Where some see an invasion others see hope

13,076 Views | 220 Replies | Last: 7 days ago by AggieRain
PabloSerna
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Just a point of clarification- "Confirmation" does not mean baptized Catholics are confirming their faith. This sacrament used to be given to infants at one time and will likely revert back to that practice. It is a part of a 3 part sacrament of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist).

My kids tried to tell me that they were not ready to "confirm" the family religion (Catholic) - I told them, "no one is ever ready" - "this is a gift that mom and dad wish to impart on you before you become an adult." HTH
ramblin_ag02
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Polandball is the best
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PabloSerna
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AG
So much for a religious discussion.
ramblin_ag02
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There's really only one religious side to the discussion. OT and NT and church teachings are all pretty unanimous about how we should treat immigrants, foreigners, and travelers. All the counterarguments are either practical or political, not religious. Territorial defense and integrity, whether home or country, isn't a Christian religious concept.
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Macarthur
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Who is advocating for open boarders?

https://www.axios.com/2023/10/17/us-mexico-border-open-borders-myth
Macarthur
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RAB91 said:

I wonder if she saw hope or an invasion?



See, here's the problem with this. I can post a pic of the 21 people that lost their lives in Uvalde and say that the right is responsible due to their desire to allow the easy access to the types of weapons used in that massacre. Using cheap stunts like this does nothing to further the conversation.
AGC
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AG
ramblin_ag02 said:

There's really only one religious side to the discussion. OT and NT and church teachings are all pretty unanimous about how we should treat immigrants, foreigners, and travelers. All the counterarguments are either practical or political, not religious. Territorial defense and integrity, whether home or country, isn't a Christian religious concept.


Working for a living or selling yourself into slavery and leaving behind your religion and customs sure is, though. How much of this OT/NT lense are we going to look through?
AGC
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Macarthur said:

RAB91 said:

I wonder if she saw hope or an invasion?



See, here's the problem with this. I can post a pic of the 21 people that lost their lives in Uvalde and say that the right is responsible due to their desire to allow the easy access to the types of weapons used in that massacre. Using cheap stunts like this does nothing to further the conversation.


You could also ask if it's easier to police 330MM people or 1-2MM people too, but you don't. Border control is easier than policing our entire nation.
ramblin_ag02
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AGC said:

ramblin_ag02 said:

There's really only one religious side to the discussion. OT and NT and church teachings are all pretty unanimous about how we should treat immigrants, foreigners, and travelers. All the counterarguments are either practical or political, not religious. Territorial defense and integrity, whether home or country, isn't a Christian religious concept.


Working for a living or selling yourself into slavery and leaving behind your religion and customs sure is, though. How much of this OT/NT lense are we going to look through?
That was not a value judgement, just pointing out a pet peeve of mine. I don't have a problem with people disagreeing with Christian teaching because it isn't prudent or it isn't pragmatic or it doesn't fit the situation. My pet peeve is people trying to make those arguments religious. Whether it is foul language, dress codes, alcohol use, or immigration, people who are contrary to the basic and fundamental Christian teachings on the subject like to think their principled disagreement is divinely inspired in way, shape or form. It's not. There is only one Christian teaching on the issue.

I think it's a legitimate point to say that we can't afford to take care of a horde of foreigners coming into our country, but there is no Christian religious basis for that argument
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AGC
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ramblin_ag02 said:

AGC said:

ramblin_ag02 said:

There's really only one religious side to the discussion. OT and NT and church teachings are all pretty unanimous about how we should treat immigrants, foreigners, and travelers. All the counterarguments are either practical or political, not religious. Territorial defense and integrity, whether home or country, isn't a Christian religious concept.


Working for a living or selling yourself into slavery and leaving behind your religion and customs sure is, though. How much of this OT/NT lense are we going to look through?
That was not a value judgement, just pointing out a pet peeve of mine. I don't have a problem with people disagreeing with Christian teaching because it isn't prudent or it isn't pragmatic or it doesn't fit the situation. My pet peeve is people trying to make those arguments religious. Whether it is foul language, dress codes, alcohol use, or immigration, people who are contrary to the basic and fundamental Christian teachings on the subject like to think their principled disagreement is divinely inspired in way, shape or form. It's not. There is only one Christian teaching on the issue.

I think it's a legitimate point to say that we can't afford to take care of a horde of foreigners coming into our country, but there is no Christian religious basis for that argument


If you cannot bring them in with those expectations and responsibilities, is it really out of bounds, religiously? People are brought into the community with obligations placed on them. Todays migration is nothing of the sort.
Macarthur
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AGC said:

Macarthur said:

RAB91 said:

I wonder if she saw hope or an invasion?



