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First they came for the Iranians

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Re: First they came for the Iranians

#21

Post by crispinb »

guard-of-terra wrote: post #5

I come from a country which can't keep its le^Wborders closed in front of anyone. So I pity those students a bit, definitely, but otherwise I'm jealous for this policy. It would address my immediate pain had it been implemented here. And yes, I do care more about my own life in a country I am a citizen of, and safety of my relatives, than about people you call "aliens".

I'd love to know how (precisely) closing visa access to nations that don't send terrorists to the US (Iran) but not to that those that do, but which happen to make scads of $$ for Trump's business pals (Saudi Arabia), makes America safer than your nation. Try suggesting this policy (visas up the wazoo for oil-rich Wahhabis) to your elected reps. It's a useful test: if they go for it, you know they're either thick or on the take.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#22

Post by andrewclunn »

I can see the point of a broad stroke policy that does not make exceptions, in that it makes enforcement that much easier. Of course whether there's an actual goal here or this is just posturing to make good on the "tough on immigration" campaign talk is anybody's guess.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#24

Post by inopinatus »

devoply wrote: post #16
salimmadjd wrote: post #9

Trump is ostensibly using the 9/11 play card to justify banning few muslim countries [0]. This is obviously a lie, since most of 911 hijackers were Saudis and his executive order is not banning the Saudis. I'm guessing on the strength of the Saudi lobby in DC [1] AND/OR Trump's potential business conflict in Saudi Arabia [2]. [0] https://www.scribd.com/document/337545704/Draft-Executive-Or... [1] https://en.wikipedia…

Can't mess with the Saudis. But we sure can ban the people they are bombing to hell, you know the Yemenis with British made bombs no less. And ban all the other people whose countries we helped destroy, you know just to add insult to injury. Really the best way to make people think we the vanguards of freedom. I am sure though Trump has some business dealing with the Saudis, I think there is a Trump hotel in Dubai. h…

Dubai is not in Saudi Arabia. It's in the UAE. However his family have expressed interest in building hotels in Saudi Arabia.

My guess though was the omission has more to do with energy price stability and/or arms exports.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#25

Post by leesalminen »

guard-of-terra wrote: post #5

I come from a country which can't keep its le^Wborders closed in front of anyone. So I pity those students a bit, definitely, but otherwise I'm jealous for this policy. It would address my immediate pain had it been implemented here. And yes, I do care more about my own life in a country I am a citizen of, and safety of my relatives, than about people you call "aliens".

I appreciate your opinion and candor.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#26

Post by danenania »

aphextron wrote: post #17

This is completely unacceptable, and truly crosses the line. I have many Iranian coworkers and friends here in the bay area. The thought of branding them as terrorists and revoking their work or student visas is absolutely unbelievable. I think the Trump administration and the GOP are in for a rude awakening if they think these policies are going to stand.

"I think the Trump administration and the GOP are in for a rude awakening if they think these policies are going to stand."

I hope you're right, but at least for the next 2 years, who/what is going to stop them?

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#27

Post by throwaway2131 »

I am an Iranian CS student. I had a fully funded PhD admission at one of the US universities. I was admitted for the Fall 2016 semester.

I am currently in Iran due to my visa not being issued despite the 7 months I have waited for it. I was able to defer my admission to Spring 2017 semester, but then _this_ happened.

I am quite sure that I will never be able to attend this program. I had very high hopes for my future because of this admission.

I was very sad today after hearing this news. I have to come up with a new plan for my life, since it never occurred to me that I would not be able to attend.

Edit: Thanks for all the support from the HN community.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#28

Post by guard-of-terra »

threeseed wrote: post #14

Such a cynical yet poorly thought out policy. Firstly, many people involved in terrorist incidents are natural born citizens of allied countries. So are we going to ban all French or Belgium citizens given they have been shown to harbor terrorists ? It's clear that Trump/Bannon desperately want a Muslim ban as opposed to a Iran/Iraq/etc ban. Secondly, this is going to alienate moderate Muslims who Western intelligenc…

If you has Muslims in your country, then yes you might need to work with moderate Muslims in order to be suppressing problem of radicalization. Not sure how well it works tho.

But if you do not have Muslims in your country, you don't have to care about this at all, just cross this issue off your whiteboard in a broad stroke. No Muslims - no Muslim radicalism.

I don't think this is the solution for USA, but otherwise - it's often easier not having a problem instead of solving it.

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#29

Post by [deleted] »

_m8fo wrote: post #12

I abhor Trump, but something about this statement irks me: > To the Trump regime, I make one request: if you ever decide that it’s the policy of the US government to deport my PhD students, then deport me first. I’m practically begging you: come to my house, arrest me, revoke my citizenship, and tear up the awards I’ve accepted at the White House and the State Department. I’d consider that to be the greatest honor of…

[deleted]

Re: First they came for the Iranians

#30

Post by palidanx »

jekdoce wrote: post #11

Advice from a high-level staffer for a Senator: There are two things that everyone concerned should be doing all the time right now, and they're by far the most important things. You should NOT be bothering with online petitions or emailing. 1. The best thing you can do to be heard and get your congressperson to pay attention is to have face-to-face time - if they have town halls, go to them. Go to their local office…

Is it worth calling a senator who doesn't represent you? For example, there are some proposals being pushed by senators in NC I don't agree with, but I don't live in NC.
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