Just a small reminder from me that even though we don’t win every election-related effort we support, the things we do win can have a huge impact in the future.
Remember, in 2022 we focused on Arizona in multiple ways. Four Directions, Worker Power. Critical races that we called “Election Protection” – governor, secretary of state, attorney general.
So before we pick back up on the active fundraising for The Civics Center tomorrow, I want to share this timely reminder from our friends at Worker Power.
If Kari Lake had won in 2022, last week would’ve been a nightmare for working families across Arizona.
Instead, thanks to supporters like you who helped us turn out the vote and elect Katie Hobbs, 87 dangerous bills pushed by extremist Republicans were vetoed.
Here’s just a sampling of the bad legislation that would have become law if we hadn’t elected Gov. Hobbs:
🚫 Cuts to unemployment benefits
🚫 New barriers to food assistance for struggling families
🚫 Protections for politicians who refuse to certify elections and bans on voting centers
🚫 Anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ legislation
These harmful bills were stopped because, in 2022, Worker Power mobilized over 400 canvassers who knocked on more than 600,000 doors across the state to help elect Katie Hobbs and stop Trump’s favorite, Kari Lake.
Our dollars surely saved lives as well as helping to build a firewall against the firestorm we are in now.
Open thread.
Open Thread (and Saturday Afternoon Ohio Meetup Reminder)
Baud
Thanks for the necessary reminder about the importance of harm prevention.
No One of Consequence
Baud Johnson is right!
WaterGirl is to be praised for posting results and/of positive impact.
Now quick, someone get on the authentic frontier gibberish.
-NOoC
Omnes Omnibus
Mitigation or reduction of harm has always been my argument against “both sides” arguments. Sometimes you really don’t have a good choice, but one side is always worse. Act on that.
bbleh
Hundreds of thousands of cheers for all the efforts — organizing, pestering, protesting, and donating!
And an excellent reminder of the important of STATE-level races, which I think generally are underappreciated and undersubscribed, but where a little can go a LONG way and which can make as much of a difference in people’s lives as national races.
KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))
@bbleh: Hear hear! (here here? Boo homonyms) State races are as, if not more, important as national races. And as a bonus, they can have a huge effect on national races down the road.
Joseph Patrick Lurker
@by WaterGirl
What’s the current status of your Alternative Media Sources project?
You discussed this project in these previous posts:
Picking Up Where We Left Off, With a Twist
March 19, 2025
https://balloon-juice.com/2025/03/19/picking-up-where-we-left-off-with-a-twist
Picking Up from Yesterday (News Sources)
March 20, 2025
https://balloon-juice.com/2025/03/20/picking-up-from-yesterday-news-sources
Nominations for Alternative Information Sources (Last Call)
March 21, 2025
https://balloon-juice.com/2025/03/21/nominations-for-alternative-information-sources-last-call
When were you planning to add this list to the sidebar of the Balloon Juice homepage?
Captain C
@Omnes Omnibus: Generally if you vote for the lesser evil you get less evil! Sometimes this makes the difference between a salvageable situation and one which is lost.
Also, I’m starting to hear “I refuse to vote for just the lesser evil!” as “It’s all about me!”
Steve LaBonne
It’s baaack! The House budget revives the attempt to give Trump the power to strip the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit he doesn’t like.
Steve LaBonne
@Captain C: It’s always been that. Voting as consumer choice rather than responsible citizenship.
H.E.Wolf
Hooray for Worker Power’s canvassers! And for all of the folks here who’ve donated to their efforts.
And most of all, thanks to WaterGirl for making it all happen, and keeping us informed before, during, and after.
JML
@Captain C: yeah, there’s frequently a lot of privilege wrapped up in the people arguing against voting for harm reduction. They want the aspirational candidates with big dreams and pure hearts that will inspire wonderfulness…and that’s fine and all, but taking the matches and gasoline away from the arsonists matters too. I’m simply not willing to throw millions of people under the bus for what could be years while we hope for a “backlash” that will lead to theoretical utopian awesomeness…
Steve LaBonne
@JML: …which actually never happens in the real world.
Jeffro
It’s good to make some hay about all the bad shit voters avoid by NOT electing Republicans!
rikyrah
Art Candee 🍿🥤
@ArtCandee
It’s not just Elon Musk that went to meet MBS and the government in Saudi Arabia.