See, here's the problem with this. I can post a pic of the 21 people that lost their lives in Uvalde and say that the right is responsible due to their desire to allow the easy access to the types of weapons used in that massacre. Using cheap stunts like this does nothing to further the conversation.


You could also ask if it's easier to police 330MM people or 1-2MM people too, but you don't. Border control is easier than policing our entire nation.

Border control is not easy. It's been a decades long problem that neither party is truly interested in tackling. Which is why is a silly attempt to score political points to lay the death of this lady's feet at Biden.

Using those numbers to try and make one seem easier than the other really means nothing.
ds00
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Not following all of men's laws doesn't equate to sin. Jesus broke some laws and crossed some borders too.
HumpitPuryear
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AG
Macarthur said:

RAB91 said:

I wonder if she saw hope or an invasion?



See, here's the problem with this. I can post a pic of the 21 people that lost their lives in Uvalde and say that the right is responsible due to their desire to allow the easy access to the types of weapons used in that massacre. Using cheap stunts like this does nothing to further the conversation.

Enforcement of our immigration laws does not infringe upon the rights of law abiding Americans. The thug is in the US illegally. Biden admitted it in his SOTU address. Biden could reinstate previous EOs and stop the invasion. Thus he is responsible.

Gun control laws infringe on the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens and don't do anything to address the problem of violence since by definition criminals ignore laws. This has been proven conclusively everywhere gun control has been tried. See Chicago, Mexico, etc.

You clearly understand the difference which is why you would rather not discuss it.
Macarthur
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Your constitutional rights have limits. No one has unlimited rights.

AGC
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Macarthur said:

AGC said:

Macarthur said:

RAB91 said:

I wonder if she saw hope or an invasion?



See, here's the problem with this. I can post a pic of the 21 people that lost their lives in Uvalde and say that the right is responsible due to their desire to allow the easy access to the types of weapons used in that massacre. Using cheap stunts like this does nothing to further the conversation.


You could also ask if it's easier to police 330MM people or 1-2MM people too, but you don't. Border control is easier than policing our entire nation.

Border control is not easy. It's been a decades long problem that neither party is truly interested in tackling. Which is why is a silly attempt to score political points to lay the death of this lady's feet at Biden.

Using those numbers to try and make one seem easier than the other really means nothing.


Hand waiving non-existent border enforcement under the current regime and the feds actively removing barriers in the last year is disingenuous at best, but to be civil I'll credit you with that.
HumpitPuryear
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AG
Macarthur said:

Your constitutional rights have limits. No one has unlimited rights.



I didn't say or even imply that I have unlimited rights. Put the goalposts back where they were and acknowledge the difference. No American is harmed or infringed upon by having a border. Biden is 100% directly in control of that border. Thus he is responsible.
HumpitPuryear
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AGC said:

Macarthur said:

AGC said:

Macarthur said:

RAB91 said:

I wonder if she saw hope or an invasion?



See, here's the problem with this. I can post a pic of the 21 people that lost their lives in Uvalde and say that the right is responsible due to their desire to allow the easy access to the types of weapons used in that massacre. Using cheap stunts like this does nothing to further the conversation.


You could also ask if it's easier to police 330MM people or 1-2MM people too, but you don't. Border control is easier than policing our entire nation.

Border control is not easy. It's been a decades long problem that neither party is truly interested in tackling. Which is why is a silly attempt to score political points to lay the death of this lady's feet at Biden.

Using those numbers to try and make one seem easier than the other really means nothing.


Hand waiving non-existent border enforcement under the current regime and the feds actively removing barriers in the last year is disingenuous at best, but to be civil I'll credit you with that.

I would argue that an administration loading them on planes at foreign airports and delivering them by the hundreds of thousands to dozens of US cities is not concerned in the least about the level of difficulty of managing immigration and should be held accountable for the actions of those that they recruited and transported.
Rongagin71
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AG
Where some see "hope" others see massive amounts of child sex slavery.
Mayorkas: What the Senator said is revolting.
Cruz: Your refusal to do your job is revolting.



RFK Jr on Biden's SOTU speech - "our debt is unsustainable".
Does anyone think adding about 8million illegal aliens since
Biden took office and abolished Trumps fairly effective
border controls has helped the deficit?

