Congratulations to the UK...

[F250 28,776]

16 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

As long as the integrity of the EU is maintained, sure.  The problem is whether you put any credence into the looming european debt crisis or not?  Most I know feel it's only a matter of time.  So let's assume you feel it's inevitable.  Then what do you do?  We're talking trillions of dollars.  If default is the only remedy, catastrophe is a matter of time - cascading into the economies of the smaller, surrounding economies and making 2008 look like a wet fart in a windstorm.  100%+ debt-to-GDP is insane.  Default becomes inevitable when the interest owned on the debt surpasses the yearly GDP revenues.  This is how wars start.  This is how countries break apart.  Debtor countries take on immense resentment to those holding (and calling in) their debt.  Their victimhood reaches critical mass.  So again, what are Europe's options?  Austerity measures?  Already tried that (riots).  Growth?  Not happening?  Bailout - ok, from whom?  Germany can't float Italy, Greece, Spain, and Portugal.  Neither can the UK.

Well, obviously they felt that the EU was stable enough to want to remain in it. Even the economic backwaters of London felt comfortable with the stability of the EU that it chose to remain.

[G650 14,256]

29 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

The problem is whether you put any credence into the looming european debt crisis or not?  Most I know feel it's only a matter of time.  So let's assume you feel it's inevitable. 

I think it's the biggest bogeyman ever. It's not going to happen.

[BabaYaga 15,298]

11 minutes ago, G650 said:

I think it's the biggest bogeyman ever. It's not going to happen.

Why?

[elfenix 34,241]

17 minutes ago, F250 said:

Well, obviously they felt that the EU was stable enough to want to remain in it. Even the economic backwaters of London felt comfortable with the stability of the EU that it chose to remain.

it's a red herring anyway.  the UK continued to use the pound so their exposure wasn't and isn't the risk of their currency devaluing.  the risk is that all the shit loans english banks made don't perform, and leaving the EU doesn't really fix that. 

[G650 14,256]

2 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Why?

Money just gets printed at this level and debt carried over. It has almost no relation to most people conception of monetary rules.

[BabaYaga 15,298]

Few years back more than half of the Dutch voters voted to leave the EU as well.  Long term, I just don't see it as being viable.  Nor can you infuse your way out of this long-term.  Engligh loans are not sound.  But the Italian loans are worse.  As are those of the before-mentioned countries.  Eurozone country growth is abysmal.  .02%?  Something to that extent?  Their QE efforts have largely failed, along with their zero-rate policies from their painfully slow ECB.  When 2008 hit, both the US and UK responded quickly and decisively.  Not the ECB.  The US also socialized the debts with the banks, giving them the opportunity to continue lending.  The european banks are STILL weak from 2008 and have not recovered.  Nor do they agree - on much of anything.  That's why Italy joined that Asian/China belt road initiative.  They were sick and tired of waiting on the ECB, er I mean Germany.  It's a hot mess.  

[G650 14,256]

I mean we can devolve this into a long discussion about whether substantial growth is needed or even wanted in a totally developed economy, but that is a whole separate and very involved topic. But the short short version is that sovereign debt of this magnitude is essentially vapor ware.

Now, Germany favors tighter monetary policy, so it wishes are reflected in the growth numbers and trade balances. But the EU isn't going anywhere, and the assertions of this wild crash and breakup are ridiculous. There's a lot of rose colored glasses about the PIGS and the performances of yesteryear and all, but the fact is they are wildly uncompetitive, and being hitched to the massive market power of the EU is far better than being on their own. The whole "oh if they devalue and loosen policy and yada yada yada.." is total nonsense. They suck as producers and nothing will change that.

 

And totally aside, this is why I have an affinity for Northern Italy and basically consider Rome and south European Mexico, and honestly that is a little harsh on Mexico.

 

Edit: And aside two, if the UK took charge of the EU all those years ago like someone (this guy) said, this whole discussion would be moot.

Edited February 6, 2020 by G650

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

1 hour ago, utee94 said:

They're already exporting their royals over here.  The Second British Invasion has begun.

