No one is against immigrants. Illegals are the issue.
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Immigration from northern Africa is without doubt the #1 reason that Conte was elected, it is a HUGE problem in Europe. It will become an even bigger problem going forward with climate refugees.
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Conte was a compromise PM, but his support of Trump’s more excessive views on illegal immigration obviously put him in the “populist” camp, even though BOTH Italian camps are anti-establishmentarian.
But the U.S. problem with “enormous strain” attendant to illegal immigration has little to do with Trump’s “incessant demagogy” on the subject. It has to do with the economic magnet that America offers hordes from failing and failed societies below our southern border, and the desire by some Americans to open our borders to them, if truth be told, to cultivate future Democratic voters at any cost to our culture. Fairly, Conte and Italy, and indeed much of Europe, for somewhat different reasons, feel the same way. The “love-fest” can’t be surprising.
However, this is the first time I’ve read a NYT editorial that admitted that unchecked illegal immigration can present a “serious problem”. This is very encouraging.
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August 3, 2018
The prevailing image of America quote:
"My father instilled in me the attitude of prevailing. If there's a challenge, go for it. If there's a wall to break down, break it down. "
Donny Osmond
www.brainyquote.com/topics/prevailing
JJA Manhattan, N. Y. U.S.A.
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“Unchecked, illegal immigration is a serious problem.”
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Brothers in Demogoguery. There, fixed it for you.
Seriously.
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There is nothing wrong with any country controlling who and how anyone becomes a citizen within it. Having standards and controlling one's borders is NOT "demonizing".
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Why are Europeans, or Americans, expected to assist refugees? Why does the need of certain humans generate a corresponding obligation upon other humans? Liberalism, after all, is a secular version of Christianity, imposing an altruistic moral system on others. Time to separate morality and state.
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@Luther Sloan
Many of the situations that these other human beings are fleeing from were caused by imperialism and policies that the refusing super nations inflicted on them. Whether it was oil, cell phone metals, bananas, fruit, sugar cane, coffee, drugs, diamonds, etc etc
These are humans in desperate straits...we need to either help rectify the messes we more powerful nations made or admit the refugees who are willing to work and have no dangerous background. They often become tremendous assets!!!
You were born in a safe healthy nation by accident of birth. God did not draw lines on the earth. Many Americans and Europeans would not have allowed Mary and Joseph in!
If there is a reincarnation, I do hope all those with such hardened hearts are born into nations suffering from famine, war and pestilence, that are many times caused by more powerful nations! How can one see one's children suffer and die and not try to save them? Where is your humanity and compassion. We have SO much!
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Open borders is not diversity. It is, in fact, the dilution of diversity.
Real diversity is a world with borders and a wonderful diversity of nations, races, cultures, traditions, religions and economies.
Globalisation and open borders is turning the world into a dumbed down, stereotyped McWorld.
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If Trump's best buddy Putin was not supporting Assad's regime, he might have been overthrown many months ago, which would have reduced the number of Syrian refugees fleeing the country. But Trump cannot criticize Putin for anything. And he wants us to believe that there is no collusion. I continue to believe Trump and the Trump Organization have been propped up by Russian oligarchs' money. The huge Deutsche Bank loan granted when Trump was already personally deeply in default on his guarantee is extremely suspect. It is believed by many that the bank wrote the loan but Russians were participating lenders of nearly 100% of the principal amount. And that is the kompromat that would explain everything.
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Why is it considered xenophobic to be against unchecked immigration and the social & economic consequences of it? Does Italy not have a right to it's own sovereignty? Providing "refuge" to migrants is a charity, not an obligation of anyone. The NYT editorial board can keep crying wolf over the racism and xenophobia of Italians, but should be aware that people may stop caring by the time the wolf really shows up.
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Um Donald: what happened to your complaints about low Italian defense spending?
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It’s sooo much easier to kick out a Prime Minister under the Parlimentary system so don’t get too comfortable.
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This is nonsense. Trump is anti illegal immigration not all immigration and Italy is being crushed under the wave of illegal migrants. Without borders you no longer have countries or the rule of law. Why is that so hard to understand? "Unchecked, illegal immigration is a serious problem" - that is what Trump is against. It is not hate speech to call an illegal immigrant just that. Please check your feelings at the door and stick to facts.
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Well said.
Hate speech and punitive policies are not the answer, that's right: neither is moral preening from afar when you are sequestered from the effects of migration; i.e how many migrant are you housing and do you live in or are adjacent to a 'no go' zone such of the likes which are springing up all over the European continent.
The likes of Trump and Conte are not alone or the twin terrors
you malign them to be. Call it border xenophobia if you wish or more politely border insularity, but populations across Europe are casting their votes against the quasi religious liberal consensus; Austria, Italy, Orban in Hungary; the rise of the ADF in Germany, Austria have further undermined the Merkel guilt ridden Liberal mantra, Kaczynski in Poland and across European capitals, for instance in Slovakia and the Czech Republic; added to this, the jaw dropping fact that a third of France voted for Marine Le Pen in the last French election
The Liberal view no doubt will limp on, as quasi religions do, but across Europe why is this happening? I mean whole European populations can't all be 'deplorables, ignorant, uneducated'. Please don't refer to the paranoids' mantra of: 'it is all caused by Russian collusion'.
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it is interesting that the author says that unchecked illegal immigration is a serious problem and we need a response. Am yet to see a columnist proposing a solution. The reality is that as long as domestic economics / politics is a problem, people will try to escape. We either force these societies to change - but no one wants boots on the ground - or we shut the door to such illegal immigration.
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If Italy and the US had always been nativists and isolationists, they would’ve never had pasta (from China) with tomato sauce (from the Americas) and we would’ve never had hambugers and franks (from Germany), or pizza, or chimichangas (which don’t exist in Mexico by the way).
The only cultures not affected by others are those of the tribes in the Indian Ocean islands who have no contact with the outside worlds. Otherwise, every country is influenced by others, part of being in the world.
Was Italy complaining when other Europeans with very different cultures moved there? Us, well, we’ve always discriminated against immigrants initially (Irish, Italian, etc.) and continue to do so against non-Whites. Yet, it is that diversity that has made us the best country in the world because of the contribution from these immigrants and their descendants (Steve Jobs, for example).
The more unwelcoming we become, the more bright minds from elsewhere will stay, or go, elsewhere. Our loss.
And so the American empire (for lack of a better word) begins its downfall. Like all empires before, except faster.
Putin and the oligarchs everywhere chuckle with glee, but perhaps WWIII will be a global uprising against them.
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@A.L. Grossi Read the last paragraph of the article, please. Underline the words “unchecked immigration.” Italy or any country should not have to deal with an influx they can’t control or adequately support.
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