WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:04.160 There's an issue I wanted to discuss where I think some conservatives are getting mad 2 00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:09.800 at the wrong kinds of people, and it actually has a Fresno element to 3 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:16.719 it. So some news came out over the last week or so that, 4 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:21.600 obviously this is in the context of we have this horrible situation at the border 5 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:30.320 and the Biden administration's alteration of actually quite successful Trump administration policies, and they 6 00:00:30.679 --> 00:00:36.560 changed them for the stupidest reasons possible. I really genuinely think a lot of 7 00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:41.159 the changes that happened to American border policy with the Biden administration, for example, 8 00:00:41.479 --> 00:00:51.159 ending the remain in Mexico policy catch and release. Basically, I think 9 00:00:51.200 --> 00:00:54.759 a lot of these policies were We're just going to do the opposite of whatever 10 00:00:54.799 --> 00:01:00.320 it was that the Trump administration did, because the Trump administration is bet the 11 00:01:00.359 --> 00:01:03.280 Orange Man was bad. Therefore we need to do something different, and it's 12 00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:07.200 led to actually a worse situation, a more unjust situation, the situation where 13 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:12.359 we've incentivized more and more people from Latin America to come to the United States, 14 00:01:15.519 --> 00:01:19.680 to try to come to the United States illegally or to abuse the asylum 15 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:26.599 system, and the asylum system is the root of the whole thing. Basically, 16 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:30.200 people coming to the border claiming that they're coming to seek asylum when they're 17 00:01:30.200 --> 00:01:36.840 not really there to seek asylum. Asylum is I'm fleeing from Cuba because Fidel 18 00:01:36.920 --> 00:01:41.159 Castro wants to kill me and my family. I, you know, lash 19 00:01:41.319 --> 00:01:45.920 a bunch of you know, old tires from the fifty seven Chevy together. 20 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:52.760 I make a raft and I float from Cuba to Miami Beach Beach. I 21 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:55.840 wash up on the shore of Miami Beach. Now, I have not legally 22 00:01:55.879 --> 00:01:59.959 immigrants, I have not gone through the legal immigration process to get to America. 23 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:02.359 But I land on the beach. I run to a coast Guard official 24 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:06.159 or a you know, a police officer or something, and I say, 25 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:10.599 I'm seeking asylum. Fidel Castro is trying to kill me. I am fleeing 26 00:02:10.919 --> 00:02:17.000 Cuba to come to the United States to save my life. And so you 27 00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:23.080 have an asylum process. Some people come to America because they are fleeing for 28 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:30.120 their lives. So we have a process to bring in people in that situation, 29 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:39.039 and maybe we extend asylum claims to Hey, I'm living in Gaza and 30 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:46.719 it's in the middle of a war, and I'm terrified I'm gonna get killed, 31 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:50.800 either collateral damage from an Israeli bomb or that, you know, I 32 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:53.960 don't know. There's a decent little population of Christians to live in Gaza. 33 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:58.319 I'm afraid that the Musslim authorities might kill me. I'm afraid I might be 34 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:00.919 collateral damage to an Israeli bomba I am fleeing from Gaza coming to the United 35 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:05.919 States seeking as soamp At different times, in different ways, the United States 36 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:13.240 has extended asylum refugee status to people in situations like that. I don't actually 37 00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:17.319 know if we're doing that for people in Gaza. But nonetheless, I'm in 38 00:03:17.360 --> 00:03:21.759 Iraq and it's war torn and ISIS is killing everybody. I'm coming to the 39 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:25.479 United States. I'm in this war torn part of the world. So not 40 00:03:25.599 --> 00:03:29.039 all the time, not in every situation, but that's what the asylum system 41 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:39.159 is for now. The asylum system could extend to possibly the cartel in Mexico 42 00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:43.000 is going to kill me in my family, so I'm fleeing to the border 43 00:03:44.360 --> 00:03:49.319 to seek safety. I'm going to die because the cartel is going to kill 44 00:03:49.319 --> 00:03:53.840 me. Okay, well, maybe we grant asylum to you, but how 45 00:03:53.879 --> 00:03:59.280 do you process an asylum claim? Will you process an asylum claim through some 46 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:00.520 kind of legal prete That's what you have to do. You have to have 47 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:05.759 a judge, you have to have lawyers who presumably you're going to need lawyers 48 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:12.080 to speak Spanish or the language of whoever this asylum seeker is to process. 