The CEOs of BlackRock, IBM, Amazon, Boeing, Google, Palantir, Halliburton, and more attended with Donald Trump.
Donald Trump froze the enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, so I’m sure they’re all thrilled they can bribe the Saudis now to do business with them.
If this happened under Biden, MAGA would be screeching for years.
https://x.com/ArtCandee/status/1922284277623882159
Jeffro
I’m certain we can get this down to bumper-sticker size in time for 2026 =)
Excellent point.
Also means thousands fewer lives lost to (insert dumb MAGA policy here)
rikyrah
Magdi Jacobs (@magi_jay) posted at 8:57 AM on Wed, May 14, 2025:
Here are some things we know from empirical research:
-Voters already view Dems are more feminine/weak & Republicans as more masculine/strong.
-Voters view people of color as more left-wing (radical) than they actually are
These + other factors: Kamala gets dinged harder
(https://x.com/magi_jay/status/1922652601423696007?t=uk5mvTjB2–JdIItkZeLXw&s=03)
Magdi Jacobs (@magi_jay) posted at 9:02 AM on Wed, May 14, 2025:
I also think the fact that KH is a woman of mixed *non-white* ethnic background may have activated both subtle biases & outright bigotry against her in ways that deserve to be examined. Easier to paint her ideas as both ~dangerous & unknowable~. I’m doing research on this now.
(https://x.com/magi_jay/status/1922653765343056261?t=rg-c4rWd_qsIOupP49wQKw&s=03)
rikyrah
Chuck Rocha (@ChuckRocha) posted at 9:00 AM on Wed, May 14, 2025:
What nobody is talking about is how every one of these Sr. Biden/Harris Democratic consultants are currently working for every major Democratic presidential campaign for 2028 and every top Dem Senate and governors race. There’s absolutely no accountability in Dem political
(https://x.com/ChuckRocha/status/1922653193344795095?t=IAV2SsJZai1qzMTPAnchwA&s=03)
rikyrah
Ron Smith (@Ronxyz00) posted at 5:37 AM on Wed, May 14, 2025:
Fox News hosts are working so hard to justify Trump’s blatant from of corruption.
“I think we would be crazy not to accept the plane. I think people have been watching too many spy movies… I think it’s totally okay. We have been gifting the world for decades. It feels good to https://t.co/1YO6UQX97v
(https://x.com/Ronxyz00/status/1922602049700528386?s=03)
rikyrah
uh huh
uh huh
Tim![]()
(@trouble_man90) posted at 3:34 PM on Tue, May 13, 2025:
So CNN covers Biden unfairly for years, engaged in the months long pile on to overthrow him, and then one of their leading anchors has an anti-Biden book come out just a few months after he leaves office?? Am I understanding this correctly??
(https://x.com/trouble_man90/status/1922389999003021795?t=hA6ACSAjFDFEOyx0myT9bA&s=03)
Jackie
Such a good reminder during these fraught times.
Good post, WaterGirl!
Jeffro
cool, cool…then let’s have a vote of Congress on it, shall we?
Jackie
CNN reports:
That’s rich, coming from YOU, Tulsi.
West of the Rockies
I really appreciate the reminder that our efforts make a difference.
But a dark question: are we having any effect in Florida? I hope so. Seems like a lot of money and hope flow down that way. Is it proving effective? (I’m asking in earnest, and am hoping the answer is yes).
Jeffro
Good piece today from Jamelle Bouie: trump is who they were waiting for
(gift link)
Captain C
@Jackie:
She can start by looking in the mirror and then doing the honorable thing.
oldgold
The corruption is unbelievable.
Ghost of Joe Lebling’s Dog.
@Joseph Patrick Lurker:
You left out the demand for the five bullet points covering what — if anything — was accomplished last week. Probably ought to check your template.
WaterGirl
@Joseph Patrick Lurker: I totally suck. I have all those threads open so I can pick up where I left off. This is like getting your tax stuff together – you spend more time dreading it and thinking you need to do it than it actually takes to do it.
I’ll have my house back in less than a week, and I will make it a priority then.
Melancholy Jaques
@Omnes Omnibus:
Every time one of those “both sides” or third party curious people tells me “I’m tired of voting for the lesser of two evils” I say, I will always vote for less evil, why don’t you?
