There’s a British cookie you can use to sip your tea with, I can’t remember which one.
Tim Tams.
That was the official job title of the Dean of Studies-equivalent at Normal School when my mother was a student there. Maestra de maestras, which in Spanish happens to be wordplay between “teacher of teachers” and “master of masters”.
Could the Omars have had such bad information on US immigration policies that they faked a brother-sister marriage? Having met several US immigration lawyers who should have been in prison rather than behind desks, sure. But whether something in another culture matches or does not match the way Things Are Done in yours or mine is not proof of anything.
Tim Tams are Australian. However, everyone should try a Tim Tam Slam at least once, if only for the challenge of seeing whether one can gauge the exact moment the whole is about to disintegrate into a soggy mess into your tea mug and pre-emptively eat it.
"U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who happened to arrive at O’Hare from Washington Thursday afternoon, learned of the situation and made her way to the Customs and Border Protection office to try to help resolve the conflict. She said the children were taken into custody at about 3 a.m. Thursday and were released about 13 hours later.
…
“I’m going to try to go in and see why our government is acting this way to three minors that have every right to travel,” Schakowsky said before entering the Customs and Border Protection office. “Three citizens of the United States of America. What is going on here? This is completely out of control.”
Following an hourslong, closed-door meeting over the release of the children, they emerged from the Customs and Border Protection office with their mother, flanked by Schakowsky, Mexican Consulate representatives and activists who had gathered outside."
So American citizen kids need a consulate, senators, et al, to leave an American building in America. Got it. WTF??
I was too frothed at the mouth to comment much the other night, but to follow up, I really think the Democratic world is in trouble, not just the United States.
Look, I’ve never been a flag-waving jingoist and I’m fully aware of the fact that the U.S. has supported some very undemocratic policies and unsavory regimes, but I would say that, overall, since the end of WWII, the U.S. has promoted a system of economic free trade, but more than that, it has supported Western Democratic political systems and advocated for multinational political frameworks to solve economic, environmental, and other problems. I worry about a world in which China, Russia, and other undemocratic countries make the new rules of trade and global politics.
But as much as I am concerned about what’s happening in the US, I am even more concerned about the possible future spread of centrist populism and nationalism in Europe. I think that would be a disaster, not just for Europe but for everyone. The implications of Brexit in some ways worry me even more than the crack-up of norms in the US, because I would submit that the UK has generally been even more stable than her fractious offspring. If she goes down the shit chute, I don’t have much confidence in the rest of modern post-WWII Europe.
Locrian: That’s Trump’s Republican Fucking Facist Regime.
If and when Democrats retake control of the federal government, I would consider myself among the advocates of completely overhauling the ICE/CBP apparatus. It is clear that these agencies have become radicalized, and we need to find ways to cleanse the federal bureaucracies so that they can become viewed as more credible actors.
The sad part is, I don’t think they needed Donald Trump to become radicalized; these agencies hire people who already have strong biases against foreign nationals and who see it as their job to keep the brown people out. Donald Trump didn’t radicalize them; he just unleashed them. They have no restraint now.
And what the congresswoman said was correct: this was a kidnapping and hostage taking under the color of the law, plain and simple.
It was like she was negotiating with a hostile foreign govt. over the release of hostages. Who were American. Motherfucking. Citizens.
(Not to mention innocent fucking kids returning from a trip. How American. Now put your hands behind your backs!)
Not with the Resident’s personal lawyer as AG.
I don’t understand. Is it normal for 9, 10, and 13 year old children to just be sent on their way without a parent picking them up?
Yes. All the time.
By airline or airport staff? Maybe not.
By friggin’ border control? Absolutely! Their job, at worst, was to release the children to an airline representative after clearing customs and passport control.
Trump nominates the son of the late Antonin Scalia to be his new Secretary of Labor.
Chuck Schumer wasn’t pleased:
But Tom Cotton offers this:
I know that a working class American, the single greatest thing troubling me is the endless red tape that I face every day, as well as all the burdensome regulations that hold me back. :rolleyes:
Gimme a fucking break.
Huh, guess I learned something new today. I didn’t know that 9 year-olds could just travel around the world on airplanes without a parent or guardian.
Unaccompanied minors. It’s a thing.
My first flight, as a matter of fact, was as an unaccompanied minor (Johnstown, PA to Buffalo, NY).
Yes, I know it’s a thing. I just didn’t realize that 9 year olds get off an airplane at their destination and are just free to do whatever they want. I assumed a parent or guardian would have to pick them up. My mistake.
Considering the existence of Weetabix, Commonwealth people in general seem inordinately fond of that game. “Mouthful of drywall, crunchy delight or sorry-ass goop ? Every breakfast is a new chance to miss that crucial 5 second window !”