muff528

I agree that you want that. And then you want people who look like you and believe like you to be the only people who can legally reside in your country. Wrong again. Ron, you probably should just say that you don't want to ban guns.

Trump is a master at leaving himself wiggle room. I don't try to judge what is in his mind. Or anyone else's. I go firstly by a person's actions and secondly by a person's words. On that basis it is clear to me that Trump is a rascist. Yes, he likes to have Jews to count his money. And Hispanics to clean up behind him. But it is clear that be places a certain higher value on white people. And that he wants to institute a policy in the immigration system that reflects those values. Racism is as racism does. I'm leaving AZ soon and driving back to MB. Careful driving home.

Agree here. Immediate and decisive action usually means indiscriminately throwing large sums of money at the problem. Pointless to do that until it is ensured that the aid will go where it's needed. Instead of this nonsense, they need to teach the chillins at Harvard how local failed public policy, corrupution, and neglect, compounded over a century, has enhanced the devastation of the island causing the disastrous humanitarian crisis, and has greatly impeded its recovery.

Kind of agree with both of these statements. But, where we might disagree is that I don't really lump Trump in with the "white nationalists". (I don't know whether you're implying that he is one or not, even though I generally agree with the generic content your post). Hmmmm ....degrees of racism. Maybe just another way to describe cultural differences.

A shithole is where a natural disaster completely and utterly decimates a country that cannot be restored because their criminal regime has stolen that country's wealth and left their people with nothing to rebuild. No infrastructure, no housing, no resources. Plenty of others. Trump Administration: Puerto Rico Has Enough Money and Doesn't Need More Aid Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico four months ago, and recovery has been slow. Power is still out in large swaths of the island, affecting over a million people, and some rural areas may not have power restored until the 2018 hurricane season. Infrastructure, industry, and agriculture have all been devastated. But according to the Trump administration, Puerto Rico is fine. Or at least, Puerto Rico is well off that the administration is deliberately withholding aid... And of course, Puerto Rico has no friends in this White House. It's reported that Trump meant for his "shithole" comments to play well for his base, and if the president thinks that way behind closed doors, it's always possible that he believes that actually helping Puerto Rico would undercut his credibility with white nationalists. It's also just possible he still doesn't know that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. Regardless, it seems clear that the U.S. government has no intention of giving Puerto Rico aid if they can't get it all back or make a quick buck. https://www.gq.com/story/trump-puerto-rico-aid Puerto Rico’s $123 Billion Bankruptcy Is the Cost of U.S. Colonialism "Civil society groups contend that the plunder of the Puerto Rican people through predatory and even illegal bond deals that island politicians concocted together with top Wall Street firms will now be exposed. Amazingly, the 23-page petition that the federal government’s own financial control board filed in U.S. District Court in San Juan reached the exact same conclusion that Puerto Rico’s former Gov. Alejandro García Padilla reached back in June 2015 — that the island’s debt is “not payable.” https://theintercept.com/2017/05/09/puerto-ricos-123-billion-bankruptcy-is-the-cost-of-u-s-colonialism/ You have defined the US government and the state of America as a shit***e. Agree that P.R. is a great example of an epic failure resulting from many decades of leftist/progressive control and corruption at the highest levels of government. From the governors, to the mayors of major cities, to Senate leadership/membership, etc.. ...most of these elected officials have, over the years, rotated through multiple high-level offices, ensuring their personal grip on power/money. You want to see a real divide between rich and poor in the US? ...look right here. Again, corruption by top government officials has left the territory with a failing, outdated infrastructure that will require years for recovery. The example you included from my post is right on point for Puerto Rico, too. Not as dire as Haiti, but bad enough none-the-less. Yes, this disaster exposes that corruption and the mess that is left to be cleaned up by others, much like similar local (and not so local) corruption was brought into daylight in New Orleans post Katrina. The US is certainly not immune from these pockets of corruption. And the lefties certainly enjoy no monopoly. We're probably not getting the full story on why certain relief funds to P.R. are being withheld. I think the FBI is investigating allegations of corruption and misappropriation by local officials of even the relief funds and aid that have already arrived on the island. I know that power companies from my region have pretty much thrown their hands up and evacuated the island in frustration. Complete lack of help or direction from local authorities. Even FEMA is having difficulty working with them. "The road goes on forever and the party never ends".

I think he wants (as do I) a so-called "merit-based" immigration system. I don't think he is so much against some folks immigrating here as much as he is in favor of any immigrant candidates meeting the needs of the country. ... like just about any other country's approach to immigration. I agree that the way he put it gave his opponents an easy attack point, but I don't believe he meant it in a racial or "hateful" way. It's just that those happen to be the nations from which we are receiving the greatest influx of unskilled people. Again, I have no problem processing incoming refugees whom we might subject to other rules than immigrants. There has to be an ordered way to assimilate incoming folks that does not completely disrupt our resources or our ability to absorb them. Not just for the good of the country, but also for the good of the refugees. Also, I think that if a country, shithole or not, is causing a large refugee migration into this country, our relationship with that nation should reflect that. That was not quite the thought I wanted to get across, but ....bedtime.