That's more like the 3rd or 4th British Invasion. 1 was the war of 1812, 2 was the Beatles, 3 was punk rock.

[Brisketexan 105,142]

4 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

That's more like the 3rd or 4th British Invasion. 1 was the war of 1812, 2 was the Beatles, 3 was punk rock.

4th was that bizarre ad blitz to launch Weetabix in the US a few years back:

Surprisingly, Americans were not clamoring for tasteless grain bricks.

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

18 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

4th was that bizarre ad blitz to launch Weetabix in the US a few years back:

Surprisingly, Americans were not clamoring for tasteless grain bricks.

Does that get a even get a whole number ?  Maybe a 3.25 or a 3a designation ?

[Brisketexan 105,142]

17 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Does that get a even get a whole number ?  Maybe a 3.25 or a 3a designation ?

Dude, you can't break up a weetabix - not with a hammer.  So you can't split the number.

Only the damned brits would make wheat adobe bricks and call them breakfast.

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

Dude, you can't break up a weetabix - not with a hammer.  So you can't split the number.

Only the damned brits would make wheat adobe bricks and call them breakfast.

Material left over from the sand bags protecting buildings during the Blitz I'm guessing ?

[BabaYaga 15,298]

51 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

4th was that bizarre ad blitz to launch Weetabix in the US a few years back:

Surprisingly, Americans were not clamoring for tasteless grain bricks.

Grapenuts already that market cornered

[Brisketexan 105,142]

Just now, BabaYaga said:

Grapenuts already that market cornered

American gravel > limey bricks.

[utee94 15,823]

1 hour ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

That's more like the 3rd or 4th British Invasion. 1 was the war of 1812, 2 was the Beatles, 3 was punk rock.

Nah, I don't acknowledge the war of 1812 or punk rock.  It's the Second.

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

1 hour ago, utee94 said:

Nah, I don't acknowledge the war of 1812 or punk rock.  It's the Second.

Well, you're living in your own private Idaho I guess....

[GHOSTUSER 361]

On 2/5/2020 at 4:30 PM, Bruno Sardine said:

Since we’re talking about Brexit, I would argue that Brexit itself is part of the fall-out from the 2015 migration crisis. I agree the far-right is using immigration as a boogeyman.  In Germany, the Christian Democrats are openly grappling with this issue. They want to be compassionate, but at what cost? 

As someone who shares your views on human nature, I am not optimistic. Americans like to flagellate themselves and pretend that Europeans are somehow more progressive when it comes to immigration and minority rights. But this is a false perception. We haven’t passed laws like Denmark, which requires mandatory training in “Danish values” for Muslim schoolchildren. We haven’t passed bans on the construction of minarets like Switzerland or banned burqas like any number of European countries. Unlike Europe, we don’t suffer the problem of “parallel societies.” 

I love that Danish law. Wish we could do something like that here. That’s what brisket and the like don’t get. They don’t agree with restricting immigration to prevent Muslims who wear head to toe hijabs and mutilate female genitalia from coming here. I believe it’s a legitimate state interest to prefer certain profiles and deny others. The type of people we allow and what cultures they are from and their willingness to assimilate need to be the prime factor in choosing immigrants. Ideally, the American and British would be able to give voice to these desires through a referendum. These decisions have been made by the administrative state. That needs to change.

 

 

 

[bolverk 29,673]

21 minutes ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

I love that Danish law. Wish we could do something like that here. That’s what brisket and the like don’t get. They don’t agree with restricting immigration to prevent Muslims who wear head to toe hijabs and mutilate female genitalia from coming here. I believe it’s a legitimate state interest to prefer certain profiles and deny others. The type of people we allow and what cultures they are from and their willingness to assimilate need to be the prime factor in choosing immigrants. Ideally, the American and British would be able to give voice to these desires through a referendum. These decisions have been made by the administrative state. That needs to change.

 

 

 

If we had those sorts of immigration restrictions in the 1970s, you literally would not be here today. However, you can thank the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, signed into law by none other than LB fucking J, that we did away with national/racial quotas.

