#stricter border security

[opencommunion]

"While largely toothless as a democratic body—shorn of true legislative capacities and having never developed a genuine transnational dynamic—the European Parliament is nonetheless an important bellwether to track the continent’s political winds. As the results of the parliament’s June 6-9 elections confirm, those winds are blowing in a bleakly reactionary direction.

... There are two principal causes for this. First, the fact that for many decades now European national governments and federal European institutions have legitimized — through emergency measures, moral panics and murderous border policies that have led to thousands of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean — the far Right’s defining claim that migration threatens the material and cultural survival of white European civilization. The far Right’s obsessive talk of borders and births, and its promotion of the myth of the Great Replacement, were enabled by the EU’s political center. Governments across the continent advanced anti-migrant policies on the grounds that stricter regulations would sap the foundations of extremism. But it turns out voters often prefer the original brand, choosing bellicose nativism over technocratic repression when it comes to the ​'migration crisis.'

The second engine of Europe’s turn towards authoritarianism is the EU’s promotion of fiscal austerity policies that have particularly impacted Southern Europe and Ireland, but which have led to welfare state retrenchment across the board. Beyond eroding livelihoods and exacerbating inequality, austerity also led to the rise of multiple movements to reclaim national sovereignty, almost all of which (after the punishment and capitulation of Syriza’s left-wing government in Greece) are now monopolized by reactionaries. While all of Europe’s far-right parties have played on this supposedly populist register, none have challenged the hegemony of markets and the rating agencies that dictate cuts to social programs. ... The real social malaise that plagues so much of Europe — overburdened and privatized healthcare, labor precarity, anemic social security, accelerating climate-related emergencies — is projected onto the far Right’s favorite scapegoats: primarily migrants, but also ​'gender ideology' and its alleged assault on the family as Europe’s moral and material core."

[percistent]

If Chicago residents are upset about illegals being shipped to their city maybe they should advocate for stricter border security and deportation instead of court dates 8 years out that no one shows up to

[simply-ivanka]

President Joe Biden has blamed Donald Trump for sinking a bipartisan bill delivering billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine along with stricter immigration policies, after Republicans signalled their opposition to the deal under pressure from the former president. The legislation worth $118bn agreed on Sunday by Democratic and Republican negotiators in the Senate could be the last chance for the Biden administration to secure new military support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion — alongside other national security goals including aid to Israel and Taiwan. It also marks a rare compromise on efforts to curb immigration through the border with Mexico, including restrictions on asylum, which has been a rallying cry for Republicans and a political liability for Democrats throughout Biden’s presidency.

Biden has authority to close the border and restrict border crossings without action by Congress.

He needs the bill for one reason and that is to funnel money to Ukraine!

Trump 2024

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Joan E. Greve at The Guardian:

The House speaker, Mike Johnson, is pushing ahead with his plan to hold votes on four separate foreign aid bills this week, despite threats from two fellow Republicans to oust him if he advances a Ukraine funding proposal. Shortly after noon on Wednesday, the rules committee posted text for three bills that would provide funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The text of a fourth bill, which is expected to include measures to redirect seized Russian assets toward Ukraine and force the sale of TikTok, will be released later on Wednesday, Johnson said in a note to members.

The legislation would provide $26bn in aid for Israel, $61bn for Ukraine and $8bn for US allies in the Indo-Pacific. The Israel bill also appeared to include more than $9bn in humanitarian assistance, which Democrats had demanded to assist civilians in war zones like Gaza. Johnson indicated final votes on the bills were expected on Saturday evening, interfering with the House’s scheduled recess that was supposed to begin on Friday. If the House passes the bills, they will then be combined and sent to the Senate to simplify the upper chamber’s voting process. In February, the Senate approved a $95bn foreign aid package that included many of the same provisions outlined in the four House bills, and the upper chamber will need to reapprove the House package before it can go to Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.

In a statement, Biden called on the House to quickly approve Johnson’s proposal, saying, “The House must pass the package this week and the Senate should quickly follow. I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: we stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed.” Johnson will almost certainly have to rely on Democratic votes to get the bills approved, as House Republicans’ majority has narrowed to just two members after a series of resignations. Mike Gallagher, a Republican representative of Wisconsin, had planned to resign on Friday, but his spokesperson told Politico that he “has the flexibility to stay and support the aid package on Saturday”. Some prominent Democrats were already signaling their support for the package on Wednesday, increasing the likelihood of its passage.

“After House Republicans dragged their feet for months, we finally have a path forward to provide support for our allies and desperately needed humanitarian aid,” said Rose DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House appropriations committee. “We cannot retreat from the world stage under the guise of putting ‘America First’.” In a concession to hard-right Republicans, Johnson said in his note to members that the House would also vote on Saturday on a border security bill. The text of the legislation will be posted late Wednesday, Johnson said, and it will include many of the policies outlined in HR 2, a Republican bill with many hardline immigration measures. The House already passed HR 2 last year, but it was never taken up by the Senate. The Democrats who control the Senate remain adamantly opposed to the bill, so a similar proposal faces little hope of passage in the upper chamber. Despite that concession, hard-right Republicans were already expressing displeasure with Johnson’s plan on Wednesday, arguing that any Ukraine aid must be directly linked with stricter border policies.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is advancing foreign aid proposals onto the House floor for a vote despite threats from his hard-right flank (especially on Ukraine aid funding).

