# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1277
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25522 "2015-11-16T22:53:12Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > We know there will be terrorists among the refugees. So basically we’re willing to sell some American lives for political correctness. You do understand that there’s a refugee crisis because these people are fleeing _from_ ISIS and like-minded groups, right? And that by painting them all with the same brush, you’re doing ISIS’ job for them by cementing the notion that there’s a war between Islam and the west, right? ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25523 "2015-11-16T23:41:16Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The Republican governors who claim that they are not going to allow refugees into their states don’t seem to understand that governors don’t control foreign and immigration policy. > > [Donald Trump wants to shut down mosques.](http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/11/16/3722454/trump-morning-joe-mosques/) I want to know when they are going to stop letting young white males into their states. You never know, one could be planning to shoot up a school or theater. You really shouldn’t take any chances. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25524 "2015-11-16T23:42:24Z")
Refugees might be terrorists who kill innocent people. Some Republicans want them banished from the US. Guns will be used by terrorists to kill innocent people. Some Republicans want more of them in the US. The death penalty could kill innocent people. Some Republicans want it used more in the US. How much overlap, do you think? I’m guessing a lot. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25525 "2015-11-17T00:37:26Z")
During a brief listen to NPR on the way home from work, it was mentioned that Governor Greg Abbott of my great state of Texas (or, as I like to call it, the Abbottoir) was the first one to say he was somehow going to turn back the human tidal wave of Syrian refugee terrorists coming our way. Figures. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25526 "2015-11-17T01:05:18Z")
Sure the governors should ask for reassurances, but it is really naive to claim that there is no vetting as it is the implication of the yellow bellied cowards. The Mayors that are in the front line of this are more in favor of the refugees and show more leadership than the Governors. [http://www.citylab.com/politics/2015/11/governors-should-listen-to-mayors-on-syrian-refugees/416295/](http://www.citylab.com/politics/2015/11/governors-should-listen-to-mayors-on-syrian-refugees/416295/) > [@](#): > > The deadly attacks in Paris may be shaping the debate over immigration in the U.S. Since Friday, a number of governors from across the U.S. have pledged to do what they can to stop Syrian immigrants from relocating within the borders of their states, despite the fact that Syrians are fleeing the same kind of violence that was visited upon Paris and Beirut last week. > > Meanwhile, mayors from some of the largest U.S. cities are welcoming Syrian immigrants with open arms. It’s another example of the growing gulf between city and state leaders on civic priorities ranging from climate change to the minimum wage. > > Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner declared Monday, for example, that Illinois will “temporarily suspend” immigration from Syria. “Our nation and our state have a shared history of providing safe haven for those displaced by conflict, but the news surrounding the Paris terror attacks reminds us of the all-too-real security threats facing America,” he said in a statement. > > Yet Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel pushed back against Governor Rauner’s claims that immigration represents a grave security threat. “My one word is, security and our values go hand in hand,” the mayor said during an appearance at the French Consulate. "The United States government is in the vetting process, but our values are one in which we remind ourselves that we are an open, welcoming society.” > [@](#): > > Not all governors took a stand against immigration, of course. Peter Shumlin, governor of Vermont, and Tom Wolf, governor of Pennsylvania, said that they will keep working with the federal government to settle Syrian immigrants. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican who supports immigration, said that his state is “postponing” the settlement of Syrian immigrants until officials can review security protocols. Detroit in particular stands to gain a great deal from Syrian immigration. > > Some expressions of doubt crossed the partisan divide. New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan is the lone Democratic state leader so far to come out against Syrian immigration. After Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (a Republican) said that he would not let Syrian immigrants into his state, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh (a Democrat) told reporters that he also wanted to find out more about how the federal government was screening immigrants. > > Mayor Walsh later issued a statement clarifying his position.\*\* “As a city and as a country it is not our custom to turn our backs on people who are in need and who are innocent,” he said.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25527 "2015-11-17T01:07:03Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > During a brief listen to NPR on the way home from work, it was mentioned that Governor Greg Abbott of my great state of Texas (or, as I like to call it, the Abbottoir) was the first one to say he was somehow going to turn back the human tidal wave of Syrian refugee terrorists coming our way. Figures. Rick Scott in Florida, too. But we already knew he’s an asswipe, so, you know. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25528 "2015-11-17T01:11:28Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Rick Scott in Florida, too. But we already knew he’s an asswipe, so, you know. I heard on the radio on the way home that Rick Scott, at least, got specific: He instructed the Department of Children and Families not to provide housing for refugees, and, acknowledging that a state has no actual authority to keep out immigrants or refugees, asked Congress to to deny any federal funding for refugee-resettlement. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25529 "2015-11-17T01:40:11Z")