[tx 3 putt 76,958]

1 hour ago, bolverk said:

If we had those sorts of immigration restrictions in the 1970s, you literally would not be here today. However, you can thank the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, signed into law by none other than LB fucking J, that we did away with national/racial quotas.

LuLzzzzzzzxx@do as I say, not as I do !!!

[workswithseed 2,108]

What the fuck @Bolero88? What in my answer to Hayden made you cry?

[Bolero88 277]

3 minutes ago, workswithseed said:

What the fuck @Bolero88? What in my answer to Hayden made you cry?

Cry? No. Your response was just listing sterotypes.  I don't think of America as being white and christian, and I don't think of China as only being Han. I understood your point, but I think it is extremely reductionist. 

[workswithseed 2,108]

4 minutes ago, Bolero88 said:

Cry? No. Your response was just listing sterotypes.  I don't think of America as being white and christian, and I don't think of China as only being Han. I understood your point, but I think it is extremely reductionist. 

I never said race, and that's why I said more or less. 

You may not, and I'm glad, but I'm willing to bet most people will think Han Chinese and not any other group.

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

4 minutes ago, workswithseed said:

I never said race, and that's why I said more or less. 

You may not, and I'm glad, but I'm willing to bet most people will think Han Chinese and not any other group.

It's the new math, actual numbers, and percentages don't matter. It's how you feeeeeeel about the numbers that matters.

[horn4life 3,760]

Brexit was and still is a dumb ass financial move.  Hell I had a huge argument about it on Shaggy about how it would affect and push downward the pound.  I was argued against and told my assumptions regarding the pound to dollar were simply a short term result. While I agree that currencies fluctuate, Brexit I felt was going to push down the pound permanently. I thus far have been proven right.  The a actual Brexit vote took place June 23rd 2016, the pound stood at 1.485 in dollars on the close on the 24th.  Since Brexit the Pound has not gotten above this day after number not once.  There have been upward bumps as it looked like there might be a decent plan, but even today the key architects of Brexit still don't have a plan! 

Army Brat should be toasting his Brit buddy. The pound is up off it's 1.20 floor of August, the pound is at 1.29 as of a few minutes ago. Prior to Brexit bottoms were just under 1.45 with peaks of just over 1.70. Toasting to Brixet from a financial standpoint is like cheering a 25% drop in your 401K.  The problem in all of this is England is small, relative to the EU and they are not and NEVER HAVE BEEN self-sufficient.  They simply need a lot of shit to consume they do not produce or have the natural resources to produce in their geographic boundaries. 

The Brexit exit plan is still the same as seeing a white unicorn, or a GOP health plan, they do not exist presently. 

Take a second to click on the charts below Pound to US dollar and Pound to Euro.  If you want to toast to the idea of greater border control in Britain, at the cost of not knowing even 3 years later what the actual exit plan will be, go for it.  My kid whose on my insurance, whose healthcare, car, tuition, books, mobile phone, clothes toasted her independence as well when she moved in with her friends.  That's what "emancipation" currently is with Brexit.  Emotional feel good, without knowing what the actual nuts and bolts of the what is being toasted.  Like if I sent my daughter all those bills, her "independence" probably would not be something to toast.

Right now the thing that Brexit has mainly toasted is the value of the Pound. That's even before the details have been figured out.

Fall of pound against dollar, over 10 years, with sharpest drop right after Brexit vote GBP/USD close:1.29504 low:1.20224 high:1.716   https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=GBP&to=USD&view=10Y  THIS IS THE CHART TO LOOK AT as the dollar is still the world's currency and best comparison of relative strength globally.

Same losing result for the Pound against the Euro over a 5 year period GBP/EUR close:1.17991 low:1.06466 high:1.44072 https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=GBP&to=EUR&view=5Y

It's possible that Brexit in several years becomes a net positive for Britain.  But remember when you vote for things that you do not understand the ramifications of, nor have an actual plan to execute, it's simply not smart. When the vote is to completely change your country's business model, and there is no plan from the architects now some 3 years after the vote?  Uncertainty is never good for a specific market. Brexit is still a complete uncertainty beyond 'the toast." But financially Brexit has been a financial disaster to date, that is a certainty.

