Hunger Strike at Guantánamo

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O Really
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Re: Hunger Strike at Guantánamo

Unread post by O Really »

Nobody is saying Trump didn't win the election; not even claiming he "stole" it, but he, like all other Presidents, should understand that even if he had received 60% (which he didn't anywhere but in the deepest red spots), that there would be 40% that didn't like him - and those people are also citizens with the same rights as "his" voters.

Sure, and pigs should fly.

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Jasmine
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Re: Guantánamo

Unread post by Jasmine »

O Really wrote:
Sun Feb 02, 2025 12:17 am
Jasmine wrote:
Sat Feb 01, 2025 11:35 pm

Whatever punishment we can deliver to them, I’m in favor of it. They’re criminals.
Let me offer a different perspective. First, if a person, documented or not, commits a crime I favor prosecution. However, I think most would agree that different crimes deserve different treatment and punishment and saying that all criminals are equal is certainly a false equivalency. And I'm not convinced that all these people ICE is rounding up really are criminals. Overstaying a legal entry isn't actually a crime. Illegal entry is, but the prescribed penalty for first offense is fines and up to six months in prison. Crossing the border without going through a proper gate in order to request asylum also isn't a crime.

Secondly, ignore the scary rhetoric about rapists and murderers and consider who is really coming in. The vast majority are looking for work, and looking to perform work that is essential to the US economy. Now a lot of people talk about leaving their country and going to chase candy rock mountain, but it takes a lot of nerve and determination to actually do so, particularly when you have such an arduous journey to get here and immediate hardships when you arrive. But they do it - seeking a better life for themselves and their families. So if you've got, say, a big farm, isn't that the type of person you'd like to hire? So does it make more sense to round these people up off their jobs and send them back somewhere, or maybe pass better immigration laws that allow non-citizens to work and maybe offer a more reasonable path to citizenship?
Great reply. You bring up some good points. I especially agree with the part I bolded. The two parties should work together and come up with a fair and common-sense solution to improve our immigration system. Make it make sense.

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Vrede too
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Re: Guantánamo

Unread post by Vrede too »

Jasmine wrote:
Sun Feb 02, 2025 6:40 pm
O Really wrote:
Sun Feb 02, 2025 12:17 am
... or maybe pass better immigration laws that allow non-citizens to work and maybe offer a more reasonable path to citizenship?
Great reply. You bring up some good points. I especially agree with the part I bolded. The two parties should work together and come up with a fair and common-sense solution to improve our immigration system. Make it make sense.
Corporate and our own consumers' interests are served more than anyone's by having a large pool of frightened workers willing to work for submarket pay. RW politicians, not left, are most benefited by having a perpetual "problem" to stir up fearmongering and hatred among their minions. With this double bonus, it's no surprise that no action has been taken despite years of hand-wringing.
“The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”
-- Howard Zinn, 2004
1312. ETTD

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