I do think it is dangerous to compare extremes on each side. You need to look at what the vast majority believe the 60 to 80 percent in the middles. It is there that I find hope. Over the years, I regularly had those who identified as conservatives say they disagree with Democrats who believe in “open borders.” My experiences has been the vast majority of Democrats don’t believe in open borders either. These are all taking points to get people to demonize each other.
Of course, we don't actually have open borders. Conservatives seem to consider an "open border" any border that is not 100% shut; let no one at all in. Stefanik keeps calling these legal migrants applying for asylum "illegals". Claiming we're providing all of these services to illegals. Well, we;re not, they're legal. Object to the policy if you want, that's fair, but don't mischaracterize it. And while her constituents may not know, Stefanik does know she's lying when she calls them illegal. Back to the problem of how politicians like Stefanik divide us by pushing out misinformation.
Might as well point this out as well. Any crimes committed during BLM protests were not committed at the behest of Pelosi, Schumer or anyone else in the Democratic Party or that of the people who organized the protests.
As opposed to January 6th rioters who were invited there by Donald Trump as his last gasp at stopping Biden from becoming president after all his legal options had failed. Spectacularly.
We now know thanks to Jonathan Karl’s new book that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol that day because, he told Karl, he could stop them. A couple problems I see with that is that at that point I don’t believe they’d even broken in. Also, he went back to the WH and, for over 3 hours, did nothing but, I don’t know, eat KFC and watch his supporters rampage.
It’s nice to have the admission from him that they were under his control.
People immigrate without authorization because our immigration system is broken and both parties, for decades, have preferred to use it as a tool to bludgeon the other side rather than to actually sit down and hash out something that makes sense. People want to come here. We need immigrants not only to fill the many jobs that are going begging, but to live up to our ideals. They could find some way to fix it if it became politically necessary because voters stopped putting up with being played against each other.
I like people who believe in the rule of law, especially on the right. You're a dying breed. 8 USC 1158, Asylum, is one of the many US Codes I dealt with throughout my career as an Immigration Inspector, then Customs and Border Protection Officer. It didn't change during my career, and hadn't prior to that since it was codified. People arrive everyday without proper authorization. From experience, I would say a majority are Canadian, who are admitted without visa after a brief interview in their car at the port of entry. Most don't even get a stamp in their passport. I'm not saying that it's wrong, or results in a plethora of overstays as it did leading up to Reagan's amnesty, it's just the law. The law dealing with amnesty is different. Anyone encountered by any CBP or Border Patrol Officer at a national boundary (or it's functional equivalent), or anywhere within the Unites States can request asylum. It says so in the law. I now understand they can even do that from foreign through an app. When they do, they are processed as an asylum seeker. After checking to see whether they have a prior immigration history such as deportation, criminal history in the United States or their own country which would render them inadmissible without a waiver of inadmissibility, they are charged with a crime, normally INA 212(a)(7)(A)(i), intending immigrant without an immigrant visa. More or different charges could apply. They are assigned an asylum officer and scheduled to appear before an immigration judge, which during my last several years became TBD, to be determined. And that is where the bottleneck occurs. Asylum officers and more importantly immigration judges staffing immigration courts are the most understaffed and underfunded resource within the US government. People awaiting decision on their asylum claims are not waiting because they want to, they are waiting because they have to. I wouldn't be surprised if some claims I processed are still pending. This problem is created and exacerbated by government refusing to address the issue since the mid 1980s. The right loves to think a wall is the solution. That's because they can't legislate. They don't want to fund the solution to the problem, they need the problem. They need "illegal immigrants" (which doesn't include people who have filed asylum claims) to keep their base involved and frothing. Fear of the other has been the strategy against it since immigration in this and every other country on the planet began. Vermin fouling our blood fascist memes again find their way into the fold of political discussion. Some of them think that trafficking people under the guise of assisting them is a great way to own the libs; but is, by law, human trafficking. I see your point about seeing far more hate on the left. Of course you do, you're looking from the other side. Anything you see or hear about their views you consider wrong, but you don't see that people should be able to go about their daily lives enjoying the blessings of liberty written into the Constitution as you and I do, without being shot or suffocated during a traffic stop, while running away or sleeping in their beds. They don't get to go to school and learn, shop for groceries, worship in church or go to the movies without the possiblity of being shot. Old white men get to make their health care decisions for them. Their right to vote is constantly suppressed. That is what they have feared, and why they hate it. On one hand, we have people who are tired of living in fear and doing something about it; on the other, people who realize their fragile hold on the demography of the country is dwindling. Pat Buchanan tried to tell you.
The only executive distortion during my career was from the previous administration. You may recall that one of his first border policies, blocking entry of muslims, was found unconstitutional. Covid (Title 42) was due to a health emergency. In practice, any subject who claims asylum is processed in the same manner. Nothing about the process I described previously has changed about that at all. It's the same law, same process.
You stipulated "without prior authorization". Mexicans applying for entry at the southern border have either border crossing cards or some form of work authorization prior to arriving. During September 2023 in the Buffalo Field Office, 1.518.947 travelers arrived in the US by vehicle. 3.7 million total travelers by vehicle arrived in the US through the northern border nationwide. Most were Canadian, a small percentage with "prior authorization" to come to the border in the form of a visa, prior work or study authorization. This number is down from 2.2 million in August, and 2.1 million in July, 5.1 million nationally for both months.