[learnwithmearticles]

Border Bills, Presidential Race

Kamala Harris is now the Democratic nominee for the 2024 election. Part of her campaign has included leaning into some moderate policies, such as less opposition to fracking and her recent statements about the border.

Harris has stated that she will be harder about the border than Donald Trump, the Republican opponent. At a rally in Georgia, she said she “will bring back the border security bill that Donald Trump killed”.

That Border Bill

Considered bipartisan, the bill Harris referred to was negotiated by Republicans with Democrats, then killed by Republicans after Trump urged them to do so.

By popular account, Trump wanted the bill to tank in order to force reliance on him to handle the ‘crisis’. If he can keep action from happening during the Biden-Harris term, voters might feel forced to vote for him if immigration is one of their concerns.

The proposed bill would provide significant additional funds for surveillance at the U.S.-Mexico border. It aims to increase search and seizure activity from Border Agents. That in itself is violating to individuals, as no warrant or probable cause is necessary for those searches. This allows agents far too much free reign to act as they please towards people regardless of their ‘potential danger’. Numerous videos online document the abuse people face from this.

The bill also calls for expanding the ability to detain people at the border, including funds for expanding custodial detention capacity. Following Trump’s 2016 election, we saw hordes of news about families separated, along with children and parents kept in cages, malnourished, and treated horribly. At least 37,000 people are currently in detention by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). At least 59.5% of those people have no criminal record.

The bill that Harris is announcing support for would worsen border conditions and facilitate Border Agents in keeping even more people wrongfully imprisoned.

Is there any good reason she’s doing this? Is there reason to worry about the border? What does it mean about her if there isn’t?

Immigration and Crime

No, simply. There is no strong evidence that immigration directly causes more crime.

A big concern in this area is drug trafficking. The Department of Homeland Security itself states that most fentanyl stopped at the border is being moved by U.S. citizens.

Additionally, Trump frequently refers to an “immigrant crime wave”. Statistics from places like New York disagree with that concept. While the immigrant population has increased in the city since 2022, the crime rate has overall remained steady, and even decreased for certain violent crimes like rape, murder, and shootings.

Another study found that, in the past 150 years, immigrants have been less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born citizens - 60% less, currently.

Evidence does not support the necessity of stricter border policies - especially ones that will only increase abuse towards those seeking asylum and do nothing to facilitate people becoming documented and successful working citizens.

As stated, Trump caused the bill to fail allegedly because it would force voters to vote for him if they want stricter border policies. Harris supporting such a bill completely weakens that attempt from Trump, making her a viable option for people concerned about immigration.

Again, as discussed, people do not need to be concerned about the border, but too many people still are. Considering the minds of voters, this switch from Harris to a non-progressive stance could be advantageous for her campaign.

(Of course, this is then hoping that she will not follow through, because such a law is unnecessary and harmful to people)

Additional Resources

1. Harris supporting border bill

2. Trump tanking the bill

3. The Bill

4. 90% of fentanyl from U.S. citizens

5. Detainee Statistics

6. Immigration and (Lack of) Crime

7. Incarceration Rates

[darkmaga-retard]

Andrew Korybko

Sep 11, 2024

This move will inhibit the free movement of people and goods to and from the EU’s largest economy, the AfD’s recent electoral successes have shocked the establishment into implementing a stricter policy towards illegal immigration, and Poland’s eastern border is more secure than ever.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is known for his pro-German policies, which readers can learn more about here, which is why it was surprising that he lashed out at its decision to temporarily reimpose border controls with all of its neighbors. He predicted that it’ll result in the “de facto suspension of Schengen on such a large scale” and assessed that “it is the internal political situation in Germany that is causing these more stringent steps, and not our policy towards illegal immigration on our borders.”

He's right on all three counts: this move will inhibit the free movement of people and goods to and from the EU’s largest economy; the AfD’s recent electoral successes have shocked the establishment into implementing a stricter policy towards illegal immigration; and Poland’s eastern border is more secure than ever. This last point is certainly known to the German government after Tusk invited that country to assume partial control over Poland’s eastern border while speaking next to Scholz in early July.

This followed their “military Schengen” pact from the beginning of the year that allows German weapons and troops to freely transit through Poland to Berlin’s new base in Lithuania. Interspersed between these developments was Poland bolstering its border security in ways that go far beyond stopping migrants as part of the US’ policy of pressuring Russia. Although this worsened New Cold War tensions, it had the effect of halving illegal immigrant crossings from Belarus within three weeks to less than 2,000.

[miuarchiv]

Amt VI Conference Minutes, 19 Nov 1941

• " The best proof of how far behind we are in our work is the Russian intelligence service, which, for example, is well informed about our tasks and has even registered every single person to the Gestapo Referents. The Amtschef(deputy) mentioned what we have learned from other countries in this regard. Even though Russia's geographical position enabled it to secure and seal off its borders in a completely different way than we can in Germany, for example, it is still noteworthy how the Russians worked. For example, it is still unknown today what armies the Russians still have in Siberia. What the Amtschef(deputy) said and the examples given are by no means intended to be accusations, but merely to serve as a guide to our work. "

• Read the usage regulation of the Guesthouse on Wansee.(The SD Guesthouse was the Wansee Villa. Amt VI had 5 other smaller houses on Wansee. In 1942 Amt I made the regulation stricter after RSHA staff were found drinking during daytime in the villa, then all banquets held at the Guesthouse had to be approved by the Amtschef)

• Re-emphasised the requirement to wear uniforms at work.