The Audacity of Krope
@Jeffro: You would expect people who obsess over WW2 documentaries to be able to spot a Nazi, and yet…
Almost Retired
@West of the Rockies: We supported Ground Game in the Florida special elections last month – they registered and turned out voters. One of the races (Mike Waltz’ seat) was close enough to rattle Trump and led in part to Waltz’ ouster as National Security Advisor.
WaterGirl
@Almost Retired: Yes! It led the orange monster to pull the nomination of the person who was going to vacate the House seat in NY.
Lose your leadership position in the House. check
Lose the nomination for the cabinet. check
Get a token fake leadership position in the House. check
Belafon
@rikyrah: Which Democratic 2028 campaigns?
Joseph Patrick Lurker
@Ghost of Joe Lebling’s Dog.:
It was not a demand; it was simply an inquiry concerning a subject of great importance to me.
As Trump and his allies flood the zone with larger volumes of disinformation, I want to identify new reputable sources I can consult to counter this unprecdented tsunami of bullshit.
cain
JFC, I can’t believe we have to endure all this for 4 years. I have no idea what is going to happen after 2 or even 4 years with this mal-administration in charge.
Geminid
@WaterGirl: I liked how New Yorker Tom Watson (guitarwatson.bsky.social) put it, after Trump picked Waltz for the UN post:
Ed. The UN Ambassador job comes with a very deluxe apartment.
Belafon
@Jackie: How to tell people that when someone launches a successful attack on America because Trump and Co have weakened our national security, they will use it as an excuse to go full fascist.
Trollhattan
Okay Jan.
Joseph Patrick Lurker
@WaterGirl:
Thanks, I look forward to the fruits of your labor as well as the multitude of jackals who offered their suggestions.
prostratedragon
@rikyrah:
As mentioned recently on this blog, not a spy movie:
Captain C
@JML:
Backlash which conveniently falls on someone else, not the person who essentially voted for it.
Harrison Wesley
@Trollhattan: Did he specify which one – vaccine, child, or measles?
prostratedragon
Putting it out there:
West of the Rockies
@Almost Retired:
Okay, good to hear. Sometimes Florida seems like a sinkhole. But it won’t ever not be without our trying. Maybe more failure than success, but gotta start somewhere.
Geminid
@prostratedragon: There were credible reports that Turkiye’s intelligence agency M.I.T. bugged Saudi Arabia’s Consulate in Istanbul and in October of 2018, they listened to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in real time. They couldn’t stop it, but they let allied intelligence agencies listen to the tapes afterwards.
Jackie
Perfect state for the “suppressed” Afrikaner refugees: The White state of KKKdaho!
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@prostratedragon: How is this for a conspiracy theory; there is a story Trump let in the families of one the big drug cartels with the South Africans, want to bet these masked ICE agents are imposters, Trump was bribed by this cartel to let them take out their rivals.
Allen Henderson
Keep meaning to boost signal on a friend’s idea. In an era of increased facial recognition software, he suggested that we protest in mesh masks that have DOGE/Admin/Clearview faces printed on them. Confounds the software while flagging exactly the correct wrong person.
References:
1. Why to consider wearing a mask to protests.
2. Whose face to print on it.
3. One place where you can buy one.
No idea how many jackals will see this; I’ll repost occasionally.
Harrison Wesley
@Jackie: Definitely a state I won’t regret having missed on my travels.
ExPatExDem
@Jackie: Idaho is the South of the North.
Trollhattan
@Jackie:
Having been to Twin Falls, can confirm they’ll blend right in. Hope they’re prepared to swim among the Mormons, as SE Idaho is basically Alta Utah.
Them nazis like the Panhandle.
sab
@Jackie: Idaho has real winters, and no coast. That should be fun for South Africans.
Baud
@sab:
And bears!
prostratedragon
@Geminid: Oh, I do remember hearing that, as one reason to know that atrocity really happened. Again, not a spy movie. (As if all movies are mere fantasies.)
Timill
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: I’m sure at least some of the “ICE Agents” are nothing of the sort, but are Proud Boys and similar.
Of course they could be both…
Only way to tell is to shoot them first and ask questions after.
