Oppose Cornhusker Clink - LR148

Greetings, all Senators, as well as my Senator X, 

I'm told that LR148 is supposed to have something to do with the "concentration camp" Pillen and others want to create in Nebraska. Looking at LR148, it's pretty vague, so it makes it hard to know what exactly is on the line here. 

Let me just be straightforward: we don't need anything like Alligator Alcatraz in our state, or anywhere. It's cruel and unnecessary. It's not "Nebraska Nice"... or is it? Do we pretend to be nice but really support hateful, xenophobic rhetoric? I'm opposed to that.

We don't need to be rounding people up and making them suffer. Our nation is in a reprehensible state, declining into fascism. We need to be sensible and maintain dignity towards all people, and protect human rights. One would think "protect human rights" is a low bar... but apparently it's not. And due process? That's supposed to still be our legal right, isn't it???

I am heavily opposed to anything remotely like Alligator Alcatraz in Nebraska or elsewhere. It's shameful and, if that's not enough, an abuse of taxpayer dollars. It was shoddy and inhumane and got shut down, as well it should. Anyone who supported it should be ashamed, at the very least. 

I'm sick of xenophobic rhetoric meant to fearmonger against anyone who isn't white enough or English-speaking enough. It's wild, the caucasity (that's audacity from white people) involved in white people being against immigrants. Shame that the Trump regime doesn't want history taught in schools, or people might actually learn that white people (Europeans) stole this land from indigenous people. WE are the immigrants.

They might also learn about the concentration camps that we had during WWII where we rounded up anyone Japanese or any bit Asian and put them in camps, made them suffer illness and indignity, stole their property and altered the course of their lives. 

Y'all know that Hitler was inspired for HIS concentration camps by what our country did to Indigenous people and the reservations we forced them onto after we stole their land, right? Maybe don't do stuff that Hitler liked.

If pleas for humanity don't move you, look what happened in Georgia. Some woman called in ICE on a Hyundai plant, for Korean workers who had the right to be there, to teach Americans how to do upcoming work, and has now jeopardized billions of dollars of industry and jobs for Americans. She destroyed that which she said she was trying to protect. Because racism, xenophobic, fearmongering, fascism. 

Nebraskan farmers are already suffering thanks to Trump's tariffs. Maybe stop going along with a pedophile rapist who's gone bankrupt a few times and has had legal challenges to basically everything he's done because it's unconstitutional and he's likely never read that document, nor would he care to. The man is reprehensible and it's tiring to watch people normalize him, or act like this is normal politics. It's not. 

Our moral fiber unravels everyday with him at the helm. And the people who support him, just to have some semblance of power? Just as awful to witness their humanity and decency shrivel up and disappear.

I think some of you have some faith-based beliefs that says something about Blessed are the Poor and the Immigrants and all that. Would be nice if you followed through on that whole "love thy neighbor" stuff. 

So, hell no to any prisons for immigrants. No to rounding up people. No to ICE raids. No to this destruction. No to fascism.

Thank you to those working tirelessly to protect ALL of us. 

Sincerely, 

YZ

District XX

P.S. For any senators or their aides who want to try to "enlighten" me on how I may be wrong, just stop. Being on the wrong side of history isn't a good look. Plus, I'll post online your ridiculous defense of human rights abuses. 

I'm just so very tired of pretending we live in normal times while our rights are eroded. Aren't you?

Nebraska Governor Uses Need for Mental Health as an Excuse to Promote Guns and Deny Immigrant Children Homes

Greetings, Governor P. Ricketts,

Recently you denied the President's request to help immigrant children and said those resources are needed for the state's own foster children and youth in rehabilitation programs. The next day you pledged to protect guns and said that restrictions were a bad idea and we just need to up mental health care.

If you ACTUALLY believe any of this, when are you announcing a huge initiative to make mental health resources and access free to ALL residents of Nebraska? 

I'll wait. 

Hello?

Oh dang, I waited so long for your mental health care initiatives, it looks like hell froze over in the meantime. 

Be honest (if you know how.) You have ZERO intention of addressing mental health in this state and are using it as an excuse and bald-headed lie so that you can dog-whistle to your base in your discrimination against immigrants and your protection to guns, guns, guns, (which are less regulated than wombs in Nebraska).

When in fact, everyone in Nebraska DOES need access and resources to mental health care and it WOULD help tremendously if you had the gall to do something about it, instead of just using it as an excuse to do or not do something.

But in order for these mental health resources to be effective, you also need to address the issues that are at the heart of the difficulties that cause people mental anguish. Here are a few I can think of at the moment: 

• medical costs that bankrupt (Universal Health Care would solve that)
• finances (raise the state/federal minimum wage to a living wage comparative to what it should be with inflation. $15 is a start, but should be more like $20+)
• child care, maternity & paternity leave 
• police brutality (hi, did you not just see 15 cases lumped together in Omaha and dismissed to let cops get away with shit like murdering people? That isn't justice. And body cam footage is supposed to be for the people to hold cops accountable, not for cops to hide behind new rules.)
• The inequity for housing, school districts, etc. The list goes on and on.

