Horror: Badly burned Iraqi boy’s surgery cancelled due to Trump travel ban

Posted by | February 9, 2017 19:37 | Filed under: News Behaving Badly Politics

Memo to Donald John Trump: actions have consequences. Heckuva job.

Two-year-old Dilbreen’s urgently-needed surgery at Boston’s Shriners Hospital for Children has been canceled for now because of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning immigrant travel from seven countries for 90 days.

The order is keeping the toddler separated from his parents, who are stuck in their Iraqi refugee camp.

“He’s in urgent need of surgery to prevent him from losing vision,” said Sally Becker, who heads up the U.K.-based humanitarian aid group Road to Peace. “The problem is, Dilbreen can’t go through surgery without his Mom. He’s already been suffering from separation anxiety after four months without her.”

More at the link.


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Copyright 2017 Liberaland
By: dave-dr-gonzo

David Hirsch, a.k.a. Dave "Doctor" Gonzo*, is a renegade record producer, video producer, writer, reformed corporate shill, and still-registered lobbyist for non-one-percenter performing artists and musicians. He lives in a heavily fortified compound in one of Manhattan's less trendy neighborhoods.

* Hirsch is the third person to use the pseudonym, a not-so-veiled tribute to journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, with the permission of his predecessors Gene Gaudette of American Politics Journal (currently webmaster and chief bottlewasher at Liberaland) and Stephen Meese at Smashmouth Politics.

53 responses to Horror: Badly burned Iraqi boy’s surgery cancelled due to Trump travel ban

  1. Robert M. Snyder February 9th, 2017 at 20:48

    How many children of US military personal go through separation anxiety?

    I have no idea whether Trump’s travel ban is necessary or just for show. But I do know that Franklin Roosevelt interned a lot of Japanese citizens. Was Roosevelt a racist or a bigot? Judge for yourself.

    We have no way of knowing how things might have turned out if Roosevelt had not interned the Japanese. Is it possible that among all of the innocent Japanese who were interned there might also have been a handful of spies? Of course, but we’ll never know for certain.

    If Roosevelt were here today, I think he might say that it is easy for us, with the benefit of hindsight, to say that the internment was unnecessary. But we can never know how many spies might have been interned, and how they might otherwise have affected the outcome of the war.

    Roosevelt had just lost most of the Pacific fleet. He didn’t know what else the Japanese empire was planning. He had to choose between two undesirable alternatives.

    Was Roosevelt a good president? Absolutely. Did he institute a policy that was highly unfavorable to a specific ethnic group? Yes.

    Trump is no Roosevelt. That’s for certain. But it’s not fair to judge Trump by a higher standard than Roosevelt.

    Technology has come a long way since the 1940’s, but we still can’t look inside a person’s mind and figure out what they are thinking. If there were no “bad hombres” in Iraq and Syria, then nobody would need to leave those countries. The fact that so many people find it necessary to leave makes it abundantly clear that there are a LOT of bad hombres.

    I can’t see any reason to prevent a little boy from traveling to the US for medical treatment. The policy was poorly crafted. But that doesn’t mean that there should be NO restrictions. It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition.

    • Hirightnow February 9th, 2017 at 22:42

      I call BS, due to us having that whole “Information superhighway” thing; our information flows faster and freer, and is seen by more of “the watchers” than most trumpoons want to believe.
      It’s the rare exception that doesn’t get caught these days in the U.S….there is no need for throwing nets, when a simple “Please come with me” is sufficient.

      • Robert M. Snyder February 9th, 2017 at 23:15

        Some of these countries (e.g. Somalia) have no functioning government, which means there is no database containing birth records, arrest records, or any other information on the civilians. The Somalian people are truly undocumented. So exactly what is “extreme vetting” supposed to uncover?

        When the US pulled out of Vietnam, a friend of mine belonged to a church that sponsored a Vietnamese family. The church bought an abandoned filling station and converted it into a Vietnamese restaurant. The family operated the restaurant and many church members volunteered their time as servers to help the business get off the ground.

        Nobody was worried about Vietnamese terrorists, but people realized that it is simply not enough to allow refugees into the country. They need a lot of help getting established. In short, they need sponsors.

        Perhaps you and some of your friends would like to sponsor a refugee family and take responsibility for checking up on them on a regular basis, and helping them to get acquainted with the language and culture, and help them to find housing and employment.

        • Hirightnow February 10th, 2017 at 00:49

          So, church vetting?
          Brother, I’d sooner stick my reproductive organs into a meat grinder than listen to a priest of a two-millennia-old shepherd god…less likely to get stoned to death for not beating my wife when she dares’t speak in public.
          I really don’t see where you’re going with this post’
          Also, I don’t recall a massive demonizing of Vietnamese people by the ruling party back then…more like “They’re being used.”