49 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:16.920 Okay, Well, is this a legitimate request for asylum or are they full 50 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:23.000 of it? Are they just making this up? Okay? Are they actually 51 00:04:23.560 --> 00:04:29.560 fleeing for reasons that we legitimately allow for asylum seekers or do they just want 52 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:32.800 a better economic opportunity for themselves, which is the reason that most people immigrate 53 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:36.879 to the United States. And I think that's the problem. The number of 54 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:43.959 asylum seekers who have come to the United States has gone up and down, 55 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:47.759 not on the basis of, oh, there is this huge spike in you 56 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:51.319 know, cartel activity in Mexico and more people had to flee for their lives 57 00:04:51.360 --> 00:05:00.079 and seek asylum. No, it's fluctuated based on American border policy. And 58 00:05:00.120 --> 00:05:04.959 it's a ton of people who are all coming. Why because they want the 59 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:11.199 same reason anyone else immigrates to America. They want the economic opportunity that's available 60 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:15.319 to them. From living in the United States. It's the reason why anyone 61 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:19.439 wants to come here, and that's fine to want to come here for that, 62 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:25.839 but the asylum process is not the avenue for doing so. And it's 63 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:33.279 extended to the point of sending your unaccompanied child wandering over to the border by 64 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:39.839 him or herself. And I've seen like videos and documentaries and stuff like this. 65 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:46.759 It's heartbreaking. These people are sending their child with barely any idea of 66 00:05:46.839 --> 00:05:50.160 where he or she is going, just by him or herself to the border, 67 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:54.680 with the saying that he seeks he or she is seeking asylum. He 68 00:05:54.759 --> 00:05:58.279 might have a seven eight year old kid who's crying, has no idea what 69 00:05:58.360 --> 00:06:02.839 the heck he or she is doing, with barely a note about who he 70 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:09.160 or she is. Like, it's heartbreaking what some of these people are doing. 71 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:16.600 So the asylum process is screwed up. There was a story in the 72 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:26.079 last week or so though about people who seemingly were seeking asylum from Venezuela or 73 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:34.279 making a claim of seeking asylum. A group of supposed refugees from Venezuela who 74 00:06:34.360 --> 00:06:41.199 came to Fresno, group of about nineteen of them and who received assistance from 75 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:46.519 the Fresno Mission. We've had their director, Matthew Dilldne on the show. 76 00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:53.560 I apologize to get his name wrong. Dil Dean. He's a great guy. 77 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:59.959 He's a really smart guy. He does he and his organization do wonderful 78 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:05.199 work helping the homeless, helping those in need. And he did not even 79 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:10.680 realize that the Fresno Mission that these people whom they had helped. He didn't 80 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:16.399 realize that they were specifically like refugees from Venezuela who had come on a bus 81 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:20.240 or something. He just knew. He didn't know the whole background. He 82 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:23.560 just knew they were people who came who were in need of help, and 83 00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:28.279 that the Fresno Mission helped them. He didn't know about it until media reports 84 00:07:28.279 --> 00:07:32.480 came out locally about this, and he said, yeah, well we're gonna 85 00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:36.000 help people. I mean we're you know, we're the Yeah. We they 86 00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:39.560 they presented themselves to us, they were in need of this, that and 87 00:07:39.560 --> 00:07:44.040 the other, and so we helped them. And this led to concert local 88 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:51.839 conservatives getting mad at the Fresno Mission writing to him, including people who I 89 00:07:51.839 --> 00:07:57.399 guess had donated to the Fresno Mission writing to him and saying I'm never giving 90 00:07:57.439 --> 00:08:07.959 you another dollar your facilitating illegal aliens coming to this country. Now, this 91 00:08:07.079 --> 00:08:16.399 is not a unique criticism of the Fresno Mission. A lot of Catholic social 92 00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:22.839 welfare agencies, a lot of Catholic charitable agencies, particularly different Catholic charities entities 93 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:31.000 in Texas and other places, have received similar criticism from people on the right 94 00:08:31.159 --> 00:08:35.360 saying that basically, by taking care of these people, you're facilitating illegal immigration. 95 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:46.080 And this has really annoyed me so and it annoys me also in this 96 00:08:46.159 --> 00:08:50.200 regard. Okay, I run Right to Life of Central California, and I 97 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:54.440 founded and was the CEO, and now I'm just in charge of development for 98 00:08:56.440 --> 00:08:58.960 the Obria Medical Clinics of Central California. So it's pro life, nonprofit obji 99 00:09:00.039 --> 00:09:09.320 on clinic. I we are. Our organizations have helped a lot of people. 