Who Clogged the Afghan Refugee Pipeline? Stephen Miller.

The airlift of endangered Afghan refugees from Taliban-controlled Kabul is hampered by a lengthy and convoluted visa process, which had a backlog of 20,000 applicants before the fall of the corrupt Karzai government. In 2018 the Pentagon urged the Trump administration to expedite Special Immigrant Visas for Afghan nationals who had assisted US and NATO forces, but this was denied.

Olivia Troye, homeland security and counterterrorism advisor to former Vice President Mike Pence, says all efforts to fast-track Afghan visas were sabotaged by Stephen Miller, racist and Islamophobe-In-Residence at the Trump White House. This was confirmed by Elizabeth Neumann, a former senior DNS official. Matt Zeller, Afghanistan combat veteran and former CIA officer, says Stephen Miller “should be held accountable for war crimes” for his refugee visa obstruction.

More:

“Pence aide blames Stephen Miller for ‘devastating’ visa system for Afghans,” Maureen Groppe, USA Today

“Stephen Miller peddled ‘racist hysteria about Afghanistan’ and gummed up refugee process: Ex-Pence adviser,” Raw Story

Democrats Focus on Marjorie Taylor Greene like a ‘Jewish Space Laser’

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R, GA-14), the congresswoman from QAnon, has denied the reality of the Sandy Hook and Parkland school shootings, so naturally her fellow Republicans have put her on the House Education Committee. She also also thinks California’s wildfires were caused by secret Jewish space lasers, so maybe Republicans will put her on the Forestry Subcommittee, too. Democrats, appalled by this and her other conspiracy beliefs about 9/11 and international Zionist plots, and her rabid racism and Islamophobia, are calling for a vote to expell Ms. Taylor Greene from the House. This is milder treatment than the congresswoman has suggested for Democrats: execution.

Ms. Taylor Greene

More:

“Parents of Sandy Hook victims slam Taylor Greene’s appointment to Education Committee,” Lexi Lonas, The Hill

“GOP Congresswoman Blamed Wildfires on Secret Jewish Space Laser,” Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine

“How Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, promoter of QAnon’s baseless theories, rose with support from key Republicans,” Michael Kranish, Reis Thebault and Stephanie McCrummen, Washington Post

“The Republican establishment’s long dalliance with the conspiracist right,” Zack Beauchamp, Vox

“QAnon Fears That Greene’s Obsession with Jewish Space Lasers Is Distracting Her from Battling Baby-Eating Cannibals,’ Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker

Update:

“McConnell says ‘loony lies’ spread by Marjorie Taylor Greene are a ‘cancer’ on G.O.P.,” Catie Edmondson, New York Times

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Supreme Court on Muslim Ban: So What?

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld the 3rd version of the Trump ban on travel from 5 Muslim counties without Trump business ties. North Korea and Venezuela were added to this version for camouflage, and the ruse seems to have worked. Now that Mr. Trump is besties with Kim Jong-un, we expect NK to drop off the list any day.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Roberts held that President Trump’s tweeted and blustered statements about the ban’s anti-Muslim intent were not indications of the measure’s anti-Muslim intent. Justice Sonia Sotomayor disagrees, as does common sense.

More:

“The anti-Muslim travel ban is constitutional, say Supreme Court conservatives,” Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post

“’Motivated by Anti-Muslim Animus’: Must-Reads From Justice Sotomayor’s Dissent on Trump’s Travel Ban,” San Spinelli, Mother Jones

“The Supreme Court’s Green Light to Discriminate,” Adam Serwer, The Atlantic

“John Roberts just validated religious discrimination,” Dana Milbank, Washington Post

“The surprisingly low standard the Supreme Court used to review Trump’s travel ban,” Ana Campoy, Quartz

“An awful, constitutional travel ban: The Supreme Court says a terrible Trump policy is within his authority to implement,” NY Daily News

“The Supreme Court upheld Trump’s travel ban by pretending Trump isn’t the president,” Dara Lind, Vox

“A Failure of Judicial Independence,” Garrett Epps, The Atlantic

“The travel ban decision echoes some of the worst Supreme Court decisions in history,” Aziz Huq, Vox

“A Decision That Will Live in Infamy,” Noah Feldman, Bloomberg

“Move over, Dred Scott,” David D. Cole, Washington Post

“Supreme Court Confirms That We Are A Bigoted Nation,” Elie Mystal, Above The Law

“Bigoted and Feckless, the Travel Ban Is Pure Trump,” New York Times editorial

“Opinion analysis: Divided court upholds Trump travel ban,” Amy Howe, SCOTUSblog [long]

Related:

“The US Supreme Court finally overruled the case that justified Japanese internment,” Ephrat Livni, Quartz

“One Really Good Thing in the Supreme Court’s Travel-Ban Ruling: Korematsu Is Gone,” Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker

“Travel-ban ruling could embolden Trump in remaking the U.S. immigration system,” David Nakamura, Washington Post

“The Supreme Court’s travel ban decision is a reminder: midterm elections matter,” Ezra Klein, Vox

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Trump Travel Ban Protects US From Terrorist Grannies

The U.S. Supreme Court, now with Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch on board, has ruled that a modified version of Donald Trump’s travel ban can go into effect for 90 days, as of yesterday evening. Travelers from six majority-muslim countries, none of whose citizens have committed terrorist acts on United States soil, must now document “bona fide relationships” with U.S. persons, companies, or institutions in order to travel to the USA.

