walking papers.
If he is let go he’ll probably end up with the Buffalo Bills, the second-home of basket cases who can play football but have short fuses and skewed versions of reality.