What's going on in the US?

Guys, I saw a report on the tv news last night that said something like " In the United States, all males of middle eastern origin had to register with the authorities so that their whereabouts could be checked at any time" Was this right?

Maybe our US friends could clarify this.

Strikes me as a very worrying trend in a nation renouned for it's pursuit of freedom.

What will they require them to do next, wear red crescents on their clothes so people know where they're from?? paint red crescents on their shosp and houses??
_____________

"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws."
- Plato (427-347 B.C.)

 

i never heard such a thing?

 

Yeah-all middle eastern men had to register, and some were held for detention in California.

 

Another unpleseant thing is the 'Total Information Awareness' law. It's a law that makes it possible for authorities to gather every kind of information about an individual, everything from bus tickets to dentist documents. All this in the name of 'anti- terrorism'.

I think it's a bit scary.

Best Regards/ Daniel

 

Maybe Bush has to realise that he has to give his own people freedom, before he starts to free the poor Iraqi people.

 

I haven't heard of ANYTHING like this. I know a few middle-eastern men, and they have not had to register with anyone...



Sniper, comparing the US to the Nazis??? That's just outright pathetic....

Gee, lemme guess... I bet you can't find any source for this, right???

The TIA is a program... nowhere near a reality. Not to mention all the legislation that is ensuring that it will not become any effective reality.


Funny how much everyone loves bashing the US. I guess all the other nations out there are perfect...

 

CrazyD, sorry if I made you mad by my post, I didn't intend to. I also don't think anyone here hates the United States, I know I don't. Try to look at this as criticism or opinions on the Bush administration rather than at your country.

Best Regards/ Daniel

 

I heard this Friday night on the radio--it is true. Wether its wrong or wether its a right thing to do--you have to ask yourselves--If you were in Bush's place--and these events that have happened had happened with you in his place--What would you do if you were wearing Bush's shoes?

 

No kidding

 

In Bushes shoes? Hmm....Id intern the Japanese....
Touch or ironic humour there...sorry guys..

 

Hundreds of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in Calif.
Thu Dec 19,12:05 AM ET
Reuters


By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iranian and other Middle East citizens were in southern California jails on Wednesday after coming forward to comply with a new rule to register with immigration authorities only to wind up handcuffed and behind bars.



Shocked and frustrated Islamic and immigrant groups estimate that more than 500 people have been arrested in Los Angeles, neighboring Orange County and San Diego in the past three days under a new nationwide anti-terrorism program. Some unconfirmed reports put the figure as high as 1,000.


The arrests sparked a demonstration by hundreds of Iranians outside a Los Angeles immigration office. The protesters carried banners saying "What's next? Concentration camps?" and "What happened to liberty and justice?."


A spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service said no numbers of people arrested would be made public. A Justice Department (news - web sites) spokesman could not be reached for comment.


The head of the southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites) compared the arrests to the internment of Japanese Americans in camps during the Second World War.


"I think it is shocking what is happening. It is reminiscent of what happened in the past with the internment of Japanese Americans. We are getting a lot of telephone calls from people. We are hearing that people went down wanting to cooperate and then they were detained," said Ramona Ripston, the ACLU's executive director.


JAILS OVERFLOWING


One activist said local jails were so overcrowded that the immigrants could be sent to Arizona, where they could face weeks or months in prisons awaiting hearings before immigration judges or deportation.


"It is a shock. You don't expect this to happen. It is really putting fright and apprehension in the community. People who come from these countries -- this is what they expect from their government. Not from America," said Sabiha Khan of the Southern California chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations.


The arrests were part of a post Sept. 11 program that requires all males over 16 from a list of 20 Arab or Middle East countries, who do not have permanent resident status in the United States, to register with U.S. immigration authorities.


Monday was the deadline for men from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Sudan. News of the mass arrests came first in southern California, which is home to more than 600,000 Iranian exiles and their families.


Officials declined to give figures for those arrested or for the numbers of people who turned up to register, be fingerprinted and have their photographs taken.


"We are not releasing any numbers," said Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) spokesman Francisco Arcaute.


Non-citizens, not all middle-eastern males. That search took me 30 seconds. Obviously we didn't actually bother to look into this, did we?
And they only have to register with immigration... boy, that's unreasonable...
Geez, this is getting really pathetic... I mean, does anyone actually even bother to check things out?

[ 12. January 2003, 08:27 PM: Message edited by: CrazyD ]

 

The US government needs all the foriegn students it can get. I work for the State of Texas at a cancer research campus and Americans won't work in research labs for what the State pays, so they have to get the researchers from China and middle eastern countries to do the basic reseach to cure cancer. It pays better to work for the Army at a weapons lab than to find a cure for cancer.

[ 13. January 2003, 12:46 AM: Message edited by: TA152 ]

 

It's a sorry fact that police in the UK closed down a 'poison factory' last week just about four miles from where I live. Traces of the deadly assassin's poison Ricin were found and seven men of 'North African origin' have been arrested.

Here's the real kicker - two of these people were 'asylum seekers' claiming state benefit and the 'poison factory' apartment was being paid for by - the local council.