 

 

 

 

[G650 14,256]

5 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

It's the new math, actual numbers, and percentages don't matter. It's how you feeeeeeel about the numbers that matters.

 

So every time someone asks Onboard what the typical person of a country looks like, he breaks out his abacus and a TI85.

 

3 hours ago, horn4life said:

Brexit was and still is a dumb ass financial move.  Hell I had a huge argument about it on Shaggy about how it would affect and push downward the pound.  I was argued against and told my assumptions regarding the pound to dollar were simply a short term result. While I agree that currencies fluctuate, Brexit I felt was going to push down the pound permanently. I thus far have been proven right.  The a actual Brexit vote took place June 23rd 2016, the pound stood at 1.485 in dollars on the close on the 24th.  Since Brexit the Pound has not gotten above this day after number not once.  There have been upward bumps as it looked like there might be a decent plan, but even today the key architects of Brexit still don't have a plan! 

Army Brat should be toasting his Brit buddy. The pound is up off it's 1.20 floor of August, the pound is at 1.29 as of a few minutes ago. Prior to Brexit bottoms were just under 1.45 with peaks of just over 1.70. Toasting to Brixet from a financial standpoint is like cheering a 25% drop in your 401K.  The problem in all of this is England is small, relative to the EU and they are not and NEVER HAVE BEEN self-sufficient.  They simply need a lot of shit to consume they do not produce or have the natural resources to produce in their geographic boundaries. 

The Brexit exit plan is still the same as seeing a white unicorn, or a GOP health plan, they do not exist presently. 

Take a second to click on the charts below Pound to US dollar and Pound to Euro.  If you want to toast to the idea of greater border control in Britain, at the cost of not knowing even 3 years later what the actual exit plan will be, go for it.  My kid whose on my insurance, whose healthcare, car, tuition, books, mobile phone, clothes toasted her independence as well when she moved in with her friends.  That's what "emancipation" currently is with Brexit.  Emotional feel good, without knowing what the actual nuts and bolts of the what is being toasted.  Like if I sent my daughter all those bills, her "independence" probably would not be something to toast.

Right now the thing that Brexit has mainly toasted is the value of the Pound. That's even before the details have been figured out.

Fall of pound against dollar, over 10 years, with sharpest drop right after Brexit vote GBP/USD close:1.29504 low:1.20224 high:1.716   https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=GBP&to=USD&view=10Y  THIS IS THE CHART TO LOOK AT as the dollar is still the world's currency and best comparison of relative strength globally.

Same losing result for the Pound against the Euro over a 5 year period GBP/EUR close:1.17991 low:1.06466 high:1.44072 https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=GBP&to=EUR&view=5Y

It's possible that Brexit in several years becomes a net positive for Britain.  But remember when you vote for things that you do not understand the ramifications of, nor have an actual plan to execute, it's simply not smart. When the vote is to completely change your country's business model, and there is no plan from the architects now some 3 years after the vote?  Uncertainty is never good for a specific market. Brexit is still a complete uncertainty beyond 'the toast." But financially Brexit has been a financial disaster to date, that is a certainty.

 

 

 

 

Get that reason shit outta here.

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

14 minutes ago, G650 said:

 

So every time someone asks Onboard what the typical person of a country looks like, he breaks out his abacus and a TI85.

 

Get that reason shit outta here.

No just a census report.

[G650 14,256]

I didn't realize census reports had everyone's picture next to it. Must take a flatbed to move that.

[F250 28,776]

18 hours ago, bolverk said:

If we had those sorts of immigration restrictions in the 1970s, you literally would not be here today. However, you can thank the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, signed into law by none other than LB fucking J, that we did away with national/racial quotas.

Something about unrequited love and self-loathing.

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

36 minutes ago, G650 said:

I didn't realize census reports had everyone's picture next to it. Must take a flatbed to move that.

Are you  this thick on the job site ?  Too many diesel fumes and topsoil dust ??