Redshift
@Captain C:
“Politicization” has the same meaning as “bias” and other conservative scare words – anyone/anything that doesn’t enthusiastically support the party line.
prostratedragon
@Baud: You brighten my day!
Jackie
@Harrison Wesley:
@ExPatExDem:
@sab:
I live in southeastern WA. Idaho is toooo close!
suzanne
@Geminid:
Very few people deserve it more. LAWL.
jowriter
@prostratedragon: Yes. This whole unidentified masked supposed ICE person is making me crazy. Who in the actual F are these people? And, has anyone noticed, these goons are doing their dirty work predominantly in blue states, or blue areas of red states. I am almost at the point of not looking at Bluesky either. Between these reports of “ICE”–I mean, who knows at this point who they are–and the general “Democrats are weak and have to do something” tenor of many comments there, I just am sick of blocking people who don’t understand–Thank you, Omnes–less bad outcomes beat the alternative, and throw every Democrat under the bus. Today is a despair day for me and I have to go hide under the bed or something.
Trollhattan
You’ll be happy you got out of bed today once you learn this Idaho fact.
jowriter
@suzanne: This comment brightens my day. She is completely horrible and Harvard should be ashamed that she is an alum.
Harrison Wesley
@Trollhattan: That doesn’t sound very inviting.
jowriter
@Trollhattan: I will never visit that state. A good friend rented a condo in Idaho while she and her SO were trying to get a house built in Wyoming. Her experiences tell me that despite any beauty it may have–and the West is so beautiful in so many places–the hate overrides everything.
Gvg
@Jeffro: they don’t spend much if any time worshiping the founders. They spend oodles of time praising the southern rebel generals of the civil war. The traitor side.
Don’t mistake who they are or fail to notice what history doesn’t get brought up all the time. They may make vague statements about the founders but few are ever specific about events, dates or names because they don’t know. It was left behind decades ago.
A few of them do still bring it up, not many. Some of them are terribly wrong or liars and the masses still don’t find it interesting.
rikyrah
CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP
Acyn
@Acyn
Swalwell to Noem: I’m a former prosecutor. I have put people away for life sentences who are gang members. I don’t need to wear costumes to show how tough I am. What makes me different from you is when I put those people away, I did it with the weight of the law behind me
https://x.com/Acyn/status/1922669118232113388
Geminid
@prostratedragon: Speaking of movies, from Syian American Hassan I Hassan:
Hassan include four pictures with this post; two from Ahmad al-Sharaa’s meeting today in Riyadh, one of a young al-Sharaa with a dozen jihadis, and one of a downcast prisoner al-Sharaa.
I read that al-Sharaa was born in Riyadh. His Syrian parents raised him in Damascus. Al-Sharaa might have gone to college, but instead he went to Iraq to fight the Yankee invaders.
rikyrah
Erik Uebelacker
@Uebey
Reuters reporting that the FBI will start devoting a third (!) of its time on immigration cases.
“Pursuing white-collar cases, they were told, will be deprioritized for at least the remainder of 2025…”
https://x.com/Uebey/status/1922327222397858032
UncleEbeneezer
@JML: The ballot count doesn’t give a F what your very principled reason for not voting was (obviously I don’t mean you). Anyone who doesn’t vote because the candidate isn’t to their liking, whether it’s because they are privileged or because they are oppressed, does the same amount of damage and has the same blood on their hands for that bullshit. As the social justice saying goes: intent is not magic. All the assholes who refused to Kamala for whatever principled, Progressive reasons, threw us all under the bus just as hard as the MAGA assholes and everyone else who didn’t bother to vote. Whether their reason was Gaza, Student Loans, whatever…it doesn’t matter. The vote tally doesn’t care about anyone’s motivations.
Jackie
@rikyrah:
Of course! FFOTUS will pardon them anyway, so why bother…
suzanne
@jowriter: I am not above enjoying when terrible people suffer. (I’m an asshole.)
Insert gif of Michael Jackson eating popcorn here.
jowriter
@suzanne: I am never sad when the karma police pay a visit to someone deserving of their wrath. I find it satisfying, and don’t consider myself an asshole for appreciating the little spark of joy it gives me.
Belafon
@jowriter: The hilarious part is that Trump recognizes that she has less influence than Loomer.
