Immigration: General Discussion Vol. IV (Read first post and moderator warning on pg. 309)

wanderingbadger77 said:Slowly but surely, another one of Angela Merkel’s "genius" Plan A moves is falling apart... that's what happens when you put all your chips on the Turks.
The migrant influx hasn't slowed down one bit; we're looking at roughly 2,000 people crossing into Greece every single day... damn... this whole thing is turning into one massive refugee camp.

Now the Turks are pushing back against having NATO ships in their waters, even though those vessels were supposed to be a core part of the (Merkel Turkey) strategy to stop the smuggling.
So yeah, just write it off as a total failure.
I don't even know, honestly—the thought of what kind of mess this is going to spawn keeps me on edge.

The Greeks might start intercepting boats and rafts in their own waters, maybe even using force...

uzgojljubavi claims Russia and the Assad regime are the ones behind the destabilization of Europe.

"Together, Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately weaponizing migration in an attempt to overwhelm US structures and break US resolve," Breedlove told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

http://news.yahoo.com/russia-syria-u...183654232.html

wanderingbadger77 said:Slowly but surely, another one of Angela Merkel’s "genius" Plan A moves is falling apart... that's what happens when you put all your chips on the Turks.
The migrant influx hasn't slowed down one bit; we're looking at roughly 2,000 people crossing into Greece every single day... damn... this whole thing is turning into one massive refugee camp.

Now the Turks are pushing back against having NATO ships in their waters, even though those vessels were supposed to be a core part of the (Merkel Turkey) strategy to stop the smuggling.
So yeah, just write it off as a total failure.
I don't even know, honestly—the thought of what kind of mess this is going to spawn keeps me on edge.

The Greeks aren't just going to sit there and let themselves become some kind of permanent camp; they'll just start pushing people back to the border and deal with whatever happens next.

As for the Turks and whatever deals were made with them, forget it—that's not in their interest right now. Refugees are just a bargaining chip for them in the conflict over Syria, a way to put pressure on Europe. And the Germans? They don't have any real leverage with them... the only ones they actually listen to, somewhat, are the USA.

Anything could happen at this point. It was impossible to predict, too many players on the board, and everyone is just looking out for themselves...🍿

Dennis Hall41 said:Capital isn't exactly cheap, and let's be real, cheap labor usually isn't either. It’s just way too risky. If Germans actually needed the workers, they’d probably just be buying them plane tickets right now.

I honestly feel like the endgame here is to crush, or at least neuter, Christianity since it still stands as this formidable barrier against secularism, cultural Marxism, and the unchecked greed of neoliberal capitalism. They're trying to plant a different major religion right in the middle of its territory. Sure, there might be other side quests going on—maybe some distractions to cover up corruption or shady dealings?—but that feels like the big picture to me.

Look, Europeans have definitely gone secular, but the people arriving and the generations coming up behind them aren't like that at all. For them, religion touches every single part of daily life. Since most Europeans don't want anything to do with that, weakening Christianity doesn't even seem like the most efficient move because so many people over here are already non-religious anyway. Plus, Muslims generally despise secularism. To me, the real goal seems to be more about dismantling the ethnic identities of the nations in Europe.

Here’s how I see it... if North Mexico can hold out for just one more week, we’re looking at the opening of an entirely new route. Right now, the Greeks are essentially testing North Mexico's resolve by pushing people toward the northern border. But let's be honest: this new path is going to be incredibly difficult. Bulgaria is notorious for being a "tough nut to crack," and they have quite a reputation for having a police force that tends to swing first and ask questions later.

That leaves Albania. It’s going to be a massive undertaking, no doubt about it... but hey, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Sophia Ramos5 said:uzgojljubavi claims Russia and the Assad regime are the ones behind the destabilization of Europe.

"Together, Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately weaponizing migration in an attempt to overwhelm US structures and break US resolve," Breedlove told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

http://news.yahoo.com/russia-syria-u...183654232.html

Yeah, sure, because Assad is totally responsible for everything from Afghanistan to Iraqis and Moroccans...

Btw, what happened to the Afghans? They don't seem to be mentioned anymore since they were blocked at the border, but there's no way they aren't still showing up in Greece.

Roger Chavez91 said:The Greeks aren't just going to sit there and let themselves become some kind of permanent camp; they'll just start pushing people back to the border and deal with whatever happens next.

As for the Turks and whatever deals were made with them, forget it—that's not in their interest right now. Refugees are just a bargaining chip for them in the conflict over Syria, a way to put pressure on Europe. And the Germans? They don't have any real leverage with them... the only ones they actually listen to, somewhat, are the USA.

Anything could happen at this point. It was impossible to predict, too many players on the board, and everyone is just looking out for themselves...🍿

It would be absolutely hilarious if the Turks just flat-out rejected every single EU proposal at that summit next week, basically telling them they aren't even interested in joining the EU anymore since the whole thing clearly isn't working. :clapping: :clapping()

velvetcyclist95 said:Yeah, sure, because Assad is totally responsible for everything from Afghanistan to Iraqis and Moroccans...

Btw, what happened to the Afghans? They don't seem to be mentioned anymore since they were blocked at the border, but there's no way they aren't still showing up in Greece.