Edited February 7, 2020 by Onboard 2.0

[G650 14,256]

 

2 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

Ate this thick on the job site ?  Too many diesel fumes and topsoil dust ??

I mean the only thing we have established here is you don't grasp the etymology of the word typical and are bad at math, but please continue.

[horn4life 3,760]

Let me come back and address the surge in Muslim migration.  The blame, nearly all of it, lays at the feet of the George W. Bush administration.  Prior to our attacking the country not responsible for 9/11 there wasn't a middle east Muslim immigration issue in Europe.  But we destabilized the region with our hubris and arrogance and it has given rise to the far right politically stoking the fires of fear, racism and disenfranchisement as has always been the case in history.

The bat shit crazy thing is that still those that pitched the plan don't have a fucking plan. Except... yeah... Muslims....

 

 

[XYZ 2,154]

2 minutes ago, horn4life said:

Let me come back and address the surge in Muslim migration.  The blame, nearly all of it, lays at the feet of the George W. Bush administration.  Prior to our attacking the country not responsible for 9/11 there wasn't a middle east Muslim immigration issue in Europe.  But we destabilized the region with our hubris and arrogance and it has given rise to the far right politically stoking the fires of fear, racism and disenfranchisement as has always been the case in history.

The bat shit crazy thing is that still those that pitched the plan don't have a fucking plan. Except... yeah... Muslims....

But Halliburton got some awesome contracts.

[F250 28,776]

44 minutes ago, XYZ said:

But Halliburton got some awesome no bid contracts.

Fify.

[GHOSTUSER 361]

On 2/6/2020 at 10:17 AM, BabaYaga said:

Oh, look.  Another thread that has devolved into hyperbole, histrionics, and broad stroke statements bereft of even a hint nuance.....that's weird....

That’s the M.O. of the cabal. Self-righteous posting and broad stroke judgments when it doesn’t fit their worldview. 

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

20 hours ago, G650 said:

 

I mean the only thing we have established here is you don't grasp the etymology of the word typical and are bad at math, but please continue.

Whatever you say man.

[bolverk 29,673]

1 hour ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

That’s the M.O. of the cabal. Self-righteous posting and broad stroke judgments when it doesn’t fit their worldview. 

Says the guy who wants to eliminate the immigration of groups belonging to a different religious faith than him and who also once posted he'd like to shoot Mexicans from atop the wall along our southern border.

[GHOSTUSER 361]

37 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Says the guy who wants to eliminate the immigration of groups belonging to a different religious faith than him and who also once posted he'd like to shoot Mexicans from atop the wall along our southern border.

I don’t make assumptions and criticize people and shut down the conversation by throwing insults or assuming the worst about another poster. As I said numerous times, I was trolling about wanting to shoot the caravan with rubber bullets. I do want to limit immigration and have public input from citizens on how many legal immigrants we allow, what to do with the 11 million illegals and preferred profile of who we let in. Neither the Brits nor Americans were given a true voice on immigration - on choosing active  measures to stop the flow of illegals and to how to humanely repatriate the ones already here. The public has never been allowed to voice concerns about social cohesion in their communities and given options on how to prevent the sudden change in the composition of their neighborhood.

I have a visceral hatred for hijab because the Islamic bastards in Iran force it on women. The truth about Ilhan Omar and the Somali community she comes from is that their community has not integrated and assimilated into the broader community in Minnesota. They are an isolated, closed community that has a much higher rate of criminal activity with a percentage of radical Muslims that joined ISIS. They also practice female genital mutilation. Put it to a vote of citizens on whether they’d want people like that to immigrate to our country. The answer would be a resounding no. The cabal and liberals refuse to even discuss these issues and are quick to label those of us who care as racists. 

Proving my lack of racist intent, if Mexicans want to legally immigrate to the Valley and the rest of Texas where they have a longer history and connection to the land than us gringos that would be a-ok to me. Their culture fits with the dominant American culture. Somali Muslims don’t and please don’t try to contort reality to say that they do.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Iconoclast Texan

[Bookman 4,639]

If it's up to me I'd say let's let in everyone. Can't be any worse than the 63,000.000 mouth-breathers who voted for Donald Trump.