Excuse me - must go - I have to work now to pay the taxman.....

 

Crazy, I contribute to many forums on the present problems and I certainly dont intend to bring it here, I come here for a break from them. There are many people who do bother to research and do bother to talk to individuals involved in this, politicians, journalists and individuals alike.

I'll say one thing and retire from this debate as im involved elsewhere with it in a physical sense also.

Illegal immigrant in any country are just that illegal and are breaking the law.

As to what is happening elsewhere, I will ask one question, where are the wmd in Iraq that our lads and lasses are going to be fighting for?

 

You just answered your own lashing Crazy...you found a source that said that.
I don't see once when Sniper called the US government-"Nazis"

 

Exactly, Panzerknacker... This thread was posted, and both you and Carl replied that the "registration" thing was true. Apparently, neither of you even bothered to do the slightest bit of research or even try and find the actual truth of the matter.

I performed a quick 30 second search and easily found the actual news story. In the future, try checking before you post unfounded and untrue garbage. Very simple.

A very obvious comparison from sniper. This is obviously a reference to the badges jews were forced to wear under the Nazis. You missed this one too?

urgh, the thing that is really pissing me off lately-

Dosen't seem that way here anymore!!! Again, I did a 30 second search to get the real info on this "registration" story. It took me no trouble. SOme people apparently just don't care in the slightest wether the stuff they post is acurate or not.

The story Martin posted, and in fact this story about US immigrant being detained... both are unfortunate examples of paranoia. In both cases, people (who are probably doing nothing wrong) are being singled out only because of their ethnicity. This is really unfortunate, as it demonstrates the ignorance of the people who are persecuting these "middle eastern" men.

Ignorance much like that which has been demonstrated in this thread. Instead of actually finding the real story, people seem much more willing to jump to an un-informed and incorrect position.
h.

 

The term used in the recent past is Friendly Fascism, which (briefly) describes a state in which business and governmental forces consolidate their powers over the working class, but, manage to disguise it as representative democracy. We have much better PR than the Nazis, but, there are many similarities; most notable being the gigantic corporations which work hand-in-hand with the government (General Electric=Krupp,) unbridled capitalist expansion, including criminal behavior and de-regulation, and the further impoverishment of the working class through interest rates, taxes, inflation, and stagnant wages. Whenever the cake-eaters run the risk of getting caught in the spotlight (Enron,) the gvmnt just drags out the welfare families, illegal immigrants, and Muslim "suspects" to kick around for awhile.
I'm still waiting to see a for-real domestic terrorist (besides that Shoe Bomber kook.)
These arrests ALWAYS turn out to be bogus.
What happened to all the Sleeper Cells?
It's all ridiculous: a total sham.


[ 13. January 2003, 12:42 PM: Message edited by: Knight Templar ]

 

MArtin, urqh, I live near Wood Green too and was wondering if (on the subject of assaylum seakers) you remember when there was a war in somalia in the early 90's, loads of assaylum seakers came into the borough of enfield and caused no end of problems for social services etc (I was young at the time and cant remember the details but i remember loads of problems in schools and my parents talking about the trouble that the immigrants caused). Now I am not against immigrants, I mean I see no problem with people coming into the country particularly if they are seeking asylum, we have close friends who were asylum seakers from South Africa during aparthide. The stupid thing is that people come to the country claiming to be fleeing opression, yet when offered a house they want a bigger one, when offered free travel on public transport they want a car, when offered a television they want sky TV and a free lisence. It is stupid. When their kids are offered an education they stand on the north circular and clean windows. Frankly I think that if the standard of living where they came from is higher than that here then they should stay at home because it obviously does not merit asylum and if they want to stay here they should have to follow certain guidelines and show some apreciation. If they commit crimes they should be locked up or sent home, there are people out there and in our own country who do need help and the rest are taking up valuable resources that could be better used on people who are willing to make an effort, make a contribution to society and make some good of themselves and what they are given.

Holy hell I sound like a raving nationalist, where was the raving pinko i once was????

Sorry for going OT or even OTT but i started and couldent stop. Sorry if anyone is offended or feels this should be removed, I will gladly ditch it if anyone does or if it is too right wing (nooooo!!!).
All the best,
Stefan

 

Hey guys--dont kill the messenger--I only typed here what I heard on the news on the radio.

I feel about this as you do. Plus--it NEVER occurred to me that I would have to do research on this instead of what were all here for--which is ww2.

I cant stop the Govt from doing anything--so I cant also be blamed for what the RADIO NEWS broadcasts on the air.

Thems me two cents worth.

 

Carl, its your own fault, didnt no one tell you never to raise your head out yer foxhole? Or at least ask the other guy to have a looksee first...

Stefan the largest Somalian grouping is now in my town of Northampton.

Like Carl says though Ill stick to ww2 on here.
No offence either, but we could tear this place to pieces in one easy lesson....

Hey for a war forum we are pretty peaceful guys on here.... including those that have been affected or served...Try looking at the political forums, of which I admit I post under another name, not very peaceful at all...In fact apart from odd one or two of course of which I am one..he he... most are raving racist loonies...on both sides..