You spoke of "without prior authorization". By law, there is no such thing required for Canadians, or aslyum seekers. Your wish for it to be an illegal act simply isn't true, according to US law. Once processed, neither is illegal. One is admitted under a non-controlled status, the other is paroled awaiting their immigration trial.
Proud Boys were showing up to school board meetings. These were the terrorists threatening parents and teachers. This same group and others like it helped turn Jan 6 into the deadly riot it became. Must’ve watched the protests in Portland and said “hold my beer.”
Anti-government extremists were assassinating police officers. These aren’t lefties but much more aligned with white supremacists on the right.
In regards to the objections to mentioning the objectionable and increasingly unhinged utterances of the ex-POTUS, humanitarian and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel put it aptly: “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”
Of course he mocked the disabled reporter, just like a week or two ago he mocked Nancy Pelosi's 80+ year old husband who was attacked with a hammer. And like he mocked the Gold Star family. If the Debs of the world acknowledged these things happened, they might have to reconsider their support for Trump, so Deb will never believe any of these facts, no matter how many and how compelling.
His mocking the reporter was an all-time low. Unfortunately, it's a reel on my mind that won't go away. As for mentioning Trump and Bella's response, Trump can use a work like vermin to describe those he would root out, but a moment of levity is unacceptable. I happen to love dark humor. Thank you Bella.
I believe most supporters know what a terrible human being Trump is, but they have been led to believe that Democrats are so evil that they have no alternative. Not sure if that comes from Republican leaders, Fox News or what. I’ve always believed most people are moderate and belong to both parties. Perhaps the argument is that most Dems are not far left just most GOP are not far right. Although, some days it is hard to make that argument.
If logic ruled the day and you thought Trump is evil and Dems are worse, you would vote for neither. Which is what my hard core Republican Dad did with Trump on the ballot; he just could not vote Dem and could not vote Trump, so only voted the down ballot. Which is what quite a few Republicans did in 2020 and which is why Biden did well, but did not lift the down ballot, where the GOP surpassed expectations. (Except is places like Georgia, thanks to Trump).
You have a generous view of our fellow Americans. Me, I think some of the Debs refuse to believe how awful Trump is, but other Debs voted for him because they share his awfulness. Remember, Trump actively recruited and pandered to the white nationalist vote; he energized them and they helped put him over the line in 2016.
On voting demographics, while many ‘traditional’ Republicans sat out divisive races Trump brought large numbers of people who previously were non-voters into the system. They may or may not have been registered Republicans previously, many were likely ‘independent’ or unaffiliated. While voter turnout in recent even year elections has been high across the board, those Trump voters have really changed the dynamic.
Clearly, Deb knows she is wrong in her support of Trump. She has her rationalization all scripted out and won’t allow what she really knows to be true. These Trump supporters lie to themselves in a way that resembles mental illness. Is this why they so often lash out violently? Clearly she knows he was ridiculing a disabled journalist.
And speaking of paying, I once pledged (or thought I did) a payment, but then there wasn't a link or anything to pay. So is there a way to donate? Giving Tuesday is coming up...
I believe the way The Front Page is set up now you can pledge $50 for a year subscription or $5 a month. It is a pledge. If we go to paying, then you will be asked to pay - including the original pledge. Will and I have both talked about going paid and will probably about it again soon. Right now it is our gift to the Debs of the world.
oh, ok, so the pledge is outstanding for now. That's what I was trying to figure out. I subscribe to Lake George Mirror for $50 a year, (but I get the print edition), so the price point lines up...this is digital only but more frequent.
And if you set yourselves up as a nonprofit, our donations could be tax deductible. Lawyers Alliance for NY helps people set up as a nonprofit very affordably. https://lawyersalliance.org/
This is an idea worthy of much consideration. I was dismayed when the Post Star was sold to Lee Enterprises about a decade ago instead of some attempt at an employee buyout and switch to a not-for-profit structure. Many of our small communities are now news deserts, and even Queensbury and Glens Falls have very limited coverage. But we do have a number of former reporters in the area who might benefit from a regular side hustle in a local non-profit news source.
Deb is representative of the angry hate-filled Trump supporters who enable him to continue to destroy any sense of decorum, morals, ethics, respect, professionalism (should I go on?) we had once appreciated from the people of the United States. He flipped the huge rock they were laying under and they all crawled out, thinking it was acceptable now to bully, demean and disrespect their fellow human beings. He is the Hitler of our generation. I have said it since he was initially elected and he has only proven that point more consistently thru the years. I pray daily that he never is elected again because we won't survive it as a nation.
I literally cried all night when he was elected. I was in a State of shock for days. I KNEW he would try to implement Hitlerian actions. No matter the people who kept saying--**But he has Jewish grandkids!**. I doubt he considers them, if he acknowledges them at all.
That feeling has not gone away, & I fear for not only my self & my Jewish family & friends but also for every OTHER group he has targeted.
Ever think that the child's MOTHER had a say in that? She maybe did not want her kid exposed to the kind of HATE your cult members show to all who are not considered MAGA. It's a shame that you hate the grown children just because of their parents, the small minor children should be COMPLETELY off limits-- just as Barron is.
President Biden didn’t “deny” his granddaughter by Hunter. Admittedly, he didn’t openly accept her either, but there’s a difference. He’s now accepted her, not that that’s going to stop you and the rest of the right from attacking him for it.