100 00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:20.200 We've provided care for a lot of people. We have not discriminated in 101 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:24.039 the help we've given on the basis of well, did you come as a 102 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:28.759 as an asylum seeker? Did you come in claiming asylum but you weren't really 103 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:33.000 seeking asylum and you came here in a bus and blah blah blah blah, 104 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:39.159 blah, No, I'm not asking about that stuff. If I've got a 105 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:43.399 pregnant woman who's in need and is considering abortion but needs help and doesn't maybe 106 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:48.679 doesn't want to have an abortion, I don't give a darn about her immigration 107 00:09:48.919 --> 00:09:56.919 status. I just want to help, because that's my job in this capacity. 108 00:09:56.600 --> 00:10:05.200 Okay, that's all I'm asked to do. I can go on the 109 00:10:05.320 --> 00:10:09.320 radio and I have my opinions about American immigration policy and what it should be 110 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:15.480 and how it should be structured. But in my role as directing a nonprofit 111 00:10:15.480 --> 00:10:20.360 who's tasked with helping people, it's not my job to suss all that out. 112 00:10:20.919 --> 00:10:24.919 First of all, I don't know that I even could. And secondly, 113 00:10:24.919 --> 00:10:30.919 if I did, does this person I shouldn't help. I should just 114 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:33.200 say to this woman, sorry, you're on your own, go have an 115 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:39.279 abortion. Is that my job? Is that me doing a good job because 116 00:10:39.320 --> 00:10:45.799 otherwise I'm helping foment illegal immigration. No, that's an evil way of thinking. 117 00:10:45.919 --> 00:10:52.120 That's an actually evil way of thinking. Okay, these people are here, 118 00:10:54.200 --> 00:11:01.960 they're here. It's not the presd No Mission's fault that these people are 119 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:05.720 here. It's not my fault that these people are here. They're here, 120 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:11.639 So what are we gonna do. Are we gonna let them starve on the 121 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:22.399 streets, or they're in need and we help them. Furthermore, it doesn't 122 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:26.360 even seem like these these Venezuelan people who came to the United States look I 123 00:11:26.919 --> 00:11:35.240 fully agree. I think President Biden is violating the law through the methods in 124 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:41.600 which he is allowing asylum seekers into the United States. The law says people 125 00:11:41.679 --> 00:11:48.159 seeking asylum are to be detained until their legal case can be heard. Now 126 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:54.919 that is impossible to do because there are like ten thousand holding cells and millions 127 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:58.399 of people seeking asylum. Okay, there's no way we could physically detain all 128 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:07.039 these people seeking asylum. So the Trump administration's policy, which they were broadcasting 129 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:09.720 to all of Latin America, is we're doing the remain in Mexico policy. 130 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:16.080 Basically, if you're coming to America and seeking asylum, you've got to stay 131 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:20.200 in Mexico until your court date can come up and we can process your asylum 132 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:26.799 claim. But you're not gonna you're not in the United States. I think 133 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:31.000 what the Biden administration has done is basically allowed people to come to the border 134 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:35.000 they say they're seeking asylum. The Biden administration says, okay, well, 135 00:12:35.039 --> 00:12:39.519 here's your court date. We know we're supposed to detain you, but we're 136 00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:43.960 giving you parole, which the President has no authority to do because it's not 137 00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:46.600 provided for in any statute the Congress has passed. All Congress has said is 138 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:54.600 there to be detained, not that they're to be given parole. And what 139 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:58.320 basically what these people are told they get to the United States, they claim 140 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:01.000 asylum. The Biden administrations said, Okay, here's your court date six years 141 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:05.600 from now, you're free to go into the United States. Se yah. 142 00:13:07.440 --> 00:13:11.879 And then they go into the United States, and you know, let's see 143 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:16.720 if they ever show up for their court hearing. I'm guessing not so. 144 00:13:16.120 --> 00:13:20.159 I think the method in which the Biden administration has allowed these people in has 145 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:24.240 violated the law quite possibly. But you know what else I know. None 146 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:30.519 of that is the Fresno Mission's responsibility. None of that is my responsibility. 147 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:35.399 They're here. I can't suss out what happened when they came here to the 148 00:13:35.399 --> 00:13:41.080 border. I can't. I'm not here to suss out or to mitigate the 149 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:46.639 charitable help that I'm offering to people in need. On the basis of, 150 00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:52.000 oh, well, did they actually seek asylum appropriately? Well, are they 151 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:56.480 actually showing up for their court date? Did President Biden have the constitutional? 