Category: The Opposition

CNN investigates: US Catholic Bishops live in mansions

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment
Cardinal Dolan and three other priests live in this $30 million Madison Avenue mansion. Lots of room to house innumerable refugees and “children.”

 

At a time when the US Conference of Catholic Bishops is receiving millions of tax dollars  (not including the fact that they pay no local property taxes) to do their “Christian charity” on behalf of refugees and the ‘unaccompanied alien children’ surging across the US southern border and are caterwauling for more tax dollars, we learn that some of the US Bishops are living in priest palaces!  Hat tip: Brad

So why can’t the Catholic Church sell some of its valuable real estate instead of tapping the taxpayer for cash for their charity?  And, on top of it, consider their hubris as they lecture us about  “welcoming the stranger.”  How many angels dance on the head of a pin?  How about, how many migrants can squeeze into a Bishop’s mansion?

Cardinal Timothy Dolan has the priciest digs of all—-a Madison Avenue mansion worth $30 million.

Visit CNN and enjoy photos of other homes of the rich and religious.

But, here (right) is the Baltimore home of Bishop William Lori who we mentioned recently as he fussed and fumed about a new Obama ruling that might restrict the Bishops’ lifeline of federal cash by excluding them from federal contracts.

With 11,500 square feet he should easily be able to house ten or more illegal alien teens here and still have room for himself and his office.

Endnote:  I wonder where Bishop Elizondo lives?

Go here for all of our coverage of the ‘unaccompanied minors’ crisis.  For everything on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), search for USCCB or Catholic Charities and some other key word because I bet we have 300 posts or more here relating to their activities—good luck!

The Bishops are the largest of the original nine federal refugee/illegal alien (political activist!) contractors!

The federal refugee resettlement contractors (we may have to start adding grant recipient big dogs Baptist Child and Family Services and Southwest Key Programs to our list):

 

Vermont wants open-borders for Vermont, right Senator Leahy?

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

I’m really warming to the idea of a grassroots/media campaign to send more refugees to Vermont including those ‘unaccompanied alien minors’ surging at our border.

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy as he rolled into Washington in 1975. Come on Pat! It’s time to open the borders of “welcoming” Vermont to the “children!” Photo: http://bigstory.ap.org/photo/patrick-leahy-12

If you missed my post about two weeks ago about Vermont’s elected ‘leaders’ running their mouths about how we must be more “welcoming”and knowing that Vermont Senator Leahy has been a champion of refugee resettlement and a Senate leader for the passage of S.744 (the Gang of Eight’s amnesty bill), you know that Vermont must surely be the most “welcoming” state in the nation led by such a generous man.

Then how could this be?

I just checked the statistics for this fiscal year and Vermont has “welcomed” a paltry 228 refugees while 50,988 were resettled around the country.

Vermont! It is time to put up or shut up.

In response to my post yesterday on the Vermont “refugee” group sending illegal aliens across the border into Canada reader, ‘sodiumpen’ said this:

Interesting that the VI&AA shuffled the illegal immigrants, etc. out of Vermont into Canada. Guess they didn’t want to keep them in-state?!

Just think of all the ski area hotels, motels, ski lodges, etc. that are seasonally vacant. I’m sure they’d make great accommodations for all those illegal alien children – especially the older teens!

Another good reason to funnel more unaccompanied minors and illegals into Vermont is the state plans on beginning a single payer health plan in 2017:

“The state has a planned 2017 launch of the nation’s first universal healthcare system, a sort of modified Medicare-for-all that has long been a dream for many liberals.”
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20131026/INFO/310269893

I’m sure all those liberal residents of Vermont will be glad to foot the healthcare bill for all of their new, incoming residents (instead of the non-Vermonters) – along with happily enabling & fulfilling the other liberal dreams of unfettered illegal immigration/open borders/amnesty.

Sounds like a win/win to me!

To me too!