Hunter Biden obviously made a number of poor choices in his life which you must be very grateful for since they provide you with opportunities to attack his father.
You seem much more forgiving of the guy who was engaged in sex with a porn actress immediately following the birth of his youngest son. That’s on no one but Trump. I suppose to you he’s somehow being victimized if anyone brings it up.
How many abortions do you suppose Donald Trump has paid for? It surely doesn’t bother you or that little theocrat running the House now.
I truly never thought the American people could be fooled into repeating this horrific historical genocide. The only thing that keeps me sane is believing we won't let it happen.
The crazy thing is, he probably does love his grandchildren, in whatever warped way he is capable of. At the same time he views other people and their children and grandchildren as “vermin” to be “rooted out.” There is no cognitive dissonance for him in holding two standards because, being completely without empathy, he cannot translate his love for HIS family into a recognition of the love others have for theirs.
Everybody he loves, he loves a far second to himself. Which is why his sister told the family not to let him speak at her funeral. She was upset that their father's funeral, he spoke only about himself, not their father.
I think we would survive, though, it would take a super long time to heal the country. He would definitely try and stay an illegal third term if he were reelected and his GOP enablers would do nothing to stop the psychopath. But like someone else said, the man is 80, he'll be dead in a few years; there is that.
I would like to think that way but he has started a movement that others have adopted. If they make an example of him, maybe that will dampen that also. Here's hoping...
Deb appears to be exhibiting MAGA Republican thinking. If she doesn't like or agree with what you write, then you have no right to print, speak, or think it. You can ONLY print what SHE says or thinks. She has a lot of nerve! If she doesn't like what you say, that's fine, nothing wrong with disagreeing with someone. And if she doesn't
want to read your letters anymore, that's ok too. This IS a free country. But DON'T disrespect you or your opinion by trying to shove a traitor of this country down people's throats! Trump is a con man, thief, molester of women, and a liar! And everything that I just said is FACT, and has been proven in a court of law! We need less hateful people in this country like Deb. I'm sure Russia would LOVE to accommodate her!
There was a point early on where it felt like overreach to say folks like this woman are cultists. My sympathies to her and her family.
I’m not wishing for Donald Trump’s demise, but hey time waits for no one and all. It’s gonna be wild. No matter how he passes the conspiracy theories are going to be rampant. Just for Antonin Scalia there were rumors he was murdered. Probably by Hillary with a pillow in the bedroom.
The best part is going to be watching the GOP. Crazy as they are now that’s gonna be way worse. I’m not much of an historian, but I have some idea of what happened in England and Rome when a king or emperor died. Succession is going to real problem.
Lying about that election is the Original Sin and it’s going to haunt them. Along with the vermin stuff Trump’s been spouting he’s still making his minions swear he won. How about it, Mike Lawler and all the rest of the Republicans in Biden districts? Who won?
I just saw a couple of authors at a Writers Institute event in Albany for authors. One was Miles Taylor who worked closely with John Kelly in the Department of Homeland Security. He said he and his colleagues - including Gen. Kelly - found Trump to be incompetent and unfit for office. And it had nothing to do with his policies. He was the writer of the essay in the Times signed “Anonymous” which was big news at the time. The other author was Franklin Foer who was granted access to the West Wing for the first two years of the Biden presidency so he could write a book. He found both good and bad in Biden’s management style, but he indicated that Biden is still quite competent and engaged with all aspects of the job. So that is from two folks who saw things up close.
I just switched over to GOP so I can vote in the primary in NY21, since that election will decide my next congressional representative, at least this cycle.
What we really need are open primaries and ranked choice voting (where when your preferred candidate is eliminated, you vote goes to your next choice- so if your preferred candidate doesn't have a snowball's chance, you aren't wasting your vote by voting for them first.0
And Biden even won under the skewed electoral college rule, which cost Clinton the election in 2016 even though she won the popular vote. Trump lost the popular vote a 2nd time in 2020 but this time also lost the electoral college. That is what had me surprised that his supporters couldn't believe he lost; most people didn't vote for him the first time, either, why should they be surprised even more people didn't want him the second go round?
I am sure **Deb** is NOT Native American, & therefore her ancestors, like mine & most other Americans, were immigrants. Seeking the much hyped **better life** for themselves & their families. She shames them, no matter what language they spoke when THEY arrived. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said-- **This is America. Now speak English**. The ratty old pickup with the failed inspection, no rearview &;assorted rust thrus tossed out two men-- as they walked past me, using a handicapped scooter, I said-- What language did YOUR ancestors speak when they got here? I know they heard me, as they turned to look-- but, cowards that these people are, they kept walking into Walmart. Ironic- these are the same sort who rail against China but spend a lot of time shopping at a place where much that is sold is-- Made In China!!
Just this week I had an interaction with a pharmacist who HUNG UP on an insurance rep who was off shore, but spoke very good & understandable English. His comment to her? I won't speak to you until you learn English, this is America. (I am sure his Tagalog is perfect!)
Needless to say-- THESE are the people supporting the orange spackled monster. I shouldn't have to apologize to my insurance helper for the rudeness & right wing bigotry she experienced while doing her job. These same people often screech that NO ONE BUT THEM HAVE JOBS-- according to them, no **Libtards or Lefties** have jobs! Yet- here is a person, with no political agenda, trying to help me straighten out a medication issue being told off because the bigot saw his opportunity to downgrade & demean, based on- an accent.
