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Gang of Eight? What Gang of Eight?
By Mark Krikorian
The Corner at National Review Online, February 16, 2016
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/431394/rubios-immigration-excuses?target=author&tid=982
Marco Rubio's excuse du jour for his central role in passing the monstrous Gang of Eight amnesty/immigration-surge bill is the most shameless yet: "Rubio: Gang of 8 Bill Never Intended to Become Law". Coulda fooled me!
The Hill wryly noted "This represents a sharp departure for Rubio."
I'll say. In his final speech on the Senate floor before voting on S.744, Rubio concluded, "Here in America, generations of unfulfilled dreams will finally come to pass. And that's why I support this reform." Not sure how much clearer you can get.
Rubio's latest excuse would have fooled Harry Reid too; he dedicated the bill to Ted Kennedy and said, when it passed, "And while I am sad that Senator Kennedy isn't here to see history made, I know he is looking at us proudly and loudly." Whatever that means, it sure doesn't sound like he didn't intend the Gang of Eight bill to become law.
Or Lindsey Graham, after the bill got 68 votes: "This is overwhelming support for the bill … This is incredibly pleasing."
Pat Leahy didn't seem to think the bill was just for show either: "Today is another historic day in the Senate. This legislation will reunite families. It will bring millions of people out of the shadows and into our legal system. It will spur job growth and reduce our deficit. And it will make us safer."
Or Chuck Schumer: "The bill has generated a level of support that we believe will be impossible for the House to ignore."
If I may steal a line from one of my Twitter followers, next thing you know Rubio will tell us it was really just the Gang of Seven all along.
TSA Airport Credentialing Process Overlooks Terrorists, Criminals, and Illegal Aliens on a Large Scale
By Dan Cadman
CIS Immigration Blog, February 16, 2016
Calculating those figures, it means that more than 16 percent of the individuals who were subjected to these secondary inquiries (which represent only a small fraction of the workforce) — and, as Roth notes, already recipients of airport clearances — were illegal aliens with no right to work. What's more, Roth also notes that airport authorities routinely fail to annotate their security credentials with the expiration date of aliens' employment authorization documents, meaning that such persons are routinely employed in sterile areas long past their legally authorized right to work.
Which raises the question: Why have rules not been written that simply preclude individuals with limited time authorizations on their work permits or, better yet, who are not legally authorized to live in the United States on a permanent basis, from being employed in secure areas of airports? Is this so onerous, given the importance of securing the safety of the traveling public?
But back to the immediate issue of TSA and its oversight of airport authorities doing the credentialing. There is obviously something seriously amiss.
Why, for instance, is E-Verify not being used in each and every application for credentialing?
http://www.cis.org/cadman/tsa-airport-credentialing-process-overlooks-terrorists-criminals-and-illegal-aliens-large-sca
CUNY Devises H-1B Trick, NYT Cheers, DHS Will Probably Accept It
By David North
What CUNY is doing, publicly, is approximately what Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, did quietly. That resulted in such a scandal that two university employees were fired and the WSU Provost was demoted, as we reported earlier. In both cases, the universities used their power to obtain H-1B workers in unlimited numbers in order to benefit private, non-university corporations; at Wright State a member of the WSU Board of Trustees was president of one of the for-profit, benefitting corporations.
The immigration law allows universities, and university-connected entities to bring in H-1B workers outside the 65,000 and 20,000 ceilings — and the Obama administration has done yeoman service to expand the loophole. The connections are sometimes quite tenuous.
There is a long list of problems and potential problems with the CUNY scheme:
http://www.cis.org/north/cuny-devises-h-1b-trick-nyt-cheers-dhs-will-probably-accept-it
Another Embezzlement and Three Other Developments in EB-5 Land
GAO quietly made this observation:
However, the study was not intended to address the program's costs which are important for assessing a program's net economic impact. Both USCIS and ESA officials confirmed the study would be an economic valuation which, unlike an evaluation considers only the benefits of economic activity, and does not assess the program costs. (Emphasis Added.)
The slippery term "valuation" is a new one to me in this context, but it fits neatly with the way DHS manipulates things in defense of this program. I can assure you that two of the real costs of the program will not be mentioned by the Department of Commerce, one obvious, and one quite obscure.
The obvious cost of the program is the moral one of selling membership in our society for half a million a pop.
The more obscure one is that, given the workings of immigration law, for every visa sold to a rich alien, a visa is denied to an alien in the first or second employment-based categories — that's where the really skilled immigrants are found. Were there to be a reduction in the number of applications for the EB-5 visas, the unused visas would "fall down" into the categories where one truly finds the best and the brightest.
http://www.cis.org/north/another-embezzlement-and-three-other-developments-eb-5-land
Schools Undergo Comprehensive Immigration Reform
By John Wahala
Given the obstacles they face, the poor academic performance of immigrant students is not surprising and has been well documented. English-language fluency, test scores, and graduation rates lag far behind. Some researchers have even called the situation a crisis that threatens democracy itself. But more troubling than slow academic progress is the way mass immigration is shifting the educators' focus. When resources and time are diverted from teaching, the quality of education deteriorates. Learning becomes secondary when teachers are trying to keep children safe and well-adjusted.
http://www.cis.org/wahala/schools-undergo-comprehensive-immigration-reform
The Divisive, Political Pope
By Marguerite Telford
The Catholic Church recognizes that sovereign nations have the right to control their borders and to enforce their laws. The U.S. system of legal immigration is the most generous in the world, allowing in over one million legal permanent immigrants annually, more than all the rest of the nations of the world combined. These numbers do not even include the hundreds of thousands of guestworkers, foreign students, and illegal immigrants offered temporary protected status, parole, or asylum. Our immigration ceilings are set through a democratic process and try to balance openness with the need to screen for national security purposes, to allow immigrants to assimilate, and to avoid disadvantaging American workers at a time of high unemployment, underemployment, stagnant wages, and increasing economic inequality.
Policymakers must recognize the facts about our immigration policy. They do not have the luxury of only measuring those coming across our borders "with names, stories, [and] families".
Pope Francis mistakenly declares, without any support from the Catholic Catechism, that the U.S. government, the majority of her citizens, the majority of America Catholics, and Mr. Trump are not Christian, as we do not support allowing tens of thousands of illegal aliens to flood across our border. The Church has encouraged it and, as the Pope pointed out this week, an enormous number of people have died making the trip and an even larger number have been victimized and injured, both physically and emotionally.
http://www.cis.org/telford/divisive-political-pope
Pope Francis and Immigration in Mexico
By Kausha Luna
On Wednesday, the Pope headed to the northern border of Mexico. In Ciudad Juarez, a city that sits opposite El Paso, Texas, Pope Francis delivered the most anticipated message in terms of migration. During the homily, Pope Francis finally alluded to Central American migrants, "Here in Ciudad Juarez, as border zone, thousands of migrants from Central America and other countries are concentrated, without forgetting the many Mexicans who also look to pass 'to the other side,' a path, a pathway loaded with terrible injustices, enslaved, kidnapped, extorted, any of our brothers are the result of the business of human trafficking, trafficking in persons." He went on:
Originally, the Pope had planned to cross the border into the United States, which would have been an extremely political statement amidst the immigration debate in the United States. Even though he did not cross the border, Pope Francis managed to insert himself into the U.S. immigration debate. On the sixth and final day of his visit, just before returning to Rome, Pope Francis made one last statement on migration when asked about Donald Trump: "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian."
http://www.cis.org/luna/pope-francis-and-immigration-mexico
Deportation Protesters Arrested after Blocking Chicago Street; Follow the Money
By Jerry Kammer
The protest was organized by a group called Organized Communities Against Deportations, whose fiscal sponsor is the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR). On January 1, shortly after the Department of Homeland Security announced plans to deport Central Americans whose asylum petitions have been denied, ICIRR received a $450,000 grant from the Marguerite Casey Foundation. The Seattle-based foundation's website says the grant was intended: "For leadership development and engagement of immigrant and refugee families in organizing and advocacy."
The grant award does not mention Organized Communities Against Deportations. But in January the ICIRR issued a press release declaring that it had "joined Organized Communities Against Deportations (OCAD), the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), and other community leaders this morning to condemn the new campaign of raids."
http://www.cis.org/kammer/deportation-protestors-arrested-after-blocking-chicago-street-follow-money
Mr. Clooney, Would You Be Willing to Welcome Refugees into Your Home?
By Nayla Rush
When asked by the French journalist "Would you be willing to welcome refugees into your home?", Clooney replied:
Amal and I discussed it. It happens that no refugee can set foot in the United States, but we would be ready to do it. I spend two or three days a week trying to raise funds for Syrian refugees, this counts more than anything in my life, actually. I understand your suggestion but I have the impression I am dedicating a lot of energy and time to this cause. Simply because I am lucky. I am not a politician but one thing I can do is attract attention. (Emphasis added)
Is Mr. Clooney misinformed? Syrian refugees not only can and have come to the United States recently, the U.S. government has made arrangements for 10,000 more to arrive in FY 2016 (as he himself pointed out in the interview).
In any case, Mr. Clooney makes a valid point even if he is not quite up front about it. His message seems to be the following: he is deeply touched by this humanitarian crisis, and he wants to help but does not necessarily want his life disrupted. His answer is to raise funds in order to ease the plight of these refugees while keeping his own door closed. Who can blame him for that?
http://www.cis.org/rush/mr-clooneywould-you-be-willing-welcome-refugees-your-home
Border Surge Solution: Send 'Em to Camp David!
By Michelle Malkin
Human Events Online, February 17, 2016
As Brandon Judd of the National Border Patrol Council testified on Capitol Hill recently: "The cartels understood that the unaccompanied minors would force the Border Patrol to deploy Agents to these crossing areas in order to take the minors into custody. I want to stress this point because it has been completely overlooked by the press," he told the House Judiciary Committee. The unaccompanied minors could have walked right up to the port of entry and requested asylum if they were truly escaping political persecution or violence. "Why did the cartels drive them to the middle of the desert and then have them cross over the Rio Grande only to surrender to the first Border Patrol Agent they came across?" Judd challenged.
"The reason is that it completely tied up our manpower and allowed the cartels to smuggle whatever they wanted across our border."
This is just another maddening example of Obama's warped priorities at work. Instead of building effective walls and enforcing our borders to prevent the coming illegal immigration waves manufactured by criminal racketeers, this administration rushes to build welcome center magnets that shelter the next generation of Democrat voters.
http://humanevents.com/2016/02/17/border-surge-solution-send-em-to-camp-david/
GOP Baffled As Voters Rally to Popular Candidate
By Ann Coulter
I wish he'd stop showing off, the little scamp, but maybe the GOP establishment will finally get the message that voters have been waiting a really long time for a candidate who would put Americans first. Not donors, not plutocrats, not foreigners, and certainly not foreign plutocrats (i.e., Fox News).
Trump is the first presidential candidate in 50 years who might conceivably: (1) deport illegal aliens, (2) build a wall, (3) block Muslim immigration, (4) flout political correctness, (5) bring manufacturing home, and (6) end the GOP's neurotic compulsion to start wars in some godforsaken part of the world.
That's all that matters! Are you listening yet, RNC?
There is not another candidate who agrees with Trump on all these positions. Maybe one issue, but not all of them — and if it's immigration, they would be lying.
Even Ted Cruz still refuses to say he'd deport illegal aliens (unless they're arrested for breaking some other law), build a wall (instead he talks about "border security," which is code for: No Wall), or reduce legal immigration at all.
http://humanevents.com/2016/02/17/gop-baffled-as-voters-rally-to-popular-candidate/
Pope Francis Rips Capitalism, American Immigration Policy at Mexican Border
By Ben Shapiro
Breitbart.com, February 18, 2016
The reason for the humanitarian crisis driving people north is the corrupt anti-capitalist governance so common to Latin America – the same sort of governance the pope believes is apparently more godly than the capitalism drawing people like a magnet to the United States. So the same system the pope decries is the system the pope wants inundated with victims of those who oppose that system. How ironic. Even more ironic: the Vatican remains one of the most immigration-restrictive states on earth.
This is nothing new from Pope Francis, who has spent much of his tenure bashing capitalism and American border policy. Back in September, Pope Francis spoke on the National Mall, where he explained, "Thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own children? We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'"
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/18/pope-prays-for-migrants-at-mexican-border/
Pope Slimes Trump, Agitates for Open Borders
The liberation theology-loving pontiff thinks America is evil for having a border.
By Matthew Vadum
FrontPageMag.com, February 19, 2016
Although Vatican City, recognized as a sovereign nation, has very strict immigration controls, Francis spent Wednesday afternoon blasting U.S. immigration policy and condemning capitalism during a mass strategically located near the fence that separates Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, from El Paso, Texas. He previously hoped to make an even bigger spectacle of himself by walking in solidarity with other aliens across the border, but U.S. officials nixed that plan.
At the service Francis honored "migrants who have perished trying to reach the United States just a stone's throw away." The pope also blessed crosses beside "shoes of migrants who died," adding "No more death! No more exploitation!"
Sounding like a Marxist community organizer, Francis blamed U.S. immigration policies for causing a "humanitarian crisis" and declared that "the flow of capital cannot decide the flow of people."
The pope erected a cross in memory of border crossers who have died invading the United States.
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/261885/pope-slimes-trump-agitates-open-borders-matthew-vadum
Trump and New Hampshire: It's the Immigration, Stupid!
Investors Business Daily, February 10, 2016
After Donald Trump ran away with the New Hampshire GOP primary, the Huffington Post huffed: "NH GOES RACIST SEXIST XENOPHOBIC." Nice try. Clearly Democrats are rattled. Trump threatens their open-borders schemes.
A Trump supporter recently summed up the concern to a reporter: "Who's cutting off people's heads? Who's bombing buildings? Who's bombing airplanes? It's not the Christians, it's not the Jewish, it's not the Buddhists, it's the Muslims. You got that, sport?"
Trump says the nation can't take the risk of bringing more terrorists into the country, when the FBI can't even handle the 1,000-plus terrorism cases it's investigating now.
Democrats hope to twist such common-sense thinking into racism. Good luck with that. Trump won every demographic, and among both conservatives and independents.
Unlike any other candidate, Trump has locked into people's anger over illegal immigration. It's plain that the electorate is tired of being pushed around by multiculturalists and Islamic apologists in both parties.
If current trends continue, the U.S. will admit some 1 million new Muslim-origin immigrants over the next decade, plus hundreds of thousands of foreign Muslim students and guest workers.
That's a death wish when you consider polls showing alarming shares of Muslim-Americans favoring violent jihad and the supremacy of Islamic law.
http://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/trump-and-new-hampshire-its-the-immigration-stupid/
U.S. Failed Three Times to Deport Illegal Alien Who Murdered Woman
Judicial Watch Corruption Chronicles, February 18, 2016
Here's what we already know from local media reports in Norwich, the city of about 40,000 residents where the murder occurred; the DHS agency responsible for deporting illegal immigrants, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), failed to remove Jacques at least three times dating back to 2002. As if this weren't atrocious enough, Jacques spent 17 years in prison for attempted murder before authorities released him—instead of deporting him—in January of 2015, the Norwich Bulletin reports. Six months later the 41-year-old illegal alien convict stabbed 25-year-old Casey Chadwick to death. Police said Chadwick died of sharp forced injuries to the head and neck. Jacques is being held on a $1 million bond.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. In the last few years illegal immigrants with lengthy criminal histories have been allowed to remain in the U.S. despite being repeat offenders. Judicial Watch has investigated several of the cases and obtained public records from the government. For instance, back in 2008 JW launched a California public records request with the San Francisco Sheriff's Department to obtain he arrest and booking information on Edwin Ramos, an illegal alien from El Salvador who murdered three innocent American citizens. Ramos was a member of a renowned violent street gang and had been convicted of two felonies as a juvenile (a gang-related assault on a bus passenger and the attempted robbery of a pregnant woman) yet he was allowed to remain in the country.
http://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2016/02/u-s-failed-3-times-to-deport-illegal-alien-who-murdered-woman/
Pope Francis: Tear Down the Vatican Wall!
By John Nolte
Breitbart.com, September 24, 2015
And then there's the issue of immigration.
Pope Francis urged Catholic bishops in the United States to open their doors to immigrants, asserting that "these people will enrich America and its Church."
As a Latin American, the Pope apologized for "pleading my own case," when speaking about the influx of Hispanic immigrants into the United States. He also thanked the bishops for the work they have done for immigrants in this country. …
"Perhaps you will be challenged by their diversity," he said. "But know that they also possess resources meant to be shared. So do not be afraid to welcome them."
The Pope also urged the bishops to offer immigrants "the warmth of the love of Christ."
Again, I mean no disrespect but this is coming from a man who lives in a city-state completely surrounded, literally, by giant walls. Vatican City is a literal fortress.
What would happen to Vatican City if it was to do what Francis is asking America to do?
I'm assuming Pope Francis could order such a thing tomorrow, and after the walls came down he could also choose to greet the wave of "pilgrims" with the "warmth of the love of Christ."
Of course Pope Francis would never do such a thing because he knows what would happen: Vatican City would be no more, everyone's security and well-being would be compromised, and the standard of living for close to a thousand residents would be destroyed. Chaos would completely destroy the home of St. Peter.
Just as the loss of Vatican City would be detrimental to the world, so too will the loss of an America as we know it if our culture and free enterprise system is exploded into a giant welfare state by waves of immigrants embraced by mercenary, power-hungry Democrats desperate to use them to increase the power of the State.