ExPatExDem
@Geminid: More like a script written in Langley.
jonas
@cain: And it was just because groceries had gotten expensive. We blew it all up in hopes of getting back to a $2.99/doz carton of eggs.
At least the Germans had gone through losing a war, a decade of hyperinflation, political violence, and the start of the Great Depression before opening the door to the Nazis. All it took for Americans to do the same was getting pissed their morning donut and joe at Dunkin’ was a $1 more than it used to be. Oh, and Hitler hadn’t even been chancellor previously and fucked everything up.
Geminid
@prostratedragon: Hassan I. Hassan is editor of the excellent New Lines Magazine. They published an article today about the Venezuelans trapped in El Salvadoran prisons after being deported from the US:
The article leads with a photo of prisoners’ relatives holding signs at a Caracas demonstration. Link:
https://www.newlinesmag.com/reportage/they-wanted-a-better-future-in-the-us-now-they-are-jailed-in-el-salvador/
The article begins:
Aguilera’s son called her from a detention center in Texas, where he’d been since ICE agents detained him the previous month at his home in Lewisville (outside Dallas-Fort Worth). He’d been living with his Venezuelan partner and their son, who was born in the US June of last year.
@Geminid:
rikyrah
@jowriter:
UH HUH
UH HUH
Geminid
@ExPatExDem: No need to be cryptic; you can say what you believe about Ahmad al-Sharaa. That is, if you really believe it.
ExPatExDem
@Geminid: That he’s a head chopping CIA asset? Okay.
WTFGhost
@Jackie: One thing that people don’t understand, is, when a well run organization is under attack, it responds, and if you beat the responsiveness out of it, you beat the “well run”-ness out of it.
Which raises an interesting point. Is Gabbard so stupid, she doesn’t realize that she really is the one trying to politicize intelligence? That’s what’s dangerous – if she remembered that she was in on the con from the beginning, and intel wasn’t politicized, she could raise a ruckus, and do nothing. But if she’s stupid enough she’s forgotten, she’s definitely going to beat all the well-run out of things.
@West of the Rockies: I don’t know how much I’d invest in Florida elections, but I’d like to see an effective Florida Democratic Party, because Florida is going to collapse, and it will be obvious that the Republicans done effed the arfer, and you want Democrats who are both mature and well groomed (politically speaking, but remember HOT MUGGY in the summer, trowel on the anti-p)ready to step in.
WTFGhost
@prostratedragon: Reading goddamned DISCWORLD would tell you, an arresting officer should be clearly identifiable, in case of wrongdoing on the part of the arresting officer; the arresting agency should be clearly identified; and the location of incarceration should be clearly identified, all to protect the rights of the accused, and the integrity of the department. Sam Vimes would walk out in disgust at the sight of these mob actions, but only because he wasn’t lawfully authorized to crack skulls (metaphorically speaking – no actual cracking should occur).
Geminid
@ExPatExDem: I’ve noticed a lot of people who are mad at the President of Syria because he won’t fight their wars for them. They are very disappointed that Ahmad al-Sharaa cares more for the interests of the Syrian people than he hates the State of Israel.
Belafon
@WTFGhost: Telling Trump he’s wrong is playing politics according to them.
ExPatExDem
@Geminid: Any thoughts on his compatriots’ recent slaughter of Alawites, Druze, and Christians? Or does he get a mulligan for that?
Jay
@Geminid:
Are these the same Tankies who were denying Assad’s chemical weapons attacks and claimed the White Helmets were crisis actors?
JML
@UncleEbeneezer: That’s an outstanding point about how the ballot count doesn’t care about intent.
I suspect that few people consider it in those terms.
ExPatExDem
@Jay: Right. Who could have any good faith doubts about the intentions of a man now relying on the good character endorsement of Prince Bonesaw of Saudi Arabia.
prostratedragon
@Trollhattan:
Ever just have to find out something? Seems the county nsme comes from a case of Hawaians who went missing back in the day. Yet more proof that prople everywhere have been moving around for a long time.
Jay
@ExPatExDem:
DJTdiot?
Or are you commenting on Sec. Bessent bowing, scraping and shaking the hands of the family who’s terrorists killed 648 of his own employees including his own brother?