• Other aspects: Cooperation with other Amts, development of information sources from foreign labourers, handling of cases involving former royal family members, the reports sent to the Foreign Office must be useful and coherent with previous reports.

[beardedmrbean]

A House Democrat in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is breaking from the group to call for "tougher" border security measures after the ongoing migrant crisis forced U.S. officials to suspend railway operations between Texas and Mexico in two cities.

The statement by Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, whose district is anchored in Laredo, stands in stark contrast with the CHC’s position on the current border negotiations between Republicans and the White House. 

Cuellar said rail operations were being stopped in Eagle Pass and El Paso on Monday morning so Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) could "redirect personnel to process migrants."

"The crisis at our border is seriously affecting legitimate trade," Cuellar wrote the evening prior. "This year alone, vehicle and rail operations have been suspended at multiple ports of entry due to an overwhelming number of migrants, worsening delays for truck drivers transporting goods and costing our economy millions."

He finished, "Our border communities desperately need more federal resources, and we need tougher measures at the border. We must secure the border now."

CBP accused smugglers of using freight trains to bring people into the U.S. illegally in a statement on Sunday night announcing the planned closures for Monday at 8 a.m. local time.

"CBP is continuing to surge all available resources to safely process migrants in response to increased levels of migrant encounters at the Southwest Border, fueled by smugglers peddling disinformation to prey on vulnerable individuals," the statement said.

"After observing a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains, CBP is taking additional actions to surge personnel and address this concerning development, including in partnership with Mexican authorities."

It comes amid intense negotiations between Republicans and Democrats in both the White House and Senate over President Biden’s $110 billion supplemental aid package for Israel, Ukraine and other causes. 

Republicans have made clear they would not consider Biden’s request unless it was tied to stricter border security and asylum measures.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which is all-Democrat, released a statement last week urging Biden to show restraint in what he is willing to commit to in managing the border crisis.

"We are deeply concerned that the President would consider advancing Trump-era immigration policies that Democrats fought so hard against – and that he himself campaigned against – in exchange for aid to our allies that Republicans already support," they said. "Caving to demands for these permanent damaging policy changes as a ‘price to be paid’ for an unrelated one-time spending package would send a dangerous precedent."

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

January 2, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JAN 3, 2024

The new year has hit with news flying in from a number of quarters. 

At home, minimum wage increased in nearly half of U.S. states; it has been 14 years since the last increase in the federal minimum wage, the longest stretch since 1938 according to the AFL-CIO. NPR correspondent David Gura quoted Goldman Sachs’s chief equity strategist to note, ​​”The S&P 500 index returned 26% including dividends in 2023, more than 2x the average annual return of 12% since 1986.”

Representative Bill Johnson (R-OH) today submitted his resignation, effective January 21, to become the president of Youngstown State University. This shaves the Republican majority in the House of Representatives even thinner. With the recent expulsion of George Santos (R-NY) and resignation of Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the Republicans will control just 219 seats, permitting them a margin of only two seats to pass legislation when the House returns on January 9. 

The Republican House has been one of the least effective in history, and it has its work cut out for it in the new year. The first phase of the continuing resolution Congress passed in November to fund the government expires on January 19, ending funding for transportation, housing, energy, agriculture, and veterans’ affairs. The second phase expires on February 2. Much of the 2018 Farm Bill that covers food and farm aid expired in 2023. As of yesterday, January 1, the items usually covered in farm bills fall under a hodge-podge of fixes, with some old provisions from the 1930s and 1940s going back into force.

Also outstanding is the measure to provide supplemental funding for Israel, Ukraine, and the southern border between the U.S. and Mexico, as well as providing humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. 

House Republicans refused to pass that measure unless it included their own extreme anti-immigration measures, but they have refused to participate in efforts to hash out legislation, clearly preferring to keep the issue hot to use against the Democrats in 2024. Since President Joe Biden took office, he and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas have asked Congress for additional funding for Customs and Border Patrol officers and additional immigration courts, but despite Republicans’ own demand for such legislation, House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) wrote to Biden in December demanding that he impose stricter immigration rules and build a border wall through executive action. Today, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) echoed the idea that Biden, not Congress, should deal with the border.

Meanwhile, Emily Brooks and Rebecca Beitsch of The Hill reported today that about 60 House Republicans are planning to visit the border in Texas to emphasize the issue. They are also preparing to impeach Mayorkas on the grounds that he has failed to meet the requirements of the Secure Fence Act, “which defines operational control of the border as a status in which not a single person or piece of contraband improperly enters the country.” As Brooks and Beitsch point out, “not a single secretary of Homeland Security has met that standard of perfection.” House Republicans plan to hold hearings on impeaching Mayorkas, but Homeland Security Committee chair Mark Green (R-TN) has suggested to the Fox News Channel that the articles of impeachment are already written. 