What I don’t get about all this grandstanding is how many people don’t get that a Syrian settled in Minnesota can pull up stakes and move to Wisconsin or Illinois _any time he pleases._😕 ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25530 "2015-11-17T03:20:52Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I guarantee you, and I’d stake money on it, that a terror attack is more likely than a single lynching, and I’d give you 10-1 odds on it. > > We know there will be terrorists among the refugees. So basically we’re willing to sell some American lives for political correctness. Fine. Own it then. There is nothing in this post that is not reprehensible, but I will take issue with the one that pisses me off the most as an American: Just what makes “American lives” so damned much more meaningful than French or Syrian ones? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25531 "2015-11-17T04:25:06Z")
> [@j666](#): > > There is nothing in this post that is not reprehensible, but I will take issue with the one that pisses me off the most as an American: > > Just what makes “American lives” so damned much more meaningful than French or Syrian ones? Thank you for this! I’ve often wondered this myself. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25532 "2015-11-17T05:11:43Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > You do understand that there’s a refugee crisis because these people are fleeing _from_ ISIS and like-minded groups, right? > > And that by painting them all with the same brush, you’re doing ISIS’ job for them by cementing the notion that there’s a war between Islam and the west, right? Well said. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25533 "2015-11-17T05:53:48Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I guarantee you, and I’d stake money on it, that a terror attack is more likely than a single lynching, and I’d give you 10-1 odds on it. > > We know there will be terrorists among the refugees. So basically we’re willing to sell some American lives for political correctness. Fine. Own it then. You know, there were sorry fellows like you when the USA took in about 200,000 Vietnamese refugees and then approximately 300,000 to 500,000 from Central America fleeing civil wars. Guys like you also put on a fight and just contemplated their yellow bellies. But they were properly defeated, in courts even. IIRC there were incidents of crimes, as any other immigrant groups have done before. But in the end, the vast majority of them, just like the Germans, Italians, Irish, Chinese and many other immigrants in the past, are now proud Americans and this is because indeed, what a few bad members do should not to be assigned to all. Many of those immigrants and their descendants were and are in the military too, or like me worked to make sure that the electronic components in missiles that kicked Saddam’s butt (in the first Gulf War, not the sorry later one) worked properly. We are also defending your right to say your reprehensible ponderings. You are welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25534 "2015-11-17T09:35:40Z")
An obvious trick is being missed here: why haven’t any Republicans taken credit for Holms defeating Rhonda Rousey? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25535 "2015-11-17T10:00:26Z")
> [@j666](#): > > There is nothing in this post that is not reprehensible, but I will take issue with the one that pisses me off the most as an American: > > Just what makes “American lives” so damned much more meaningful than French or Syrian ones? Oh, so you really dislike Bernie Sanders then, for wanting to impoverish third world workers so that American workers can make a little bit more. Of course you don’t. You’re just grandstanding. And according to media reports, states do actually have a lot of power to deny refugees, in the sense that the feds can’t resettle refugees themselves without state assistance. And states not constitutionally required to help the federal government with jackshit. So if you want to resettle refugees, you can do it in blue states(although not New Hampshire, where Maggie Hassan also took a stand for her constituents), or you can ask Congress to pass sufficient appropriations to do it without state help. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25536 "2015-11-17T11:02:28Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Nope. Just getting into position to say they told us so. You’re a colossal, un-American piece of shit by the way. I just thought you should know. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25537 "2015-11-17T12:08:20Z")
Brace yourselves: [GOP State Representative opposes letting Syrian refugees into Texas _because it would be too easy for them to buy guns_](http://tonydale.gop/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/cornyn.pdf) \ ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25538 "2015-11-17T12:24:36Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > We know there will be terrorists among the refugees. So basically we’re willing to sell some American lives for political correctness. Fine. Own it then. You should be ashamed of yourself. So should those whose words you’re supporting. You allow your fear to overrule common humanitarianism. You’re so afraid that you are willing to sentence thousands of people to certain misery. You’re despicable. I’m done engaging you as if you were a semi-normal, albeit sadly misguided, person. You’re a specimen of scum. America–home of the terminally terrified. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25539 "2015-11-17T12:41:36Z")
**adaher** is using the same language used to justify the Japanese internment, Guantanamo Bay and the War in Iraq. No price is too much for someone else to pay to keep him safe. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25540 "2015-11-17T13:06:15Z")
Internment was wrong and FDR is still a hero of Democrats because Social Security. And you call me scum. I’m just advocating keeping risky refugees from emigrating here. But what’s more disturbing is that you’re not willng to take responsibility. I’m the bad guy for not getting on board with being willing to trade American lives for whatever the hell it is you believe in. You are. So again. OWN IT. Your whining that Americans are pieces of shit when they turn your guys out of office for this will be duly noted. You are welcome to seek refuge in Germany if you don’t like it. They are taking all comers now. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/25541 "2015-11-17T13:13:08Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > But what’s more disturbing is that you’re not willng to take responsibility. I’m the bad guy for not getting on board with being willing to trade American lives for whatever the hell it is you believe in. You are. So again. OWN IT. Your whining that Americans are pieces of shit when they turn your guys out of office for this will be duly noted. You are welcome to seek refuge in Germany if you don’t like it. They are taking all comers now. That letting in refugees would cost American lives is just an unsupported claim. Yes, the right-wing believes some of the refugees are murderous terrorists. That doesn’t mean that it’s true. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1276) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1278)