        • fahvel February 10th, 2017 at 04:33

          stop now before your heads sinks into the quicksht you are wallowing in. Rude, aren’t I? But well deserved by your void.

          • Hirightnow February 10th, 2017 at 07:23

            Now, now…we must lead them to thought, not discourage them.

        • William February 10th, 2017 at 09:03

          What does Viet Nam and Somalia have to do with this kid?

          • bpollen February 10th, 2017 at 15:48

            He’s hoping SOMETHING will stick, so he is just randomly flinging poo.

    • Gina Bousquet February 9th, 2017 at 22:51

      You meam badly burned toddlers
      of US personnel sepatated from the family, hospitalized for surgery?
      How about your children, or grandchildren, two years old burned and alone Mr. Republican?

      • Robert M. Snyder February 9th, 2017 at 23:06

        300,000 people have died in the Syrian civil war, and most died at the hands of other Syrians. At the time of the “red line”, the death toll was 100,000. An additional 200,000 died after Obama decided not to get involved. Those deaths are not his fault. But if you’re demanding that the US help this one little Iraqi boy, why weren’t you also demanding that the Obama administration do more to help prevent those 200,000 additional Syrian deaths?

        • Gina Bousquet February 9th, 2017 at 23:15

          Somehow along the path of life you forgot how to use your heart.

          • Robert M. Snyder February 9th, 2017 at 23:15

            Somehow along the path of life you forgot how to use your brain.

            • Gina Bousquet February 9th, 2017 at 23:31

              Coming from a Republican, it’s even funny! You just elevyex a total fool, who can’t read a memo longer tjan one page– his order– threatens US allies every few days, praises Putin, ignores the rules of democracy, bullies judges, will most probably ruin the economy, and you talk about about brains? Haha hahaha.

              • Robert M. Snyder February 9th, 2017 at 23:45

                Trump is an idiot. I don’t like him any better than you do. So don’t lecture me about Trump. I’m still waiting for your defense of Obama’s decision to do nothing to prevent the additional 200,000 Syrian deaths. Any problems caused by Trump’s temporary travel ban pale in comparison to 200,000 Syrian deaths. Obama didn’t cause those deaths. But he had tools at his disposal that might have helped to prevent many of them. He chose not to get involved. So tell me again how I forgot how to use my heart. Where was Obama’s heart when 200,000 additional Syrians were being killed? And where was YOUR heart when you failed to criticize Obama for his decision to take no action?

                • Obewon February 10th, 2017 at 00:08

                  Faux news “Nothing” debunked in 0.1 seconds. On April 25, 2016, President Barack Obama announced that he would be sending an additional 250 special-operations troops to Syria to counter the Islamic extremist group variously known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh.

                  “Just as I approved additional support for Iraqi forces against ISIL, I’ve decided to increase U.S. support for local forces fighting ISIL in Syria, a small number of special operations forces are already on the ground in Syria and their expertise has been critical as local forces have driven ISIL out of key areas,” Obama said.

                  • Gina Bousquet February 10th, 2017 at 08:18

                    Thank you for the data Obe, I don’t follow all the facts in American politics as I should.

                • fahvel February 10th, 2017 at 04:32

                  hey dimwit, Mr. Obama, a man with a heart and a soul, is gone. Deal with reality and the present. Yesterdays means nothing.

                • Gina Bousquet February 10th, 2017 at 08:14

                  How about commenting the Republican president dearest ally’s performance in Syria?

                  • Robert M. Snyder February 10th, 2017 at 09:04

                    Not until you respond to my last questions:

                    “Where was Obama’s heart when 200,000 additional Syrians were being killed? And where was YOUR heart when you failed to criticize Obama for his decision to take no action?”

                    • Gina Bousquet February 10th, 2017 at 09:12

                      Check Obewon answer two comments before mine. I won’t repeat it.

                    • oldfart February 10th, 2017 at 09:24

                      Note to Bob,
                      Topic is about Iraqi not Syrian, the Precedent is tRump NOT Obama. It should be quite clear to you by now that attempting to use the past to justify (or avoid the now) despite your assertion of compassion, just aint gonna cut it no more.

            • bpollen February 10th, 2017 at 01:20

              That’s really rich, bobby. She insults Trump, you insult her. Way to crack out those comebacks!

              I didn’t even like you when you when you were on “One Day At A Time.”

            • fahvel February 10th, 2017 at 04:30

              cheap one bobby – really cheap and pathetic. your ramblings which pretend to have substance are just voids.