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6348527281112
Rongagin71
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AG
BTW, the USA allows close to a million legal immigrants every year,
which I believe is far more than any other country.
RAB91
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Macarthur said:

Who is advocating for open boarders?

https://www.axios.com/2023/10/17/us-mexico-border-open-borders-myth
You're either willfully ignorant on this topic or just a troll. I'm not sure which is worse.

Quote:

See, here's the problem with this. I can post a pic of the 21 people that lost their lives in Uvalde and say that the right is responsible due to their desire to allow the easy access to the types of weapons used in that massacre. Using cheap stunts like this does nothing to further the conversation.
Here's the problem with your logic. We as U.S. citizens have the right (and the courts have agreed) to arm ourselves. The illegal alien doesn't have the right to be here. Once we're on the same page there, we can address the other issues causing the shootings, and the illegal can try to come here legally.

Quote:

Border control is not easy. It's been a decades long problem that neither party is truly interested in tackling. Which is why is a silly attempt to score political points to lay the death of this lady's feet at Biden.
Yet somehow the number of illegals coming into this country under Trump was a fraction of what it is now. This open border under Biden is intentional.

Macarthur
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Yes immigration and guns are diff issues legally. That's not the point.

The point is using that girls situation to lay at feet of Biden for cheap political points. This link will show you crimes committed by undocumented folks during Trumps term. Are you laying that blame 100% on trump?

https://www.fairus.org/examples-serious-crimes-illegal-aliens

On the evening of December 10, 2019, illegal alien Roberto Martinez brutally murdered 19-year-old Madisyn White in Oakland, California. After being involved in a minor accident with White, Martinez attempted to rob her before beating and shooting her multiple times. White's mother blamed her daughter's death on the sanctuary policies of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and the state of California. (Fox News, January 9, 2020; Daily Mail, January 10, 2020)

AGC
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AG
Macarthur said:

Yes immigration and guns are diff issues legally. That's not the point.

The point is using that girls situation to lay at feet of Biden for cheap political points. This link will show you crimes committed by undocumented folks during Trumps term. Are you laying that blame 100% on trump?

https://www.fairus.org/examples-serious-crimes-illegal-aliens

On the evening of December 10, 2019, illegal alien Roberto Martinez brutally murdered 19-year-old Madisyn White in Oakland, California. After being involved in a minor accident with White, Martinez attempted to rob her before beating and shooting her multiple times. White's mother blamed her daughter's death on the sanctuary policies of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and the state of California. (Fox News, January 9, 2020; Daily Mail, January 10, 2020)




It's almost like the difference is not who's in charge but how they approached it. It's time to debate like an adult instead of whataboutism.
Bighunter43
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ds00 said:

Not following all of men's laws doesn't equate to sin. Jesus broke some laws and crossed some borders too.


Jesus never broke the law…..he disagreed with the interpretation of the law by the Pharisees….who had changed the original covenant to suit them.
Macarthur
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Whatever. RAB can take a cheap shot at Biden w the young lady's death and that's fair game but me pointing out similar issues have been going on for decades and maybe the immigration issue is really complex w a long history and nuance is not being an adult and playing whatabouism. Got it.
Rongagin71
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AG
Just remember her name.
Biden got it wrong in his SOTU.
AGC
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Macarthur said:

Whatever. RAB can take a cheap shot at Biden w the young lady's death and that's fair game but me pointing out similar issues have been going on for decades and maybe the immigration issue is really complex w a long history and nuance is not being an adult and playing whatabouism. Got it.


It's not a cheap shot, nor is it as nuanced as you think it. You're ignoring the current administration's policies and behavior, as well as that of Obama. It was not a millions of people a year issue prior to that as it is now. The appropriate term is willful blindness; you're looking the other way intentionally.

No one pins these things on a president that's trying to enforce the border and do appropriate vetting. That's the difference.
PabloSerna
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AG
To bring this discussion back to religion….

"Here's the problem with your logic. We as U.S. citizens have the right (and the courts have agreed) to arm ourselves. The illegal alien doesn't have the right to be here."

+++

My issue with the understanding quoted above is that it is completely outside of the teachings of Jesus Christ and Holy Scripture in particular. Man is but a steward of God's creation. The idea that some people have a "right" to be here or there is not supported by scripture nor teachings of the Church.

That does not mean we have open borders, but rather that we recognize the grace that God has shed on our nation and we do our best to welcome the stranger in our land.

Instead of building walls and putting up miles of razor wire- we should be working to document as many migrants as safely and orderly as possible.