http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2015/09/24/pope-francis-tear-down-the-vatican-wall/
Trump is Right, the Pope is Wrong:
Like it or not, one of the most loathsome public figures got the better of one of the most beloved
By Sarah E. Cupp
The New York Daily News, February 19, 2016
While one could certainly characterize Trump's immigration policy as "unwelcoming," there's nothing un-Christian about securing the border and protecting the homeland, even through the use of a wall. It's why Vatican City originally erected walls. It's why Jerusalem erected walls. It's why Rome had walls. Does the Pope believe the only Christian approach is open borders? I doubt it, but if so, he's pretty naive.
Furthermore, it seems seriously unfair to judge a political figure's faith by his policies alone. By this standard, no war-time President would be considered Christian. No pro-abortion-rights President would be considered Christian. Is reforming welfare un-Christian? Is cutting entitlements?
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/s-e-cupp-trump-pope-wrong-article-1.2537546
Scalia's Impact on Patriotic Immigration Reform — in Life and Death
By John Reid
VDare.com February 16, 2016
I could go on and on about Scalia's great legacy. But I want to now focus on the immediate implications of his death.
The good news: assuming the Republican-controlled Senate has the backbone to hold off confirming any Obama appointee for the remainder of the year, Scalia's passing will not affect the two most important cases for VDARE readers: U.S. V. Texas (whether the Court upholds the 5th Circuit's injunction against Obama's executive Amnesty) and Fisher v. Texas (on the constitutionality of Texas's Affirmative Action policies).
The 5th Circuit ruled against the Obama administration in U.S. vs. Texas, so if there is a 4-4 tie, its ruling stands. Ties do not create any national precedent, but the lower court's ruling blocks the Amnesty nationwide.
In Fisher v. Texas, Elena Kagan has already agreed to recuse herself because, while serving as Obama's Solicitor General, she had involved herself in the litigation. Thus the Court could strike down Affirmative Action in a 4-3 vote.
Of course, this does not mean that these cases will necessarily cone out that way. Roberts and Kennedy could vote with the liberals (though I'm not too worried about Roberts in Fisher.) However, if they switched votes, we would still have lost if Scalia were alive. (In Fisher, the Fifth Circuit ruled in favor of Affirmative Action, so if Scalia were alive and Kennedy voted with the liberals, the court would be deadlocked 4-4. However, unlike U.S. v. Texas, the lower court ruled in favor of Affirmative Action, so a tie would maintain it.)
http://www.vdare.com/articles/scalias-impact-on-patriotic-immigration-reform-in-life-and-death
The President Doesn't Deserve an EZ-Pass in Replacing Scalia
By Betsy McCaughey
Family Security Matters, February 18, 2016
In 2007, New York Sen. Charles Schumer called on his Democratic colleagues to vote against any nominees proposed by George W. Bush, because Schumer feared the court was moving to the right. He said, "We should reverse the presumption of confirmation."
Fast-forward to 2016, and Schumer, Biden and Leahy have had a change of heart. They say Obama's nominee should be speedily confirmed without regard to politics. In Leahy's words, the Supreme Court is "too important to our democracy to be understaffed for partisan reasons." Hypocritical nonsense.
The danger is that some GOP Senators actually buy that baloney. When Obama nominated radical judicial activists Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, Lindsey Graham (R-SC) voted for them, saying the Senate should defer to the president on court nominees. On Sunday, Graham pledged that "if Hillary Clinton wins the White House and she puts a liberal who's well qualified, I'll vote for them."
As if senatorial courtesy trumps the survival of freedom.
The court, currently divided 4-4, is on the brink of an activist majority. An activist court will - for starters - perpetuate racial preferences, uphold amnesty for illegals, and concoct new "rights" as fast as they eviscerate conscience rights, the Second Amendment and the rest of our written Constitution.
If Obama replaces Scalia, it will be his third appointment to the court. What's to stop Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Stephen Breyer from retiring this fall, making way for a fourth or even fifth Obama appointment? That could reshape the court for 40 years.
http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/the-president-doesnt-deserve-an-ez-pass-in-replacing-scalia?f=immigration
One Decision Scalia's Absence Likely Won't Change? Immigration
By Siobhán O'Grady
ForeignPolicy.com, February 14, 2016
Hiroshi Motomura, a law professor at the University of California at Los Angeles, said he doesn't expect Scalia's death to have a significant impact on the outcome of the immigration case. Because Texas already won an injunction to freeze the program in lower courts, it will rely on conservative justices to ensure those earlier decisions prevail in the Supreme Court. A tie will automatically maintain the earlier freeze on implementing the program.
Motomura said he believes Scalia would not have voted to reverse the earlier decision, and that in general, "Scalia's absence matters if and when he would have been a vote to reverse."
"This means that reversal (thus, allowing DAPA to go into effect) would require five other votes, and his absence won't change that fact," he wrote to FP in an e-mail Sunday.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/02/14/one-decision-scalias-absence-likely-wont-change-executive-action-on-immigration/
Did Scalia's Death Just Win The Texas Immigration Case For Obama?
An interview with Randal Meyer, legal associate in the Cato Institute's Center for Constitutional Studies
By Jared Meyer
Forbes.com, February 16, 2016
JM: Is it possible that the Supreme Court will still rule against President Obama's executive actions on immigration?
RM: Dan Stein on SCOTUSBlog notes that "Even those Justices on the Court who might agree with the president's views on immigration policy generally should appreciate the precedent-setting decision they would be making by allowing the president to run roughshod over the constitutional separation-of-powers doctrine." So there is some chance that at least some of the liberal justices will "switch sides" to reign in presidential lawlessness, as executive authority can be wielded by both parties. For example, the 2014 decision in National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning, which voided President Obama's so-called recess appointments, was unanimous.
But as of now, the four liberal justices are expected to side with the federal government and permit the president to unilaterally rewrite the law. If none of the conservatives join them—Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kennedy are possible targets for the government's arguments—the best that can be expected is a 4-4 outcome, which creates no new law and affirms the lower court's decision that sustained the injunction against DAPA. But even if the Court decides to hold this case over until there's a ninth justice, that still means that the injunction stands into the next administration—at which point a Republican president would presumably scrap the plan, while a Democratic one would change it in some way that moots the case.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaredmeyer/2016/02/16/did-scalias-death-just-win-the-texas-immigration-case-for-obama/#6c9a376673de
Pope Francis: I'm Only a Material Guy
By Deborah C. Tyler
American Thinker Blog, February 19, 2016
The pope is a dream come true for the ruling class of Mexico. Francis is the world's preeminent bourgeois reactionary, exhorting people to skip the class struggle and reject the revolution. Just run away from your homes, families, and country and invade the United States. Plenty of people there insist that other Americans take care of you and your extended families.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/02/pope_francis_im_only_a_material_goy.html
'El Papa' Embraces Raul Castro But Calls Donald Trump Anti-Christian!
By Silvio Canto, Jr.
American Thinker, February 19, 2016
As he left Mexico, Pope Francis made a terrible mistake by saying that Donald Trump is not a Christian. I am not sure if he was answering a question or speaking at a meeting. He had finished a Mass on the El Paso-Ciudad Juarez border.
First, El Papa should stay away from presidential elections, here, there, and everywhere.
Second, the Vatican is one gigantic place surrounded by walls.
Third, is a border now un-Christian? How did we get to the point that defending borders and promoting legal immigration is now inhumane?
Fourth, El Papa has given Mr. Trump a huge gift. I am not a Trump supporter, but I believe that the U.S. has every right to protect and defend its borders. I don't know whether building a wall from Laredo to San Diego is the best answer. However, it may work in some isolated regions currently used by cartels to bring drugs and people.
Last, but not least, El Papa just visited Cuba. He hugged and embraced Raúl Castro, a man who has executed priests, harassed religious leaders, and closed Christian schools years ago. Did he call the Castro brothers un-Christian?
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/02/el_papa_embraces_raul_castro_but_calls_donald_trump_antichristian.html
Trump, the Pope, and the Bible
By Rabbi Aryeh Spero
If it is un-Christian to engage in self-defense, then it is un-Christian to fight a defensive war. For sure, this is not a biblical attitude and, I imagine, not in sync with the Protestant outlook upon which this country was founded. In fact, acts of self-defense constitute not only virtue, but also morality. Morality is what we ought to do, and, first and foremost, we are required, in the name of personal responsibility, to meet our obligations toward those whom we have freely chosen in relationship. Mr. Trump has suggested not using weapons, but merely a static, non-aggressive wall to protect Americans who are pleading for protection. Up until now, nothing has worked; our borders are porous. A wall would be a major remedy.
Perhaps the good pope has not read of the dozens of Americans who have been physically harmed, their property invaded and trashed, and threatened by those crossing the border illegally. Worse, under the burden of caring for illegals, many communities, especially in rural areas, have been forced to shut down clinics and hospitals that have gone bankrupt and are made dysfunctional by schools no longer able to teach and educate due to the excessive burdens of unprepared newcomers.
I ask the pope the following question. No doubt, religion asks that we make sacrifices for others. But are those sacrifices to be so open-ended and so unpredictable that one is actually required to suffer…and have his children suffer? At stake here is not merely doing without certain luxuries and opulence; rather, it is actual suffering by tens of thousands of innocent Americans. The elites asking that we make these enormous sacrifices are not, nor their children, having to sacrifice to any similar degree.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/02/trump_the_pope_and_the_bible.html
How The Left's Immigration Tactics Created Donald Trump
Unapologetic liberal hegemony explains the rise of Donald Trump and the European Right.
By Greg Jones
The Federalist, February 15, 2016
Even after the Boston Marathon bombing, the San Bernardino shooting, and several would-be attacks fortunately intercepted by law enforcement, the administration insists that accepting even more refugees, this time from North Africa and the Middle East, is in America's best interest.
Those who feel otherwise have been dismissed by left-wing mouthpieces as racists or right-wing terrorists, despite the fact that most simply insist the president enforce the law and put their interests above those from elsewhere. You know, do the job he was elected to do. Is it any wonder that Trump's pledges to build a wall on our southern border and halt Muslim immigration, at least temporarily, are gaining steam?
The president and his ideological cronies have created a monster, and he has terrible hair. But rather than incurring the wrath of the mob himself, the monster is leading it straight to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, pitchforks in hand.
As Martin Luther King once said, "A riot is the language of the unheard." This is a riot alright, albeit a moral and philosophical one, and those making the noise have been repeatedly rebuffed by an administration that feels it can run roughshod over a country that stripped it of both houses of Congress.
All animals, humans included, turn aggressive when threatened. Trump is merely Middle America's way of flashing its fangs, a warning that if you keep it up, you might get bit.
http://thefederalist.com/2016/02/15/how-the-lefts-immigration-tactics-created-donald-trump/
Conservatives Beware of Immigration "Guru" Ron Hira
RedState.com, February 19, 2016
It might be understandable for a few progressive interlocutors to slip through the cracks with the presidential primary debate frenzy underway.
But the two left-wing activists Langer highlights, Ron Hira, a researcher at the George Soros-funded Economic Policy Institute (EPI), and Democratic operative Curtis Ellis have routinely been welcomed with open arms by Breitbart, WorldNetDaily, National Review, the Daily Caller, and others, including well before the intensity of primary season arrived.
Unfortunately, it's not just conservative outlets that are giving them quarter. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has twice provided a platform as well to Mr. Hira, inviting him to testify first in 2013, and again as recently as last spring.
Is Mr. Hira, who recently became an associate professor at Howard University, the best expert conservatives can muster to point out what are otherwise important and needed areas of debate around temporary worker programs?
Let's take a deeper look at Mr. Hira, who's opposition to our guest worker programs offers intrigue for its motivations – and its personal hypocrisy.
http://www.redstate.com/diary/freedomlover1776/2016/02/19/conservatives-beware-immigration-guru-ron-hira./
Who Really Understands the Threatened End of Europe — Trump or Rubio?
By James Kirkpatrick
VDare.com, February 13, 2016
Rubio runs ads warning that "what happened in France could happen here." But he seems utterly oblivious to how uncontrolled immigration enables Islamic terrorists to strike within Western societies.
Rubio epitomizes the common trend among Beltway Right operatives: compensate for their cowardice with eagerness to flaunt American military power abroad. Rubio's foreign policy promises a return to the George W. Bush years. But geopolitically, Bush's policies were a disaster. And domestically, they tarred Republicans in the eyes of the young as the "War Party."
What's more, the foundation for American power, and more broadly, Western power, is crumbling before our eyes. The sweeping demographic changes in Europe are a world-historical event. The homeland of Western Civilization, for all intents and purposes, may cease to exist within our lifetimes.
What happens to NATO when countries like the United Kingdom become Islamic, or start having Islamic parties in government? What happens to American military bases in Germany if anti-American Muslims start winning democratic elections? What happens to the nuclear weapons in an Islamic France?
http://www.vdare.com/articles/who-really-understands-the-threatened-end-of-europe-trump-or-rubio
Pope Should Read Bible, Catechism
By Bob Lonsberry
BobLonsberry.com, February 19, 2016
Which must come as a surprise to the 51 percent of Americans who, in the most recent poll, believe that a wall along the Mexican border is a good idea. Presumably those people did not realize that their political belief stripped them, in the eyes of the pope, of their religious standing and doomed them to an eternity in hell.
American immigration policy -- namely that one must come to our country in accordance with our law -- is exactly in step with the official teachings of the Catholic Church. A physical means to enforce the law -- a wall -- has no bearing upon that.
The pope was wrong in regard to the Catechism.
And he was wrong in regard to the Bible.
http://www.boblonsberry.com/writings.cfm?go=4
Making Sense of The Pope Versus Donald Trump
W. James Antle III
The Washington Examiner, February 18, 2016
Catholics are certainly willing to tolerate a disagreement between Trump and the pope, but some may not appreciate this kind of language. At least Trump didn't him a liar or have his lawyer send a cease-and-desist order (yet).
Catholic teaching on immigration is complex, the call to love thy neighbor is straightforward. Catholics aren't really called to some kind of open-borders ideology, as Trump supporters are likely to point out. And the pope didn't actually say it was illegitimate to build border walls. He said Christians should only be focused on building walls at the expense of building bridges, a metaphor as much as a reference to literal, physical walls.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-pope-and-donald-trump-1455840457
Univision News Howls 'Anti-Immigrant' at Proposed Wisconsin Laws
By Jorge Bonilla
NewsBusters.org, February 12, 2016
Univision News' national broadcast continues to howl at any legislative attempt to protect local communities by enforing our immigration laws. The latest instance comes from efforts in Wisconsin.
Wednesday evening's newscast featured a story about two enforcement proposals recently filed in Wisconsin: one to ban sanctuary city policies, and the other to ban local governments from issuing official alternate ID's to illegal immigrants.
Anchor María Elena Salinas' introduction to the story was less incendiary than her late-night counterpart, which we covered last week. The "anti-immigrant" framing was presented indirectly ("activists say"...), as opposed to Ilia Calderón's direct indictment of Florida's HB675 (which overwhelmingly passed the House but seems destined to die in the Senate). Nonetheless, the screengrab above (which reads "anti-immigrant proposals") reflects a reversion to classic form.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/latino/jorge-bonilla/2016/02/12/univision-news-howls-anti-immigrant-proposed-wisconsin-laws
Immigration Law is Torn Between Administrative Law and Criminal Law
By Michael Kagan
Notice & Comment, February 12, 2016
Immigration law is now torn between two alternative paradigms, which compete with each other and with the vestiges of traditional plenary power. One alternative paradigm is certainly administrative law. In a sense, administrative law has been in the background all along. As Alina Das has observed, the government has increasingly turned to administrative law doctrines to shield its immigration decisions from judicial scrutiny. Where in the past the government might have cited the Chinese Exclusion Case, now the government will cite Chevron or Heckler.
But we should remember that plenary power declined in large part because the Supreme Court became less willing to tolerate the civil liberties costs that came with unrestrained government authority over individuals. This was the essential problem in Zadvydas. But if this is the central problem with plenary power, it is not clear that administrative law will be an entirely satisfactory replacement. Administrative law lacks the tools to cope with the loss of individual liberty which is intrinsic to immigration enforcement. (Prof. Das's article does an excellent job illustrating this problem in the context of habeas review of immigration detention.)
To put it bluntly, the EPA, the FDA, the VA, the NLRB and the myriad other agencies that are the focus of administrative law do not operate private detention centers. By contrast, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains more than 400,000 people per year. The draconian use of government force that is inherent in immigration enforcement raises a very different set of constitutional concerns than the regulatory contexts that produced Chevron, Skidmore, Overton Park, Auer, Brand X, and the other leading cases of administrative law. But that does not mean that immigration is an island unto itself. We do have very well developed legal doctrines to regulate deprivations of liberty like those involved in immigration enforcement. We call it criminal procedure. That is the other paradigm that now competes to drive the evolution of immigration law.
http://www.yalejreg.com/blog/immigration-law-is-torn-between-administrative-law-and-criminal-law-by-michael-kagan
Will Republicans Return to Reagan's Voice on Immigration?
By Javier Palomarez
CNN.com, February 17, 2016
While the policy solutions proposed here are striking -- work visas, open borders and the recognition that the United States should maintain good relations with Mexico -- what really sets this apart from the current discourse on immigration is the tone. Both Bush and Reagan spoke from a place of understanding and compassion, and they both went on to act on it -- Reagan won the Republican nomination, but Bush became his vice president, and eventually President.
In fact, as President of the United States, Reagan would later sign legislation creating a pathway

