SalamanderSleeps
SalamanderSleeps's JournalFirst, I think that "profiling" people is inherently wrong, but then....
.....
https://www.gop.gov/about/members.htm
Have you ever seen such a collection of "Butter-and-eggs" men in your whole life?
So, I asked the ChatGPT - How much do ICE agents get paid?
And then, this is what it spit out.
Key Ranges & Examples
• For ICE Special Agents (criminal investigators / HSI special agents):
o Glassdoor reports a total pay range around $121,000 to $173,000/yr (base + extras) for many experienced agents. Glassdoor+1
o Base salary is often in the upper GS (General Schedule) levels, plus locality adjustments. Glassdoor+2Criminal Justice Programs+2
• For Deportation Officers / Enforcement & Removal Operations (ERO) roles:
o Glassdoor shows salaries ranging from about $72,000 to $113,000 for deportation officers. Glassdoor
o Some ICE job announcements list baseline salaries between $49,739 and $89,528 for certain positions, with potential for added overtime or locality bonuses. Newsweek
• For entry-level positions in ICE more broadly (investigative support, administrative) under the GS pay scale:
o Some sources suggest entry ICE agents might start in the $48,000 to $77,000 range (for lower GS levels) and potentially rise to well over $160,000 at high GS levels. Research.com
o For example, an ICE guide says entry-level special agents might start at $48,371 (GL-7) rising up to $167,603 at the GS-15 level in more senior roles.
Here’s a breakdown of what I found about bonuses and extra compensation for ICE agents. Some is formal policy, some is recent news about special incentive programs, so availability and amounts can vary.
________________________________________
Formal Premium / Differential Pay
These are regular types of bonus-or-premium pay ICE employees may receive under normal circumstances:
Type Who it applies to / when How much
Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) For ICE criminal investigators (such as HSI Special Agents). For those who must be available for unscheduled duty and work unscheduled hours. Ice Gov+1
LEAP is 25% of basic pay. Ice Gov+1
Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUO) For roles like Enforcement & Removal Operations (ERO) / Deportation Officers, where duty hours are irregular or unscheduled, making control of overtime hard. Ice Gov+1
Typically, between 10% and 25% of basic pay (depending on the job, how much unscheduled/irregular overtime). Ice Gov+1
Sunday Premium Pay ICE employees working a regularly scheduled shift that begins or ends on Sunday, even if not overtime hours. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
25% extra pay for the Sunday hours. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
________________________________________
Special / Recruitment / Signing / Retention Bonuses (Recent & Temporary Programs)
These are newer incentive programs, usually tied to recruitment or retention. They are less permanent and often have qualifying conditions (dates, service agreement, etc.).
Program / Initiative Who it's for What is being offered / Key conditions
“Return to Mission” signing bonuses Former ICE employees being re-hired (“annuitants”) & sometimes new hires under certain recruitment pushes. Factually+3New York Post+3VisaVerge+3
Up to $50,000 total in bonuses in some cases. For example: • $10,000 upon rejoining • another $10,000 if application submitted by a deadline • plus annual bonuses (e.g. ~$10,000) for up to 3 years. Factually+3New York Post+3VisaVerge+3
Signing bonus for new recruits New employees in roles deemed difficult to fill (e.g. Deportation Officers, Criminal Investigators) under recent ICE recruitment campaigns. AP News+2VisaVerge+2
Up to $50,000 signing bonus in some campaigns. Also student loan repayment / forgiveness options in some cases. AP News+3The Wall Street Journal+3VisaVerge+3
Student loan repayment / forgiveness Eligible recruits or employees under these recruitment pushes. The Wall Street Journal+1
Reports of up to $60,000 in student loan assistance in some offers. The Wall Street Journal+1
Retention bonuses Once employees are onboard / reinstated, to encourage them to stay. May also require signing service agreements. Factually+2yourNEWS+2
Examples: $10,000/year payments for up to 3 years after rejoining, part of the $50,000 total package. yourNEWS+1
Caveats / Things to Know
• Service agreements / continuation requirement: Many of these bonuses are conditional. To receive the full bonus, an employee often must commit to stay with ICE for a certain number of years. If they leave early, part of the bonus might have to be repaid or forfeited. yourNEWS+2VisaVerge+2
• Deadline / timing restrictions: Some bonus offers are only available if applications are submitted by certain dates. yourNEWS+2New York Post+2
• Type of employee matters: Former employees, rehires (annuitants), or those in “hard to fill” roles often are more likely to get the bigger bonuses. Standard new employees might get smaller or different bonuses. Factually+2VisaVerge+2
• Temporary program: Some of these are tied to recent legislative funding increases and political priorities. They may not last, or may change. AP News+1
I guess life is sweet, if you are an asshole.