Like many here, I see the humanitarian crisis at the border and would hope that we could do better. Offering a better way, I believe, will reduce the number of people turning to the coyotes, cartels, and smugglers- who are preying on the majority of victims.
AGC
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PabloSerna said:

To bring this discussion back to religion….

"Here's the problem with your logic. We as U.S. citizens have the right (and the courts have agreed) to arm ourselves. The illegal alien doesn't have the right to be here."

+++

My issue with the understanding quoted above is that it is completely outside of the teachings of Jesus Christ and Holy Scripture in particular. Man is but a steward of God's creation. The idea that some people have a "right" to be here or there is not supported by scripture nor teachings of the Church.

That does not mean we have open borders, but rather that we recognize the grace that God has shed on our nation and we do our best to welcome the stranger in our land.

Instead of building walls and putting up miles of razor wire- we should be working to document as many migrants as safely and orderly as possible.

Like many here, I see the humanitarian crisis at the border and would hope that we could do better. Offering a better way, I believe, will reduce the number of people turning to the coyotes, cartels, and smugglers- who are preying on the majority of victims.



We cannot care for the homeless in our midst or those in poverty. What chance do we have to care for all of these foreigners better?

The humanitarian crisis is very much self inflicted by politicians breaking the system intentionally. Your Christian empathy is being exploited; not all who wander are lost, nor are they white wizards.
RAB91
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Macarthur said:

Yes immigration and guns are diff issues legally. That's not the point.

The point is using that girls situation to lay at feet of Biden for cheap political points. This link will show you crimes committed by undocumented folks during Trumps term. Are you laying that blame 100% on trump?

Of course not. Trump was actively trying to close the border as much as possible. And if you remember, the Dems were fighting him tooth & nail (ex. border wall, family separation, etc). Now look at Biden. He reversed almost all of Trump's relatively successful border policies. He argued against deporting illegals. He supported illegals in sanctuary cities not being turned over to immigration officials after their arrests. So yes, I blame Biden 100 times more than I do Trump.

RAB91
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PabloSerna said:

To bring this discussion back to religion….

"Here's the problem with your logic. We as U.S. citizens have the right (and the courts have agreed) to arm ourselves. The illegal alien doesn't have the right to be here."

+++

My issue with the understanding quoted above is that it is completely outside of the teachings of Jesus Christ and Holy Scripture in particular. Man is but a steward of God's creation. The idea that some people have a "right" to be here or there is not supported by scripture nor teachings of the Church.

That does not mean we have open borders, but rather that we recognize the grace that God has shed on our nation and we do our best to welcome the stranger in our land.

Instead of building walls and putting up miles of razor wire- we should be working to document as many migrants as safely and orderly as possible.

Like many here, I see the humanitarian crisis at the border and would hope that we could do better. Offering a better way, I believe, will reduce the number of people turning to the coyotes, cartels, and smugglers- who are preying on the majority of victims.

There's is absolutely nothing anti-Christian about enforcing our borders and trying to keep illegals out.

You say this doesn't mean we should have open borders, and then you go on to describe exactly that... open borders. We already have legal immigration. Why can't they go that route? We welcome the stranger in our land through our LEGAL immigration.
Macarthur
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RAB91 said:

Macarthur said:

Yes immigration and guns are diff issues legally. That's not the point.

The point is using that girls situation to lay at feet of Biden for cheap political points. This link will show you crimes committed by undocumented folks during Trumps term. Are you laying that blame 100% on trump?

Of course not. Trump was actively trying to close the border as much as possible. And if you remember, the Dems were fighting him tooth & nail (ex. border wall, family separation, etc). Now look at Biden. He reversed almost all of Trump's relatively successful border policies. He argued against deporting illegals. He supported illegals in sanctuary cities not being turned over to immigration officials after their arrests. So yes, I blame Biden 100 times more than I do Trump.




There is some real context lacking here. You are making definitive statements that need a ton of nuance.

I'm at the airport and traveling but I want to revisit this. I think you are making some bold statements here that aren't completely accurate.

For example, Biden's deportations are higher than trump, even as a percentage.

https://www.cato.org/blog/new-data-show-migrants-were-more-likely-be-released-trump-biden

In absolute terms, the Biden DHS is removing 3.5 times as many people per month as the Trump DHS did. These figures are important for understanding how each administration has carried out border enforcement.

Also, it's true the family separation was unpopular and for good reason. I'm damn glad we did the right thing.

The border wall is a joke. A customs and borders protection report has said only 52 miles of NEW border wall was built. He never did anything close to what he bragged about and just go look at all the social media videos about just how effective the walls have been.