These are the people we need to educate & defeat at the ballot box IF we are to continue to fulfill the vision this country was founded on. The people that hate everthing- including our own Congress Rep Seditious StefaniQ-- her pal Deb, the bigoted pharmacist & Rusty Truck Guys-- have turned themselves into the enemies of democracy & decency.
That is a snappy retort, but not an accurate representation. The European settlers did not join and participate in the Native American culture and economy, but removed them and subjugated the survivors. The immigrants that come to America now are coming to join us because they want what America promises: a chance to live free, work hard, and make a better life for their children. We used to be proud to call ourselves a melting pot, where people of all different cultures can live together and get along. Immigration used to be our strength. Why did the MAGA folks turn away from that? Is it because the immigrants now tend to be non-European? Then shame on them. That is racism plain and simple.
I think many Americans would be surprised to learn that people around the world no longer see America as a beacon of promise in the way we once were. Yes, we are still recognized as a place with a relatively stable economy that is safer than where they are coming from, but we are not the shining ideal to them that we still are in our imaginations.
Again Carl, you are lumping people who fear Trump into left-wing ideology and I don’t that is fair or accurate. People do not fear Trump because of his ideology. I have yet to figure out what that is. I don’t think anyone has.
If someone does not like what you wrote in one column, then they should scroll on down to the next one. Or if they don't like your columns in general, get off Substack. I don't quite see the problem.
I would say to that: If he continually has to have someone explain what he really meant to say, then perhaps politics and public speaking is not the field he should be working in. Go back to pouring concrete with your son.🙄
It is increasingly difficult for me to separate people who have voted for or will vote for Trump from people who actually believe what he believes.
I keep telling myself they have been duped. They can’t possibly be comprehending what he has been dog whistling about.
But he has put that whistle away. He is now saying the quiet part out loud. And I can draw no other conclusion, than that people who support him agree with him.
So until I see those Trump 2024 signs start to come down, until I no longer find myself surrounded by FJB bumper stickers on the Northway, I will remain what I am today. Which is terrified.
Someone in my town had a giant FJB flag (spelled out, not in euphemistic initials) in their yard where everyone could see it, including kids on the multiple school buses that passed by every day. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I heard people complained to the town supervisor and it was taken down and now it is in the garage where you only see it when the door is open. Baby steps, I suppose. But honestly, hating Joe Biden so intensely makes so little sense to me. It’s like hating dry white toast. It may not be your favorite, but if that’s what is served for breakfast, you can just eat it and bide your time till lunch, right?
Will Doolittle, you think you’re so smart! Well we’ll show you! Our opinion is just as good as your opinion, only it’s better because we’re the Moral Majority of this Christian nation and we defend life, unlike your cult of death and baby cannibalism. That’s why we will defend the Jewish state of Israel until Jesus comes back and wipes them all out because human life is sacred! And Jesus!
So keep your effete hands (yes I know the word effete, it’s the new slander against gay men now that our gay kids get mad at us for using ‘gay’ as a slur) off of our guns! We’re serious! We’re not pretentious wig and silk-knicker wearing grandiose etiquette-following 18th century politicians, stand your butt up and we’ll settle this now! In a cage match!
You are correct about your Trump/Hitler comments. Trump is taking the playbook (Mein Kamp) and using it. That said, I doubt he ever read it. Probably taking in information from WWII movies.
He is scapegoating, flag waving and Commie baiting, just like Hitler conned many of the German people. (Although he loves Putin, who is the epitome of a Communist) This all scares me more than I have ever been scared for our country. A presidential candidate who does not read and is urging his followers to ban books, and a Speaker of the House who believes the world is 3000 years old. Obviously, he never took a geology course in college, or he would know that the oil he wants us to keep using took longer than that to develop. Add to that a representative to the House who cannot tell right from wrong, and we have a very bad situation on our hands. I pray that people like Deb, wake up from their stupor and see the world for what it is. Love is much stronger than hate, so I have to believe that goodwill will win out in the end.
People like “Deb” are so scary! It is beyond my comprehension that anyone with a brain can support tRump! He is so out of control and so are many of his followers! I fear for my children and grandchildren.
I do think it is dangerous to compare extremes on each side. You need to look at what the vast majority believe the 60 to 80 percent in the middles. It is there that I find hope. Over the years, I regularly had those who identified as conservatives say they disagree with Democrats who believe in “open borders.” My experiences has been the vast majority of Democrats don’t believe in open borders either. These are all taking points to get people to demonize each other.
Of course, we don't actually have open borders. Conservatives seem to consider an "open border" any border that is not 100% shut; let no one at all in. Stefanik keeps calling these legal migrants applying for asylum "illegals". Claiming we're providing all of these services to illegals. Well, we;re not, they're legal. Object to the policy if you want, that's fair, but don't mischaracterize it. And while her constituents may not know, Stefanik does know she's lying when she calls them illegal. Back to the problem of how politicians like Stefanik divide us by pushing out misinformation.
Also, no cities were burned and no police executed, but why stop a little hyperbole.
Might as well point this out as well. Any crimes committed during BLM protests were not committed at the behest of Pelosi, Schumer or anyone else in the Democratic Party or that of the people who organized the protests.