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The problem with independence day is now we sit when we go to the park, which is nice; usually we are tired, the mamas, not the toddlers. So today I met my friend and the kids played and we sat. Cadman Plaza park was full of kids and nanny's. The nanny's sat, benches and benches full of nanny's, some sat on the steps surrounding the plaza, and yes, here and there, were mothers sitting. Not all, but most. We sat.
What kind of an example are we setting as we sit? What kind of role models are we? Playing and running around is for kids. Adults sit. Oh sometimes the adults exercise, but that is the time for the child to leave the adults alone so they can do the all important EXERCISE. Exercise is something adults have to do, not so much something that is fun to do. Something they have to do to make up for all the time adults spend sitting. Running around a park and having fun, that's what kids do.
But then I noticed kids sitting all in a row, 6 or 8 of them. And what were they doing? Watching. Watching some adults play tug of war!
Later we did stop sitting, we joined our children in a game of jumping off a tall wall, one by one, two by two and four by four. That was exercise and a whole lot of fun.


The Samsung SCD-2020R is a fixed analog camera that offers 600 lines color and 7m of IR distance. This camera is equipped with a 3.6mm built-in fixed lens and 16x digital zoom, for precise monitoring. A minimum illumination of 0 lux makes the camera suitable for nighttime surveillance. It features SSDR (Samsung Super Dynamic Range) that balances the overall brightness by illuminating the darker areas to the same ratio as the bright areas, and produces clear images under high-contrast lighting conditions.
The high-resolution camera with Day/Night ICR function switches between color and B&W as per changes in ambient lighting, ensuring accurate color reproduction in daylight and enhanced B&W images at night. Gain control adjusts the signal strength to maintain a constant brightness level, and auto white balance adjusts the red and blue signals by taking a standard white color reference to get the most natural colors.
The Samsung SCD-2020R has many exciting features for users of all types. See the Samsung SCD-2020R gallery images above for more product views. The Samsung SCD-2020R is sold as a Brand New Unopened Item.