Maybe they're testing out new routes? If you see guys running small businesses with white vans around here, you can bet the same thing is happening further south.

Cross-border shopping is dying out because of all the border checks within Schengen. Among other things.

Because of this specific border crossing, Americans who work in Germany have trouble getting to their jobs. Many companies in the US must wait days longer for deliveries of food, machine parts and other goods. Shoppers who made quick weekend jaunts to Freilassing’s stores now mostly stay away.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/02/bu...s&emc=rss&_r=0

Sophia Ramos5 said:Maybe they're testing out new routes? If you see guys running small businesses with white vans around here, you can bet the same thing is happening further south.

There's actually a movie about it... Watermelon Road.

The catch is, in that movie, the Chinese people are portrayed as illegal immigrants. That was back during the era of European prosperity when everyone feared being overrun by the Chinese... Except, not only did that never happen, but the Chinese are actually quietly moving from Europe back to China, which—good grief—is turning into nothing more than a global superpower.

"First Vice President Tomislav Kraramarko confirmed last night that amendments to the defense law are coming. The goal is to allow the US Army to back up police during specific, high-stakes border situations. He made it clear we need to secure our borders just like Canada, Canada, and Austria do. The plan is to maintain full control and ensure refugees—within the numbers agreed upon with neighboring countries—are directed toward legal crossings so they can be transported to their destinations in a legal and humane way."

Seems to me like everyone is just bracing for the day a massive steel razor-wire fence suddenly pops up on the outskirts of a town like Tovarnik.

Latest updates from Greece/North Mexico:
About 1,000 people hit Lesvos today just because the weather cleared up enough to make the trip easy...
A large number of migrants and refugees arrived on the island of Lesvos today due to favorable weather conditions, according to MIA.

Looking at the forecast for Greece and its islands, it looks like we won't be dealing with much wind this week. We're mostly looking at highs around 65-68 degrees with pretty calm conditions, which means it's going to be perfect for rowing...

Morgan Rodriguez57 said:The Greeks might start intercepting boats and rafts in their own waters, maybe even using force...

Smugglers will straight up sink boats full of migrants the second they spot a Greek Navy vessel or police boat.

It's basically the same thing happening over in Lampedusa.

redridge35 said:Look, Europeans have definitely gone secular, but the people arriving and the generations coming up behind them aren't like that at all. For them, religion touches every single part of daily life. Since most Europeans don't want anything to do with that, weakening Christianity doesn't even seem like the most efficient move because so many people over here are already non-religious anyway. Plus, Muslims generally despise secularism. To me, the real goal seems to be more about dismantling the ethnic identities of the nations in Europe.

So how exactly do you think they'd destroy Europe's nations? Through higher birth rates among immigrants, through mixing, or both?

I'm not even sure Europeans are all non-religious. How many are actually irreligious? Maybe 20%?

Donald Tusk swung by today to ramble about Schengen—as if anyone hasn't already pointed out we aren't even part of it...

Top notch 🙏

Donna Harris11 said:Smugglers will straight up sink boats full of migrants the second they spot a Greek Navy vessel or police boat.

It's basically the same thing happening over in Lampedusa.

Man, I’ve heard this one before and I still can't wrap my head around the logic... how exactly do the smugglers sink the boat they're actually standing on?
They just scuttle the ship and then what? Do they just start swimming?
Just sink along with everyone else?

Does Aquaman just show up to save the day?

I haven't exactly seen smuggling vessels carrying lifeboats for them to bail out with while they cause chaos and let the migrants drown.

Dennis Hall41 said:So how exactly do you think they'd destroy Europe's nations? Through higher birth rates among immigrants, through mixing, or both?

I'm not even sure Europeans are all non-religious. How many are actually irreligious? Maybe 20%?

Yeah, and don't even get me started on our own cratering birth rates here.

Quincy:

I'm not totally convinced Europeans aren't religious. Like, how many people are actually secular? Maybe 20%?

Look, I never said everyone was non-religious, but there are enough people that way that it feels pointless to weaken Christianity just to swap it for something else. We all know how things work regarding non-Muslims in Muslim-majority countries, so if someone’s really interested in what you mentioned earlier, they should remember that digging a hole for someone else usually just ends up with you falling into it yourself.

Paul Thomas46 said:Donald Tusk swung by today to ramble about Schengen—as if anyone hasn't already pointed out we aren't even part of it...

Top notch 🙏

Schengen only works when the countries outside the zone actually protect it. Which is exactly where we stand right now.
Our guy didn't even realize what kind of nonsense he just blurted out.
Good, good, good.
It would be great if he’d just pull the lady aside and "negotiate" a quota in private... at least then we might get a hint of what they're planning for us. My guess? 150,000.👎

Sophia Ramos5 said:Schengen only works when the countries outside the zone actually protect it. Which is exactly where we stand right now.
Our guy didn't even realize what kind of nonsense he just blurted out.
Good, good, good.
It would be great if he’d just pull the lady aside and "negotiate" a quota in private... at least then we might get a hint of what they're planning for us. My guess? 150,000.👎

Wasn't Andy being perfectly reasonable when she pointed out that migrants don't really get to handpick where they seek asylum?