As opposed to January 6th rioters who were invited there by Donald Trump as his last gasp at stopping Biden from becoming president after all his legal options had failed. Spectacularly.
We now know thanks to Jonathan Karl’s new book that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol that day because, he told Karl, he could stop them. A couple problems I see with that is that at that point I don’t believe they’d even broken in. Also, he went back to the WH and, for over 3 hours, did nothing but, I don’t know, eat KFC and watch his supporters rampage.
It’s nice to have the admission from him that they were under his control.
People immigrate without authorization because our immigration system is broken and both parties, for decades, have preferred to use it as a tool to bludgeon the other side rather than to actually sit down and hash out something that makes sense. People want to come here. We need immigrants not only to fill the many jobs that are going begging, but to live up to our ideals. They could find some way to fix it if it became politically necessary because voters stopped putting up with being played against each other.
I like people who believe in the rule of law, especially on the right. You're a dying breed. 8 USC 1158, Asylum, is one of the many US Codes I dealt with throughout my career as an Immigration Inspector, then Customs and Border Protection Officer. It didn't change during my career, and hadn't prior to that since it was codified. People arrive everyday without proper authorization. From experience, I would say a majority are Canadian, who are admitted without visa after a brief interview in their car at the port of entry. Most don't even get a stamp in their passport. I'm not saying that it's wrong, or results in a plethora of overstays as it did leading up to Reagan's amnesty, it's just the law. The law dealing with amnesty is different. Anyone encountered by any CBP or Border Patrol Officer at a national boundary (or it's functional equivalent), or anywhere within the Unites States can request asylum. It says so in the law. I now understand they can even do that from foreign through an app. When they do, they are processed as an asylum seeker. After checking to see whether they have a prior immigration history such as deportation, criminal history in the United States or their own country which would render them inadmissible without a waiver of inadmissibility, they are charged with a crime, normally INA 212(a)(7)(A)(i), intending immigrant without an immigrant visa. More or different charges could apply. They are assigned an asylum officer and scheduled to appear before an immigration judge, which during my last several years became TBD, to be determined. And that is where the bottleneck occurs. Asylum officers and more importantly immigration judges staffing immigration courts are the most understaffed and underfunded resource within the US government. People awaiting decision on their asylum claims are not waiting because they want to, they are waiting because they have to. I wouldn't be surprised if some claims I processed are still pending. This problem is created and exacerbated by government refusing to address the issue since the mid 1980s. The right loves to think a wall is the solution. That's because they can't legislate. They don't want to fund the solution to the problem, they need the problem. They need "illegal immigrants" (which doesn't include people who have filed asylum claims) to keep their base involved and frothing. Fear of the other has been the strategy against it since immigration in this and every other country on the planet began. Vermin fouling our blood fascist memes again find their way into the fold of political discussion. Some of them think that trafficking people under the guise of assisting them is a great way to own the libs; but is, by law, human trafficking. I see your point about seeing far more hate on the left. Of course you do, you're looking from the other side. Anything you see or hear about their views you consider wrong, but you don't see that people should be able to go about their daily lives enjoying the blessings of liberty written into the Constitution as you and I do, without being shot or suffocated during a traffic stop, while running away or sleeping in their beds. They don't get to go to school and learn, shop for groceries, worship in church or go to the movies without the possiblity of being shot. Old white men get to make their health care decisions for them. Their right to vote is constantly suppressed. That is what they have feared, and why they hate it. On one hand, we have people who are tired of living in fear and doing something about it; on the other, people who realize their fragile hold on the demography of the country is dwindling. Pat Buchanan tried to tell you.
The only executive distortion during my career was from the previous administration. You may recall that one of his first border policies, blocking entry of muslims, was found unconstitutional. Covid (Title 42) was due to a health emergency. In practice, any subject who claims asylum is processed in the same manner. Nothing about the process I described previously has changed about that at all. It's the same law, same process.
You stipulated "without prior authorization". Mexicans applying for entry at the southern border have either border crossing cards or some form of work authorization prior to arriving. During September 2023 in the Buffalo Field Office, 1.518.947 travelers arrived in the US by vehicle. 3.7 million total travelers by vehicle arrived in the US through the northern border nationwide. Most were Canadian, a small percentage with "prior authorization" to come to the border in the form of a visa, prior work or study authorization. This number is down from 2.2 million in August, and 2.1 million in July, 5.1 million nationally for both months.
This is why we have immigration courts, asylum officers and due process. And interesting summary can be found here for asylum cases. https://trac.syr.edu/immigration/reports/judge2022/
As I stated previously, it is heavily backlogged and needs more manpower and funding.
You spoke of "without prior authorization". By law, there is no such thing required for Canadians, or aslyum seekers. Your wish for it to be an illegal act simply isn't true, according to US law. Once processed, neither is illegal. One is admitted under a non-controlled status, the other is paroled awaiting their immigration trial.
Proud Boys were showing up to school board meetings. These were the terrorists threatening parents and teachers. This same group and others like it helped turn Jan 6 into the deadly riot it became. Must’ve watched the protests in Portland and said “hold my beer.”
Anti-government extremists were assassinating police officers. These aren’t lefties but much more aligned with white supremacists on the right.
Familiar with the Boogaloo Bois, Carl?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/23/texas-boogaloo-boi-minneapolis-police-building-george-floyd
In regards to the objections to mentioning the objectionable and increasingly unhinged utterances of the ex-POTUS, humanitarian and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel put it aptly: “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”
Persist, sir.