Makes it an improper practice for a public employer to disclose the home address, personal telephone numbers, cell phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of employees.
Requires a public employer to release to the union, upon the request of the union and not more than quarterly, the name, address, job title, employing agency or department and work location of employees in a bargaining unit.
Removes any liability from employers or unions who complied with state law regarding agency shop fee deductions prior to June 27, 2018.
The final budget rejected a provision proposed in the Executive budget to require the disclosure of the terms of a tentative collective bargaining agreement before either employees or employer has voted on the contract.
While the enacted budget cuts AIM funding for towns and villages where AIM makes up less than 2% of their budget, the budget makes these municipalities whole by dedicating revenue from the newly enacted internet sales tax to fill this gap.
The budget establishes a 9-member commission to establish a system of taxpayer-financed political campaigns for legislative and statewide offices. The commission can establish a system that will use up to $100 million annually in public funds to match private campaign contributions. It will also consider the future of fusion voting. The commission's report is due by December 1 of this year, and its recommendations will be binding unless it is modified by the legislation prior to December 22. CSEA strongly opposes this proposal and will continue to advocate against this proposal.
Other voting reforms include the following.
Provides $14.7 million in capital funds for the implementation of electronic poll books and cyber security for early voting.
Will allow all employees to take up to three hours off, at either the beginning or end of their shift, to vote in any election. An employee must notify their employer at least two days in advance that they will be utilizing this time.
The final budget gives the Executive authority to close up to three correctional facilities with only 90-days' notice instead of legally required one-year notice. The Governor originally proposed to close three facilities with only 60-days' notice. The facilities that will be closed have not yet been named. The intent is to bring down 1,200 empty beds in the system.
After intense lobbying by CSEA, the final budget does not include provisions that would have allowed DEC to outsource the maintenance and operations work of CSEA-represented state employees at DEC-owned lands.
The Governor's proposed budget eliminated the operating subsidy for the three SUNY hospitals. CSEA lobbied against this reduction. The enacted budget will allow the state to pay for SUNY hospital operating costs or the debt service payments for the hospitals. This provision will keep the hospitals financially whole.
The budget provides for an additional $60 million in Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments for SUNY hospitals, bringing the total amount appropriated to $460 million.
The final budget restores state aid to community colleges roughly to last year's levels. The Executive Budget appropriation was about $12 million lower than last year's funding due to a decrease in enrollment. State aid to community colleges is based on a certain amount per full-time-equivalent student.
The budget provides authority for the University at Albany to lease space to a private entity at yet-to-be-constructed building at the Harriman campus. CSEA worked to include language to ensure that the future work at this site will be done by SUNY employees.
The final budget rejects all the Executive's proposals that would have resulted in increased health care costs for state and local government retirees.
The enacted budget makes the property tax cap permanent with no changes.
The enacted budget provides counties and New York City with $200 million to cover costs relating to raising the age of criminal responsibility, which expands on October 1 of this year. This funding is important to ensure that counties have the resources needed to hire additional staff, including probation officers, to comply with Raise the Age.
Funding for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS) and Marchiselli programs is held flat over 2018-19. The budget does not include $65 million for "extreme winter recovery" that was included in last year's budget, resulting in an overall reduction in funding to local roads and bridges from last year.
The final budget provides a roughly $1 billion increase of FY19, a 3.8% year-to-year increase. As part of the funding increase, school districts will be required to focus funding on poorer schools.
The budget provides an additional $12 million for services and expenses of the Yonkers City School District.
The final budget restores a $5 million cut to library aid to keep funding at the same level as last year. The final budget cuts library construction aid by $20 million – from $34 million to $14 million.
Medicaid spending will equal $19.6 billion, an increase of $550 million.
Funding for enhanced safety-net hospitals, those that treat a high-number of Medicaid and uninsured patients, was increased from $50 million to $82 million. Eligible hospitals include, among others, all hospitals that CSEA members work in.
The budget requires the state Department of Health to complete a study on how staffing enhancements and other initiatives can be used to improve patient safety and the quality of health care delivery in hospitals and nursing homes. The department will study minimum staffing levels, other staffing enhancement strategies, and other patient quality improvement initiatives for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified nurse aides. The report is due by December 31, 2019.
The budget includes language to bring New York's child care laws into compliance with federal law. The new law increases state and federal background checks for staff and volunteers, requires annual inspections of child care facilities, amends training requirements for providers, and increases from two years to four years the length of time an initial license is valid.
Funding for child care subsidies is increased by $27 million.
The enacted budget accepts the Executive proposal to extend the current Millionaire's Tax for five years.
The budget provides for the uniform collection of sales taxes from online marketplaces. According to the Executive, this proposal will generate $160 million for local governments, and $320 million for the MTA. However, $59 million of the local government share will be taken up restoring funding to municipalities that have their AIM funding eliminated. This will go into effect on June 1, 2019.
The budget provides for an additional real estate transfer tax on the sale of homes worth over $2 million in New York City, as well as an additional "Mansion Tax" on such properties. These taxes would go into effect for sales occurring on or after July 1, 2019. According to the Executive, this will raise $365 million for the MTA.
The budget establishes a "Central Business District" tolling program, which would establish tolls for vehicles entering below 60th Street in Manhattan. The earliest possible implementation of this program will be December 31, 2020. A commission is established to determine the amount of the tolls.
The budget establishes a new 20% tax on the retail sale of vaping products.
The budget creates a new 6% tax on car rentals in areas outside of New York City and the suburbs that will fund upstate public transit systems.
The budget establishes a new excise tax on the first sale of every opioid.
The budget provides for a 2% cost-of-living-adjustments for not-for-profit direct care workers on January 1, 2020 and another 2% on April 1, 2020.
The enacted budget provides that, if estimated tax receipts fall $500 million below the executive budget estimate, the Division of the Budget (DOB) will prepare a plan that would allow for a 1% reduction in disbursements of state operating funds to eliminate the imbalance. The legislature would then have 30 days to adopt its own plan or DOB's plan would go into effect automatically. Public assistance payments and several other required payments would be exempted.
The budget also includes a proposal to allow for mid-year cuts if federal support is reduced by $850 million for either Medicaid or other federal funding that goes to the state.
Beginning in March 2020, single-use plastic bags provided to a customer where sales tax is imposed will no longer be allowed to be issued. However, items such as garbage bags, deli bags, bags for food from takeout restaurants, prescription drug bags, and CSEA bags will still be allowed. The new law allows cities and counties to pass a local resolution to allow stores to charge a 5-cent fee for paper bags. Two-cents of this fee will be given to counties to provide re-usable bags to low-income individuals and three-cents will be deposited in the state's Environmental Protection Fund.
The budget provides for the elimination of cash bail for misdemeanors and non-violent felonies effective January 1, 2020.
Additional protections for workers whose job site is on or near highways and other roads.
Changes to peace officer status.