At the intersection of domestic and foreign affairs, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), whom federal prosecutors have already indicted for using his office to work for Egypt, was charged again today with using his political influence to work for the government of Qatar. This is a big deal: at the time, Menendez was the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a key position in the U.S. government. Two Republican operatives are pleading guilty to evading lobbying laws in their own work for Qatar; their activities appear to have been much more limited than Menendez’s. 

The turn of the new year has also produced lots of news in foreign affairs. 

On February 4, 2021, just after Secretary of State Antony Blinken took office, Biden spoke at the State Department and said “the message I want the world to hear today” is that “America is back. Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy.” In a New York Times article from December 31, Peter Baker, Edward Wong, Julian E. Barnes, and Isabel Kershner emphasize that Biden and his team have been engaged constantly in diplomacy with Israel, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Since the October 7, 2023, attack by Iran-backed Hamas on Israel, Biden has spoken with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu 14 times and visited Israel; Blinken has traveled to the region three times and visited Israel five times. 

On December 22, in the Christian Science Monitor, Arab political journalist Taylor Luck and correspondent Fatima AbdulKarim reported that Arab Gulf states, Egypt, Jordan, the U.S., and the European Union have created “[a] massive postwar reconstruction plan…for the besieged Gaza Strip.” The plan is to “rebuild the coastal strip, unite and overhaul Palestinian governance, and create a Palestinian security force in Gaza to ensure Palestinian and Israeli security.” 

Arab diplomats insist the reconstruction of southern Gaza, including alleviating suffering, rebuilding housing and infrastructure, and restoring jobs, must be “rapid”; Gulf states have set $3 billion a year for ten years as the first budget. The plan calls for a “revamped and revitalized” Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza and the West Bank with current president Mahmoud Abbas as a figurehead and an apolitical unity government running affairs. 

The plan is still developing, but already the main obstacles are Israel’s governing coalition, led by Netanyahu, who refuses the ideas of a two-state solution and of a Palestinian Authority in charge of Gaza, and Hamas, which Gulf states as well as the U.S. reject as a participant in the future governance of Gaza. Other Iran-backed militias also oppose such a solution. 

From the beginning of the Hamas-Israel war, the Biden administration has been very clear that its first goal was to make sure the conflict didn’t spread, with Lebanon’s Iran-allied Hezbollah and other proxy militias joining in fully. Biden immediately sent two carrier groups to the region and promised “to move in additional assets as needed.” On October 10 he warned: “Let me say again—to any country, any organization, anyone thinking of taking advantage of this situation, I have one word: Don’t. Don’t.”

The New York Times piece by Baker, Wong, Barnes, and Kershner revealed that Biden and his national security team, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security advisor Jake Sullivan, also warned Netanyahu against launching a preemptive strike on Hezbollah. Israel and Hezbollah have been attacking each other with drones, missiles, and air strikes along the countries’ border. 

Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels from Yemen have attacked ships in the Red Sea, which is one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, handling about 12% of global trade and about 8.2 million barrels of crude oil and oil products every day. On December 31, four small boats attacked the Hangzhou, a container ship from the Danish shipping giant Maersk sailing under a Singapore flag, and then fired on the U.S. Navy helicopters that responded to the Hangzhou’s distress call. The helicopter crews sank three of the boats, killing their crews; the fourth fled. 

Today, Iran sent a naval frigate to the Red Sea, and Maersk announced it would stop using the Red Sea route until further notice. Hezbollah media said that an Israeli drone strike in Beirut, Lebanon, killed Saleh Arouri, the deputy political head of Hamas and a founder of its military wing. Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate.

Also today, in response to calls from Israeli cabinet members for the resettlement of Palestinians outside Gaza, the U.S. State Department issued a “rejection” of both the language and the idea. “We have been clear, consistent, and unequivocal that Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel. That is the future we seek, in the interests of Israelis and Palestinians, the surrounding region, and the world.”

And in today’s Washington Post, Lebanon’s former prime minister Fouad Siniora and former Lebanese lawmaker Basem Shabb noted that “[d]espite the ferocity of the bombing and the great loss of innocent civilian lives in Gaza, the conflict remains largely contained to an Israeli-Palestinian confrontation—and more specifically, is broadly understood in the Arab world to be a conflict with Hamas, a non-state actor,” but warned the conflict must not spread. They noted that in November, “[i]n a first, 57 Arab and Islamic countries…called for a peaceful resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on a two-state solution,” the same concept embraced by the Biden administration.    

“In response to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, the Arab world responded with denunciation—but, more importantly, with diplomacy. No military threats were issued by any of the Arab states toward Israel,” the Lebanese lawmakers pointed out. They urged Israel to embrace the two-state solution “and, in doing so, usher in a new era in the Middle East.”

Lots of pieces moving around the board on this second day of January 2024.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[pols47003]

President Biden signed an executive order Tuesday that would allow for stricter constraints on immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border. Under the order, any immigrants crossing the border that do not express a (subjective) amount of 'fear of returning to their home country' could be immediately removed by border patrol. The order would also impose even stricter standards on acceptable asylum claims processed at official ports of entry.