152 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:01.559 No? What I see as a poor family that needs clothes, what I 153 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:07.000 see as a pregnant teenager who needs help. So I guess I would just 154 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:16.600 say any local conservative who's mad at the Fresno Mission for helping these people out, 155 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:22.080 get a grip. It's not their job to suss that out. It 156 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:26.159 would be impossible for them to suss that out. And frankly, the fact 157 00:14:26.159 --> 00:14:31.919 that someone is the fact that someone might have done something bad. That's literally 158 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:39.279 the whole point of Christian charity is that we've all done something bad and Jesus 159 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:48.039 loves us anyway. So if we're going to mitigate the charity we're offering people 160 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:52.879 on the basis of they did something bad, then you know, we might 161 00:14:52.919 --> 00:15:00.000 as well give up Christian hospitals, Christian charitable organizations, Christian soup kitchens, 162 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:07.240 whatever. Anyway, I just think any anger at Fresno Mission for taking these 163 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:16.559 people in is ridiculously misplaced. When we return what is charity on the macro 164 00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:20.840 level versus the micro level? That's next on the John Girardi Show. I've 165 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:28.000 been thinking more about this story that there was a group of Venezuelan refugees who 166 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:31.879 came to the Fresno Mission. Fresno Mission served them without not even fully like 167 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:37.399 understanding their whole background, how they got to the United States, that they 168 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:39.039 were part of some group of refugees, blah blah blah blah blah. And 169 00:15:39.080 --> 00:15:43.519 this has led to some local conservatives getting angry at the Fresno Mission that they 170 00:15:43.519 --> 00:15:52.159 were helping these people out. And I am ticked off that anyone, because 171 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:54.840 this is an instinct on for a certain segment of the right to get mad 172 00:15:56.039 --> 00:16:03.799 at private charitable entities that help out people coming to the border, and the 173 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:11.480 idea that those entities are engaged in, you know, some kind of that 174 00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:15.240 that they are the part of the of the illegal immigration problem in the United 175 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:18.639 States. And it leads me to sort of think about this idea, Well, 176 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:23.399 what is charity? What is charity on the macro and what is justice 177 00:16:25.200 --> 00:16:29.559 and charity on the macro level of public policy and the micro level of serving 178 00:16:29.559 --> 00:16:30.919 this person who's right in front of you. All right, so let let's 179 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:41.440 let's sort this out. I think policymakers need to think about things in the 180 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:48.759 big picture, because that's the level at which they govern. So I think, 181 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:57.879 and I think part of that involves questions like deterring people. What is 182 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:07.400 more just the Biden catch and release policy or the Trump remain in Mexico policy. 183 00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:10.599 Now, some people might argue, well, the Trump remain in Mexico 184 00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:14.279 policy, that's very harsh. These people come all the way to the border 185 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:17.519 trying to get refugee status and then they have to sit around in these border 186 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:21.799 towns in Mexico and that's kind of a chaotic situation. Okay, that's bad, 187 00:17:21.880 --> 00:17:27.599 but maybe that deters hundreds of thousands of people from coming to the border 188 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:33.079 in a dangerous situation. If people know, hey, you come to the 189 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:41.000 border, you're gonna have to stay in Mexico, that's gonna deter people from 190 00:17:41.079 --> 00:17:47.400 coming in the first place. If you have a really strong bord. Some 191 00:17:47.400 --> 00:17:49.880 people might say, well, putting up walls is harsh. But if you 192 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:56.920 have a really strong border that it's well nigh impossible to cross or extremely difficult 193 00:17:56.920 --> 00:18:00.359 to cross, guess what that might deter people? For I'm doing dangerous things 194 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:07.720 like paying members of the cartel or smugglers to get people across the border, 195 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:12.119 some of these people involved in you know, many of these people involved in 196 00:18:12.200 --> 00:18:18.039 human sex trafficking. Maybe it deters people from making that kind of a desperate 197 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:23.039 and dangerous decision. If you know, we had this tragedy happen at the 198 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:27.759 border where a couple of people were trying to cross the Rio Grande and drowned. 