The Little Italy neighborhood in Chicago might be small, but it proudly holds onto its strong Italian heritage. Set between the two University of Illinois campuses near the west side, Little Italy once was the epicenter of the Italian community in Chicago.
Although the old neighborhood is now partly filled with college students, visitors can still get see its Italian roots, evidenced by the sights and attractions in the area.


Need help addressing key selection criteria?
Are you applying for a role and need to address a set of key selection criteria in order to be considered for the position? At Client Centric, they help with writing personalised responses that are unique and concise, straight to the point.
They will incorporate your experience and demonstrate how it relates to the requirements of the role, along with writing an introductory paragraph and including relevant examples.
They use appropriate keywords and concrete answers that accurately respond to the question and help to demonstrate your suitability in performing the role.
More and more jobs these days require a set of key selection criteria to be addressed. From positions in Government to roles in the Health Care sector, the human resources team want to know that you can demonstrate that you have the right level of experience and practical skills that match up with the key selection criteria.
So, is it essential to address the required set of key selection criteria for a job that you want consideration?
By not addressing the set of selection criteria may work against your chances of being considered for the position.
Are you applying for a role which has a key selection criteria to address and would like assistance? Are you interested in having your resume professionally revamped and written?
Are you finding it difficult writing out the responses?
Are you finding it too time consuming?
Would like help addressing each key criteria?
At Client Centric Executive Employment Solutions, we offer a service where we address the key selection criteria for you. This can be a standalone service or as a package with a professionally written resume and covering letter that all complement eachother to market and sell your skills and abilities to the employer.
A well written and correctly structured Selection Criteria (SC) letter is the key to getting an interview and ahead of other applicants who decide either not to apply for the job because the work and effort in writing it out is too difficult for them or if they do, they write ambiguous answers that are far too long and make for a boring reading.
The person reading your application letter has limited time to go through every applicant. They will browse through your letter addressing the SC and if upon reading a couple sentences that takes their interest, will most likely add you to the short listed pile.
As the job market becomes tighter and as the supply of labour outweighs the demand in certain industries, more and more employers are opting for potential candidates to address a SC before they are even considered for an interview.
Key SC are especially used in the public sector by Government agencies at all levels including Local, State and Federal Government. Candidates who write good responses to the criteria are usually the first ones to be considered. So therefore it is vital that you have professionally written responses to the criteria of your chosen job.
When addressing each criterion, always remember that employers and recruitment agents are specifically looking at each question and you're response in detail. If they feel at any point in time that you have just done a copy a paste response and did not tailor your answer to the employer, they will be put off and disregard your application for employment. Questions are usually the same but your responses should always be twitched so that your application comes across personal to that employer.
Your answers to each criterion should have at least 1 – 2 prime and concrete examples that demonstrate your aptitude in that given area and shows you can do what they are after. We are aware that writing responses to key selection criteria can take a long time and seem like forever, which is why we are here to help. You can always reuse the SC letter we write for you again but make sure you twitch the answers to suit.
Every selection criteria that we address is personalised and extensive research is undertaken to write quality answers.
When addressing the key selection criteria, we make sure that each answer is maximum half a page long and specifically addresses the statement or question being asked.
We conduct extensive research by going through the position description and deciphering what the employer is looking for, what is involved in the role and then using terminology used in the job description and including it where appropriate when making an answer to each criterion.
We follow the 'SAO' approach when writing out a response. This is is by addressing the "Situation"; "Action" and "Approach". Each answer is also structured to have an introduction, body and conclusion which then ties everything neatly in a readable and understandable manner. In writing out each response we believe it to be very important to be truthful and positive, not exaggerating or downplaying your skills, capabilities and experience.
For more information on this service, we welcome you to visit our page by clicking here for assistance addressing key selection criteria for jobs in Melbourne.
Selection Criteria are a series of statements that refer to the credentials, knowledge, abilities, talents and understanding that are essential in a particular occupation. When requested to reply to Selection Criteria, you are being probed to explain and describe exactly how you meet the requirements of the position and in making your reply, providing specific and concrete examples to back up your claim.
The type of answers a respondent would compose for Selection Criteria definitely will be influenced by the nature of the position to which they are applying for. Most employers might have varied and different questions that they want answers to or specific replies for different statements. More and more employers today are asking for a Selection Criteria to be responded to as they try and cut down on the number of job applicants applying for work. Selection Criteria used to be typical with Government and Community/Health Services roles but now that is not the case as employers from all kinds of industries and professions are opting for this method of looking for staff.
Every Selection Criteria is different and so is how employers will view and read your answers to each criterion. Some may wish to just focus on your skills or education; others will be more concerned about your experience. You may be asked to make an answer according to different work situations both past and present. They may ask (either in a question or statement capacity) if you have experience operating a specific type of machinery or knowledge of a programming language. It may not even be regarding skills/qualifications but rather on your attributes, qualities and characteristics. The statement or question can be complicated or very simple like "Excellent communication skills both written and oral".