A shithole is a place where people strap pieces of foam, seat cushions from old Desotos, plywood, and tree limbs together with bailing wire and hemp rope to risk death and escape with their families to that other shithole 90 miles to the north. These are folks who have had other family members murdered by their country's heros (who have their images painted on the sides of buildings and are worshipped by American leftists and anarchists), or have been sent to rot in their shithole prisons. A shithole is where a natural disaster completely and utterly decimates a country that cannot be restored because their criminal regime has stolen that country's wealth and left their people with nothing to rebuild. No infrastructure, no housing, no resources. A shithole is a place that sits over one of the richest oil reserves in the world yet doesn't have a meaningful economy and most of its population lives in fear and poverty. Another kleptocracy. A shithole is a country with a loudmouth puppet "leader" who has given over defacto control of that country to criminal cartels (including members of their federal police) who, themselves, are at war with each other, leaving the citizenry caught in the middle. It's a place where this is better than their homeland. A shithole is a country that (despite a 100% vaccination rate), causes its citizens to feel compelled to ship their children, unaccompanied, 1000 miles on top of freight trains, across hostile territory to "dreamland". Plenty of others.

I think anything he says will be interpreted through a listeners political filter, one way or the other. I, personally, don't see a strictly racial component to his statement, rather a reference to what might motivate a person to emigrate from a given country and what we might require from an immigrant. I think he wants an immigration policy more like, say, Canada's or Australia's or Mexico's or maybe even Norway's. As I've said in another thread, I have no problem accepting political or oppressed refugees as long as we treat the refugee-producing country accordingly, ...like we did with Cuba until they finally wore us down and won. BTW, IMO, they are still a shithole.

Well, I don't have the same "take" on his intent WRT immigration as some others. But, if we do gain "shithole" status, that may, in itself, inhibit immigration. May be better than a wall.

Some folks right here on this forum. .......waaaaay before the trumpster was pres. Which doesn't mean much does it? Wasn't meant to "mean" anything. Just answering a question. Sounds the same to me. "Shithole" sounds like "shithole" or "shit hole" no matter who says it. Someone saying a place is a shithole doesn't make that place a shithole. Not any more than saying a place is not a shithole makes that place not a shithole. Only the place has control over that. I think only our Secretary of State said that once. But he was a Presidential candidate, so, does that count? It really doesn't matter! A shithole is a shithole no matter who says it. My point really was that a few of the folks here that called the country a shithole are the same folks who are condemning, or at least lambasting, Trump for saying it. But, I don't think the term "shithole" is defined by specific parameters which might apply to a place or country. I suppose everyone has a different sense of what that might mean. I''ll be honest enough to say that as a person who has not visited many of the countries that I might consider shitholes, my opinion is based only on what I can know about that country through what I'm told or what I can see happening. Sometimes I'm wrong and sometimes I'm right.

Some folks right here on this forum. .......waaaaay before the trumpster was pres.

Good point. Agreed. (I like Spam, BTW)

One of Dad's war stories from when he was stationed in England was about the first time he heard the term "potted meat". They were used to (read: "tired of") a regular diet of Spam. They found out that some place in town was serving "potted meat", so a few of them headed for what they though would be a welcome change. They were disappointed when they found that it was just another name for Spam.

sleeve or connecting sleeve. (integral connecting sleeve?)

I thnk he was only following the instructions on the building signs.

Agree. Better to remember it from long ago than to see it again.

Only thing they'll find on my skeleton is a chip off of one side of my nose bridge caused by a shortened pool stick. Happened at The Cave near Casa Loma in Tempe, AZ around 1972 or 73. Quarter tequila night. Also, a bridge in my mouth and maybe some stress cracks in my skull and face from bicycle accidents. No injuries at all from time spent in "hazardous" sports ...boat racing or skydiving, or from rolling a full-sized 69 Chevy station wagon.

Then ...it's turtles all the way down.

For anyone interested in this -- The Lakeland, FL Ledger has published a story beginning on Sunday's (9/24/17) front page and continuing on two full inside pages. To be continued in Monday's paper. www.theledger.com/news/20170923/pair-of-falling-stars 50th anniversary of the events. I think it's an interesting read, but not sure how it rates the front page.

My very first airliner trip - Summer 1971 from Tampa to LA. First leg was a Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta on a DC-9. Then non-stop from Atlanta to LA on a Pan Am 747. I remember all the Pan Am personnel left the airplane and were replaced by a Delta crew in Atlanta. Seems that the Pan Am flight arrived from Europe, was "leased" by Delta for the domestic leg as a Delta flight, and then proceeded to Asia as a Pan Am flight after switching crews again in Los Angeles. I remember seeing the very rigid wing of the DC-9. By comparison, I could swear the 747 wing was flapping. Amazing airplane. Very spacious and not really very many passengers on that trip.

I still eat them, but they just haven't been the same since they eliminated transfats. :( Girl Scout Cookies were ruined the same way.

Not a joke for the thread, but several years ago Hurricane Charlie passed through Central Florida just east of us. I looked out the window during the height of the storm and noticed a bird standing on the ground just next to my car tire, not a feather ruffled! This was the storm that destroyed the hangar at Lake Wales.

Just saw on FB a day or two ago. ..Lew Sanborn now has 50 states and 68 years of jumping. Congrats!

Of course that's a fucking claim. It's in there plain as day. Here's a thought, if you don't mean it, don't say it I already said that if what I wrote is considered a "claim", then I retract it. It's down a little further in the same post you pulled my above quote. I realize I shouldn't have said "no one". I'll amend it to say "a less than optimal number of folks" or "not quite as many folks" or "only a few right-wing nazis who are skipping finals" or "at least 100 but maybe only half a roomful, whichever is smaller". Moot point, anyway. She's not speaking on May 2. But if she's offered May 1, she should take it.