DeSantis Is Child Trafficker? and NBA's Anthony Edwards' Apology
DeSantis Is Child Trafficker? and NBA's Anthony Edwards' Apology
Rampant School Censorship, NFL Going Extinct?, "The Woman King," and More
Today’s post is chock full of some major stories—and some that may not seem major but really are in terms of long-term impact on American culture. I try to look at a variety of topics that I think help shape the future of how we think and where we’re going as a country.
You may have noticed that I’m putting out Kareem Reacts to the News segments more frequently. That’s because the response from you has been so enthusiastic and encouraging.
Politics: New Species of Reptile Discovered in Florida Governor’s Mansion
Gov. Ron DeSantis Revealed to Be Serial Groomer and Human Trafficker
(I decided to write my own headline for this news story. Does it seem a bit sensationalist? Read on and you’ll see it’s rather mild considering the circumstances.)
“Dangerous” migrants that Gov. DeSantis lured into his metaphorical van.
Summary: Florida Flies 2 Planeloads of Migrants to Martha’s Vineyard (NYT): Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis sent about 50 undocumented migrants, including children, from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard to make a political point.
My Take: What would you call someone in clown make-up who pulls up in a black van, entices vulnerable people inside with candy, then transports them to use their bodies for his own sick purposes? DeSantis may not wear the makeup but he’s no less a predator clown who has exploited the bodies of the innocent for his pleasure, which in this case is political gain. A groomer? A kidnapper? A human trafficker?
Let’s break it down into basic facts:
DeSantis called Fox News to tell them of his ingenious plan, but gave no heads-up to any state or local officials in Massachusetts so they might be prepared to help the arriving migrants. He knew this tactic would cause even more hardship and confusion for the migrants, but he didn’t care. As long as he got his attaboys from his “official” news agency, Fox.
One migrant told the San Antonio Report that a woman named Perla paid him $200 to recruit other migrants to travel where more government support would be available to them, including jobs. (That’s the candy part of this con.)
Catherine Chen of the anti-trafficking charity Polaris noted the deception used to trick migrants, saying: “If migrants were defrauded, and if this fraud was intended as a vehicle for anyone’s material gain, including that of an elected official, then there is a case for investigating it as trafficking.”
Some of the migrants had immigration hearings within the week, which is now thousands of miles away. “I think this is all a ploy to get us to miss our court dates so we get in trouble with the law and they can deport us,” said one migrant.
The migrants aren’t from Florida, but rather from Texas! However, DeSantis reportedly used money from Florida’s $12 million relocation fund that specifically only applies to moving migrants “from this state.” Another crime.
This harmful disrespect for their humanity is the baseline for DeSantis’ brand of entitled conservatism. He offers no practical, specific solutions for how to address the situation, just name-calling and high-profile stunts that impress only the least knowledgable voters. What does it say about your leadership qualities that your main supporters are people looking to confirm their worst prejudices?
The only good part of this situation is how badly it backfired. Instead of hand-wringing anger, the residents of Martha’s Vineyard and Massachusetts responded with the kind of compassion and kindness that we associate with heartland America, a place that in DeSantis’ world only exists on the Hallmark Channel.
The migrants were housed in a church—expressing our cherished values of charity and love—given food, clothing, and medical treatment. They were then sent to a Cape Cod military base where they will have access to services including legal, health care, food, hygiene kits, and crisis counseling. In refreshing contrast to DeSantis, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, has promised humanitarian support for the migrants.
Republicans like DeSantis are running scared after their self-righteous anti-abortion laws have mobilized much of America against them. Facing mid-term elections, they need to scare voters back to their side with a bogeyman who doesn’t look like them. But the reality is that there is no such thing as an “open” border as they often claim. About 20,000 Border Patrol agents secure the border. Under Title 42, President Trump expelled 400,000 people in nine months while President Biden has expelled 1.7 million in 18 months.
DeSantis’ scorched-earth march to the White House has trampled the rights of every marginalized group in America while protecting White males, preferably rich ones. It’s difficult to say who is worse, the immoral political hack DeSantis—or the irresponsible, un-American people who support him. Why do we continue to elect people with high aggression but low intelligence, high volume but low morality?