Geminid
@ExPatExDem: I followed those tragic events, and I also followed the disinformation campaign that exaggerated them with the goal of isolating and discrediting al-Sharaa and his government. Fortunately, it did not work.
Baud
Be careful, Mass peeps
Trollhattan
@prostratedragon:
DID not know that despite growing up one state west. Sammich County would also be an acceptable name, in my book. County seat, Reuben?
Trollhattan
@Baud:
Does “obstructing” include grabbing that sweet parking spot right in front of the raid location? Been to Boston and I know how hard those are to get.
Jay
@Geminid:
A Civil War that lasted 13 years, with mass atrocities by almost all sides, and hundreds of factions, before it ended, is not going to suddenly result in a mass out break of singing kumbaya.
Belafon
@Trollhattan: It probably includes standing across the street and watching.
Everyone in MA needs to wear masks.
Geminid
@ExPatExDem: Don’t forget Turkish President R.T. Erdogan. He also put in a good word for al-Sharaa with his friend..
But Erdogan and bin Salman want a peaceful and stable region because their people live there. They don’t have the privilege of Western keyboard warriors, who encourage others to fight their causes for them from their own positions of safety.
prostratedragon
@WTFGhost: Had a couple of rough encounters recently with what should have been learned from history in one case, and from historical fiction in another. The former was a summary of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust, which necessarily reminds us how unbelievably barbaric that was. The other was The Ox-Bow Incident movie from 1942, in which one of the most determined lynchers was a ridiculous character who, 20 years after the Civil War ended, built himself a house out West that looked like Tara and dressed up in his Confederate uniform for the formal rite of hanging three hapless men. Tonight I might watch basketball.
Matt McIrvin
@oldgold: sing it: “When you believe in things that you don’t understand, you suffer…”
Geminid
@Jay: Yes, there’s a lot of bad blood and scores to settle. Considering that Syria is the size of Florida with a similar populstion of 25 million, and was awash in weapons of war when Assad fell, I think al-Sharaa has done well limiting bloodshed.
And this stupid Israeli government has been trying to bait him into a fight since the New Year. Al-Sharaa wouldn’t bite though, and that is what many of his detractors hold against him
But for some reason, the Israelis seemed to have backed off. Their clueless Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar has been talking up Syrian stability lately. He was singing a very different tune a few weeks ago. I thought this was one good thing about Trump backing Al-Sharaa. There were people in his administration who wanted to encourage Israel’s troublemaking.
Matt McIrvin
@Belafon: MA actually has an old unenforced law on the books that could be interpreted as a mask ban (I think it’s technically a law against disguise for purposes of concealing identity), so there’s the possibility of someone trying to enforce that. State law though.
I masked up for the April 6 protest, didn’t do it in May.
Matt McIrvin
@prostratedragon: I looked that up after going to Boise and seeing the name “Owyhee” everywhere. It is, in fact, an old spelling of “Hawaii”.
Belafon
@oldgold: I might actually die if Trumpcoin destroys all of the other cryptocurrencies.
Matt McIrvin
@WTFGhost: Also, to prevent easy impersonation of an officer. At this point, any random mobster could claim to be ICE and start snatching people off the street without resistance if people think the law is going to come down hard on them. All you need is to dress like a bum with a neck gaiter.
sab
@Jackie: But wasn’t the movie Napolean Dynamite set in Idaho?
Idaho. I have been there on business ( yes, really) and my recollection it is very white (plus hispanics), very conservative and very LDS (Mormon.)
Also too very barren. Dry, so all the trees are planted and carefully nurtured, not like trees in Ohio that are almost weedlike in their profusion.
The Twin Falls Airport handles baggage by hand on wheeled racks. No such thing as a baggage carousel. Very 1950s.
These South Africans seem to be British not Boer (Boer being sort of Dutch farmers.)
I won’t say I wish them well, but they and most Idahoans deserve each other. Just keep them out of Nevada and California.
Jay
@Matt McIrvin:
There was a comment earlier, with a link to a website. They sell mesh masks, and over printed mesh masks, to confuse facial recognition software. They suggested getting a mesh mask with one of DJTdiot’s mobsters face printed on it.