The ACLU has already expressed plans to sue the Biden administration over the executive order, challenging its legality under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The ACLU successfully sued the Trump administration for a nearly identical ban on seeking asylum, which was blocked by a Federal District Court in 2019. While the Biden administration claims the order is legal because it protects national security interests, refugees have the widely recognized legal right to seek asylum at any point of a border, not just ports of entry, both in US law, international law, and moral human rights standards. The bipartisan effort to limit legal immigration is both ineffective at actually solving the humanitarian problems at the southern border and contrary to our moral responsibility to grant asylum.

[pidgebeats]

jason montanez - tlou oc

"Go ahead, Cass," he said, eyes sorrowful. "Just kill me. I was one of them, remember? It'll resonate with you. Maybe you can keep going after this,"

trigger warning: suicide (kind of?), cults, religious trauma/homophobia

Jason was born to a strange mother and a devout Christian father before the apocalypse. His mother read the Bible like a thriller book, and through that, she formed her own ideals.

When the apocalypse began, Jason's mother saw the perfect opportunity: she took her son and husband into the woods and lived off the land.

After she formulated her beliefs, she formed the Children of Judas: a heavily religious cult which focused on reincarnation, but in a different way to other religions: they wanted reincarnation, except they thought they'd get it via betrayal, like how Judas’ betrayal led to Jesus’ resurrection, in a way.

As the cult began to boom in popularity, his mother began caring less about what he did, so he resorted to kissing boys, sure his mother would never find out. She did, one day, and kicked him out of his settlement, sending him off to a stricter one.

Jason reached 25, the age he was expected to marry and help bear children, but he ran away the day of his ceremony, refusing to marry the woman he was supposed to. He was punished horrifically for this, and it was eventually decided he would be forced to marry one of the elders, and give her children instead.

He did not want this, but the camps were so scattered about that he was sure to run into another one and be in the same situation, so he stayed. He decided he'd kill himself the day after he was forced to marry the woman.

One day, very close to the wedding, a commotion sprung up. There was an ambush called, and Jason finally decided this was time to escape. He was about to breach the walls when he saw a big torn up shredded hole in one log of wood, as if someone had hacked at it with a knife, and he spun around to see the sole of a shoe poking out of a bush.

His eyes widened and, without thinking, he grabbed at the t-shirt of the person hiding in the bush, and had his arm awfully scratched up as she slid out from under the bush. She had curly brown hair, olive skin, and green eyes, but she looked crazed, eyes wide and hair frazzled and blood over her shirt.

He begged her to help him run away and she did, and she saved him from being attacked by a cult member. That must have solidified something for her, so she took him along with her.

He also asked if she could take down his home settlement, finally wanting to be free of the ties of his mother, but the girl, who he had learned was named Cassidy, was attacked and taken away by the cult members: his settlement had always had much better security.

He had to make his way through several of his old peers to get to her. The only weapons he had were an axe and a hunting pistol, but he made do with them. He did not know why he wanted to save Cassidy. She was his only way out, wasn't she?

He found Cassidy, confronted by a woman, locked in a cell they had only used for interrogation, and he did not think: he simply shot the woman. It was only after she fell to the ground and breathed her last breath that he realised it was his mother, and he had murdered her.

He quickly left to Seattle with Cassidy and, upon finding Star, he distrusted the girl, but slowly bonded with her. He was horribly upset about not joining the Washington Liberation Front, but maybe Jackson would be better.

As he, Cassidy, and Star were travelling through Montana, they ran into a horde: Jason was bitten, but he did not tell Cassidy or Star this until they reached the Wyoming border. He simply grabbed Cassidy's gun and begged her to shoot him. She did not want to, sobbing and begging him to just crawl off and die somewhere scenic, but he refused.

She finally obliged and, with one final bullet-sound reminiscent of when he had shot his own mother, he was gone.

Cassidy and Star burnt his body and scattered it somewhere nice in Jackson, which Cassidy does not visit, but Star does every single day.

[bedbellyandbeyond]

Auntie Karla

(Story Post)

Korsy shook his head. “Don't mention it. Anything for family.” They arrived at his aunt's house around noon the next day. She had a flat in Stockholm, a lovely space with plants and a couple free roaming rabbits. She greeted Korsy and Dusty sweetly, suggesting they come in and sit on the balcony. “You have a beautiful home,” Dusty said as he petted a bunny that had come to sniff at his feet. “Ah, thank you, kära,” Karla said. As a full-blooded dark elf, she had long light pink hair with a halo of braids, and a darker and colder complexion than Korsy. Her eyes were a tender gold colour, stormy with worry. She sat down with them, poised like royalty. “Your trip wasn't too bad, was it?”