199 00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:36.000 And this is terrible, but hey, if we had a very solidly 200 00:18:36.039 --> 00:18:40.599 built wall there that people couldn't cross, so they're not going into the Rio 201 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:42.200 grand in the first place, would those people have drowned? You know, 202 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:47.680 probably not. Those people drown because the borders really poorous and people realize they 203 00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:52.559 can get across, and so they'll make a dangerous and desperate effort to do 204 00:18:52.680 --> 00:18:59.519 so. So what's more charitable? Okay, on the macro level, At 205 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:03.720 the level of public policy, what is kinder? What is a better policy 206 00:19:03.759 --> 00:19:11.119 for immigration? I mean, I'll agree that American immigration policy is kind of 207 00:19:11.160 --> 00:19:22.680 screwed up, but I think people confuse the micro level of charity and the 208 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:29.119 macro level of sound public policy. Like, okay, on the macro level, 209 00:19:29.559 --> 00:19:33.279 and I think this is one of the questions for this that I think 210 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:37.480 is this is sort of a classic question that you're not sure about the macro 211 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:44.079 to the micro. California has extended medical coverage to everyone, regardless of their 212 00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:49.920 immigration status, whether they're here legally or not medical eligibility. So on the 213 00:19:49.960 --> 00:19:53.319 one level, we're thinking well, the micro level, we're thinking, well, 214 00:19:53.359 --> 00:19:56.400 these people are here, we need some way of taking care of them, 215 00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:00.799 so this is the right thing to do. The macro level, you 216 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:06.119 might have the argument, this is just incentivizing more people to come to the 217 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:11.000 United States unlawfully. Is this really helpful in the aggregate? At the macro 218 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:15.039 level, it's hard to say. I mean, frankly, I can see 219 00:20:15.079 --> 00:20:22.720 the arguments for both sides. That people are coming here regardless and they need 220 00:20:22.759 --> 00:20:26.599 some form of healthcare. Now, the other questions of is that justiforce taxpayers 221 00:20:26.599 --> 00:20:32.680 to pay for that? Is it just to you know, is this sound 222 00:20:32.839 --> 00:20:37.559 Given the strains that are already on the medical system, medical can't reimburse doctors 223 00:20:38.839 --> 00:20:42.640 sufficiently with the patient load that medical already has. Now we're going to add 224 00:20:42.720 --> 00:20:49.319 all these new people on how is that going to work? So I'm kind 225 00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:56.000 of you know, I can see both sides of it, but I hope 226 00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:59.880 you guys are seeing what I'm saying, there's a macro level to this stuff, 227 00:21:00.119 --> 00:21:02.200 or we have to look at what is just, what is charity, 228 00:21:02.200 --> 00:21:07.440 what is right at the macro level. But that's maybe a different calculus at 229 00:21:07.440 --> 00:21:11.079 the micro level. All right again, thinking about me at right to life 230 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:17.519 or our obria medical clinics. Okay, if I've got a pregnant teenager and 231 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:23.000 she's considering abortion and she needs help, I don't give a damn what her 232 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:29.920 immigration status is. I don't care. I'm trying to help a human being 233 00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:33.200 created in the two human beings created in the image and likeness of God. 234 00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:40.000 That's what I'm trying to do. I don't care about whatever past since she's 235 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:42.440 committed. I don't care about what choices she made or didn't make, or 236 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:47.920 her parents made, whatever happened that resulted in her being in the United States 237 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:51.759 legally, illegally, maybe legal if she's over state or visa. I don't 238 00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:56.720 give a darn. What I'm here for is to help her. That's my 239 00:21:56.920 --> 00:22:03.759 job. That's the Fresno Mission job. The big picture questions of public policy, 240 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:06.960 while I care about them, while I think they're legitimate, is not 241 00:22:07.200 --> 00:22:11.200 for me to decide. Right here, right now, presented with this pregnant 242 00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:18.519 fifteen year old girl who's standing in front of me. So conservatives don't be 243 00:22:18.559 --> 00:22:22.039 mad at the Fresno Mission for taking these people in Fresno. Mission is doing 244 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:29.480 as much good in this city as just about anybody. When we return, 245 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:32.359 I want to talk a little bit about this border bill that the Senate is 246 00:22:32.440 --> 00:22:36.200 considering, that the House is considering. What seems to be the plus is 247 00:22:36.200 --> 00:22:37.680 what seems to be the minuses. That's next on the John Girardi Show. 248 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:44.880 So this border bill that the Senate is considering, which also for some reason 249 00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:49.720 has Ukraine aid, which I don't get that well, I do get, 250 00:22:49.759 --> 00:22:59.279 So let me explain this. This is just Washington at it's worst. It 251 00:22:59.359 --> 00:23:03.319 really is, And I know that sounds. I hate sort of leaning into 252 00:23:03.480 --> 00:23:07.039 people who are, oh, Congress is just terrible. Like it's a very 253 00:23:07.079 --> 00:23:14.240 easy thing to say Congress has had terrible approval ratings since forever, because well, 254 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:17.480 it's easy to blame all of those guys out there. But I do 255 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:22.599 think I want to dig into it