Perfect!
Of course he mocked the disabled reporter, just like a week or two ago he mocked Nancy Pelosi's 80+ year old husband who was attacked with a hammer. And like he mocked the Gold Star family. If the Debs of the world acknowledged these things happened, they might have to reconsider their support for Trump, so Deb will never believe any of these facts, no matter how many and how compelling.
His mocking the reporter was an all-time low. Unfortunately, it's a reel on my mind that won't go away. As for mentioning Trump and Bella's response, Trump can use a work like vermin to describe those he would root out, but a moment of levity is unacceptable. I happen to love dark humor. Thank you Bella.
I believe most supporters know what a terrible human being Trump is, but they have been led to believe that Democrats are so evil that they have no alternative. Not sure if that comes from Republican leaders, Fox News or what. I’ve always believed most people are moderate and belong to both parties. Perhaps the argument is that most Dems are not far left just most GOP are not far right. Although, some days it is hard to make that argument.
If logic ruled the day and you thought Trump is evil and Dems are worse, you would vote for neither. Which is what my hard core Republican Dad did with Trump on the ballot; he just could not vote Dem and could not vote Trump, so only voted the down ballot. Which is what quite a few Republicans did in 2020 and which is why Biden did well, but did not lift the down ballot, where the GOP surpassed expectations. (Except is places like Georgia, thanks to Trump).
You have a generous view of our fellow Americans. Me, I think some of the Debs refuse to believe how awful Trump is, but other Debs voted for him because they share his awfulness. Remember, Trump actively recruited and pandered to the white nationalist vote; he energized them and they helped put him over the line in 2016.
You may be right. I admit I may be too generous with that viewpoint.
On voting demographics, while many ‘traditional’ Republicans sat out divisive races Trump brought large numbers of people who previously were non-voters into the system. They may or may not have been registered Republicans previously, many were likely ‘independent’ or unaffiliated. While voter turnout in recent even year elections has been high across the board, those Trump voters have really changed the dynamic.
Clearly, Deb knows she is wrong in her support of Trump. She has her rationalization all scripted out and won’t allow what she really knows to be true. These Trump supporters lie to themselves in a way that resembles mental illness. Is this why they so often lash out violently? Clearly she knows he was ridiculing a disabled journalist.
And speaking of paying, I once pledged (or thought I did) a payment, but then there wasn't a link or anything to pay. So is there a way to donate? Giving Tuesday is coming up...
I believe the way The Front Page is set up now you can pledge $50 for a year subscription or $5 a month. It is a pledge. If we go to paying, then you will be asked to pay - including the original pledge. Will and I have both talked about going paid and will probably about it again soon. Right now it is our gift to the Debs of the world.
oh, ok, so the pledge is outstanding for now. That's what I was trying to figure out. I subscribe to Lake George Mirror for $50 a year, (but I get the print edition), so the price point lines up...this is digital only but more frequent.
And if you set yourselves up as a nonprofit, our donations could be tax deductible. Lawyers Alliance for NY helps people set up as a nonprofit very affordably. https://lawyersalliance.org/
This is an idea worthy of much consideration. I was dismayed when the Post Star was sold to Lee Enterprises about a decade ago instead of some attempt at an employee buyout and switch to a not-for-profit structure. Many of our small communities are now news deserts, and even Queensbury and Glens Falls have very limited coverage. But we do have a number of former reporters in the area who might benefit from a regular side hustle in a local non-profit news source.
As an FYI, Lee bought Howard Publication - the previous corporate owner - in 2002.
Apparently I lost a decade somewhere along the way…
Good column, Will. Keep exposing the hate - and the haters
Deb is representative of the angry hate-filled Trump supporters who enable him to continue to destroy any sense of decorum, morals, ethics, respect, professionalism (should I go on?) we had once appreciated from the people of the United States. He flipped the huge rock they were laying under and they all crawled out, thinking it was acceptable now to bully, demean and disrespect their fellow human beings. He is the Hitler of our generation. I have said it since he was initially elected and he has only proven that point more consistently thru the years. I pray daily that he never is elected again because we won't survive it as a nation.
I literally cried all night when he was elected. I was in a State of shock for days. I KNEW he would try to implement Hitlerian actions. No matter the people who kept saying--**But he has Jewish grandkids!**. I doubt he considers them, if he acknowledges them at all.
That feeling has not gone away, & I fear for not only my self & my Jewish family & friends but also for every OTHER group he has targeted.
Ever think that the child's MOTHER had a say in that? She maybe did not want her kid exposed to the kind of HATE your cult members show to all who are not considered MAGA. It's a shame that you hate the grown children just because of their parents, the small minor children should be COMPLETELY off limits-- just as Barron is.
Basket, meet deplorables.
President Biden didn’t “deny” his granddaughter by Hunter. Admittedly, he didn’t openly accept her either, but there’s a difference. He’s now accepted her, not that that’s going to stop you and the rest of the right from attacking him for it.
Hunter Biden obviously made a number of poor choices in his life which you must be very grateful for since they provide you with opportunities to attack his father.
You seem much more forgiving of the guy who was engaged in sex with a porn actress immediately following the birth of his youngest son. That’s on no one but Trump. I suppose to you he’s somehow being victimized if anyone brings it up.
