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How California congressmen voted on Syrian refugee bill

November 20, 2015

Screen Shot 2015-11-20 at 10.35.52 PMEight House Democrats from California crossed party lines Thursday and voted for a bill that will make it difficult for the Obama Administration to carry out its plan to resettle refugees from Syria and Iraq in the United States. [LA Times]

The House of Representatives voted 289-137 in favor of a bill that would require the director of national intelligence, as well as the Homeland Security and FBI chiefs to certify that refugees who are admitted pose no security threat. The White House says the requirements are unnecessary and impractical and has vowed to veto the bill, but the legislation passed the House with a majority large enough to override a veto.

All 14 of the House Republicans from California voted for the bill. Thirty-one of the 39 House Democrats from California, including Rep. Lois Capps, voted against it.

The California Democrats who crossed party lines were: representatives Pete Aguilar (Redlands), Ami Bera (Elk Grove), Julia Brownley (Westlake Village), Jim Costa (Fresno), John Garamendi (Walnut Grove), Janice Hahn (Los Angeles), Scott Peters (San Diego) and Paul Ruiz (Palm Desert).

Some of the eight Democrats come from swing districts where the Syrian refugee issue could factor in next year’s election. Several of the Democrats who crossed party lines said the bill offers beneficial security measures.

In all, 47 House Democrats voted for the bill. Only two Republican representatives voted against it.

The White House has proposed admitting at least 10,000 refugees from Syria next year.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, denounced the bill, saying it discriminates against Muslims.


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We have veterans homeless on our streets, mentality ill citizens wondering around with no governmental help, millions living in poverty and millions more being raised to future lives of poverty. We have so many problems in America that are being ignored. And while all these millions of our fellow citizens struggle this president wants to help the refugees of Syria, how about the citizens that you promised to take care of first!! I care much more about the American refugees than i do any foreign refugees. What is wrong with this president? How could he do so little for so many while pretending to care about others? If he had done a better job of being a world leader perhaps there would not be so many muslim refugees needing help.


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Homeless typically dont bother to vote, the hope is importing these have nothings will. Free shit or freedom, its our choice and time is running out.


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You really need to learn how our Government works, The Executive branch does not control how much money gets spent on social issues, that is the Congress and they just voted down a bill to expand veteran benefits, yep, nearly EVERY single Republican sold our veterans down the road. So while your rant on Obama certainly fits your belief, it doesn’t fit facts.

Here is a thought, why can’t we do everything you bring up? There is one answer and it’s the Republican party of NO

Imagine a bill passed through Congress addressing all these issues. Do you think the President would sign it? Yes, but it will never happen with the Republicans stranglehold.


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So you think the issues facing our country just need more money from congress? More money merely increases our national debt. Mostly these issues are about energy, if the president directs all federal agencies, which is the way government works, then things will get done. This president wants our energies directed to racism and blaming republicans, these are the two issues I have seen him speak about more than any others during the years he has led our country. Someone needs to lead and our president is our head cheerleader. The executive branch has more power than any other piece of government. He has directed the LE agencies too investigate racism and police errors but not government failure or ineffectiveness. We can do everything i talked about and it all starts with the president directing all federal agencies to make these issues a priority, then the media starts talking about these issues and then congress, who only want to get reelected, must address these issues when running for office, then things start to change. I Wish it was as simple as just passing a bill to increase funding but as we have all seen over and over again, that does nothing to fix the problem. energy needs to be refocused, people need to be fired, people who are actually capable need to be hired and/or promoted based on ability rather than political cronyism. We can solve these problems if we stop playing politics and merely blaming the other side for failing to get something done. It’s time to elect some real leaders, unfortunately the democrats will nominate Hillary because she is a woman and they think it is time to have a female president, just like last time we elected Barack because he has a different skin color. Oh well time to gorget politics and go spend time doing better things. Our government is dysfunctional and will remain so until we get rid of the two most powerful profit oriented corporations on this planet, yes the RNC and the DNC!


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Any refugee who comes into the country should be thoroughly vetted, photographed, finger printed, and DNA sampled. I don’t care where they are from.


Scott


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But how do you “vet” someone when there is no record of them from their country of origin, no finger print, no DNA, nothing? The word vetted is being used a lot but at this point really means nothing since there is nothing to “vet” against.


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Right. Just like your ancestors were vetted, photographed, finger printed, and DNA sampled.


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True but we didn’t have that back then. We did have Ellis Island and that was the way mine and many others descendants came here. We didn’t cross borders illegally or come in, in mass waves demanding to be taken in.


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The guys on the Mayflower just came and took land that belonged to other people. Nobody vetted, photographed, finger printed, and DNA sampled, they just crossed borders illegally and demanded to be taken in. Darn, the natives even fed them and taught them agriculture, then they exterminated the natives.


What’s the point of being vetted, photographed, finger printed, and DNA sampled anyway? What difference will it make other than to leave some perfectly decent people who’d make good Americans to starve to death or be blown up by one warring party or another? (The stuff that happened on one day in Paris is how these people have to live every day.) Where has basic human decency gone? Are you so arrogant and self-absorbed that you cannot imagine “there but for the grace of God go I?”