I think we can all agree that we have to get better and make major changes with our immigration policies but Trump and many on the right have exaggerated and demagogued the issue.

I have not seen anywhere that would support your statement that Biden "argued against deporting illegals". If you can find where he said that, I would like to see it. And the fact is, based on the numbers, Biden has no problem with deportions.
HumpitPuryear
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AG
Biden and democrats have enticed people the world over to come here at great peril to themselves and at great expense that goes directly into the coffers of the most demonic criminal organizations in the world. Along the way and well after they arrive within our borders those immigrants are victimized and enslaved. The cartels use this money to buy more county sheriffs, more politicians, further increasing their power and influence and ability to spread evil. Biden isn't doing it out of some Christian or moral impulse to rescue and lift up the downtrodden. It's being done to replace the US middle class that has the annoying propensity to think for themselves and to act independently of government bureaucrats and new world order globalists. An additional benefit is marginalizing Christians whose primary allegiance is to God not Government. In this context open borders are 110% evil to the core and every Christian should be vehemently opposed to it.
Rongagin71
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AG
Controlling any border is not about being nice,
it is about controlling your side of the border.

But if we are foolish enough to let gangs control
both sides of the border - that allows those lawless
gangs to get rich and powerful and extend their control.
I cannot prove it, but suspect many of the NGO's that "help"
people to emigrate are working for the gangs.
I wouldn't be surprised if many politicians get donations from
the gangs. Certainly, drugs, slavery and money laundering
are now hugely profitable gang activities.
Add that there are many unfriendly countries in the world
who don't mind emptying their prisons and sending their crazies
to be the USA's problem.

Edit to add a little documentation:
https://texasscorecard.com/commentary/president-biden-do-your-job/
AGC
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AG
Macarthur said:

RAB91 said:

Macarthur said:

Yes immigration and guns are diff issues legally. That's not the point.

The point is using that girls situation to lay at feet of Biden for cheap political points. This link will show you crimes committed by undocumented folks during Trumps term. Are you laying that blame 100% on trump?

Of course not. Trump was actively trying to close the border as much as possible. And if you remember, the Dems were fighting him tooth & nail (ex. border wall, family separation, etc). Now look at Biden. He reversed almost all of Trump's relatively successful border policies. He argued against deporting illegals. He supported illegals in sanctuary cities not being turned over to immigration officials after their arrests. So yes, I blame Biden 100 times more than I do Trump.




There is some real context lacking here. You are making definitive statements that need a ton of nuance.

I'm at the airport and traveling but I want to revisit this. I think you are making some bold statements here that aren't completely accurate.

For example, Biden's deportations are higher than trump, even as a percentage.

https://www.cato.org/blog/new-data-show-migrants-were-more-likely-be-released-trump-biden

In absolute terms, the Biden DHS is removing 3.5 times as many people per month as the Trump DHS did. These figures are important for understanding how each administration has carried out border enforcement.

Also, it's true the family separation was unpopular and for good reason. I'm damn glad we did the right thing.

The border wall is a joke. A customs and borders protection report has said only 52 miles of NEW border wall was built. He never did anything close to what he bragged about and just go look at all the social media videos about just how effective the walls have been.

I think we can all agree that we have to get better and make major changes with our immigration policies but Trump and many on the right have exaggerated and demagogued the issue.

I have not seen anywhere that would support your statement that Biden "argued against deporting illegals". If you can find where he said that, I would like to see it. And the fact is, based on the numbers, Biden has no problem with deportions.


Dude it's the Cato institute. Gotta look for the 'nuance' in the article:

Obvious Red Flag said:

Of course, the absolute numbers of releases have been higher under President Biden, but that reflects much higher arrivals, not any meaningful change in policy.

The pandemicera authority called "Title 42" had enabled Border Patrol since March 2020 to quickly expel most crossers to Mexico. That ended in May 2023 - after March 31, 2023, which was when the new data for Biden's term cuts off - so the release percentage has probably increased since then. But, as noted above, the release percentage was also significantly higher during the Trump administration before Title 42. Of course, fluctuations will happen, but the point is clear: the Biden administration has not overturned immigration enforcement.


Wonder what title 42 was, who implemented it, who ended it, and why the numbers after are being 'probably-ed' by the Cato institute. Not a meaningful change in policy my ass.

Maybe it exposes the lie?
PabloSerna
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AG
I disagree. We can care for our brother - we choose not to as a matter of policy. That is where politics and God's Law diverge.
 
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