Up to 2,300 Syrian refugees expected in Calgary over the next six to eight weeks

[Yoho]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

It might be time for me to take a break from social media. I myself am leery of bringing in this many refugees so quickly but the social commentary is getting so over the top it's sickening.

This x100

[sa226]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

It might be time for me to take a break from social media. I myself am leery of bringing in this many refugees so quickly but the social commentary is getting so over the top it's sickening.

There have been a number of significant worldwide events since the birth of social media. None has made me want to quit it all together more than this recent string.

Its a megaphone for ignorance.

[corporatejay]

hah, funny enough I was thinking the same thing.

The over the top racism is the worst, but somewhere on the scale is the "enlightened" facebooker/tweeter who reminds everyone:

"guys, guys, guys, not every muslim is a terrorist"

Like they've somehow they've come to some revelation that only someone with their educational background could have come to. #### OFF.

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

hah, funny enough I was thinking the same thing.

The over the top racism is the worst, but somewhere on the scale is the "enlightened" facebooker/tweeter who reminds everyone:

"guys, guys, guys, not every muslim is a terrorist"

Like they've somehow they've come to some revelation that only someone with their educational background could have come to. #### OFF.

How dare you mock someone who completed an intro sociology course for the easy credits. The racism is the worst by far, but the holier than thou attitude is grating too. Yes I'm skeptical of the situation, but no, I don't intend to treat a refugee any different than another person. I've had several people jump down my throat because "it's insensitive and not in the spirit of Canada to be concerned about immigration".

[Thor]

Its amazing how Republicans can be so harsh, and is this another case of history repeating itself?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Thor

Its amazing how Republicans can be so harsh, and is this another case of history repeating itself?

It's worth noting that a hefty proportion of Americans in 1938 were themselves immigrants or the children of immigrants. Traditionally, each wave of immigrants regards the next with suspicion and dread. Part of this is simple economic self-interest, as the people on the bottom of the labour market don't want their bargaining power undermined.

And of course this isn't just an American thing. Sadly, Jewish refugees from Europe were turned away from pretty much every country they sought to escape to.

[Thor]

So true, this is not unique to the US. The support in Iceland for the Syrian refugees has gone down quite a bit since Friday.

[DiracSpike]

Originally Posted by Thor

Its amazing how Republicans can be so harsh, and is this another case of history repeating itself?

I'm not sure where any of those figures refers to a republican vs democrat breakdown at the time. Or were you just stating you think Republicans in general are harsh and then showed these graphs as an aside of history repeating itself.

And in regards to the migrants obviously we should accept a large amount but I'll echoe the sentiments of others and say I don't want them brought in to meet an arbitrary number on an arbitrary timeline. As much as people don't want to admit it it's a slightly different situation than accepting Vietnamese refugees or the various Yugoslavian state refugees in the 90's.

[burn_this_city]

I don't mind social media in times like this. It provides a great way to determine just how narrow minded and reactive people I know can be. There's a lot of really unworldly people who don't pay attention to anything outside their bubble for long periods of time.

[OMG!WTF!]

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/...mid-ISIS-fears

The arrests come after an ISIS terrorist bragged about how easy it was to smuggle thousands of covert jihadists into Europe under the guise of being a desperate refugee....The man claimed there are now more than 4,000 covert ISIS gunmen "ready" to strike across the European Union.

I just got back from a trip last week that included 14 hours in the Istanbul airport. A British girl and I just sat there and watched Daesh guys come and go as they pleased. They were meeting mostly white guys getting off planes and heading off to the caliphate with their new brothers. It was surreal, like just freaking arrest these guys already. It was like this, two Daesh walk in, hug some creepy ginger in a robe, present him with two burqa clad women, walk out to a waiting Toyota war truck and off they go. Literally hundreds of them. I can't believe it took them this long to actually arrest someone. Again, just saying, we'd better get this right.

[tjinaz]

Europe is now having a "refugee crisis" they want help with. The US has had "migrants/refugees" pouring in over the southern border for decades. We currently have over 11 million "migrants" living in the US that similarly used smugglers to cross the borders and did not go through the proper channels.

Can we get commitments from the EU to take a couple million refugees fleeing crime, despotic governments and seeking better economic opportunities from South and Central America?

There are currently more immigrants (legal and illegal) in the US (42 m) than the entire population of Canada. I think the US is doing its part.

http://cis.org/Immigrant-Population-...d-Quarter-2015

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

I don't mind social media in times like this. It provides a great way to determine just how narrow minded and reactive people I know can be. There's a lot of really unworldly people who don't pay attention to anything outside their bubble for long periods of time.

I get that a lot of people pay no attention to public affairs until something extraordinary happens. What freaks me out is the comments section of the Globe and Mail. You would think G&M readers would be somewhat better educated and informed than the average person, but that place is full of bitter old cranks who hate pretty much everything about the world that has changed since 1985, and think we can just rewind society back a few decades.