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Hmm let’s see I pay taxes for the last 33 years and BILLIONS has gone to countries to feed them. Did I get that wrong?


As far as the moronic Mayflower statement, o.k. then we can walk all the way back to cave man and this country going here and that country going there. Like the Romans or the Vikings or who else would you like to name??


Funny that YOUR type will talk about human decency trying to defend people that treat their women like dogs, won’t educate their daughters, should I go on?


Guess I’ll take arrogance over your cluelessness.


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“What’s the point of being vetted, photographed, finger printed, and DNA sampled anyway?”


What’s the point of being vetted, photographed, and finger printed when purchasing a firearm? Good for us responsible AMERICAN citizens but not for SYRIAN nationals?


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Oh Johnnyboy, Oh Johnnyboy. Praise Allah.


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I like the M&M example going around this week. Say I have a bowl of m&m’s and I put five poison one’s in there. Would you grab a handful and eat, cause there are only five bad ones and odds are good that you shouldn’t get one right? Now go get those refugees.


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Your example really doesn’t work because those five poison M&M’s are only going to kill or injure the five people who get them, unless you share a M&M. Where as one terrorist’s actions certainly will injure or kill more than one person.


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Yea thanks for stating that captain obvious. I hope you are kidding and didn’t miss the point of what they are saying.


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No one in their right mind would touch them if even one M&M was poisoned, personally i would not touch them unless i knew where they had been even if i was unsure if any were poisoned.


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Well then I assume you feel the same way about the Syrian refugees??


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yes!


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You all do realize that everything that hits the headlines is highly politicized and designed to make you irate.


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Have the elected officials from Obama on down whom are in favor of bringing in Syrian or Iraqi refugees to put cash into a special account to cover any damages created by one of these refugees while committing an act of terror.

and has anyone stopped to think about our 20 trillion dollar debt? Lois? anyone?

Amazing…


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California Congresswoman Capps is completely dysfunctional. Since LC believes minimal-to-no screening is the best approach, then she can throw out the FDA, too. There is no longer any need for food/personal care products/etc. labeling because we all know and are convinced beyond the shadow of doubt that all manufacturers would NEVER lie or use a harmful ingredient. It’s all good.


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Obama paused the Iraqi Refugee program in 2011 after it was found 6 terrorists made it to the USA…was Obama Racist? Was Obama going against our values then? No.


Did we take in German citizens that were displaced by the Nazi’s during WW2?

No….we used common sense.


This entire issue it typical of the left:

Construct a straw man and then light him on fire.


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after the war the US secretly took in a few thousand German citizens, some scientists some evangelicals and a bunch of criminals wanted by international justice for crimes against humanity, Klaus Barbie finally caught after his involvement with Iran Contra so what is your point?


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never mind the real damage the evangelicals have done.


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provocations “one nation under God indivisible” has done just that, addled by evangelically pressured congress to spite the law “congress shall pass no law respecting… religion” we have sown the wind and are reaping whirlwinds putting out fire with gasoline

Our foreign policy may have been different now, had Dwight Eisenhower not agreed to go to that prayer breakfast with Billy Graham, far more sinister than the bilderberg group


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Oh, come on.


Where’s your comparable list for “evangelicals”? You can’t just ignore their crimes, then claim “0”!!! If you read the news, you know there have been lots of mass atrocities committed by people pretending or claiming to be Christians.


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Oh, come on.


I’ll let you come up with the list of evangelical terrorists.


Show me the ones that claimed to do it in the name of Christianity as opposed to the act of a crazy individual.


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By the way hijinks, I see that Brussels is on high alert.


Do you think they fear an invasion of Baptists.


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You are right there has been atrocities committed by Christians BUT most are in the WAY past history. This whole list is current times. Funny you have to go all the way back to make your argument.


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Huh? Don’t you read the news? There have been dozens of mass attacks in the USA in the past several years perpetrated by so-called Christians, sometimes against their own, sometimes deliberately targeting Muslims or others they think are Muslims (like the creep who targeted Sikhs, among the most gentle people on earth, because they wear turbans), often attacks that are politically motivated. As for Johnny Boy’s challenge to cite some examples, Johnny don’t you know about Google? How about you do your own homework before spewing your hatred and then accusing others of lying? If you Google something like “mass attacks in US perpetrated by Christians vs attacks by Muslims?” you’ll find a lot of good facts, and the very first entry is headlined “Non-Muslims Carried Out More than 90% of All Terrorist Attacks in America,” and it goes on from there.


Folks, let’s get over this election-cycle-inspired hysteria certain politicians are irresponsibly stirring up for their own political gain. We have more to fear from driving our cars than from terrorism. 30,000+ Americans die each year due to automotive terrorism; a like number from Second Amendment terrorism. How many from the other type of terrorism you all have your knickers in a knot about? Put things into perspective, please.


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OF COURSE Lois Capps stayed with the party line. Fat chance there will be any Syrian refugees settled in Santa Barbara one of the most expensive areas in the state, with no jobs for these people.


My question is, where do the Congressional candidates seeking her seat stand on this?


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It’s a d*mn good thing she voted the way she did.

We all would have died from shock if she’d voted for it!


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