[bolverk 29,673]

36 minutes ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

I don’t make assumptions and criticize people and shut down the conversation by throwing insults or assuming the worst about another poster. As I said numerous times, I was trolling about wanting to shoot the caravan with rubber bullets. I do want to limit immigration and have public input from citizens on how many legal immigrants we allow, what to do with the 11 million illegals and preferred profile of who we let in. Neither the Brits nor Americans were given a true voice on immigration - on choosing active  measures to stop the flow of illegals and to how to humanely repatriate the ones already here. The public has never been allowed to voice concerns about social cohesion in their communities and given options on how to prevent the sudden change in the composition of their neighborhood.

I have a visceral hatred for hijab because the Islamic bastards in Iran force it on women. The truth about Ilhan Omar and the Somali community she comes from is that their community has not integrated and assimilated into the broader community in Minnesota. They are an isolated, closed community that has a much higher rate of criminal activity with a percentage of radical Muslims that joined ISIS. They also practice female genital mutilation. Put it to a vote of citizens on whether they’d want people like that to immigrate to our country. The answer would be a resounding no. The cabal and liberals refuse to even discuss these issues and are quick to label those of us who care as racists. 

Proving my lack of racist intent, if Mexicans want to legally immigrate to the Valley and the rest of Texas where they have a longer history and connection to the land than us gringos that would be a-ok to me. Their culture fits with the dominant American culture. Somali Muslims don’t and please don’t try to contort reality to say that they do.

We don't have direct national referendums in this country. We vote for the policies set forth by the president and representatives we feel reflect our values. This current president is restricting the total number of legal immigrants as well as barring those from certain countries. You are getting your wish and should be happy instead of lamenting the fact that we don't do direct democracy at the federal level.

Edit: Imagine what you're proposing happening in real life. So you think we could actually set quotas and determine the actual levels in a referendum? What about doing the same for a number of other issues? If you think things are rancorous now, that'd be an incredible shitshow just as Brexit has been for the UK.

Edited February 8, 2020 by bolverk

[F250 28,776]

8 hours ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

Proving my lack of racist intent, if Mexicans want to legally immigrate to the Valley and the rest of Texas where they have a longer history and connection to the land than us gringos that would be a-ok to me. Their culture fits with the dominant American culture.

lulz

How gracious of you, considering you are a first generation American.

By the way, Mexicans have history with the entire American South West going back to when your homeland was being ruled by who the fuck knows dynasty lead by some Khan on a camel. Shit, the Mexican community in Chicago is older than the current nation state that your parents fled.

 

[Helobious 9,454]

11 hours ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

Proving my lack of racist intent, if Mexicans want to legally immigrate to the Valley and the rest of Texas where they have a longer history and connection to the land than us gringos that would be a-ok to me. Their culture fits with the dominant American culture. Somali Muslims don’t and please don’t try to contort reality to say that they do.

Mexico used to extend almost to present-day Canada, it wasn’t just Texas. Hate when foreigners like you don’t even bother to learn about American history. Call yourself a gringo all you want, you’ll always be a raghead to the people you most want to fit in with. 

[workswithseed 2,108]

2 hours ago, Helobious said:

Mexico used to extend almost to present-day Canada, it wasn’t just Texas. Hate when foreigners like you don’t even bother to learn about American history. Call yourself a gringo all you want, you’ll always be a raghead to the people you most want to fit in with. 

Mexico shouldn't have been such a dictatorship, that Santa Anna killed all the rebellions so gruesomely. Mexico couldn't even hold thier claim, hell the Republic barely could hold it. Fuck the Mexicans, it's no different than the Civil War losers saying the South will rise again.

[Armybrat 40,847]

Well, I guess Tea Time is a no-go.

[Serak The Preparer 3,431]

19 hours ago, Iconoclast Texan said:

I don’t make assumptions and criticize people and shut down the conversation by throwing insults or assuming the worst about another poster.

...