more than just a cynical like sort of 256 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:26.759 argument that everybody in Congress is a bad guy. I don't think everybody in 257 00:23:26.799 --> 00:23:33.720 Congress is a bad guy. Okay, I don't think David Valadeo's a bad 258 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:37.759 guy. I don't think that Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, 259 00:23:37.799 --> 00:23:41.440 is a bad guy. I think Mike Johnson's a great guy. I'm I 260 00:23:41.480 --> 00:23:45.440 was really excited when he was named Speaker of the House. I don't even 261 00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:53.079 necessarily think Kevin McCarthy was a bad guy. I think that the forces at 262 00:23:53.240 --> 00:24:03.160 play, the pressures and incentives at play in Congress, naturally result in gridlock 263 00:24:04.160 --> 00:24:11.720 and sort of naturally inherently lead you to do things that will result in nothing 264 00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:21.200 getting done because basically you have certain priorities. You know that the other side 265 00:24:21.240 --> 00:24:25.720 is not going to go along with those priorities, so you try to sneak 266 00:24:25.799 --> 00:24:30.759 those priorities in to a bill that has something the other side cares about. 267 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:45.359 Both sides have done this with aid to Israel. Now, Liberals tied military 268 00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:51.319 aid to Israel post October seventh to a bill that would also give military aid 269 00:24:51.359 --> 00:24:56.119 to Ukraine. Why the Democrats really want to give more military aid to Ukraine? 270 00:24:56.680 --> 00:25:00.880 They know that a bunch of Republicans are very skeptical of that. But 271 00:25:00.960 --> 00:25:06.039 they know that those same Republicans want to give military aid to Israel. So 272 00:25:06.279 --> 00:25:08.240 that's the poison pill. Democrats say, oh, we can give military a 273 00:25:08.440 --> 00:25:11.799 Israel, but you got to give you know, forty billion bucks to the 274 00:25:11.880 --> 00:25:15.920 Ukrainians. Now, Republicans kind of do the same thing. Republicans say, 275 00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:18.920 all right, we'll give military aid Israel, but there's this other thing we 276 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:22.880 want, which is a cut and spending over here. So you got to 277 00:25:22.880 --> 00:25:25.680 cut spending over here on this thing that you care about. Democrats, and 278 00:25:25.799 --> 00:25:33.079 what happens. Nobody passes a bill. Now I'm I'm over here saying I'm 279 00:25:33.079 --> 00:25:36.759 not sure why we need to give military aid to the Israelis at all. 280 00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:41.480 You know, nothing for or against them, but they seem to have enough 281 00:25:41.720 --> 00:25:48.240 of a military already. I don't understand this instinct in Washington that our way 282 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:53.519 of showing that we support or oppose something is by giving billions of dollars to 283 00:25:53.559 --> 00:25:56.519 one side or the other. We can just say that we support them. 284 00:25:56.880 --> 00:26:00.240 You know, we don't have to give them tens of billions of dollars they 285 00:26:00.279 --> 00:26:06.359 have. You know, Israeli citizens pay their own taxes, and you know 286 00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:11.599 they have their own funding for their own military over there. So you know, 287 00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:15.319 we we don't have to fund it necessarily, Like it's not a law 288 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:18.920 that says Israel must be funded by the United States. They can they can 289 00:26:19.000 --> 00:26:22.680 kind of fund them themselves. They seem to be doing quite fine without us 290 00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:30.920 anyway. But that's sort of the game in Washington is you try to get 291 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:38.559 your goals accomplished by enticing the other side to vote for a thing that has 292 00:26:38.599 --> 00:26:44.440 some of what the other side wants. But what more often tends to happen 293 00:26:44.559 --> 00:26:47.960 is that the poison pill is too poisonous for the other side to swallow, 294 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:52.599 so nothing it's done. And that seems to be what's happening with this border 295 00:26:52.640 --> 00:27:00.599 bill. Why any bill to regulate what's going on at the Mexican border needs 296 00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:06.839 to have anything to do with Ukraine funding is beyond me. It's absurd. 297 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:14.400 Why is it there, well, because the Democrats control the Senate. This 298 00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:18.680 is the deal that was worked out for this compromise bill that James Langford, 299 00:27:18.680 --> 00:27:22.559 the Republican from Oklahoma wrote. There are some Republicans who are still very enthusiastic 300 00:27:22.599 --> 00:27:26.799 about giving military aid to Ukraine. There are a lot of other Republicans who 301 00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:30.400 are not very enthusiastic about that idea. And by the way, it's also 302 00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:37.720 this thing like conservative activist land is so ready to call any and every Republican 303 00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:45.039 a rhino that it's kind of infuriating to me. Okay, James Langford, 304 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:52.279 for example, James Langford wrote this bill, this bill for regulating the border 305 00:27:52.279 --> 00:27:56.160 but also giving money to Ukraine. Why. I think Langford genuinely wants to 306 00:27:56.240 --> 00:28:00.119 try to do something to improve the border situation. I think he knows that 307 00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:03.480 this doesn't ideally fix the border, but I think he thinks that this moves 308 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:08.759 the ball forward. And by the way, if we had one hundred James 309 00:28:08.839 --> 00:28:12.200 Langford's in the United States Senate, this would be a much better country. 