Remember, earlier this year we reported on a document (key indicators) produced by the Office of Refugee Resettlement in HHS, that says the feds are looking for more “welcoming” sites and the availability of ‘free’ healthcare is one of the top criteria.  Vermont sounds like it is just the ticket!

As reader Jake said, let’s just call Vermont The Green Card State!

 

Vermont “refugee” agency closes its doors due to lack of funding; helped illegals get into Canada

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Gee, just when we were hoping Vermont might take all of the tens of thousands of illegal alien children surging across our border (their elected officials all say they are “welcoming!”), one of their illegal alien support groups has run out of money.

I’m guessing the ORR (Office of Refugee Resettlement), which has been sending your money to this group, is cutting funds to little dogs like this one because the big-dog contractors*** are monopolizing all of the federal dollars especially since they even have Washington, DC lobbyists helping them acquire your money.

Little outfits like this one—Vermont Immigration and Asylum Advocates—which prides itself for helping illegal aliens reach Canada are just being out-competed in the federal grant wars.

So, while we are on the subject of the asylum racket (see previous post this morning), from Seven Days:

VIAA director Jenness will now go to another immigrant ‘advocacy group’— Association of Africans Living in Vermont

Long-simmering immigration issues boiled up again recently as tens of thousands of Central American children crossed into the U.S. Some of approximately 57,000 unaccompanied minors who have made the journey since last October could land in Vermont. Gov. Peter Shumlin has expressed a desire to help house them, while also noting that the state lacks the large facilities that federal officials are seeking.

In the past, Burlington-based Vermont Immigration and Asylum Advocates, the state’s leading authority for refugees seeking asylum for 30 years, would likely have been preparing to spring into action, representing the children in court and helping them adjust to their new surroundings.

But, they have run out of money:

VIAA had less than $108,000 in revenues in 2012, according to publicly available tax records. The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement contributed more than half of that. VIAA’s second largest chunk of revenue came from individual donors, who collectively kicked in more than $19,000. Several organizations, including the Vermont Bar Foundation and the Sisters of Mercy, contributed as well.

They proudly worked with “friendly” border guards to get illegal aliens into Canada:

The organization launched in 1987 as Vermont Refugee Assistance, to support refugees who had fled civil wars in Central and South America. Most were in Vermont en route to Canada, which has historically been more receptive to asylum seekers than the U.S.

In the old days, Jenness said, friendly border guards would tip them off when people had difficulty crossing into Canada. She and other staffers carried pagers so they could fetch and house those refugees who needed help.

They also did those phony-baloney asylum cases:

 The organization gradually evolved into what essentially became a pro bono legal clinic, representing detained immigrants — who are not eligible for public defenders and often face removal hearings without attorneys — and asylum seekers, who have to navigate a complex legal landscape.

Great, now this is something to really toot your horn about!

They made the national news for helping hundreds of Pakistanis trapped at the US/Canadian border due to changing laws (laws probably related to national security after 911).  If the Pakistanis had nothing to hide, why were they running to Canada?

The group made national news in 2003 when it assisted hundreds of immigrants, mostly Pakistanis, who sought asylum in Canada after the United States enacted new laws forcing them to undergo a special registration process with federal officials. Nervous about getting arrested or deported, many of the Pakistanis tried to flee to Canada but became stuck in Vermont after Canada enacted a new law allowing its border agents to send asylum-seekers back to the United States while their cases were pending.

There is more, it’s a long story and I only snipped a small portion of it.

Honestly, let’s send all of the ‘unaccompanied alien children’ to Vermont.  There isn’t a more deserving state!  It could be the Petri dish of sorts—we could find out what size immigrant population will crash the economy of a state and be the “tipping point” for the American public’s patience.

***The federal refugee resettlement contractors (we may have to start adding grant recipient big dogs Baptist Child and Family Services and Southwest Key Programs to our list):

Our complete archive on ‘unaccompanied minors’ goes back several years, click here for all of those posts.