I won't be surprised....
....when Mr. Trump says all of the folks on the wall are losers.
Ivanka will cry all the way to Albania.
So, I asked the ChatGPT why do do the members of the GOP lie?
Not all members of the GOP lie and cheat, and the same applies to Democrats. But if you’re asking **why the modern Republican Party, in particular, has embraced deception, rule-bending, or anti-democratic tactics** more openly than in the past — especially since around 2010 — then you're not alone. Many journalists, political scientists, and former Republicans have asked the same thing.
Let’s look at this **not as a partisan insult**, but as an analysis of **why a political party might lean into dishonest or authoritarian behavior**.
---
## 🧩 1. **To Hold Power Without Majority Support**
* The GOP increasingly represents a **minority coalition** (mostly white, rural, evangelical, and older voters).
* As demographics shift, it becomes harder to win national elections fairly, so tactics like:
* **gerrymandering**
* **voter suppression**
* **election denial**
become tools to cling to power.
🗣️ *Example*: In several states, Republicans have redrawn districts so severely that even when they get **less than 50%** of the vote, they win **supermajorities** in state legislatures.
---
## 🧩 2. **Right-Wing Media Ecosystem**
* The rise of Fox News, talk radio, and social media has created **information silos** where lies are rewarded and truth is punished.
* Outrage, fear, and misinformation **drive engagement and donations**.
🗣️ *Example*: The “stolen election” lie after 2020 became a loyalty test — despite having no credible evidence and dozens of court rejections.
---
## 🧩 3. **Trump's Influence**
* Donald Trump modeled and **normalized blatant lying** — fact-checkers documented over **30,000 falsehoods** during his presidency.
* He also showed that there were **no serious consequences** within the party for dishonesty or cruelty — only rewards.
🗣️ *Result*: Lying isn’t just tolerated — it's become a **badge of loyalty** to the MAGA wing.
---
## 🧩 4. **Culture War Politics**
* When a party defines itself not by policy but by opposition — to liberals, immigrants, LGBTQ+ rights, “elites,” etc. — it becomes easier to justify cheating or lying as a **means to a moral end**.
* Truth becomes **flexible** if you're “fighting for America.”
🗣️ *Example*: Banning books, rewriting history curricula, or denying COVID’s seriousness were all framed as “protecting freedom.”
---
## 🧩 5. **Collapse of Institutional Guardrails**
* Traditional GOP figures (e.g., John McCain, Mitt Romney) used to place **ethics and country** above party.
* Now, many Republicans fear primary challenges from extremists, so they stay silent or join the lies.
🗣️ *Result*: Institutional norms erode, and lying becomes **survival strategy**.
---
## But — Do Democrats Lie Too?
Yes, of course. All political parties have liars, opportunists, and grifters. But:
* **The scale and centrality of deception** in the **modern GOP strategy** — particularly post-2016 — is historically unprecedented in U.S. politics.
* Democrats are often accused of **hypocrisy or elitism**, but not usually **organized, top-down lying about election results or scientific reality**.
---
## 🔚 Final Thought
So **why does the GOP lie and cheat?** The short version:
> Because it works — for now. When a party feels its values or power base is shrinking, it may choose manipulation over reform. It justifies this behavior by claiming the other side is worse.