310 00:28:12.359 --> 00:28:15.519 James Langford is like one of the most pro life guys in the whole Senate. 311 00:28:15.880 --> 00:28:21.799 He is a pastor from Oklahoma. He's a very devout Christian dude. 312 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:26.640 Like I would take one hundred James Langford's in a second over one hundred Mitch 313 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:30.119 McConnell's or one hundred of a lot of other guys. All Right, So 314 00:28:30.279 --> 00:28:34.359 people jumping to call James Langford a rhino or saying he should resign from the 315 00:28:34.359 --> 00:28:41.640 Senate get a freaking grip, like you disagree with him on one stinking bill. 316 00:28:45.920 --> 00:28:48.839 And also I feel like the reporting on it from hard right wing sources 317 00:28:49.880 --> 00:28:56.079 on this bill has been somewhat deceptive. So I've heard conflicting reports on this 318 00:28:56.519 --> 00:28:59.720 that, well, you mean we're just gonna let five thousand immigrants in and 319 00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:02.000 then we close the board it. Well, no, it's when we have 320 00:29:02.119 --> 00:29:07.480 five thousand migrant encounters at the border. Doesn't mean they get in, just 321 00:29:07.519 --> 00:29:14.559 means that they've been encountered. Then we shut down the border. Now I 322 00:29:14.599 --> 00:29:18.359 agree, why not just have it be shut down permanently? Good question. 323 00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:32.440 So but again you see this problem that the Democrats have laid in this bill 324 00:29:32.799 --> 00:29:37.480 with a poison pill that's going to tick off Republicans and then acting outrage that 325 00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:42.640 Republicans got ticked off at it. It's clear that the Republicans are not going 326 00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:48.279 to support this, that this thing is never going to pass. It's just 327 00:29:48.359 --> 00:29:53.359 not It may not get the necessary sixty votes in the Senate, and it's 328 00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:59.640 certainly not going to pass in the House. There are even liberals who are 329 00:29:59.720 --> 00:30:03.079 upset. There are a bunch of liberal activist groups, liberal border activist groups 330 00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:07.160 who think that this is the most draconian, horrible piece of border policy that's 331 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:15.000 ever been drafted. So I feel like this effort at compromise that Lankford nobly 332 00:30:15.119 --> 00:30:19.680 engaged in to try to get something done to fix the problem, all it's 333 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:27.839 doing is making everyone mad. And here's the other thing. There's this report 334 00:30:27.880 --> 00:30:33.720 out that, and who knows how true or not it is that Trump is 335 00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:37.920 privately calling senators and congressman telling them not to support it because he doesn't want 336 00:30:37.920 --> 00:30:48.319 Biden to get something passed. That incentive is also there in Washington, because 337 00:30:48.359 --> 00:30:53.599 everyone's aware of the political ramifications if some bill gets passed to help resolve stuff 338 00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:56.640 at the border, in spite of the fact that the whole reason we have 339 00:30:56.680 --> 00:31:00.359 a problem at the border is because Biden created the problem. Biden's going to 340 00:31:00.359 --> 00:31:03.839 get credit for it during an election year, And there are a bunch of 341 00:31:03.920 --> 00:31:10.640 Republicans who don't want that. And it's kind of understandable that they maybe it's 342 00:31:10.680 --> 00:31:14.240 not right, but it's understandable that they don't want that. They don't want 343 00:31:14.279 --> 00:31:21.920 Biden to get a major policy victory in what's likely to be a very close 344 00:31:21.960 --> 00:31:29.440 election. You know, nine months before election day, how did Barack Obama 345 00:31:29.480 --> 00:31:33.880 win In twenty twelve, he had a couple of key moments in twenty eleven 346 00:31:33.960 --> 00:31:38.440 and twenty twelve ten, twenty eleven, twenty twelve where he got a couple 347 00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:42.200 of things accomplished that really seal the deal that he was going to win in 348 00:31:42.200 --> 00:31:45.640 twenty twelve, if you're an incumbent president, you just have to get a 349 00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:49.960 couple of things done, and it almost guarantees that you're going to get reelected. 350 00:31:51.359 --> 00:31:55.519 And with Barack Obama, it was getting Obamacare across the finish line and 351 00:31:55.559 --> 00:32:00.519 the Supreme Court upholding it. After that, there was no way Obama was 352 00:32:00.519 --> 00:32:05.039 going to lose. I think that just kind of sealed the deal. He 353 00:32:05.119 --> 00:32:10.799 was a president who had clearly accomplished something, and then you know, tie 354 00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:15.960 tends to go to the incumbent in that situation. Outside of some you know, 355 00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:22.279 total black swan event, like you know, a global pandemic that shuts 356 00:32:22.359 --> 00:32:27.440 down the economy of the entire country, probably President Trump would have been re 357 00:32:27.480 --> 00:32:31.319 elected for the same reasons. He had accomplished a decent amount. Trump had 358 00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:37.440 accomplished a very good amount of stuff in his four years, did some very 359 00:32:37.440 --> 00:32:39.559 good things with foreign policy. He got a tax cut pass, the economy 360 00:32:39.640 --> 00:32:44.640 was doing really well, like you know that that should have been a slam 361 00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:46.839 dunk victory for Donald Trump. The only reason it wasn't, I think was 362 00:32:46.839 --> 00:32:57.160 COVID. So I don't even know what to think about this bill because I 363 00:32:57.200 --> 00:33:01.880 