Temporary coatings or permanent floors?
When you are selecting floor options for your service department, make sure you select a permanent floor solution. Temporary coatings like epoxy or sealed concrete may be initially less, but end-up costing the most because they have a short life cycle.
Temporary coatings will show poorly soon after installation and use. AutoStone is a permanent floor system for your shop floor and service drive work areas. No need to shut down service operations, we renovate while you operate.
Why invest in an AutoStone shop floor?
AutoStone is the lowest cost solution when you evaluate your investment over a short 4-5 year window. One resurfacing of your service department will end up costing you more than the initial purchase of an Enviroshop floor by AutoStone.
Would you choose an exterior cladding for your building if you knew you would have to replace it every 4-5 years? Of course not! The same logic applies to your shop floor system. AutoStone is the right permanent shop floor choice.
It's not like epoxy or polished concrete look good for the entire 4-5 year span of the products useful life. Epoxy degrades car-after-car, month-after-month and year-after-year, until it looks so poorly that you decide to go through the brain damage, pain and suffering of yet another resurfacing your service department.
Besides all the intangible benefits (and there are many), an investment in an AutoStone floor system means you have capped a potential on-going maintenance facility cost. You have eliminated the ever repeating cycle of service facility shut-down which costs you important service department revenue. These costs alone validate that an AutoStone shop floor system is a wise investment and provides a sound return.
Many brand programs now encourage making the service facility viewable to the customer. Creating an automotive "state-of-the-art" service facility elevates your brands perception. If you are going to put your service department on display to enhance your brand, why do so with a temporary coating that looks poorly in a few short years?
The goal of showing off your service is to elevate your brand and dealership perception. An Enviroshop floor by AutoStone gives you the best resource to make your service department look great – for the life of your dealership.
There are many benefits gained by having an AutoStone permanent shop floor that impact your brand and dealership. Higher CSI ratings, brand perception, customer loyalty and employee satisfaction.
When you consider the lost revenue associated with shutting down your service department every 4-5 years to resurface your shop, you need to consider the lost revenue not generated while this process occurs.
$ 135.00 mechanical labor rate.
$ 5,594,388.00 annual revenue of typical dealership.
$ 107,584.37 revenue on a weekly basis (52 weeks a year).
When you shut down to resurface your shop, you stand to lose an additional $ 45,000.00 in revenue not generated. This cost is in addition to the construction and disruption costs associated with resurfacing a temporary coating.
When you look at all the costs and all the benefits – AutoStone Floor Systems stands to be the best choice you can make for your dealership. The numbers support a closer look at your costs associated with managing and operating your service department.
When you look at all the numbers and count the real costs – Enviroshop by AutoStone is the better choice and wise investment.
AutoStone – smart, permanent, strength and beauty.


Wera Stainless Steel Nut Setter-10mm - Stainless steel socket prevent corrosion when working with stainless fasteners and hose clamps (this is the proper size for the 6mm diameter hex bolts & nuts). 1/4" hex shaft works with cordless and hand drivers. Length=50mm.


text:
Major winners flock to Women's Australian Open
January 24th, 2020 / Chris Williams
Fifteen major champions will take their place at next month's ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open at Royal Adelaide Golf Club.
The impressive figure means that more than 10% of the 144-player field in Adelaide will have achieved a victory at the highest level in world golf.
Hannah Green with the 2019 Women's PGA trophy (Credit: LPGA Tour)
And that doesn't even include World No. 3 and defending champion, Nelly Korda, or our very own World No.9 Minjee Lee, who has a superb record at this event and is surely a major winner of the future.
Leading the legends is seven-time major winner and World Golf Hall of Famer Karrie Webb, who has five Women's Australian Open titles to her name, along with Laura Davies, who has amassed four major championships amongst her 87 worldwide professional victories.
Veterans such as Cristie Kerr, Na Yeon Choi and Jiyai Shin will line up alongside the likes of World No.1 Lydia Ko and our most recent major champion – 23-year-old Hannah Green as well as Korea's most recent major champ, Jeongeun Lee6.
"This is another incredibly good field that has been assembled," said Golf Australia CEO Stephen Pitt.
"Clearly the wonderful Adelaide golf courses and the overall vibe of the city at that time has been a winner for us with the players. We've had some record crowds and huge interest in recent years and we're looking forward to pushing those boundaries again in 2020.''
The ISPS Handa Women's Australian Open runs from 13-16 February.
Ko, Lee and Webb confirmed for Women's Open
Women's Australian Open bound for Royal Adelaide
GA announces dates for 2020 Victorian, Women's Opens
Webb commits to 2017 Women's Australian Open
royal adelaide golf club
women's australian open
Green, Lee and Korda named for 2020 Women's Open
Hall of Famer Park commits to play Down Under
Women's Australian Open kicks off in Adelaide
ABC, Fox Sports to broadcast $3 million Vic Open
ALPG announce 2014 Tour schedule
Women's Australian Open moving to Adelaide in 2016


This untitled Lawren Harris oil painting is part of the Mendel Art Gallery's 50th anniversary show.
Two public galleries are mounting special exhibitions this year to celebrate milestone anniversaries – the Art Gallery of Alberta turns 90, while the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon is 50.
In Edmonton, 90 x 90: Celebrating Art in Alberta, features 90 Alberta artists with works spanning 1924 to 2014. The show is presented in two parts. The first wraps up Sept. 15 and the second runs Oct. 24, 2014 to Jan. 4, 2015.
Meanwhile, the Mendel celebrates its anniversary with a major show chosen from its permanent collection. The collection, established in 1965 when the Fred Mendel family donated 13 works by the Group of Seven and its contemporaries, now numbers nearly 7,600 pieces. The show opens Sept. 27, 2014 and continues to Jan. 4, 2015.


text:
import functools
import httplib as http
import itertools

from operator import itemgetter

from dateutil.parser import parse as parse_date
from django.core.exceptions import ValidationError
from django.db.models import Q
from django.utils import timezone
from flask import request, redirect
import pytz

from framework.database import get_or_http_error, autoload
from framework.exceptions import HTTPError
from framework.status import push_status_message

from osf.models import NodeLog, MetaSchema, DraftRegistration, Sanction

from website.exceptions import NodeStateError
from website.util.permissions import ADMIN
from website.project.decorators import (
    must_be_valid_project,
    must_have_permission,
    http_error_if_disk_saving_mode
)
from website import language, settings
from website.prereg import utils as prereg_utils
from website.project import utils as project_utils
from website.project.metadata.schemas import LATEST_SCHEMA_VERSION, METASCHEMA_ORDERING
from website.project.metadata.utils import serialize_meta_schema, serialize_draft_registration
from website.project.utils import serialize_node
from website.util import rapply
from website.util.sanitize import strip_html

get_schema_or_fail = lambda query: get_or_http_error(MetaSchema, query)
autoload_draft = functools.partial(autoload, DraftRegistration, 'draft_id', 'draft')

def must_be_branched_from_node(func):
    @autoload_draft
    @must_be_valid_project
    @functools.wraps(func)
    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
        node = kwargs['node']
        draft = kwargs['draft']
        if draft.deleted:
            raise HTTPError(http.GONE)
        if not draft.branched_from._id == node._id:
            raise HTTPError(
                http.BAD_REQUEST,
                data={
                    'message_short': 'Not a draft of this node',
                    'message_long': 'This draft registration is not created from the given node.'
                }
            )
        return func(*args, **kwargs)
    return wrapper

def validate_embargo_end_date(end_date_string, node):
    """
    Our reviewers have a window of time in which to review a draft reg. submission.
    If an embargo end_date that is within that window is at risk of causing
    validation errors down the line if the draft is approved and registered.

    The draft registration approval window is always greater than the time span
    for disallowed embargo end dates.

