Profound. economic. consequences.

Sure.

Because there aren't any MIT grads that can figure out how to replace immigrant labor with a machine.

Or, there is no government mechanism to allow non-citizens to come in and do work that no one else is willing to do.

It seems to me there is a technical answer, and a policy answer. Either is probably OK.

"They learned a lot during the Babylonian Captivity."

Yes. I'm sure that's etched into their collective memory.

Oh, and what is Palestine again?

"Meanwhile, the Jewish State only exists because of the Zionist Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine."

The Jewish state exists because the previous owners (Great Britain) deeded it to them. Pretty much following the suit of those (the Ottomans) who preceded the Brits.

And I'm not sure if you know it or not, but the Brits gave the Palestinians a state as well. The Palestinians simply made the mistake of thinking they could take the whole thing for themselves. The Zionists had developed much of what had been empty desert into lucrative enterprises. It makes sense they would want to drive out the Jews and take it all for themselves. It's actually not much different than the decision calculus of any other group that thought it would be in their best interest to kill the Jews and take their stuff. Israel is pretty much the first time that didn't work out for those wanting to do the taking.

"This helps the "Zionist are Victims, not Conquerors" myth which only right-wingers believe."

They're definitely not conquerors. If they were, the war would be over. They seemed to be less effective at conquering Gaza than the US was at conquering Afghanistan. Although to be fair, they have a few more years left before we can make an honest comparison.

They will be victims if they don't win though. I don't think 'from the river to the sea' is just a trope. It's the final solution to the Jewish question.

"He just can't help himself. Here, let's define that term for him yet again."

Would you prefer I use thier given name? The "Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei?"

Maybe you prefer the anglicized "National Socialist German Workers' Party."

"Couldn't have turned out better for Netanyahu had he planned it himself."

Are you -------- me?

Hamas has rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters across the world to stand up and demand the destruction of the Jewish state.

If only the ISIS propaganda arm had been as effective. They might have been able to control Gaza right now. They share many of the same goals.

"So then what's Hamas the government of?"

The former Egyptian territory of Gaza. Hamas does not represent any sort of Palestinian state. Mostly because there is no such thing, but the closest thing to a provisional government is the Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank.

I wonder if the Yasser Abu Shabab organization is also using human shields or Geneva Conventions-protected entities to support their operations?

And Global Entry gets you nothing when going through security. It only allows you to expedite going through passport control when entering the US. For a lucky few, we can also use it at automated EU passport control stations, but that's not very common.

"---- genocide by Jews."

Yeah. It should be the Jews being genocided.

And not the histrionic 'genocide' being promoted by the pro-Pals, but real, good old-fashioned 'wipe them from the face of the earth kind' of genocide. 'From the river to the sea' kind of genocide.

The good genocide.

TSA Pre-Check. I haven't taken off my shoes in more than a decade.

It would seem to me that Grok would now be quite popular with the pro-Pal crowd. They make the National Socialists look like beginner antisemites.

#18

I converted absolutely everything I possibly could into EURO months ago. The collapse of the dollar has basically been a $1700/month pay cut for me. I expect it will be cut even more.

"People don't feel safe in the United States anymore and it's reflected in the massive downturn in international travel to the US."

I have a co-worker who is a US citizen, but his wife is a German green-card holder. She just finished up some sort of graduate program at UNLV. She had planned on retiring to the US to walk at graduation. Her advisor suggested against it.

"And Trump's tariffs are targeted, not random. They're aimed at pressuring specific industries to reshore production and rebuild US manufacturing. That strategy is showing results."

Several things.

First, manufacturing is NOT coming back to the US, barring some sort of global catastrophe (like WWIII) that somehow leaves the US as the last remaining industrial economy on the planet (like what happened in WWII).

Second, the value of the dollar has dropped by 12% since 01 March 2025. I've seen projections that it will likely decline by an additional 5% before the year is out.

Wanna know why? Trump. He's a reality TV star. All drama is good drama.

"Sure, blame it all on Trump while you refuse to acknowledge the elephant in the living room."

The elephant in the room is Trump, and his ridiculous economic policies.

One March 1st, the USD was $.97 relative to the EUR. Within two weeks, it was $.86.

You're not wrong. As the Chinese accurately pointed out, the US is living beyond its means though debt financing.

The dollar has dropped in value by around 15% (relative to the EUR) since ------- started this IDIOTIC ------- tariff nonsense. Which, for me, was basically a 15% pay cut.

I wish I had a job that paid in EUR. Trump's not finished, and I don't think he gives a ---- whether the dollar collapses completely. I'm not even sure he understands the concept of currency reserves.

If I were an MNC, I would want an invoice in something other than USD.

I like Trump's border policies, but other than that, he is a ------- ------. I don't think he understand that, without a demand for USD, he's not going to be able to debt finance his 'big, beautiful bill.'

"He did enter the country legally. He came in through a legal port of entry where he turned himself in to border agents and requested asylum."

Uh-huh?

And why did he not do the SIV route? Albania-->Italy--> final destination?

That's literally why that program exists.

Maybe he thought the Biden policies were still in effect, and you could apply for asylum and stay for as long as you wanted. Avoid the paperwork and formality of the SIV process.

#8

Odds are that Boaz was working with Afghans at some point. Odds are that in 2021, some of them reached out to Boaz trying to get documentation that they had supported US/Coalition forces against the Taliban.

I'm not going to speak for Boaz, but that might be why he said what he said.

How was your time in Afghanistan, shoeless?

The US has an ongoing program for Afghans who supported the US. SIV. This guy is no different than any other illegal immigrant. It's like saying since I've done work with Norway, I should have the right to enter Norway under illegal conditions.

Share your thoughts. If you're against restrictions on anyone from anywhere entering the US, that's fine. But let's codify it. Right now, every day, US citizens and those seeking to enter the country legally may spend hours at a border checkpoint or at an airport. So, let's get rid of that. No one likes waiting at borders or at passport control. Why penalize those who are entering the country legally. Especially those who are US citizens.

I've mentioned it before, but the only time I ever had anything to do with the IDF was when we were trying to copy their techniques for reducing collateral damage. This was 2018-2019 when ISIS was on the ropes in Baghuz Fawqani and you had a high concentration of ISIS fighters and supporters in a small area.

"Not sure what planet you are posting from but here on earth where I am currently posting from "legal reviews" are now just a formality. I would be surprised if they are even being done any more."

I'm sorry...but, what?

I'm still in this business, and every last target on any target list is subject to a legal review. The lawyers can't approve a strike on a target, but they do determine whether or not it is valid in the sense that it serves a military purpose.

If you're Hamas, you're desired effect is to create fear and chaos. They don't attack valid military targets because A) they lack the accuracy to conduct precision strike, and B) attacks on military targets do not create chaos and fear.

I think it is probably the same with Iran, although I have less insight into the accuracy of Iranian long-range weapons systems.

"The IDF is targeting hospitals in Iran, just like they did in the Gaza Strip: 45 women and children KIA."

You claim to have been part of the intelligence community. If you're in the US, request that your congressional representatives request the legal review from the IDF on the targeting package.

I would say do the same for the Iranian and Hamas targets in Israel, but I'm pretty sure that legal reviews are unnecessary when your desired effect is to kill civilians and/or destroy civilian infrastructure.

"Advisors to Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei are reportedly in talks with Russia to secure asylum in case the regime nears collapse, according to Iran International."

He can roomie with Al-Assad.