I have a visceral hatred for hijab because the Islamic bastards in Iran force it on women. The truth about Ilhan Omar and the Somali community she comes from is that their community has not integrated and assimilated into the broader community in Minnesota. They are an isolated, closed community that has a much higher rate of criminal activity with a percentage of radical Muslims that joined ISIS. They also practice female genital mutilation. Put it to a vote of citizens on whether they’d want people like that to immigrate to our country. The answer would be a resounding no. The cabal and liberals refuse to even discuss these issues and are quick to label those of us who care as racists. 

You may not make assumptions and criticize individual posters but you sure as hell do these things to broad groups of people. For example, what is the "much higher rate of criminal activity"? Higher than what? What is the socioeconomic status of this community? What is the degree of assimilation? How does this compare to immigrants from Vietnam, Guatemala, etc? What is the "percentage of radical Muslims that joined ISIS"? I am aware of the doctor that was practicing or abetting FGM, which is absolutely reprehensible, but I am not aware that "they" practice it. What does this mean, how common is it?

So much of what you say is in such broad and negative generalities that it makes it even more difficult to take you seriously than when you talk about shooting immigrants.

[GHOSTUSER 361]

51 minutes ago, Serak The Preparer said:

You may not make assumptions and criticize individual posters but you sure as hell do these things to broad groups of people. For example, what is the "much higher rate of criminal activity"? Higher than what? What is the socioeconomic status of this community? What is the degree of assimilation? How does this compare to immigrants from Vietnam, Guatemala, etc? What is the "percentage of radical Muslims that joined ISIS"? I am aware of the doctor that was practicing or abetting FGM, which is absolutely reprehensible, but I am not aware that "they" practice it. What does this mean, how common is it?

So much of what you say is in such broad and negative generalities that it makes it even more difficult to take you seriously than when you talk about shooting immigrants.

Somali immigration to Minnesota has been a clear net negative to the existing population. Did the people of Minneapolis have any say in having an influx of foreigners to their neighborhoods with an alien culture not in line with the mainstream engaging in activities like female genital mutilation that are repugnant to the rest of us. What pisses me off as the child of legal immigrants is that there is no expectation or desire by liberals for new immigrants to become real Americans by melting into the pot. My parents made an effort to assimilate and have their kids become Americans. I’m grateful for that. I don’t think it’s healthy for immigrants nor the rest of us to not push them to assimilate. I want much tougher screening of immigrants on their willingness to assimilate, their views on women and if Muslim a separate additional screening to determine if they’re susceptible to radicalization. 

I linked some articles about the increased crime and radicalized Muslims in the Somali community.  

Rising concerns over crime

Mukhtar's street outreach comes at a time of rising concerns over crime in the Cedar-Riverside area. Violent crimes rose from 54 in 2010 to 84 last year, largely driven by a surge in robberies and assaults, according to Minneapolis police statistics.

Authorities point to a simmering rivalry between St. Paul and Minneapolis East African gangs as a cause of much of the violence.

http://www.startribune.com/in-minneapolis-pizza-and-tea-buys-a-connection-with-somali-youth-crying-for-help/503665382/

Violent crimes increased by more than 50 percent in 2018 in Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, nicknamed “little Mogadishu,” which authorities attribute to Somali gang activity in the area.

Buried in a recent Star Tribune article was the fact that violent crimes jumped from 54 in 2010 to 84 in 2018, an increase in roughly 56 percent. Authorities attribute the violence to rivalries between Somali gangs, such as the Somali Mafia, the Somali Outlaws, the Hot Boyz, and Madhibaan with Attitude, Alpha News reports.

According to a 2014 Southside Pride article, the Outlaws and Madhibaan with Attitude have a rivalry that stretches back years, and likely resulted in the murder of two Somali men in April 2014. That article notes that the summer of 2013 was a particularly bloody season for gang warfare, which produced at least 4 killings.

A 2013 CBS article detailed the involvement of the Outlaws, the Mafia, and another gang called the Lady Outlaws in a sex-trafficking ring that recruited and prostituted young girls, some of whom were under the age of 14, between 2000 and 2010. The ring was operated out of Minneapolis, Columbus, and Nashville, and resulted in the indictment of 30 individuals involved.