NumbersUSA urges activists to attend town halls in August

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

….and they have a handy map to help you find one near you.

More Republicans (in red) willing to hold town hall meetings then Dems.

Here is a story from the Washington Examiner reporting on the action alert!  Ready to Rumble!

Even if lightning strikes Friday and Congress OK’s an immigration bill, activists angered with unaccompanied minors swarming over the U.S.-Mexico border plan to invade town hall meetings House members are planning during the five-week congressional recess.

Congress did act on immigration bills, but as we know, it changes nothing so be sure to find a town hall meeting near you by clicking here.

While you are at NumbersUSA check out their Congressional report cards so you know how your Members of Congress and US Senators are doing on immigration issues.

House passes immigration bills late last night; Bishops blast!

~ Ann Corcoran ~ Leave a comment

Update:  NumbersUSA declares victory for grassroots activism, they are on the record now!

Update #2:  Breitbart News on Senator Sessions’ reaction last night, here.  Thanks to Cathy.

The first thing this morning I see a Washington Post story on what happened in the House last night as the Republicans went on record with two votes to stem the “crisis” on the border.  I’ll post commentary later from those who know what happened perhaps better than the Washington Post.

Money-grubbing Bishop Eusebio Elizondo: Lord! Grant us OUR federal cash. (You represent the low point in our country!)

Here is the news I’m seeing at 5 a.m.  Of course, we all know that since the Senate had adjourned and what the House passed is anathema to Obama, this isn’t going anywhere.

There are a couple of snippets from the Post worth noting:

The bills would provide emergency funding to deal with the crisis, speed the deportations of most border-crossers and rescind President Obama’s authority to decide whether to deport certain illegal immigrants.

[….]

Obama continued his recent habit of castigating congressional Republicans….

[….]

The votes held late Friday — a rare occurrence any time of the year on Capitol Hill — capped a week of turmoil in the GOP ranks prompted by fierce opposition from the party’s conservative members to doing anything that could be perceived as an endorsement of Obama’s current immigration policy.

[….]

The collapse of the original border security plan offered by House GOP leaders was a triumph for conservatives in the Republican caucus, who saw it as a high point in their troubled relationship with Boehner and his more centrist leadership team.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), one of those conservatives, described the retreat by Boehner as one of the highlights of her career, because the leadership was forced to mostly capitulate to the conservative demands.

“Leadership knew they couldn’t pass their bill,” Bachmann said, and as a result were forced to agree to revisions offered by tea party members, led by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), a vocal opponent of Obama’s immigration policy….

[….]

Ultimately, members voted 223 to 189 to approve $694 million in additional funding for federal agencies dealing with the influx of immigrants — a sum far lower than Obama’s original $3.7 billion request. The bill would tweak a 2008 anti-trafficking law and make it easier for the government to deport Central American minors who have entered the United States illegally. It also would provide $35 million to border-state governors, who would be given broader legal authority to deploy the National Guard.

For me, this is the part of the story that makes my blood boil!   Shame on the Bishops! (and the Post).

How dare the US Conference of Catholic Bishops lecture about morality and “American values” when their “immigration” work is almost completely funded with your tax dollars (with Caesar’s silver) and they are too conniving to admit it.

In a sharply worded statement, Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle, who leads the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ work on immigration issues, called passage of the legislation “a low point for our country. It eviscerates American values of justice and due process and stains our record as a defender of human rights globally.”

How dare they speak of “American values of justice” when they receive federal money (your money) for every refugee they resettle and every illegal alien they house, but never tell the public the truth!

And, shame on the Washington Post and other mainstream media for not figuring out (or refusing to report) who exactly fills Bishop Elizondo’s church coffers!

All of our posts on ‘unaccompanied minors’ invading our border are here.  They extend back several years and include posts on how the US Conference of Catholic Bishops have been one of the greatest recipients for federal cash for years.