“No, no,” Korsy said, although they had a few bumps along the way with such sudden travel booking. “Don't concern yourself with us anyhow. I came to see if I can help. Can you explain to me again how my cousin got into this mess?” Karla sighed, her fingers gripping her teacup. “My son, you know, he is so naïve sometimes… As he told me, he was just trying to help these people, but they are from Mörkret.” “The Dark Realm?” Korsy asked. “He found people in the Dark Realm? There are only monsters there.” “He said he found elves,” Karla said. “Not like us but he believes they are. He believed they belong here with us, but they were all detained at the border. Even my Asger.” Korsy frowned. “And my uncle can't have him released?” “It is his father that wants him there,” Karla said, with acidity in her voice. “He thinks he needs to punish him, make an example of him. But you know your uncle. He is a cruel unreasonable man.” Korsy nodded slowly, a dark shadow cast across his face. He patted his aunt's hand. “Good thing you left when you did.” Karla pouted, her expression melancholic. “I feel so foolish ever falling for such a man. I should have seen through him, but he used to be so charming and warm. It is like his heart was frozen, ever since…” She trailed off, glancing at Korsy then back to her tea. Dusty noticed Korsy stiffen a little and could only wonder what she could have been referring to. He dared not pry for now though. “Anyway, Asger asked me to contact you,” Karla continued. “He believed that you could help him. I do not know what his plan was, but if there is something you can do, I would be very grateful.” “I don't know…” Korsy leaned back and rubbed his neck. “I've never bailed anyone out of elf jail before… But perhaps, if I met these people my cousin was talking about, then I might see why he’s so keen on protecting them.” “So, you will go?” Karla asked. “I can provide you safe enough passage there. They will not bother you.” Korsy shook his head. “I don't care about their remarks, I know what my family thinks of half elves like me… I'm more concerned about what finding help from me might do to my cousin's reputation.” “Do not worry about anything like that, you know your cousin thinks well of you,” Karla said. “He would not ask if he did not trust you.” “I couldn't break his trust, could I?” Korsy stood up and stretched. “Should we get to it, then?” “Oh, so eager! You remind me so much of your mother,” Karla said, chuckling to herself. “But we will have to wait until late tonight. Security has gotten stricter. No one can enter the city by day.” “Really? That's so unnecessary. I imagine this is my uncle's doing as well?” Korsy assumed. “You imagine correctly. But you do not need to worry, you and your friend can stay and have dinner with me, and then we will go,” Karla said. “Now please, you must properly introduce me. This poor thing has been sitting here so patiently listening to me lament. Who is this handsome man?” “Sorry. This is Dusty,” Korsy introduced. “He is my—” “Are you Elliot's boyfriend?” Karla asked expectantly. “Oh, for now, we're just work partners,” Dusty said, offering a hand and playing up the charm. He turned his head to Korsy, smiling devilishly. “Elliot?” Korsy just rolled his eyes. “I'm training him. He's new. We happened to be in Prague when you called.” “Oh, that's too bad. Your mother would've loved to know you found someone special,” Karla said. “I'm sure she's watching and waiting for you to find such happiness.” Korsy frowned. “I am doing perfectly well on my own.” “Well, I hear Elliot does have his eyes on someone, but he won't tell me,” Dusty gossiped. Korsy shot him a glared. “Oh, really?” Karla patted Korsy's arm. “That makes your tant feel better. You're getting older, you know, I don't want to worry you're alone.” “I'm really fine,” Korsy said. “And I'm not alone. I have friends. But that's it.” “Sure, sure,” Karla brushed off. “I understand. You kids like to keep things so secret until you're sure.” “One second, I'm ‘getting older' and now I'm a kid,” Korsy complained. His aunt caressed his cheek. “You know you'll always be little Elliot to your family. But you are of course an adult and you should really start thinking about settling down.” “Karla, could you please call me Korsy?” Korsy asked. “It's tradition you know.” “Ah, I'm so sorry,” Karla apologised, withdrawing her hand, only to place it on his arm. “I forgot, you know. And your mother gave you such a beautiful name. I wouldn't want to forget it. But you want to be Korsy, you are Korsy.” “Thank you,” Korsy said, patting her hand. She smiled and sat back. “Now, that Korsy name is tradition for your father's family. Don't you want to pass it down? You could become…what's the whole name?” “Korsgaard,” Korsy answered, getting uncomfortable. “But Karla, I'm not—” “You could be Korsgaard with your own little Korsy,” she said. “Yeah,” he folded. “Maybe one day. But not right now.” “Of course, of course.” “Auntie, I've never been to Stockholm before. Is there anywhere I should see before we leave tonight?” Dusty interrupted. “Oh, this is your first visit? Of course!” Karla was all grins. “I will give you the tour. There is a lot to see so we should get to it!” As his aunt got up to put their teacups away, Korsy gave Dusty an appreciative glance. “Thank you for that,” Korsy said. “Don't mention it, Elliot,” Dusty teased. “Don't you start too.” “I won't, I won't.”

[aeoexpert]

ABOUT AEO AND SEO

Navigating the Alphabet Soup: Demystifying AEO and SEO

While both acronyms begin with "A" and "O," AEO and SEO represent vastly different worlds within the realm of international trade and digital marketing, respectively. Understanding the distinctions between these seemingly similar terms is crucial for businesses operating in the globalized landscape.

AEO: Championing Security and Efficiency in Trade

Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) certification isn't simply another compliance burden; it's a mark of distinction. This internationally recognized program, administered by customs authorities, identifies companies with demonstrated security and compliance measures, granting them expedited customs clearance and other trade benefits. Think of it as a VIP lane for trusted businesses, streamlining processes and reducing costs.

The AEO program operates on three levels: AEO-C (Customs Simplification), AEO-S (Security and Safety), and AEO-F (Full). Each level brings increasing benefits, but also requires stricter compliance standards. Earning AEO status involves rigorous audits, robust security procedures, and a commitment to international trade regulations. It's a long-term investment, but the rewards are substantial.