Rep. Julie Johnson to Noem: “Are you aware that ICE agent jackets are available on Etsy for $20? Anybody can throw a mask on and run around and terrorize people of color without any regard for the law because your agency does not have proper protocols to make sure your agents are clearly identified”
Jay
@sab:
They are soutpeils, “salt dicks”. One foot formerly in South Africa, one foot in the Atlantic. They moved from Britain and Commonwealth to make money off Apartheid and it’s slavery.
Felon Husk’s people.
Jay
sab
@Jay: That is what I thought. No loyalty to anywhere except to themselves and their race.
sab
@Jay: Green cards apparently mean nothing anymore in America. Also too, law means nothing anymore in America. First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Amendment mean nothing.
Unidentified thugs in masks can grab people off the street and spirit them away, and anyone complaining or protesting or resisting is “obstructing law enforcement.” What law is being enforced?
Jay
@sab:
It’s not even to their race. Most of the “farmer killings” are white on white violence. One of the most notorious cases was a wife, hiring an ex-Police Officer to kill her husband and all the farmhands, so she would get everything.
It’s not Zimbabwe.
sab
@Jay: Do they realize Idaho does still have white on white law enforcement?
ETA And Mormons are very law abiding.
Jay
Jay
@sab:
I don’t think they got to pick where they get resettled, other wise it would probably be close to the 90210 code.
I am guessing Steven Miller asked Grok which county in the US, had the most neo-Nazis.
sab
@Jay: Yes! I believe that and hope it is true. Can we keep them there?
ETA I keep forgetting you are not us, just a previously friendly foreign neighbor.
Jay
@sab:
They won’t last one winter. They aren’t “farmers”, they are lifestyle coaches and a wanna be “influencer”. Soft pasty white nepo babies, surviving off privledge their parents and grandparents stole.
Jay
@sab:
We are still friendly to the “right type” of Americans. We just had two gay nurses from TexASS get fast tracked through their quals and move to Nanaimo. They start at the hospital next week.
They accepted an invite in Feb to come to a picnic/festival in Nanaimo for Americans to visit, came up, and were amazed that they could kiss and hold hands in public with out anybody screaming death threats at them or even paying attention.
Once locals heard they were nurses, they were told about the nursing shortage, the fast track program, given a tour of the hospital, ( which they thought was better staffed and equipped than the ones they worked in).
And here they are, for the next 5 years with options to extend or become citizens.
And I class Nanaimo as more than a bit “redneck” as far as BC towns go.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Jay:
What if they hadn’t have been nurses? What if they worked in other fields that weren’t as in demand in Canada?
sab
@Jay: That makes me so happy. I love my country, but I want us happy in our lives wherever. If my country chooses to run off its best, then I wish the best happiness wherever they land.
ETA My great grandmother was from Ontario, wanted to be a nurse in the late 19th century, and couldn’t find training in Canada, so she went to the US and lived the rest of her life here.
Jay
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Canada is built on Immigration. Our “lesser” demand areas rely on Temporary Foreign Workers and Foreign Students who are supposed to be working part time.
There are many paths here.
The easiest is to get hired by a Canadian Company. They do all the paperwork and some, even retail, will jump through the hoops just to not have to deal with a staff change over every 6 months.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Jay:
But I assume that’s not very common. Why would a Canadian retail company go through such trouble to recruit an American for an entry-level position that does not require a university degree, which I basically work, when they could hire a Canadian citizen?
Like I’m glad those two women got that opportunity, but how many other vulnerable people aren’t so fortunate, y’know? It all comes back to, “What can you do for me so you’re not a drain?” and the haves and have-nots.
ETA: And to be clear, every country is like this, so I’m not just picking on Canada
Jay
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Back in the day, the Tech Company I worked for at the time, got fed up with having to send me down to Milwaukee to fix stuff on short term visas.
The issue was, every time we hired somebody in the US to do “the job”, they either quit in frustration, used the new job title to take a “better” job, ( that was subjective), or screwed everything up.
So they got me an H1B. 3 weeks in Milwaukee, working 7-5pm, then doing Vancouver stuff until 9pm Milwaukee time, ( I still had job responsibilities in Vancouver), one week in Vancouver, working part time.
Did that for three years while the “job search” went on.
They offered me the job. Big pay raise, golden health care, moving expenses, subsidized living accommodations and pension, Green Card. I asked T if she would come with me, she said no. She had already been a Trophy Wife for a Prestigious Software Genius, in the US. He never followed through with anything.