get so many conflicting reports about it. I don't think you know it. 364 00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:06.519 I think one of the big problems with it is that it winds up sort 365 00:33:06.519 --> 00:33:09.559 of legalizing the Biden catch and release policy. You come to the United States 366 00:33:09.599 --> 00:33:17.440 claiming asylum, we let you into the United States to await your asylum court 367 00:33:17.519 --> 00:33:24.279 date, and you're just in the country. Not a remain in Mexico policy, 368 00:33:24.359 --> 00:33:27.960 not a remain at the border of policy, not a no you're just 369 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:30.640 in the country. Now. Biden's been doing that, I think, in 370 00:33:30.839 --> 00:33:37.400 possible violation of the law over the last you know, three years. This 371 00:33:37.480 --> 00:33:43.680 would legalize what Biden's been doing. If this bill passes, I don't know 372 00:33:43.759 --> 00:33:47.079 that that's a good idea. But on the whole, is this better than 373 00:33:47.119 --> 00:33:53.359 the status quo we have right now? A good question, And I think 374 00:33:53.400 --> 00:33:59.160 that's the impossible situation that being a member of Congresses, you either don't vote 375 00:33:59.160 --> 00:34:04.599 for this and you're just letting the status quo continue, or you vote for 376 00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:07.119 this, and you formalize all the bad things in the bill. If I 377 00:34:07.199 --> 00:34:12.480 remember the House representatives and I were representing you know, Clovis. Okay, 378 00:34:12.639 --> 00:34:15.280 let's let's say magically I'm put in Kevin McCarthy's old seat, that that's the 379 00:34:15.320 --> 00:34:20.119 district I live in. Uh, how would I vote for this? I 380 00:34:20.119 --> 00:34:22.360 feel like either way it would suck. If I vote for it, my 381 00:34:22.440 --> 00:34:28.840 constituents would be John Girarti's a rhino piece of crip. He's given all of 382 00:34:28.840 --> 00:34:34.480 our money to Ukraine. He's just letting all the illegals in. John Girardi. 383 00:34:34.599 --> 00:34:39.480 Sucks if I don't do it, People say, just typical Congress sit 384 00:34:39.639 --> 00:34:45.159 on their asses and do nothing while the borders in a state of utter chaos. 385 00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:50.440 If you don't vote for this, it's just a total lose lose. 386 00:34:52.239 --> 00:34:59.400 So there you go the the And it's not because I'd still be the same 387 00:34:59.440 --> 00:35:01.239 guy. I'd still be the same guy who kind of wants the border to 388 00:35:01.280 --> 00:35:06.920 be fixed and doesn't want this that. It's not that I personally am a 389 00:35:06.920 --> 00:35:13.320 corrupt guy. The forces at play in Congress are just such that they're forced 390 00:35:13.320 --> 00:35:19.400 into these suckers' choices. When we return On the Biden Snelody Watch Front, 391 00:35:19.800 --> 00:35:22.400 President Biden talks about a conversation he just had with a president of France who 392 00:35:22.440 --> 00:35:29.519 died in nineteen ninety six. Next, on the John Jobarnei Show, President 393 00:35:29.519 --> 00:35:35.239 Biden had a speech the other day yesterday. I talked about this speech he 394 00:35:35.360 --> 00:35:43.039 gave in which like he reveals the shallowness of his engagement with Catholicism, where 395 00:35:43.159 --> 00:35:51.239 the only piece of like Catholic literature, music, poetry, culture, whatever 396 00:35:51.400 --> 00:35:54.599 that he could think to cite was this terrible hymn that was written in the 397 00:35:54.639 --> 00:36:00.480 nineteen seventies that's very popular in American Catholic churches called on Eagle's Wings. It's 398 00:36:00.519 --> 00:36:07.000 written by this guy, Michael Joncas and it's just sappy, emotive clap trap. 399 00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:10.960 It stinks, but everyone wants to play it at funerals. Oh my 400 00:36:12.039 --> 00:36:17.880 gosh. It's like we have Catholics have like the greatest treasury of music known 401 00:36:17.920 --> 00:36:22.920 to mankind. I mean, how much amazing music was written for the Catholic 402 00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:25.800 Mass, and we use this crappy music that was written in the seventies. 403 00:36:25.800 --> 00:36:30.679 Anyway, the one thing that Biden could think to cite from the Catholic you 404 00:36:30.679 --> 00:36:35.840 know, literature or musical tradition is a terrible hymn from the nineteen seventies. 405 00:36:37.639 --> 00:36:42.079 And he also said it was based on Psalm twenty two, which it manifestly 406 00:36:42.119 --> 00:36:45.280 is not. It's based on Psalm ninety one. Also, Biden's saying, 407 00:36:45.320 --> 00:36:46.960 we got to remember who the hell we are? And he was at you 408 00:36:46.960 --> 00:36:52.159 know, the National the National Prayer breakfast. Maybe don't say who the hell 409 00:36:52.239 --> 00:36:53.639 we and he kind of caught himself, but you know, it was Biden's 410 00:36:53.639 --> 00:37:00.800 snility Watch today. On Biden's Sanility Watch, Biden was talking in speech about 411 00:37:00.840 --> 00:37:07.039 going to a G seven somewhat summit that was somewhere in England, and he 412 00:37:07.079 --> 00:37:15.079 said he turned and was talking to President Miteeran Midrand. I'll say mid Rand 413 00:37:15.119 --> 00:37:22.039 whatever, who is? He was the president of France in nineteen ninety six. 414 00:37:22.760 --> 00:37:29.679 Well he died in nineteen ninety six. I'm guessing Biden meant Macron, 415 00:37:30.559 --> 00:37:36.639 Emmanuel Macron, who's the current president of France, because yeah, Biden would 416 00:37:36.639 --> 00:37:39.639 not have met with President Mitrand, who was you know, he died in 417 00:37:39.719 --> 00:37:43.559 nineteen ninety six. So this is just going to be a great election. 418 00:37:44.400 --> 00:37:52.280 I'm really just looking forward to this senile old man making the case for why 419 00:37:52.360 --> 00:37:57.639 he should be leader of the free world for four more years when he you 420 00:37:57.639 --> 00:38:00.239 know, does stuff like, you know, talk about a meeting he had 421 00:38:00.239 --> 00:38:04.159 with the President of France who died in nineteen ninety six. That'll do it 422 00:38:04.199 --> 00:38:07.920 for John Girardi Show. We will see you guys next time on Power Talk.