For businesses, AEO certification translates to faster customs clearance, reduced inspections, and priority treatment during peak seasons. This translates to lower logistics costs, improved supply chain efficiency, and ultimately, enhanced competitiveness in the global market. Furthermore, AEO certification acts as a badge of honor, demonstrating a company's commitment to security and compliance, potentially improving its reputation and attracting new business partners.

SEO: The Art of Ranking High in Search Engines

On the other side of the spectrum lies Search Engine Optimization (SEO). While AEO deals with physical goods crossing borders, SEO navigates the virtual world, aiming to improve a website's visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). By optimizing website content, technical aspects, and online presence, SEO specialists help businesses attract organic traffic – potential customers actively searching for relevant products or services.

Think of SEO as the art of making your website discoverable when someone types related keywords into Google or other search engines. Effective SEO involves crafting high-quality content, building backlinks from reputable websites, and ensuring your website is mobile-friendly and technically sound.

The benefits of effective SEO are undeniable. Higher search engine rankings translate to increased website traffic, which can lead to more leads, conversions, and ultimately, revenue growth. For businesses operating in a competitive online space, good SEO is crucial for attracting potential customers and standing out from the crowd.

Key Differences: Worlds Apart, Yet Intertwined

While AEO and SEO operate in distinct spheres, they share a common goal: facilitating successful international trade. AEO certification streamlines the physical movement of goods, while effective SEO attracts potential customers searching for those goods online. In today's interconnected world, these two aspects are increasingly intertwined.

For instance, an AEO-certified company with a well-optimized website is likely to experience smoother customs clearance, faster deliveries, and a wider online reach, ultimately enhancing its global competitiveness. Conversely, a company with strong SEO but lacking AEO certification might face delays and additional costs at borders, hindering its ability to fulfill online orders efficiently.

The Takeaway: A Symbiotic Relationship

In conclusion, AEO and SEO represent distinct yet complementary strategies for businesses operating in the global marketplace. Understanding the nuances of each is crucial for optimizing trade operations and maximizing online visibility. By embracing both AEO certification and effective SEO practices, businesses can unlock a world of opportunities, navigating the complexities of international trade with efficiency and success. Remember, in the alphabet soup of global business, both "A"s and "O"s play essential roles in achieving long-term prosperity.

SEO EXPERT near NAPLES, FL

[dmagedgoods]

Hello, your majesty! I know you've only recently taken the throne in Mendev, but I was curious if you had any particular policy plans you plan on working toward. How do you want your rule of the country to be remembered?

“An excellent question.”

With his elbows resting on the table, he folds his hands.

“Right now, Mendev is a torn country after the dreads and privations of the Crusades. What it needs most, is a compassionate but strong and determined leader to unite it with a clear course and goal.

Queen Galfrey’s reign, may she rest in peace, never seemed to reach as far as it should have. The nation is divided in its cities’ separate interests and their Commanders take liberties and only focus on improvements and threats right in front of their own door. – An understandable approach, given the fact that the efforts of the former Royal Council seemed to end at the borders of Nerosyan as well, but an approach I will exchange for a system of collaboration and and collective strength. The Commanders of Mendev’s settlements will find themselves confronted with a stricter set of laws and regulations, but can also expect benefits and support in matters of security, reconstruction and logistics.

The attacks of the demon hordes, regional disagreements and internal battles for power left the state fragile. I will use all available resources to stabilize the situation and aid the people who lost and suffered the most, but simultaneously I will implement harsh punishments for scavenging, corruption, and other forms of criminality.

I expect the transition to a civilian government to go smoothly after this long and exhausting war and the biggest change will be the establishment of a parliamentary body representing the interests of the people. It will offer them a chance to participate in political decisions with direct influence on their lives.

We need to redistribute Mendev’s wealth, improve infrastructure and to revise our tax system to stand true to our plans. The Lord Regent already has some bold but nonetheless auspicious ideas to raise the national budget and to restructure the management of public affairs.

Furthermore, I plan to implement a far-reaching supply system, meant for farmers, merchants, and craftsmen, to revitalize the economy, until they recovered from the crises.

I won’t attempt to disguise that we have a hard and rough way in front of us. But confidence and willpower among our people increased with the threat of the worldwound gone. And I will lead them into an era of reconstruction and creation, of progress, and most importantly: peace and stability. The future we will shape is worth fighting for.”

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Isabela Dias at Mother Jones:

Is the dream dead? And, if so, who killed it? On June 15, 2012, President Barack Obama stood in the Rose Garden of the White House to announce a massive change in immigration policy. For years, Congress had been unable to pass legislation to protect from deportation the so-called Dreamers, undocumented youth brought to the United States as children. In 2001, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) first introduced a bill that would have granted them a path to citizenship. But, a decade later, the Dream Act had failed—again.

Obama declared that day he had taken matters into his own hands. His administration put forward an executive action to create a now-famous program: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). “These are young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods, they’re friends with our kids, they pledge allegiance to our flag,” Obama, facing pressure over his administration’s harsh immigration enforcement practices, said. (He had begun to be called a moniker that would stick: “deporter in chief.”) “They are Americans in their heart, in their minds, in every single way but one: on paper.” As such, they shouldn’t be expelled from the country or have to live under the “shadow of deportation.”