So I passed.
They made the same offer to a co-worker, He said yes. His wife said yes.
Another way, probably the easiest, is just “just come North”.
Our Immigration Services deports about 16,000 people a year, out of the 520,000 “undocumented” living here, all pretty much for criming, and even that takes over a year. Get a job in a community, embed yourself in the community.
You will need a SIN number, it’s XXX-XXX-XXX. For my age, it start’s with a 7, your age, an 8.
If you get caught, and you are a good, upstanding member of the Community, even your local MP and MLA will fight for you to stay.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Jay:
I don’t want to be an illegal immigrant. I’ve seen how they get treated and I have no confidence the conditions and disposition of the government/public of Canada (or any other similar country) would stay that way going forward with all of the dislocations likely to happen in the future. They’ve already been restricting legal immigration. I don’t want to have to be constantly looking over my damn shoulder or be hindered from other opportunities I could take if I had actual legal status.
I would like to be able to become a citizen/resident legally, to be able to take my life savings/property with me
Jay
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Retail hiring costs a Company in Canada between $35K and $60K.
When we were unhoused, I got my Orange job, basically for being able to spell and pronounce carburetor. There were 1500 applicants for that job, (Repair Tech).
In the larger cities with higher costs of living,…………
Well, Vancouver learned that even with tips, you can’t get waitstaff or dishwashers for $15 an hour. So now the minimum is $17.85 Province wide. And that’s still a shitty wage.
I know of small town jobs, that have been empty for 3 years.
We have a “boomer” issue here, like much of the West. They are retiring, retired, didn’t have many kids, move to small towns, where the kids in those towns are trying to get out as fast as they can. EG, in Kamloops, there are pubs. No Clubs. No Gay Bars. The biggest thing is a techno 3 day Festival not far from where we lived at the time, but you needed a 4×4 to get there. Basically, a Bush Party with a generator and a DJ.
Almost all of the “service” jobs in Kamloops rely on TFW’s.
They come in from the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Guatemala, and can work for 6 months, then they have to leave or a year. They have no path to permanent resident status, or citizenship.
Jay
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Got $450K?, buy your Permanent Residence Status.
Buy an apartment, (outside of Vancouver, 1 bedrooms are going for $945K in West Coquitlam, the ‘burbs), rent it out.
Meets the “investment” threshold, meets the “income” threshold.
Geminid
@Jay: Laura Rozen reposted this from Sam Stein:
Wait, there’s more:
https://www.the bulwark.com/p/an-afrikaner-refugee-has-some-thoughts-about-the-jews-trump-antisemitism
* This seemed sloppy to me. The students are being tossed for social media posts about Israel’s actions in Gaza. They aren’t neccesarily anti-Israel (although many are), much less anti-Semitic (although some may be)
Ed. Okay. Let’s try a 3rd time
https://thebulwark.com/p/an-afrikaner-refugee-has-some-thoughts-about-the-jews-trump-antisemitiskaner-refugee-has-some-thoughts-about-the-jews-trump-antisemitism
The article is third down the list.
sab
@Jay: That makes Akron and Youngstown OH seem more Inviting. I.e.Affordable.
I never sneeze at affordable.
Jay
@Geminid:
Yup, you can’t get much more “anti-Semitic” than DJTdiot’s Cabinet and appointee’s.
But you know, students vs. Dollar Store Himmler.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Jay:
So it sounds like you’re telling me I’m screwed, then?
Eunicecycle
@Jay: is that for any age (buying permanent residency)? Do you accept retired people?
Jay
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
No. So eg. there is a gas station halfway between Salmon Arm and Sicamous. Nobody lives there. Usually in December/January, they are hiring. Too far to commute from either town for what they pay, so they have a trailer in the back. Live rent free, but December/January. Most people don’t last long.
@Eunicecycle:
No age limit.
Jackie
Who’s surprised?
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Jay:
I’m sorry if I’ve came across badly or anything but I just feel trapped and it’s very frustrating and soul crushing.
Thanks for your advice in the thread
Eunicecycle
@Jay: good to know! Thanks!
Kayla Rudbek
@Captain C: from your mouth to God’s ears
Liminal Owl
@Allen Henderson: great idea!