Game 1: Colgate University, Friday, Nov 13th, 7 PM, MASN

[GreenLantern]

My understanding is that there is already a screening process for any refugees from this area. I would beef that up even more and don't oppose a temporary camp for until they are properly vetted. We are a county that has embraced the oppressed. For those who proclaim this country is built on judeo-christian values, I don't see how we could do otherwise.

 

[psyclone]

The screening process for refugees is described here:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/16/politics/syrian-refugees-u-s-applicants-explainer/index.html

 

[Quentin Daniels]

My understanding is that there is already a screening process for any refugees from this area. I would beef that up even more and don't oppose a temporary camp for until they are properly vetted. We are a county that has embraced the oppressed. For those who proclaim this country is built on judeo-christian values, I don't see how we could do otherwise.

Oh well if there's a process...what could possibly go wrong. Let's have blind faith in that, after all the Obama administration has such a great track record in identifying threats like who is being contained and who is on the JV team.

Off topic I think there was a process for releasing Guantanom prisoners too.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has released its latest statistics on the number of former Guantanamo detainees who are either confirmed or suspected of returning to the fight. As expected, there has been a slight increase in the number of ex-detainees who have rejoined the jihad.

The ODNI says that a total of 196 ex-Gitmo detainees, or 30 percent of the 653 total detainees transferred or released, are now either confirmed or suspected of reengaging. The number of confirmed recidivists (117) outnumbers those on the suspected list (79). The figures are current as of July 15, 2015.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/keyword/Recidivism

 

[GMUgemini]

Yes, I would. Just 8 shooters caused the Paris massacre leaving 130 or so dead. Just 19 hijackers overtook the planes causing 9\11. I guess I'm just not as cavalier about the lives of my fellow citizens as you are.

If the refugees are kept waiting in temporary camps - clothed, fed, and sheltered - until a screening process can be put into place, I don't think that's too burdensome a load to place upon these individuals for the opportunity to have freedom and American citizenship for their children. I've a friend who is a Mexican national whose been waiting a Hell of a lot longer then that. He's a trained civil engineer, his wife is a lawyer and his daughters are straight A students unable to receive any tuition assistance.

Considering the number of mass shootings in this country would you place a moratorium on selling guns to white males?

 

[Quentin Daniels]

Considering the number of mass shootings in this country would you place a moratorium on selling guns to white males?

Well there's that whole Constitution thing. If I recall it correctly, it does say something about the right to bear arms. I must have missed the part about accepting Syrian refugees.

Why just white males though?
https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/u...f_vicitm_by_race_and_sex_of_offender_2013.xls

Careful how you respond, wouldn't want Dr. Cabrera or the tweeting crybullies to make you their next target.

 

[GreenLantern]

I disagree with Obama on GITMO. First you say yes to to a screening process, now you say that it won't work. Do you agree with Donald Trump that we should consider shutting down all mosques?

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

Inscription on the Statue of Liberty

Author: Emma Lazarus

 

[Quentin Daniels]

I've been rather clear in what I think.

1. I admit I don't have the answers. It's been my experience that those who do typically have the least understanding and details.

2. I think our nation should do it's share and help these people or else we lose a major part of our national identity.

3. I think we should pause in accepting them however, especially in light of the attacks in Pais and ISIS plans to actively embed sleeper agents in with the refugees to put extra security and screening in place. American citizenship is not a human right.

I know you like to use simple labels and throw out the racism attack when you're challenged with facts though.

 

[Leesburg Chankenstank III]

Yes, I would. Just 8 shooters caused the Paris massacre leaving 130 or so dead. Just 19 hijackers overtook the planes causing 9\11. I guess I'm just not as cavalier about the lives of my fellow citizens as you are.

If the refugees are kept waiting in temporary camps - clothed, fed, and sheltered - until a screening process can be put into place, I don't think that's too burdensome a load to place upon these individuals for the opportunity to have freedom and American citizenship for their children. I've a friend who is a Mexican national whose been waiting a Hell of a lot longer then that. He's a trained civil engineer, his wife is a lawyer and his daughters are straight A students unable to receive any tuition assistance.

I am pretty pro immigrant and this sounds completely reasonable to me. The refugees would have an escape and safe ground and at the same time help better ensure national security concerns.

I don't even think the refugees themselves would be against this.

 

[GreenLantern]

I've been rather clear in what I think.

1. I admit I don't have the answers. It's been my experience that those who do typically have the least understanding and details.

2. I think our nation should do it's share and help these people or else we lose a major part of our national identity.

3. I think we should pause in accepting them however, especially in light of the attacks in Pais and ISIS plans to actively embed sleeper agents in with the refugees to put extra security and screening in place. American citizenship is not a human right.

I know you like to use simple labels and throw out the racism attack when you're challenged with facts though.

I don't see where i threw out any racism attack. I am pointing out that there is alot of knee jerk reacting going on over all of this. Trump is the perfect example of this. We are not far apart in our viewpoints at all. I favor camps as a step towards resettlement. I favor strict screening of all to determine any ties to radical groups. I like the idea of using GITMO as a possible location for a temporary camp for incoming refugees. What I don't like is some who seek to bar refugees solely on their ethnic or religious affiliation or those that consider curtailing the rights of those already living here based on their religious affiliation.