DACA went on to become a landmark achievement of the Obama presidency—lauded for its seamless logistical implementation led by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, then head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the economic benefits of authorizing eligible beneficiaries to work. Crucially, it gave a lifeline to more than 800,000 young immigrants raised and educated in the United States. DACA was “a temporary stopgap measure,” Obama had said. But its success, for a time, allowed the program’s original sin to be played down. The expectation, Mayorkas told the New York Times recently, “was that DACA would be a bridge to legislation.” Politicians could assume that change, albeit delayed, would likely someday materialize. Over the past quarter of a century, the issue of Dreamers has enjoyed broad bipartisan support in Congress. It has been included in virtually every immigration negotiation. And the stories of promising undocumented young people have been common on front pages and magazine covers—inspiring a rare kind of solidarity that transcended political divisions. (There was even a Broadway musical.) This year, all of that seemingly changed. 

The common-sense vision for a permanent solution for Dreamers has gone from a no-brainer to an afterthought. It used to be the case that legislative pushes for stricter border enforcement measures would not even merit consideration unless they were tied to relief for Dreamers (to say nothing of the millions of other long-time undocumented people often also included in proposals). Legislation could fail to pass, as it repeatedly did. But that signaling of support—even if in sentiment alone—made clear where Dreamers stood. Now, that tacit pact has been broken, and with little ceremony. In an effort to appease cries of “open borders,” Democrats and President Biden endorsed a controversial bipartisan Senate border deal that would have brought about one of the harshest overhauls of the immigration system in decades. Biden lauded the bill as the “toughest” in history. He also lamented that it didn’t include a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. Still, he urged Congress to advance it. The border deal never saw the light of day. But it begged the question: When did standing up for DACA stop being “the right thing to do“? (Or a political necessity for Democrats.)

Adding to the disregard for Dreamers is the potential end of their life raft. DACA is more at-risk than ever, relegated to die a slow death in the courts where its legality and very existence is being litigated. As Congress and the public relentlessly debate immigration policy with a laser focus on the border, the fate of Dreamers and other undocumented immigrants living in the country has become a footnote.  “Congress used to care about the ‘Dreamers,'” the Washington Post editorial board wrote in January. “What happened?”

[...] The threat of DACA’s imminent demise is real. While in office, in 2017, former President Donald Trump rescinded the program, which then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions dismissed as “unilateral executive amnesty.” The US Supreme Court blocked the termination in a 5-4 decision ruling it was “capricious and arbitrary,” but left the underlying question of the program’s legality open. If given the opportunity, Trump would likely try to end DACA again. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 playbook for the next conservative administration refers to it as an unlawful program. Stephen Miller, former White House senior adviser to Trump, previously called DACA “an erasure of immigration law” and his dark money-backed “lawfare” group opposed efforts to shield the initiative. “We already know what a Trump administration would do because we have had this experience,” Cecilia Muñoz, who served as director of the Domestic Policy Council under Obama and helped establish DACA, says. “You can expect DACA to shrink or disappear entirely.”

But these threats also elide the way the program is already quietly dying by a thousand cuts. A backlog of cases and months-long delays in processing applications means recipients risk losing their jobs. And short of an expansion, DACA as it currently exists will become obsolete. In order to qualify, applicants must have come to the United States before the age of 16 and have lived in the country since 2007. These requirements put the program out of reach for an entire new generation of Dreamers. “I have seen fewer and fewer DACA recipients in my classes,” Patler says. “My undergraduate students are now almost exclusively too young to have benefited from DACA, so they are facing the same barriers to pursuing higher education that undocumented students faced in the early 2000s.”  Even those who are eligible can still be excluded because of a court order blocking first-time applications. Judith Ortiz, 21, and her twin sister first applied for DACA in December 2020. A federal court ruling had just mandated that the Trump administration restore the program. Because the sisters, who came to the United States from Mexico at the age of two, share the same last name and birthday, their lawyer advised them to apply on different dates to avoid any confusion with the processing of their paperwork. Judith’s application was filed on December 23, 2020, one day after her twin sister. That one day would mean the difference between having legal status, however fraught, and remaining undocumented. 

In 2021, Judge Andrew Hanen of the District Court for the Southern District of Texas determined in a case brought by Republican attorney generals that DACA was unlawful because the Obama administration had failed to follow the formal rulemaking process. Hanen blocked new DACA applications from being considered. (He continued to allow renewals while the Biden administration revisited the program’s regulation.) The conservative Fifth Circuit upheld Hanen’s decision following an appeal by the Biden administration and sent it back to the district court judge, who ruled against the government’s attempt to strengthen and protect DACA. “While sympathetic to the predicament of DACA recipients and their families,” Hanen wrote in 2023, “this Court has expressed its concerns about the legality of the program for some time.” The case is now pending before the Fifth Circuit once more and could ultimately make its way to the Supreme Court.  When it comes to the courts, Muñoz sees a “worrisome corollary” in another Obama-era program, the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA). Built on the same legal premise as DACA, that initiative would have offered temporary relief from deportation to undocumented parents of US citizens and permanent residents. In 2016, an equally divided Supreme Court affirmed a lower court’s ruling in the United States v. Texas case, which challenged DAPA and an expansion of DACA, and prevented the program from being implemented. 

Mother Jones has an informative article on the slow-motion death of both DACA and DAPA.