Tennessee governor does not veto Legislature's resolution opening door to states' rights lawsuit

05/20/2016 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update: Michael Patrick Leahy has a much more understandable story on what the governor has done (or not done), and what it means. Click here for more.
The Tennessean titles this breaking news today a lot more optimistically (from our point of view) than the article actually indicates:

Haslam will allow Tennessee to become first to sue feds over refugee resettlement

Stephanie Teatro — Tennessee Immigrant Rights spokeswoman: “… the governor has helped secure Tennessee’s reputation as the most unwelcoming state in the country.”

Regular readers know that the Tennessee legislature overwhelmingly resolved to sue the federal government on 10th Amendment grounds and rather than sign the measure, the governor is going to let it go forward by not vetoing it either.
No matter! The reaction of the refugee industry activists tells me it must be good news for us!
Here is just a bit of the story, read it all:

Despite having concerns, Gov. Bill Haslam will allow Tennessee to become the first state in the nation to sue the federal government over refugee resettlement on the grounds of the 10th Amendment.

On Friday, Haslam announced his decision to allow the measure, which directs Attorney General Herbert Slatery to sue the federal government for noncompliance of the Refugee Act of 1980, to become law without his signature.

[….]

Explaining his decision, Haslam noted the provisions in the bill that allows the General Assembly to hire outside counsel if Slatery refuses to pursue the case.

“I trust the Attorney General to determine whether the state has a claim in this case or in any other, and I have constitutional concerns about one branch of government telling another what to do,” Haslam said. “I am returning SJR 467 without my signature and am requesting that the Attorney General clarify whether the legislative branch actually has the authority to hire outside counsel to represent the state.”

Slatery’s office has not indicated whether he would follow the legislature’s directive.

Haslam also questioned whether it was the “proper course” for the state to attempt to dismantle the refugee act. [Shouldn’t it be a Republican governor’s job to stand up for states’ rights?—besides, the state isn’t dismantling the act, it is only asking the courts for a ruling—ed]

Read on here to get the full flavor of the waffling going on!
Regarding Ms. Teatro’s comments about “unwelcoming” states, it would be so much fun to have a competition for the most unwelcoming state in the Nation! You could all send in your nominations!
They think that just by uttering the word “unwelcoming” you will be shaking in your boots and begging for forgiveness.
Come on Kansas, come on New Jersey!

Testimony to the US State Department from Kathy in Illinois

05/20/2016 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

The deadline to send in testimony was yesterday at 5 p.m. but we will continue to post your testimonies (a few a day) until I’ve exhausted my long list. There are a few of you who, let’s just say, didn’t restrain your passion and I may edit some words that are ones we wouldn’t publish here as a general principle.
I’m posting the comments you sent in to the State Department because I don’t want them to be lost down the black hole, since the State Department continues to refuse to make them part of a public record. Where is Congress on that?
Here is Kathy who echoes some of what Brenda Walker said here about Europe:

Dear Mr Simon Henshaw, and the Bureau of Population,Refugees, and Migration,

refugee advocates Illinois — Illinois has a very aggressive (progressive!) immigrant and refugee ‘rights’ group and here they are demanding more Syrians be placed in the state. http://www.progressillinois.com/posts/content/2015/11/20/syrian-refugee-advocates-meet-rauner-administration-call-acceptance

I am sending testimony today because I am extremely concerned with the proposals I’ve heard to bring tens of thousands of “Syrian” refugees to this country. I live in Illinois and have no idea where or how many refugees have been or will be placed in our communities. There is no communication to the general public. I read about these placements after the fact in articles on the Internet. The citizens of this country must be better informed and given a voice in these decisions.

My concerns are the cost to the citizens of this country who are already overburdened by taxes, the loss of jobs, many are underemployed or unemployed, & do not understand how our government can overlook their needs for those coming here from other countries. Also, as I see what is happening in Germany, Sweden, and the U.K. to name a few, the danger of terrorists entering our country is very real. They have the means to produce fabricated passports, papers, etc to infiltrate the refugee population and enter our country with intent of causing mayhem and death.

In closing, I am asking that consideration be given to placing a stop on this program and from here on in giving the citizens of this country the proper consideration to decide what’s best for our communities and our country.

Thank you for your understanding in this matter.

This is the twelfth testimony in our series leading up to the deadline for testimony at 5 p.m. yesterday, May 19th. Go here for where they are archived to see what your fellow citizens have said.

Walker at 'Limits to Growth' says refugee program dangerous to women

05/20/2016 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Brenda Walker sent testimony to the US State Department by the deadline yesterday and then posted it here at her excellent blog, Limits to Growth.
She says, “Washington’s refugee rescue project has gone from an expensive do-gooder welfare program to a dangerous national security threat,” and goes on to urge readers to look at Europe to understand what is coming our way.

“Europe shows the horror Washington is rushing willy-nilly to imitate. For those of us who value women’s rights and safety, the mass sexual attacks that occurred on New Years in Cologne and other cities were a reminder of how bad Muslim diversity can be. On February 15, the AP reported that of the 73 suspects arrested thus far out of more than a thousand criminal complaints, the “overwhelming majority” were refugees, according to Cologne prosecutor Ulrich Bremer.”

Go to Limits to Growth for her detailed testimony to the State Department which includes extensive linked information to back up what she says.

Migrants burn down refugee center on Lampedusa (thank you Pope Francis)

05/20/2016 ~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Invasion of Europe news…..
African migrants claiming to be asylum seekers (they are not, they are economic migrants and criminals) set fire to a refugee center on the Italian island of Lampedusa earlier this week (Hat tip: Pamela Geller).

pope on Lampedusa — Pope Francis went to the Italian island of Lampedusa in July 2013 and blessed the migrants while lecturing the Italians to be more welcoming! Migrants are trying to find “serenity and peace” said the pontiff. https://refugeeresettlementwatch.org/2013/07/09/pope-lectures-on-lampedusa/

Breitbart:

A group of Tunisian migrants set fire to the main pavilion in a Lampedusa refugee welcome center Tuesday night, causing severe damage, after learning they would be repatriated to their home country, according to reports. [They were determined to not be legitimate refugees.—ed]

The fire enveloped the first aid and reception center of Imbriacola in Lampedusa, which presently houses some 530 asylum-seekers, though no injuries have been reported. This is not the first time that migrants have set the pavilion ablaze. Similar acts of arson occurred in 2009 and then in 2011.

After hours battling the fire, which was set around 10:30 pm, teams of firefighters stationed on the island were finally able to get the blaze under control in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

[….]

Reports suggest that in recent weeks tensions had already been growing inside the Lampedusa welcome center, linked to the refusal by a group of African migrants, mainly from Eritrea and Yemen, to submit to identification and registration procedures including the taking of fingerprints.

More here.
When is the last time you have seen news like this at any mainstream media outlet or on cable news? One day America will wake up to the fact that Europe is lost and they will wonder how that happened so quickly. It hasn’t been that quick! We have reported on the invasion for many years now and chronicled the inability (unwillingness) of European leaders to stop it!
See our complete ‘Invasion’ archive here.