So, if you want to deny immigrant children a place to live because you have racism and xenophobia on the brain (thought you were so pro-life, dude), and if you pander to gun-nuts because you want to make sure they don't point their guns on you, that's on you and your conscience. I judge you for it. You shouldn't be in public office because you don't serve the people. I also judge you for using the need for mental health as a reason for your bad calls when you have ZERO intention of doing anything about it. 

You should be ashamed for lots of reasons, including the concept that if this state honestly can't handle a few more children and caring for their mental health, we're a lot worse off than we should be and you should leave office and let some capable people that give a shit about the people of Nebraska step in and do the work you aren't willing to do. 

But I suppose you can always just make another prayer proclamation or else something else useless, like don a cowboy hat and lie about medical marijuana. 

Disappointed, As Always,

Context: 

Gov. Ricketts rejects request to house migrant children in Nebraska

Paul Hammel Apr 13, 2021  

https://omaha.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/gov-ricketts-rejects-request-to-house-migrant-children-in-nebraska/article_3eb981ca-9c69-11eb-b455-87f4e96d2e3f.html

LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts on Tuesday rejected a request from the Biden administration to house displaced migrant children in the state.

Ricketts’ rejection comes five days after a fellow Republican, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, announced a similar denial. Both governors said it was Democratic President Joe Biden’s “problem,” and he should deal with it.

“President Biden has created an immigration crisis on our border with thousands of unaccompanied migrant children coming to our country without their parents or family,” Ricketts said. “Nebraska is declining their request because we are reserving our resources for serving our kids.”

“I do not want our kids harmed as the result of President Biden’s bad policies,” the Nebraska governor added.

Last month, the U.S. government picked up nearly 19,000 children traveling alone across the Mexican border. It’s the largest monthly number ever recorded, though Biden has said there have been similar surges in the past during the early spring.

“Sponsors” for the children, usually parents or close relatives already living in the U.S., are sought so the children can live with them while pursuing asylum cases in heavily backlogged federal immigration courts.

The huge increase in the number of children traveling alone — some as young as 3 — and families has severely strained border holding facilities, which aren’t supposed to hold people for more than three days but often do. It’s left the government scrambling to find space and hire staff to care for children longer term until they can be placed with sponsors.

Lazaro Arturo Spindola, executive director of the Nebraska Latino American Commission, said Tuesday that unaccompanied children coming to the U.S. dates back to the 1960s, when more than 14,000 children from Cuba came to the country via “Peter Pan” flights.

Spindola said the governor’s announcement “basically lacks a logical reason and humanity,” and repeats talking points of the Republican Party.

An official with Nebraska Appleseed, a Lincoln-based advocacy organization for the poor and immigrants, said the border surge was “cyclical” and is a crisis not for the U.S., but for the children and families seeking safety.

“We have the capacity and knowledge to coordinate an effective humanitarian response. The United States is capable of welcoming with dignity children, families, and adults seeking safety,” said Darcy Tromanhauser, immigrants and communities program director at Nebraska Appleseed.

Ricketts said that the Biden administration should work with Central American governments to “reunite the children with their families in their home countries instead of pursuing the risky strategy of scattering them across the United States.”

When asked what harm would come to Nebraska’s children, Ricketts provided this statement to The World-Herald:

“Nebraska is not positioned to provide the proper supports relative to the necessary trauma-informed care, wraparound services and housing that displaced migrant children would need,” he said. “Taking on this crisis, which was created by President Biden, would also shift Nebraska’s focus away from managing our foster care system and Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers.”

This report includes material from the Associated Press.

Gov. Ricketts designates Nebraska as 'sanctuary state' for gun rights

Paul Hammel Apr 15, 2021 

https://omaha.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/gov-ricketts-designates-nebraska-as-sanctuary-state-for-gun-rights/article_e8e64502-9d3b-11eb-a063-4fca6c88eaf8.html 

LINCOLN — Doubling down on his pro-gun rights credentials, Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a symbolic proclamation Wednesday designating Nebraska as a “Second Amendment Sanctuary State.”

The proclamation comes as President Joe Biden recently announced a plan to address gun violence.

A growing number of Nebraska counties have adopted similar “sanctuary” resolutions. A bill also is pending in the Nebraska Legislature to allow counties to opt out of the state requirement that gun owners register and take a gun safety course to carry concealed weapons.

“The White House and U.S. Congress have announced their intention to pursue measures that would infringe on the right to keep and bear arms,” Ricketts stated in the proclamation. “Nebraska will stand up against federal overreach and attempts to regulate gun ownership and use in the Good Life.”