In 2008, the Minneapolis Police Department created a Somali liaison position to focus solely on addressing the issue. The department currently has 5 Somali-speaking officers to assist in outreach to the immigrant community. According an MPR report from the time, officers began to notice that Somali gangs were dividing themselves along the same clan lines of their war-torn country.

The issue first garnered national attention after a 2009 CBS News reporttitled “Rise of Somali Gangs Plagues Minneapolis,” though officers were still hesitant at the time to pin the crimes on Somali gang activity.

“It was all gang activity, totally, 100 percent,” Shukri Adan, a Somali community organizer, said of the murders of seven Somali men in a 10-month period. Adan was tasked with drafting a report for the City of Minneapolis in which he estimated that between 400 and 500 Somali men were involved in gangs.

“The police don’t want to say that but everybody else knows that,” he added.

The latest rise in violent crimes in the Cedar-Riverside area comes as a concern to many, considering that city leaders have started to invest in security upgrades and community-outreach programs. In May, for instance, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced that a high-rise apartment complex at the center of little Mogadishu would be receiving an $825,000 security upgrade, including fencing, key fobs, and numerous security cameras.

In December, the Minneapolis City Council voted to divert $43,000 from the Minneapolis Police Department to create a youth outreach team for the area, Minnesota Daily reports.

“Everybody’s gotten to the point where, hey, you know, we don’t need more police, we need more intervention,” one organizer in attendance said. Several businesses in the area have joined together to hire off-duty police officers to patrol the area, while others are donating food and beverages to hand out to youth roaming the streets.

The Star Tribune reports that the latest uptick in violent crimes is mostly due to a surge in robberies and assaults.

https://tennesseestar.com/2019/01/02/minneapolis-little-mogadishu-sees-56-percent-increase-in-violent-crimes-caused-by-somali-gangs/

More men and boys from a Somali American community in Minneapolis have joined – or attempted to join – a foreign terrorist organization over the last 12 years than any other jurisdiction in the country.FBI stats show 45 Somalis left to join the ranks of either the Somalia-based Islamic insurgency al-Shabab, or the Iraq- and Syria-based ISIS combined. And as of 2018, a dozen more had been arrested with the intention of leaving to support ISIS. Both numbers are far higher than those of alleged terrorist wannabes who left or attempted to leave the country from other areas in the country where Muslim refugees have been resettled.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/how-rep-ilhan-omars-minnesota-district-became-the-terrorist-recruitment-capital-of-the-us-officials-highly-concerned

Edited February 9, 2020 by Iconoclast Texan

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

ok @immamac time to move this to cloak so @Iconoclast Texan can feel safe again

[bolverk 29,673]

We can also read the quintessential story of how an influx of Somali residents have breathed new life into a small town in Maine where they make up 6,000 of the community's 36,000 residents.

https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2019/1028/Refugees-poured-into-my-state.-Here-s-how-it-changed-me

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12,301]

32 minutes ago, bolverk said:

We can also read the quintessential story of how an influx of Somali residents have breathed new life into a small town in Maine where they make up 6,000 of the community's 36,000 residents.

https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2019/1028/Refugees-poured-into-my-state.-Here-s-how-it-changed-me

That is THE story of America. And a xenophobic immigrant demands it not be told because...he loves America?

side note: no mention of GENITAL MUTILATION ergo fake news, sorry.

[bolverk 29,673]

26 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

That is THE story of America. And a xenophobic immigrant demands it not be told because...he loves America?

side note: no mention of GENITAL MUTILATION ergo fake news, sorry.

Yep. I forgot the word American after typing quintessential.

[Zombie 284]

I didn't realize that Icono guy was himself an immigrant. The audacity for him to look down on Mexican immigrants is impressive considering the massive positive impact those immigrants have had on America and the length of time they have been coming compared to his recent immigration status.

Why don't you do us all a favor and go back to where you came from. That's the favorite Trumpkin line, right?