    :raises: HTTPError if end_date is less than the approval window or greater than the
    max embargo end date
    """
    end_date = parse_date(end_date_string, ignoretz=True).replace(tzinfo=pytz.utc)
    today = timezone.now()
    if (end_date - today) <= settings.DRAFT_REGISTRATION_APPROVAL_PERIOD:
        raise HTTPError(http.BAD_REQUEST, data={
            'message_short': 'Invalid embargo end date',
            'message_long': 'Embargo end date for this submission must be at least {0} days in the future.'.format(settings.DRAFT_REGISTRATION_APPROVAL_PERIOD)
        })
    elif not node._is_embargo_date_valid(end_date):
        max_end_date = today + settings.DRAFT_REGISTRATION_APPROVAL_PERIOD
        raise HTTPError(http.BAD_REQUEST, data={
            'message_short': 'Invalid embargo end date',
            'message_long': 'Embargo end date must on or before {0}.'.format(max_end_date.isoformat())
        })

def validate_registration_choice(registration_choice):
    if registration_choice not in ('embargo', 'immediate'):
        raise HTTPError(
            http.BAD_REQUEST,
            data={
                'message_short': "Invalid 'registrationChoice'",
                'message_long': "Values for 'registrationChoice' must be either 'embargo' or 'immediate'."
            }
        )

def check_draft_state(draft):
    registered_and_deleted = draft.registered_node and draft.registered_node.is_deleted
    if draft.registered_node and not registered_and_deleted:
        raise HTTPError(http.FORBIDDEN, data={
            'message_short': 'This draft has already been registered',
            'message_long': 'This draft has already been registered and cannot be modified.'
        })
    if draft.is_pending_review:
        raise HTTPError(http.FORBIDDEN, data={
            'message_short': 'This draft is pending review',
            'message_long': 'This draft is pending review and cannot be modified.'
        })
    if draft.requires_approval and draft.is_approved and (not registered_and_deleted):
        raise HTTPError(http.FORBIDDEN, data={
            'message_short': 'This draft has already been approved',
            'message_long': 'This draft has already been approved and cannot be modified.'
        })

@must_have_permission(ADMIN)
@must_be_branched_from_node
def submit_draft_for_review(auth, node, draft, *args, **kwargs):
    """Submit for approvals and/or notifications

    :return: serialized registration
    :rtype: dict
    :raises: HTTPError if embargo end date is invalid
    """
    data = request.get_json()
    meta = {}
    registration_choice = data.get('registrationChoice', 'immediate')
    validate_registration_choice(registration_choice)
    if registration_choice == 'embargo':
        # Initiate embargo
        end_date_string = data['embargoEndDate']
        validate_embargo_end_date(end_date_string, node)
        meta['embargo_end_date'] = end_date_string
    meta['registration_choice'] = registration_choice

    if draft.registered_node and not draft.registered_node.is_deleted:
        raise HTTPError(http.BAD_REQUEST, data=dict(message_long='This draft has already been registered, if you wish to '
                                                              'register it again or submit it for review please create '
                                                              'a new draft.'))

    # Don't allow resubmission unless submission was rejected
    if draft.approval and draft.approval.state != Sanction.REJECTED:
        raise HTTPError(http.CONFLICT, data=dict(message_long='Cannot resubmit previously submitted draft.'))

    draft.submit_for_review(
        initiated_by=auth.user,
        meta=meta,
        save=True
    )

    if prereg_utils.get_prereg_schema() == draft.registration_schema:

        node.add_log(
            action=NodeLog.PREREG_REGISTRATION_INITIATED,
            params={'node': node._primary_key},
            auth=auth,
            save=False
        )
        node.save()

    push_status_message(language.AFTER_SUBMIT_FOR_REVIEW,
                        kind='info',
                        trust=False)
    return {
        'status': 'initiated',
        'urls': {
            'registrations': node.web_url_for('node_registrations')
        }
    }, http.ACCEPTED

@must_have_permission(ADMIN)
@must_be_branched_from_node
def draft_before_register_page(auth, node, draft, *args, **kwargs):
    """Allow the user to select an embargo period and confirm registration

    :return: serialized Node + DraftRegistration
    :rtype: dict
    """
    ret = serialize_node(node, auth, primary=True)

    ret['draft'] = serialize_draft_registration(draft, auth)
    return ret

@must_have_permission(ADMIN)
@must_be_branched_from_node
@http_error_if_disk_saving_mode
def register_draft_registration(auth, node, draft, *args, **kwargs):
    """Initiate a registration from a draft registration

    :return: success message; url to registrations page
    :rtype: dict
    """
    data = request.get_json()
    registration_choice = data.get('registrationChoice', 'immediate')
    validate_registration_choice(registration_choice)

    # Don't allow resubmission unless submission was rejected
    if draft.approval and draft.approval.state != Sanction.REJECTED:
        raise HTTPError(http.CONFLICT, data=dict(message_long='Cannot resubmit previously submitted draft.'))

    register = draft.register(auth)
    draft.save()

    if registration_choice == 'embargo':
        # Initiate embargo
        embargo_end_date = parse_date(data['embargoEndDate'], ignoretz=True).replace(tzinfo=pytz.utc)
        try:
            register.embargo_registration(auth.user, embargo_end_date)
        except ValidationError as err:
            raise HTTPError(http.BAD_REQUEST, data=dict(message_long=err.message))
    else:
        try:
            register.require_approval(auth.user)
        except NodeStateError as err:
            raise HTTPError(http.BAD_REQUEST, data=dict(message_long=err.message))

    register.save()
    push_status_message(language.AFTER_REGISTER_ARCHIVING,
                        kind='info',
                        trust=False)
    return {
        'status': 'initiated',
        'urls': {
            'registrations': node.web_url_for('node_registrations')
        }
    }, http.ACCEPTED

@must_have_permission(ADMIN)
@must_be_branched_from_node
def get_draft_registration(auth, node, draft, *args, **kwargs):
    """Return a single draft registration

    :return: serialized draft registration
    :rtype: dict
    """
    return serialize_draft_registration(draft, auth), http.OK

@must_have_permission(ADMIN)
@must_be_valid_project
def get_draft_registrations(auth, node, *args, **kwargs):
    """List draft registrations for a node

    :return: serialized draft registrations
    :rtype: dict
    """
    #'updated': '2016-08-03T14:24:12Z'
    count = request.args.get('count', 100)
    drafts = itertools.islice(node.draft_registrations_active, 0, count)
    serialized_drafts = [serialize_draft_registration(d, auth) for d in drafts]
    sorted_serialized_drafts = sorted(serialized_drafts, key=itemgetter('updated'), reverse=True)
    return {
        'drafts': sorted_serialized_drafts
    }, http.OK

@must_have_permission(ADMIN)
@must_be_valid_project
def new_draft_registration(auth, node, *args, **kwargs):
    """Create a new draft registration for the node

    :return: Redirect to the new draft's edit page
    :rtype: flask.redirect
    :raises: HTTPError
    """
    if node.is_registration:
        raise HTTPError(http.FORBIDDEN, data={
            'message_short': "Can't create draft",
            'message_long': 'Creating draft registrations on registered projects is not allowed.'
        })
    data = request.values

    schema_name = data.get('schema_name')
    if not schema_name:
        raise HTTPError(
            http.BAD_REQUEST,
            data={
                'message_short': 'Must specify a schema_name',
                'message_long': 'Please specify a schema_name'
            }
        )

    schema_version = data.get('schema_version', 2)

    meta_schema = get_schema_or_fail(Q(name=schema_name, schema_version=int(schema_version)))
    draft = DraftRegistration.create_from_node(
        node,
        user=auth.user,
        schema=meta_schema,
        data={}
    )
    return redirect(node.web_url_for('edit_draft_registration_page', draft_id=draft._id))

@must_have_permission(ADMIN)
@must_be_branched_from_node
def edit_draft_registration_page(auth, node, draft, **kwargs):
    """Draft registration editor

    :return: serialized DraftRegistration
    :rtype: dict
    """
    check_draft_state(draft)
    ret = project_utils.serialize_node(node, auth, primary=True)
    ret['draft'] = serialize_draft_registration(draft, auth)
    return ret

@must_have_permission(ADMIN)
@must_be_branched_from_node
def update_draft_registration(auth, node, draft, *args, **kwargs):
    """Update an existing draft registration

    :return: serialized draft registration
    :rtype: dict
    :raises: HTTPError
    """
    check_draft_state(draft)
    data = request.get_json()

    schema_data = data.get('schema_data', {})
    schema_data = rapply(schema_data, strip_html)

    schema_name = data.get('schema_name')
    schema_version = data.get('schema_version', 1)
    if schema_name:
        meta_schema = get_schema_or_fail(Q(name=schema_name, schema_version=schema_version))
        existing_schema = draft.registration_schema
        if (existing_schema.name, existing_schema.schema_version) != (meta_schema.name, meta_schema.schema_version):
            draft.registration_schema = meta_schema

    draft.update_metadata(schema_data)
    draft.save()
    return serialize_draft_registration(draft, auth), http.OK

@must_have_permission(ADMIN)
@must_be_branched_from_node
def delete_draft_registration(auth, node, draft, *args, **kwargs):
    """Permanently delete a draft registration

    :return: None
    :rtype: NoneType
    """
    if draft.registered_node and not draft.registered_node.is_deleted:
        raise HTTPError(
            http.FORBIDDEN,
            data={
                'message_short': 'Can\'t delete draft',
                'message_long': 'This draft has already been registered and cannot be deleted.'
            }
        )
    draft.deleted = timezone.now()
    draft.save(update_fields=['deleted'])
    return None, http.NO_CONTENT

def get_metaschemas(*args, **kwargs):
    """
    List metaschemas with which a draft registration may be created. Only fetch the newest version for each schema.