How many abortions do you suppose Donald Trump has paid for? It surely doesn’t bother you or that little theocrat running the House now.
I truly never thought the American people could be fooled into repeating this horrific historical genocide. The only thing that keeps me sane is believing we won't let it happen.
The crazy thing is, he probably does love his grandchildren, in whatever warped way he is capable of. At the same time he views other people and their children and grandchildren as “vermin” to be “rooted out.” There is no cognitive dissonance for him in holding two standards because, being completely without empathy, he cannot translate his love for HIS family into a recognition of the love others have for theirs.
I’m not so sure about that.
Everybody he loves, he loves a far second to himself. Which is why his sister told the family not to let him speak at her funeral. She was upset that their father's funeral, he spoke only about himself, not their father.
Never heard that story.
Funeral coverage was in the NY Times the other day with a link to the earlier story about his problematic eulogy. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/17/style/trump-sister-funeral-maryanne-barry.html
I also cried the night he was elected. I still can’t believe it
I cried when Obama was elected, for very different reasons.
I think we would survive, though, it would take a super long time to heal the country. He would definitely try and stay an illegal third term if he were reelected and his GOP enablers would do nothing to stop the psychopath. But like someone else said, the man is 80, he'll be dead in a few years; there is that.
I would like to think that way but he has started a movement that others have adopted. If they make an example of him, maybe that will dampen that also. Here's hoping...
Deb appears to be exhibiting MAGA Republican thinking. If she doesn't like or agree with what you write, then you have no right to print, speak, or think it. You can ONLY print what SHE says or thinks. She has a lot of nerve! If she doesn't like what you say, that's fine, nothing wrong with disagreeing with someone. And if she doesn't
want to read your letters anymore, that's ok too. This IS a free country. But DON'T disrespect you or your opinion by trying to shove a traitor of this country down people's throats! Trump is a con man, thief, molester of women, and a liar! And everything that I just said is FACT, and has been proven in a court of law! We need less hateful people in this country like Deb. I'm sure Russia would LOVE to accommodate her!
There was a point early on where it felt like overreach to say folks like this woman are cultists. My sympathies to her and her family.
I’m not wishing for Donald Trump’s demise, but hey time waits for no one and all. It’s gonna be wild. No matter how he passes the conspiracy theories are going to be rampant. Just for Antonin Scalia there were rumors he was murdered. Probably by Hillary with a pillow in the bedroom.
The best part is going to be watching the GOP. Crazy as they are now that’s gonna be way worse. I’m not much of an historian, but I have some idea of what happened in England and Rome when a king or emperor died. Succession is going to real problem.
Lying about that election is the Original Sin and it’s going to haunt them. Along with the vermin stuff Trump’s been spouting he’s still making his minions swear he won. How about it, Mike Lawler and all the rest of the Republicans in Biden districts? Who won?
I just saw a couple of authors at a Writers Institute event in Albany for authors. One was Miles Taylor who worked closely with John Kelly in the Department of Homeland Security. He said he and his colleagues - including Gen. Kelly - found Trump to be incompetent and unfit for office. And it had nothing to do with his policies. He was the writer of the essay in the Times signed “Anonymous” which was big news at the time. The other author was Franklin Foer who was granted access to the West Wing for the first two years of the Biden presidency so he could write a book. He found both good and bad in Biden’s management style, but he indicated that Biden is still quite competent and engaged with all aspects of the job. So that is from two folks who saw things up close.
I just switched over to GOP so I can vote in the primary in NY21, since that election will decide my next congressional representative, at least this cycle.
I am also registered republican…so i can vote in the primary.
What we really need are open primaries and ranked choice voting (where when your preferred candidate is eliminated, you vote goes to your next choice- so if your preferred candidate doesn't have a snowball's chance, you aren't wasting your vote by voting for them first.0
It's not just the candidate, but the platform. Abortion rights is a huge deal (it will decide my vote next election)
“he won the election under the rules put in place”
That’s a real full-throated acceptance. 🙄
They were both facing the same rules and, in any case, thx to Bannon and Stone we know Trump was going to claim he was cheated no matter what.
It doesn’t matter that you think, subject to qualifications, that Biden won. What matters is that no congressional Republicans are allowed to say it.
And Biden even won under the skewed electoral college rule, which cost Clinton the election in 2016 even though she won the popular vote. Trump lost the popular vote a 2nd time in 2020 but this time also lost the electoral college. That is what had me surprised that his supporters couldn't believe he lost; most people didn't vote for him the first time, either, why should they be surprised even more people didn't want him the second go round?
Could you imagine if Trump had won the popular vote but lost the college? The assault on the Capitol would have been a hundred times worse.
Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary by 3 million and to Biden by 7 million so he’s truly getting less popular all the time.
I am sure **Deb** is NOT Native American, & therefore her ancestors, like mine & most other Americans, were immigrants. Seeking the much hyped **better life** for themselves & their families. She shames them, no matter what language they spoke when THEY arrived. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said-- **This is America. Now speak English**. The ratty old pickup with the failed inspection, no rearview &;assorted rust thrus tossed out two men-- as they walked past me, using a handicapped scooter, I said-- What language did YOUR ancestors speak when they got here? I know they heard me, as they turned to look-- but, cowards that these people are, they kept walking into Walmart. Ironic- these are the same sort who rail against China but spend a lot of time shopping at a place where much that is sold is-- Made In China!!