The Trump administration has issued directives defining “bona fide relationships,” and the weirdest ones involve families of of U.S. citizens and legal residents. Some relatives may travel to the USA: Spouses, children and stepchildren, siblings and stepsiblings, parents and step-parents, father-in-laws and mother-in-laws, fiancées and fiancés. Who may not travel: Grandparents, grandchildren, sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws, uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews, or cousins.

This is a pretty strange definition of “family” by any standards. Remember, little Donnie Trump grew up across the street from his own immigrant grandmother in Queens, NY.

Update:

At the last moment, fiancées/fiancés were added to the good-to-go list, perhaps after lobbying from the mail order bride industry or because the president likes to marry foreign models?), and text above has been updated. But how can these relationships be documented? The Bridal Registry at Crate & Barrel? Engagement ring receipts from Kay Jewelers?

More:

“Stepsister, Yes; Grandma, No: U.S. Sets Guidelines for Revised Travel Ban,” Gardiner Harris and Ron Nixon, New York Times

“Travel ban’s ‘bona fide relationship’ test could open legal floodgates,” Lauren Pearle and Connor Finnegan, ABC News

“The Supreme Court Partially Allowed Trump’s Travel Ban. Who Is Still Barred?” Alicia Parlapiano and Anjali Singhvi, New York Times

“The travel ban going into effect would have saved zero lives from terrorist attacks in the last 20 years,” Philip Bump, Washington Post

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Image: If Granny Clampett is Muslim, she can kiss Beverly Hills goodbye.

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Trump: Yes, It Is a Muslim Ban

President Donald J. Trump commemorated Saturday’s tragedy in London by tweeting a renewed call to ban travel to the US from six predominantly Muslim countries. A second version of his presidential order (he now calls it “watered-down“) is headed to the Supreme Court, and this presidential tweetstorm may have doomed the administration’s case. Even Kellyanne Conway’s husband thinks so.

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T5

Swet Shop Boys : “T5” (Official Music Video). Riz and Heems at JFK’s Terminal 5, flying while Muslim. Video directed by Sofian Khan.

Related:

“Typecast as a terrorist,” Riz Ahmed, The Guardian

Swet Shop Boys website

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A Word from Khizr Khan

Khizr Khan’s son, U.S. Army Captain Humayun Khan, was killed by an explosion during the Iraq War and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Khizr Khan was promptly attacked by Donald Trump, but continues campaigning against him in Virginia.

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The Sacrifices of Donald Trump

More:

“Khizr Khan responds to the latest from Trump: ‘Typical of a person without a soul,” Stephanie McCrummen, Washington Post

“Trump criticized my silence. He knows nothing about true sacrifice.” Ghazala Khan, Washington Post

“The world saw a grieving mother. Donald Trump saw a Muslim.”
Amana Fontanella-Khan, The Guardian

“Trump Faces Withering Bipartisan Backlash For Attacking Khan Family,” Lisa Lerer and Jonathan Lemire, TPM

“Backlash Grows Over Trump’s Comments on Dead Muslim Soldier’s Parents,” Ben Brody, Bloomberg

“Donald Trump’s Confrontation With Muslim Soldier’s Parents Emerges as Unexpected Flash Point,” Alexander Burns, Maggie Haberman and Ashley Parker, New York Times

“‘Have You No Sense of Decency, Mr. Trump?’” Zachary Karabell, Politico

“The Khan fight highlights a huge GOP problem: No one knows how low Trump can go,” Greg Sargent, Washington Post

Related:

“After Khan speech, pocket Constitution becomes best-seller,” Corinne Segal and Daniel Moritz-Rabson, PBS Newshour

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New Crime: Flying While Bilingual

While his Southwest Airlines flight was at the gate at LAX two weeks ago, a college student called his uncle on his mobile phone and was promptly hauled off the plane. Why? He was speaking to his uncle in Arabic.

UC Berkeley senior Khairuldeen Makhzoomi was on a flight to Oakland on April 6 when he called his uncle in Baghdad to tell him about an event he attended in LA. A frightened passenger spoke with flight attendants, and Mr. Makhzoomi was escorted off the plane to a public area in the terminal, where security officers searched him. FBI agents arrived, spoke with him, determined he was no threat, and let him fly back home on Delta.

Mr. Makhzoomi has lived in the US since 2010. He is the son of an Iraqi diplomat who was imprisoned and killed by Saddam Hussein. Imagine what he must make of this LAX experience. He is the sixth Arab American thrown off a flight at a US airport in the past four months. How many Islamophobes have been removed from planes? Zero.

1,700,000 Arab Americans — and the world’s 300 million Arabic speakers — just got a message: don’t fly Southwest.

More:

“College Student Is Removed From Flight After Speaking Arabic on Plane,” Liam Stack, New York Times

“UC Berkeley student questioned, refused service after speaking Arabic on flight,” Maya Eliahou, Daily Californian

“Student who fled Saddam Hussein kicked off flight for speaking in Arabic,” Alix Culbertson, Daily Express

“UC Berkeley student removed from Southwest flight after speaking Arabic on plane,” Yanan Wang, Washington Post

Related:

“The unapologetic racial profiling of Muslims has become America’s new normal,” Haroon Moghul, Quartz

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Un-American. Unconstitutional. Unacceptable.

Making people from a minority group wear identity badges, registering them in a database and tracking them. Denying sanctuary to refugees due to their faith traditions and returning them to deadly war zones. Closing houses of worship. Barring valid travelers from entering this country due solely to their religion.

That’s not America.

A man who grew up across the street from his German-American immigrant grandmother should know better. Even one who is an egocentric, bigoted, billionaire bully.

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