    :return: serialized metaschemas
    :rtype: dict
    """
    count = request.args.get('count', 100)
    include = request.args.get('include', 'latest')

    meta_schemas = MetaSchema.objects.filter(active=True)
    if include == 'latest':
        meta_schemas.filter(schema_version=LATEST_SCHEMA_VERSION)

    meta_schemas = sorted(meta_schemas, key=lambda x: METASCHEMA_ORDERING.index(x.name))

    return {
        'meta_schemas': [
            serialize_meta_schema(ms) for ms in meta_schemas[:count]
        ]
    }, http.OK

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
From Moscow to Beijing
Should the government have the right to boycott the Olympics?
Samson Chan
This is what the Olympics should be all about: athletes from different countries coming together to not only compete and bring pride to their nation but have fun and enjoy each other's company. Pictured are the beach volleyball medalists at the 2016 Rio Summer Games.
Sydney Chan, Story Editor
"A dream is a wish your heart makes," Cinderella sang to her bird friends in the Disney classic. It is a goal that slowly becomes feasible through years of hard work and dedication. For some, that dream might be getting into an Ivy League school. For others, owning a business of their own tops that list. But for most athletes, there are no bigger dreams than becoming an Olympian. It's a dream that buries its seed in childhood, and with years of brutal training coupled with a sprinkle of luck to peak just at the right time and staying injury free, can be reached by only the fortunate few. And imagine having it all taken away in an instant with a governmental decision to boycott.
Olympic boycotts are nothing new. The first mention of such can be traced all the way back to 332 BCE when an athlete from the city of Athens was caught trying to "fix" his match. Modern day boycotts, however, are most often caused by political conflicts. Although some are used to address specific actions taken by a particular nation, others have simply taken place as diplomatic retaliation.
The biggest boycott in the history of the modern Olympics was the 1980 Moscow Summer Games. In an attempt to
take a stand against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Former President Jimmy Carter decided against sending a delegation to participate in the Games and many US allies followed suit. According to Time Magazine, out of the 67 nations that did not participate in 1980, at least 45 of the countries withdrew because of Carter's actions. I wish I could tell you a lot of good came out of it. However, it unfortunately didn't alter history, nor save lives on the battleground.
As a matter of fact, with all the political pressure and the sacrifices the athletes made, the Soviets occupied Afghanistan for eight more years after the 1980 Moscow Games. Ultimately, it was the mounting number of lives lost and the exhaustion of resources that finally pushed the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to sign a peace accord with Afghanistan in April of 1988. So what did this boycott gain politically? Nothing. What did this boycott cause emotionally? Everything. Hundreds of athletes' lives were wrecked, and thousands more lives of those who were close to those athletes were dramatically affected.
As if all this was not enough, what followed four years later is even more ironic: the U.S.S.R. and 13 of its Eastern European comrades boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Even though the Soviets cited fear of their athletes' security as the official reason for the boycott, it is widely understood that this boycott was simply a tit-for-tat and nothing more. This blatant retaliation to the 1980 boycott made very little splash politically, yet another generation of athletes suffered the unnecessary consequences.
Canadian gymnast Elfi Schlegel remembered that suffering all too well. She was one of the best gymnasts in the world in 1980. Having started gymnastics at seven years old, she instantly knew that it was the right sport for her. By the time she was 12, she had been named to the women's national team and started to compete all over the world. This led to Schlegel's winning of two golds at the Commonwealth Games and becoming a front runner to represent Canada at the Moscow Games in 1980. Everything seemed to be in line for the eager and talented 16-year-old. But in a blink of an eye, the opportunity to compete for her country
at the Olympics was taken away from her. "It was devastating and confusing. I didn't understand what [politics] had to do with gymnastics and the Olympic Games," Schlegel expressed to me.
The opportunity to bring pride to your country is one of the primary factors in why so many athletes sacrifice so much for a chance to compete in the Olympics. DeMar DeRozan (pictured left) and Kyle Lowry (pictured right) celebrate their gold medal win against Serbia during the Rio Olympics in 2016 with big smiles and the US flag high above their heads. (Samson Chan)
Athletic Director Coach Paula Conway added, "[going through a situation like boycotting the Olympics] is almost like going through death." This is not at all an exaggeration. Many athletes put everything else in their lives on hold for a once in a lifetime chance to compete at the Games. They are up at the crack of dawn to squeeze in a practice before heading to school, and when we are out with our friends grabbing a boba tea after school, they are back at the rink, the pool, the field, the court, whatever you name it, for their second practice session of the day. Some have to be homeschooled and forgo having a social life altogether, just to accommodate their training schedule and keep the dream alive; not to mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars their families spent on training, and the countless hours spent driving them to practice and competitions. So to have it all taken away without any personal input feels like a death sentence. It makes you feel gutted, numb, bitter, and angry. And on top of it all, people did not outwardly talk about mental health back in the days. Athletes were assumed to be strong, and simply told to move on. What an impossible task that must have been.
As a result, many athletes' careers came to an abrupt end due to lack of outlet and motivation. Some left the sport that they loved simply in the hope of forgetting it all and leaving everything in the past. Schlegel said, "I pray that we will never come to that again…The [amount of] lives that [the boycott] affected is hard to describe."
And yet, the word boycott seems to come up every few years. The US government has considered boycotting 3 out of the 8 most recent Olympic games (2008 in Beijing, 2014 in Sochi, and now 2022 in Beijing again) citing China's human rights issues and Russia's well known doping problem. This is not to say it isn't important to fight for what we believe in. However, by taking a stand against one injustice, it doesn't give anyone the right to create another, and then simply view it as the collateral damage for a greater good.
During our recent interview, award winning journalist Andrea Joyce who is about to embark on her 16th trip to the Olympics put
it best: "since the athletes were never consulted on which cities should be awarded the honor of hosting the games, why should they face the consequences?" No one should be forced to compete; however, on the flip side, no one should be forced to withdraw either. Those who participated in the 1936 Berlin Games weren't there because they agreed with the Nazi regime.
People often think that taking a stand on an issue means it has to involve a lot of people and make a huge amount of noise. However, the loudest message and the biggest political statement during the 1968 Mexico City Summer Games came from a silent gesture. Known as the Black Power salute, the image of Tommie Smith and John Carlo on the Olympic podium with their black gloved hands over their heads is the most memorable moment from those games. They had initially intended to boycott the Mexico City Olympics due to the unfair treatment of Black Americans and racial inequality; the two eventually chose to compete, believing that greater opportunities for activism globally would arise; and they were right. Taking a stand on the track with millions watching was proven to be so much more impactful.
Star swimmer Lucius Brown ('22) who recently competed in the Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha recalled that iconic moment
from '68 when I spoke with him. He expressed that "while it is always important to take a stand in what you believe, athletes aren't to blame [for the political issues between governments], and therefore, shouldn't be punished."
It seems to be a no-brainer that instead of using athletes as pawns, and robbing them of the chance of a lifetime, world leaders
need to come up with a much more effective way to take a stand. I can't imagine that the decision makers aren't aware that boycotting the games doesn't actually make many real changes in the countries they aim to punish. But it sure is the cheapest way to take a stand with the least amount of legal headaches. Why not force Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, to shut down his newest showroom in Xinjiang, the very province the US government recently banned imports from due to human rights abuses? Because he has rights. Why not consider sending the athletes to the Games but not let any US broadcaster televise the event? Because Comcast will probably sue for damages. But isn't that a much better way to block the PR propaganda from the host countries, and therefore make a bigger impact? And if broadcasting companies stop paying the OIC billions for Olympics coverage rights due to the host countries tarnished public image, then isn't it possible that they may finally start to pick some better host countries?
"I hope our government and other sports leadership do all they can to ensure that those Olympic dreams are continued to be made available for every young kid who dares to dream. [Boycotting] should be the absolute last resort and not the first to be considered," David Marsh, an American swimmer, Head U.S. Olympic Women's Swim Coach in Rio 2016, and 1980 Olympic hopeful, told me. "Sure some are celebrities, but many athletes train in relative obscurity their entire lives…just for that one moment. It seems unfair that athletes would pay such a huge price for something totally out of their control," Ms. Joyce added.
With the White House recently announcing their choice of a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, many are relieved. Even though some may feel that not sending governmental officials isn't the strongest message we can send, one has to admit that it's the most clever compromise we've got right now. Having the freedom to choose is what we, as Americans, are extremely proud of. It's what sets us apart from many other nations in the world. Therefore, participation in an event such as the Olympic Games should be a personal choice; it should be respected as a basic right; and no government should be allowed to take it away from you.
Innocent athletes should never be the sacrificial lamb in political disagreements. It's not right. It's not fair. And it needs to stop. Now. So let the Games begin.
1968 Mexico Summer Games
1980 Moscow Summer Games
Elfi Schlegel
Sydney Chan is a junior and a Story Editor for The Tower. After a year on the publication, she's found a passion for writing op-eds, whether that be...
A Dishonest Bird
Grades Are Out
Taiwan: Democracy Under Fire
An Injustice for Parkland Victims
An Attack on Creativity
Not By the People, nor For the People
The NIL: Name, Image, and Likeness
Opinion: Social Media vs. Depp vs. Heard


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