Just this week I had an interaction with a pharmacist who HUNG UP on an insurance rep who was off shore, but spoke very good & understandable English. His comment to her? I won't speak to you until you learn English, this is America. (I am sure his Tagalog is perfect!)
Needless to say-- THESE are the people supporting the orange spackled monster. I shouldn't have to apologize to my insurance helper for the rudeness & right wing bigotry she experienced while doing her job. These same people often screech that NO ONE BUT THEM HAVE JOBS-- according to them, no **Libtards or Lefties** have jobs! Yet- here is a person, with no political agenda, trying to help me straighten out a medication issue being told off because the bigot saw his opportunity to downgrade & demean, based on- an accent.
These are the people we need to educate & defeat at the ballot box IF we are to continue to fulfill the vision this country was founded on. The people that hate everthing- including our own Congress Rep Seditious StefaniQ-- her pal Deb, the bigoted pharmacist & Rusty Truck Guys-- have turned themselves into the enemies of democracy & decency.
Show them the door in '24.
That is a snappy retort, but not an accurate representation. The European settlers did not join and participate in the Native American culture and economy, but removed them and subjugated the survivors. The immigrants that come to America now are coming to join us because they want what America promises: a chance to live free, work hard, and make a better life for their children. We used to be proud to call ourselves a melting pot, where people of all different cultures can live together and get along. Immigration used to be our strength. Why did the MAGA folks turn away from that? Is it because the immigrants now tend to be non-European? Then shame on them. That is racism plain and simple.
I think many Americans would be surprised to learn that people around the world no longer see America as a beacon of promise in the way we once were. Yes, we are still recognized as a place with a relatively stable economy that is safer than where they are coming from, but we are not the shining ideal to them that we still are in our imaginations.
Liberal democracy IS the shining light.
Again Carl, you are lumping people who fear Trump into left-wing ideology and I don’t that is fair or accurate. People do not fear Trump because of his ideology. I have yet to figure out what that is. I don’t think anyone has.
Yes, alas, our feet of clay have been exposed…
I hope you have found a new pharmacist.
I've heard the quotes, heard from those who deny the reference to the Nazi leader, and I could not disagree more. The demigodery is clear.
If someone does not like what you wrote in one column, then they should scroll on down to the next one. Or if they don't like your columns in general, get off Substack. I don't quite see the problem.
Exactly.
His Nazi roots are showing. Lately Stephen Miller has been making the "what he really mean to say" tour, trying to cover up their skin head beliefs.
I would say to that: If he continually has to have someone explain what he really meant to say, then perhaps politics and public speaking is not the field he should be working in. Go back to pouring concrete with your son.🙄
It is increasingly difficult for me to separate people who have voted for or will vote for Trump from people who actually believe what he believes.
I keep telling myself they have been duped. They can’t possibly be comprehending what he has been dog whistling about.
But he has put that whistle away. He is now saying the quiet part out loud. And I can draw no other conclusion, than that people who support him agree with him.
So until I see those Trump 2024 signs start to come down, until I no longer find myself surrounded by FJB bumper stickers on the Northway, I will remain what I am today. Which is terrified.
These people are my neighbors.
.
The kind of people with those giant FJB signs are scary.
Someone in my town had a giant FJB flag (spelled out, not in euphemistic initials) in their yard where everyone could see it, including kids on the multiple school buses that passed by every day. I don’t know exactly what happened, but I heard people complained to the town supervisor and it was taken down and now it is in the garage where you only see it when the door is open. Baby steps, I suppose. But honestly, hating Joe Biden so intensely makes so little sense to me. It’s like hating dry white toast. It may not be your favorite, but if that’s what is served for breakfast, you can just eat it and bide your time till lunch, right?
Will Doolittle, you think you’re so smart! Well we’ll show you! Our opinion is just as good as your opinion, only it’s better because we’re the Moral Majority of this Christian nation and we defend life, unlike your cult of death and baby cannibalism. That’s why we will defend the Jewish state of Israel until Jesus comes back and wipes them all out because human life is sacred! And Jesus!
So keep your effete hands (yes I know the word effete, it’s the new slander against gay men now that our gay kids get mad at us for using ‘gay’ as a slur) off of our guns! We’re serious! We’re not pretentious wig and silk-knicker wearing grandiose etiquette-following 18th century politicians, stand your butt up and we’ll settle this now! In a cage match!
Trump Derangement Syndrome, that’s your problem!
You are correct about your Trump/Hitler comments. Trump is taking the playbook (Mein Kamp) and using it. That said, I doubt he ever read it. Probably taking in information from WWII movies.
He is scapegoating, flag waving and Commie baiting, just like Hitler conned many of the German people. (Although he loves Putin, who is the epitome of a Communist) This all scares me more than I have ever been scared for our country. A presidential candidate who does not read and is urging his followers to ban books, and a Speaker of the House who believes the world is 3000 years old. Obviously, he never took a geology course in college, or he would know that the oil he wants us to keep using took longer than that to develop. Add to that a representative to the House who cannot tell right from wrong, and we have a very bad situation on our hands. I pray that people like Deb, wake up from their stupor and see the world for what it is. Love is much stronger than hate, so I have to believe that goodwill will win out in the end.
People like “Deb” are so scary! It is beyond my comprehension that anyone with a brain can support tRump! He is so out of control and so are many of his followers! I fear for my children and grandchildren.