 

[Quentin Daniels]

I don't see where i threw out any racism attack. I am pointing out that there is alot of knee jerk reacting going on over all of this. Trump is the perfect example of this. We are not far apart in our viewpoints at all. I favor camps as a step towards resettlement. I favor strict screening of all to determine any ties to radical groups. I like the idea of using GITMO as a possible location for a temporary camp for incoming refugees. What I don't like is some who seek to bar refugees solely on their ethnic or religious affiliation or those that consider curtailing the rights of those already living here based on their religious affiliation.

Trump is a blithering fool and your attempt to tie my reasonable comments to him was your subtle suggestion to racism being my motivation.

Your passive-aggressive "I don't see where I" is belied two sentences later where you point out that you don't want to bar refugees solely on their ethnic or religious affiliation, the implied suggestion being that this is the motivation for all that do.

As for knee-jerk reactions, you're the one who took issue with my suggestion that refugees should be clothed, sheltered, fed, and given medical attention - but kept at a distance until a process could be put in place to ensure the safety of this nation's citizens before bringing them in. If you don't think politics is behind much of this - including the Muslim vote in the swing state of Michigan, then you are exactly what we suspect you are.

 

[GreenLantern]

Then I apologize for that comment. Looking back at it, I can see it can be seen that way. I also am not suggesting that you hold these viewpoints. I do however stand on the notion that there are some out there that seek to use fear as an excuse to discriminate against Muslims. The TN state lawmaker that wants not only to bar refugees but to expel the ones that are already here. The notion of only letting in Christian refugees and barring Muslims.

And what exactly do you think that I am? I am an American. I come from a long line of Americans that date back to Jamestown. I have voted for both parties in elections. I have no tolerance for radicalism in any form.

 

[GMUgemini]

I don't see where i threw out any racism attack. I am pointing out that there is alot of knee jerk reacting going on over all of this. Trump is the perfect example of this. We are not far apart in our viewpoints at all. I favor camps as a step towards resettlement. I favor strict screening of all to determine any ties to radical groups. I like the idea of using GITMO as a possible location for a temporary camp for incoming refugees. What I don't like is some who seek to bar refugees solely on their ethnic or religious affiliation or those that consider curtailing the rights of those already living here based on their religious affiliation.

There are currently 6 million Syrian refugees currently sitting in camps already, mostly in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. In fact, Lebanon's population has doubled since the conflict has started. There are 10 million Syrians in need of assistance. The World Food Program is woefully short of funding and has cut food assistance to 1.7 million Syrian refugees. Those who do still get funding are receiving about .38 per day in food assistance.

The reason the Syrians are beginning to leave Turkey is because they see no future there. The conflict is going on 6 years, over 300,000 Syrians have been killed in the conflict. Those who are internally displaced, going to rebel-held areas like Homs and Aleppo are now being bombed by the Russians.

I don't know that we can just asking them to just keep sitting in camps while we appease some of the electorates' nerves.

The U.S. already does have a religion and ethnic-based screening process that weighs heavily on ethnic and religion minorities in the Middle East. Of the 10,000 Syrian refugees who have applied for asylum since 2011, 5,000 have been rejected, of those 5,000 who were accepted, 2,000 have actually been resettled, the other 3,000 are still awaiting resettlement. And now you want to just tell them to hold tight?

As historical context, the U.S. has taken in about 50 percent of refugees during my any given context, so you can see how our system is already heavily biased against taking Muslim refugees.

 

[GMUSig03]

Green Lantern, please take your discussion with Hugh here:

http://www.real-time-with-bill-mahe...-your-overtime-questions-for-november-20-2015

 

[GreenLantern]

Is this seriously Hugh?!

 

[phoenix-arizona]

Did anyone see Maher and Colbert spar? I'd rather be friends with Colbert generally.

 

[psyclone]

Actually I think such discussions are useful to see the diversity of opinions held by fellow fans on really significant issues. However, rather than embed these discussions in the Colgate thread, we might create a new Off Topic (OT) thread like we have in the past or continue the discussion in the OFF TOPIC part of the boards (which doesn't get much action) instead of the Basketball area.

Not that anyone is likely to change their minds, but to be less annoying to those fans who don't want political discussions to distract them from basketball talk.

 

[GMUgemini]

Actually I think such discussions are useful to see the diversity of opinions held by fellow fans on really significant issues. However, rather than embed these discussions in the Colgate thread, we might create a new Off Topic (OT) thread like we have in the past or continue the discussion in the OFF TOPIC part of the boards (which doesn't get much action) instead of the Basketball area.

Not that anyone is likely to change their minds, but to be less annoying to those fans who don't want political discussions to distract them from basketball talk.

Given how caustic those threads get id rather just let these conversations lose their energy naturally and go away.

 

[GreenLantern]

We had the politics board which devolved into name calling and people reporting people left and right. Moderators were right in shutting it down. My blood pressure always took a hit there and I should have kept out of this thread but someone always knew when to get my goat up. Maybe it really is Hugh

 

[Quentin Daniels]

We had the politics board which devolved into name calling and people reporting people left and right. Moderators were right in shutting it down. My blood pressure always took a hit there and I should have kept out of this thread but someone always knew when to get my goat up. Maybe it really is Hugh

No, I'm not Bill Maher. (random) And I was going to just accept the apology and move on.

Incidentally, the TN State Lawmaker you referenced earlier is my former state Rep. He's a real A-Hole. I supported his primary challenger.

 

[GreenLantern]

Maybe it's time to lock this thread and place someone on ignore. I'm going back to predicting OT games!