“Second Amendment sanctuary” refers to a declaration that a state, county or city will not enforce federal gun laws they consider to be too restrictive. At least four states, including neighboring Kansas and Wyoming, have declared themselves “sanctuary states.”

In Nebraska, at least 50 counties, including Buffalo, Hall, Platte and Gage Counties, have passed sanctuary resolutions in recent months, and similar measures are being considered in at least seven other counties, according to the Nebraska Firearms Owners Association.

Biden recently announced plans to ban the sale of so-called “ghost guns,” which are firearms that can be assembled with kits and cannot be traced by law enforcement. He’s also asked the Justice Department to draft model “red flag” laws that states could adopt. Red flag laws, like one enacted in Colorado, allow judges to order the confiscation of guns from someone who is exhibiting mental health issues or threatening behavior. The president also wants stepped-up community efforts to discourage gun violence.

Ricketts, who also spoke at National Rifle Association’s convention in 2018, has consistently opposed steps to impose stricter gun laws, saying that better mental health care and improved law enforcement are the keys to preventing mass shootings.

A representative of Nebraskans Against Gun Violence noted that the governor’s proclamation comes one day after Ricketts refused to offer “sanctuary” to unaccompanied migrant children who are showing up at the U.S.-Mexico border in record numbers.

“This decree is meant to placate those that are avid gun rights activists while shunning children that are seeking refuge,” often from gun violence, said Melody Vaccaro of the gun-control group. “Gun violence is a public health crisis and we support serious funding of research, proven community programming, and using a combination of education, policy, and accountability to reduce (it).”

Legislative Bill 236, introduced by State Sen. Tom Brewer of Gordon and prioritized by Sen. Robert Clements of Elmwood, would give counties the power to allow “permitless” carry of concealed firearms. Currently, gun owners must obtain a state permit and pass a firearm course before being allowing to carry a concealed gun.

LB 236 awaits first-round debate in the Legislature.

Another Nebraska gun rights proposal, LB 188 or the “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” would prohibit the State Patrol or local law enforcement officials from enforcing any new federal restrictions on firearms. That bill, which did not receive a priority designation, has not advanced from a legislative committee.

Governor P. Ricketts - Xenophobia, the Covid Vaccine and You

Governor, P. Ricketts, 

I write to exclaim my disgust at your depraved and abhorrent proclamation that undocumented workers will NOT receive the coronavirus vaccine. In case you don't understand, a person's humanity or worth is not linked to their immigration status. 

Covid-19 doesn't discriminate and you shouldn't either. Your insistence that you are pro-life is a ghastly, hypocritical statement when you can't even protect people in your state because of your misguided xenophobia. 

The undocumented workers make up a large part of the workforce, especially in meat-packing plants. Your assistance to them has been awful during the pandemic and you have proven you do not value their lives or safety. I'd like to remind you, you are not better or more worthy of medical assistance than a person working in a meatpacking plant. 

You lack leadership, ethics, humanity, and foresight in protecting residents of Nebraska and you should be ashamed of yourself. I know I am ashamed you "govern" my state. 

I insist you freely distribute the covid vaccine to EVERY PERSON IN NEBRASKA, regardless of any factor such as immigration status, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, gender, gender presentation, marital status, disability status etc. 

Sincerely Disgusted as Usual, 

Governor P. Ricketts re Crete and Grand Island

Governor P. Ricketts,

I am so very disappointed in your performance during this pandemic. Your unwillingness to trust medical experts has put all of us at danger, especially those who work in the meat-packing industry in Crete and Grand Island. Immigrants are human beings, first and foremost, in case you were unaware.

Instead of demanding that large organizations care for the physical well-being of their employees, you have shown your claim to be pro-life is a farce and is not as strong as your desire for profit for you and your friends (Test Nebraska and Nebraska Crossing).

I direct your attention to at least ONE loss suffered during this time as a result of your lack of appropriate action at Smithfield in Crete. See the attached image from Vy Mai, a resident of Nebraska who will no longer see her grandfather because you think Americans will start a riot over meat. Some Americans might, but they are the same ones who spit on nurses and take guns everywhere they go. Those white supremacist terrorists are not my version of American and they shouldn't be yours either.

I do blame you for each Nebraska death since you continue to do little but praise Trump who is unintelligent and also ignores medical experts. A man who ponders the injection of disinfectants during a live press conference is not fit to lead. You are proving the same, over and over again.

Since I know you will do nothing to stop these deaths, acknowledge facts or science, I can only express my disgust and look forward to the day you are ousted from office for a morally conscientious governor who actually intends to keep Nebraskans alive. I would love for you to prove me wrong and take strong and drastic measures to protect us during this pandemic. But I won't hold my breath.