Justus K. Jillson
Justus K. Jillson was South Carolina’s first State Superintendent of Education for four terms from 1868 to 1876.
Jillson was a Massachusetts teacher who had come to teach in the educational branch of the Freedmen’s Bureau.
He was known as an intelligent man with his heart thoroughly in his work as an educator.
Jillson was committed to the creation of a modern school system open to all children at a time when class, race and prejudice made the task impossible. He persistently advocated for social equality and mixing schools for the two races.
Jillson did his best to carry out the educational provision of the Constitution of 1868, which provided a free school system for the people of the state, however, little progress was made during the first year due to delayed implementation.
No other official had more obstacles to overcome than Jillson.
One of his greatest difficulties was directing finances during his administration. Schools had no funds and teachers were paid poorly or not at all mostly due to a corrupt and fraudulent administration of the State’s educational system. Several members, except Jillson, of the executive and legislative departments of the State Government were found guilty of taking school funds and using them for other purposes.
Jillson’s last report as state superintendent revealed of his troubled administration for eight years and how he occupied the position of a helpless spectator of the misdeeds from the state government.
He died in Massachusetts.
He committed suicide.
Folks, I need some help.
I am really tired.
I'm writing my last, of many, theses on Organizational Management.
Please, blast the following sentence so that I can finish this work with a little bit of confidence.
"What if everyone’s conscientiousness is; “that thing” that powers the thought of our entire existence?"
Thanks.
Immigration Man Song by David Crosby and Graham Nash
&pp=ygU0SW1taWdyYXRpb24gTWFuIFNvbmcgYnkgRGF2aWQgQ3Jvc2J5IGFuZCBHcmFoYW0gTmFzaA%3D%3D… There I was, at the immigration scene
Shining and feeling clean
Could it be a sin?
I got stopped by the immigration man
He said he doesn't know if he can let me in
… Let me in, immigration man
Can I cross the line and pray?
I can stay another day
Let me in, immigration man
I won't toe your line today, I can't see it anyway
… There he was with his immigration face
Giving me a paper chase
But the sun was coming
'Cause all at once he looked into my space
Stamped a number over my face
And it sent me runnin'
… Won't you let me in, immigration man?
Can I cross the line and pray?
I can stay another day
Won't you let me in, immigration man?
I won't toe your line today, I can't see it anyway
… Here I am with my immigration form
It's big enough to keep me warm
When a cold wind's coming
So go where you will
As long as you think you can
You better watch out, watch out for the man
Anywhere you're going
… Come on and let me in, immigration man
Can I cross the line and pray?
Take your fingers from the tray
Let me in, irritation man
I won't toe your line today, I can't see it anyway
Israel says it's arming clans to fight Hamas in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel is arming clans in the Gaza Strip to combat Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that Israel has been fighting for almost 20 months.
Netanyahu issued a video statement acknowledging that Israel had "activated" clans that oppose Hamas, saying the move would help save the lives of Israeli soldiers.
The prime minister made the statement after Avigdor Lieberman, a right-wing lawmaker and former deputy prime minister who is opposed to Netanyahu, leaked the news that Israel was arming Palestinian factions in Gaza and warned that the weapons could eventually be turned on Israel's own troops, who are engaged in a large-scale offensive to take control of the coastal enclave and destroy Hamas.
Lieberman claimed in an interview with an Israeli broadcaster that the "Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons identified with Islamic State, at the direction of the prime minister." NPR has been unable to substantiate the claim.
More at link: https://www.npr.org/2025/06/05/nx-s1-5424638/israel-arms-groups-against-hamas-gaza
What exactly does Netanyahu think starting a civil war, in his own region, will do to make things better?
If Netanyahu can buy violence, any other Middle Eastern entity can do exactly the same thing.
He has just set the chessboard on fire.
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Member since: Sun Aug 21, 2022, 06:34 PMNumber of posts: 944