[Language]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/...mid-ISIS-fears



I just got back from a trip last week that included 14 hours in the Istanbul airport. A British girl and I just sat there and watched Daesh guys come and go as they pleased. They were meeting mostly white guys getting off planes and heading off to the caliphate with their new brothers. It was surreal, like just freaking arrest these guys already. It was like this, two Daesh walk in, hug some creepy ginger in a robe, present him with two burqa clad women, walk out to a waiting Toyota war truck and off they go. Literally hundreds of them. I can't believe it took them this long to actually arrest someone. Again, just saying, we'd better get this right.

Wow, that's actually ridiculous.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by tjinaz

Europe is now having a "refugee crisis" they want help with. The US has had "migrants/refugees" pouring in over the southern border for decades. We currently have over 11 million "migrants" living in the US that similarly used smugglers to cross the borders and did not go through the proper channels.

Can we get commitments from the EU to take a couple million refugees fleeing crime, despotic governments and seeking better economic opportunities from South and Central America?

There are currently more immigrants (legal and illegal) in the US (42 m) than the entire population of Canada. I think the US is doing its part.

http://cis.org/Immigrant-Population-...d-Quarter-2015

I like this site because they don't really explain when an immigrant stops being an immigrant. Like, someone who has lived in the US since they were 7 years old and is now in their 50s is still technically an immigrant I guess, but why even bother with the classification at that point other than to stir up emotion.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by tjinaz

Europe is now having a "refugee crisis" they want help with. The US has had "migrants/refugees" pouring in over the southern border for decades. We currently have over 11 million "migrants" living in the US that similarly used smugglers to cross the borders and did not go through the proper channels.

Can we get commitments from the EU to take a couple million refugees fleeing crime, despotic governments and seeking better economic opportunities from South and Central America?

There are currently more immigrants (legal and illegal) in the US (42 m) than the entire population of Canada. I think the US is doing its part.

http://cis.org/Immigrant-Population-...d-Quarter-2015

Honestly, when it comes to economic migrants (which most of the migrants in the US are), I don't think the EU should be asking anyone else to take them. Either accept them yourselves or send them back.

Refugees are a different situation IMO though because you can't send them back without putting their lives in imminent danger.

[longsuffering]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/...mid-ISIS-fears



I just got back from a trip last week that included 14 hours in the Istanbul airport. A British girl and I just sat there and watched Daesh guys come and go as they pleased. They were meeting mostly white guys getting off planes and heading off to the caliphate with their new brothers. It was surreal, like just freaking arrest these guys already. It was like this, two Daesh walk in, hug some creepy ginger in a robe, present him with two burqa clad women, walk out to a waiting Toyota war truck and off they go. Literally hundreds of them. I can't believe it took them this long to actually arrest someone. Again, just saying, we'd better get this right.

Wow! So you can identify ISIS members just by looking at them!?! What an amazing resource you'd be for intelligence agencies all around the world!

How on earth do you it? Let me guess. Any man in his 20s wearing a beard and a robe?

OMG!WTF! indeed. You're special.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by longsuffering

Wow! So you can identify ISIS members just by looking at them!?! What an amazing resource you'd be for intelligence agencies all around the world!

How on earth do you it? Let me guess. Any man in his 20s wearing a beard and a robe?

OMG!WTF! indeed. You're special.

I don't think vinyl siding salesmen walk into waiting war trucks at the airport and receive two concubines on arrival.

[polak]

Absolutely sickened by this:

“No Islam, no atheists, a Poland for Catholics,” chanted the crowd, which contained elderly ladies and babies in pushchairs. “Europe is being invaded, and we are the defence against it.”

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/67618b9e-8...#axzz3rrb3i6dD

Not surprising at all though. My own family says crap that makes me want to puke.

Everyone seems to be calling out Islam as an evil religion but here you have direct proof of the evil that Catholicism can bring out in otherwise normal people.

[OMG!WTF!]

Originally Posted by longsuffering

Wow! So you can identify ISIS members just by looking at them!?! What an amazing resource you'd be for intelligence agencies all around the world!

How on earth do you it? Let me guess. Any man in his 20s wearing a beard and a robe?

OMG!WTF! indeed. You're special.

Well since you asked politely, the group I was traveling with specializes in security in that and other regions. It's very very common knowledge that Daesh uses the Istanbul airport as a defacto base of operations. Their dress is not unique but is somewhat uniform and recognizable; no they do not wear robes. Their actions are obvious to everyone including actual uniformed police that let them operate under certain understandings. The local guides who dropped us off pointed out Daesh entering and leaving the airport and told us exactly what to do and not to do....ie don't try to buy souvenirs from anyone. And quite frankly, after several hours of the same sh't you'd have to be a total moron to not understand exactly what's going on.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!

It's very very common knowledge that Daesh uses the Istanbul airport as a defacto base of operations.

If a crackdown occurred, the activity would most likely simply move elsewhere no? Consequently, it may be useful for this activity to to take place in a friendly nation so we can at least monitor the actions and participants. Making lemonade with lemons.