          • Obewon February 9th, 2017 at 23:18

            Exactly! And not once does Snyder express remorse, or consider the unconstitutionality of Donnie’s debunked “Muslim ban” that prevented this child’s scheduled U.S. emergency surgery.

            • Gina Bousquet February 9th, 2017 at 23:34

              They elected the village idiot, he spits on the Constitution every few days, but they pretend not to notice.

            • Robert M. Snyder February 10th, 2017 at 22:25

              “not once does Snyder express remorse”

              Wow, that’s rich. When are you going to express remorse for giving Obama a pass on his decision to look the other way as 200,000 Syrians were killed after his “red line” was crossed? Please don’t tell me that you think 250 special forces had any chance of making a big difference.

              200,000 is a big number that is hard to picture. Imagine 50 people on a tour bus. Now imagine 40 buses in a Walmart parking lot. Now imagine 100 Walmarts. That’s how many people were killed in Syria AFTER President Obama decided to look the other way.

              Bill Clinton and Tony Blair took decisive action in Kosovo, when Serbs were slaughtering Albanians, and they put a stop to it. Obama could have done a lot more. If all of you liberals are so concerned about the world’s children, then why didn’t you pressure Obama to do more?

              Not once does Obewon express remorse.

              • Obewon February 10th, 2017 at 23:44

                Irresponsibly, Robert flails again. As you stated in 2016. You were happy you & your PA voted for a constitutionally illiterate islamophobe, whose “Muslim Ban” illegally imprisoned about 100, while hurting kids now. Specifically the above child Donnie Blinded for life. Your troll-bate was debunked long ago, and below.

          • fahvel February 10th, 2017 at 04:29

            beautiful GB!!!!!!!!!!!!! it’s hard to imagine an entire white house that has no heart and soul but, wow, the americans have the biggest and the bestest residence for indifferent evil.

            • Gina Bousquet February 10th, 2017 at 08:09

              C’est bien vrai mon ami. Ils ont placé là le diable et sa cour

        • fahvel February 10th, 2017 at 04:28

          finding others at fault for their actions in NO way reduces the vileness of the misery a rump is and will continue to impose on a stupid world.

        • bpollen February 10th, 2017 at 16:27

          Standard reich-wing rhetorical BS. You say that you can’t feel something about THIS thing unless you were on the front lines against THAT. This is not a binary world, so there are actually more than two choices in almost EVERY decision. You say this even though you have no way of knowing what her position on Obama/Syria was. I WAS in favor of endeavoring to help reduce or eliminate Syrian deaths (remember – that’s one of the purposes of our REFUGEE program) AND I am in favor of helping this child.

          When, as a reich-wing partisan trying to discount a position by the opposition, and you are struggling to counter, you should immediately change the subject to some other issue maybe tangentially related… “Yeah, but what about Scarecrow’s brain?”

          — Troll Tactics, 2nd Edition

    • bpollen February 10th, 2017 at 01:17

      If their badly-burned bodies are stuck overseas because of Trump, and away from much-needed medical care, then I would be against that TOO!

      If that scenario is NOT happening, then the two are not analogous.

      “If there were no “bad hombres” in Iraq and Syria, then nobody would need to leave those countries. The fact that so many people find it necessary to leave makes it abundantly clear that there are a LOT of bad hombres.”

      The insight inherent in that statement is stunning…ly ignorant and ridiculous. They are fleeing deadly violence, so we MUST distrust them cuz “bad hombres.” Please be so kind as to point out the country that doesn’t have “bad hombres.” As our Precendent says, we’re not so innocent. And the supposition that, one, terrorists would choose to go through an 18 month and more vetting process living in a refugee camp as opposed to any other method and, two, that long vetting process is “nothing.” One is ludicrous. The LEAST effective way of getting in a terror cell. Two is total BS because 18-24 months of vetting is self-evidently not “nothing.”

      More misrepresentation of the argument to deflect from the fact that it was a religious-based ban and that the children harmed or endangered by this bigotry show just how morally bankrupt it is. And trying to belittle this child and the hell he is going thru cuz “‘Murikan Chillun suffer too!” is reprehensible. What the hell is your problem with children? Numerous times that there have been posts about the children who suffered, you reject them en masse. Says something that you IMMEDIATELY jump to discount the suffering of children. And it ain’t good.

    • fahvel February 10th, 2017 at 04:26

      you are living in a past that has no relevance – actually it’s nothing, it’s gone. The past is as concrete as the future – rien!!!!!

    • Gina Bousquet February 10th, 2017 at 08:28

      The internment of Americans of Japanese origin is a sad and ugly page im American history. It’s ridiculous to imply they would be spies. It was one misstep of a honorable President that you are using to justify the deeds of an evil very small man that only does the wrong thing.

    • Gina Bousquet February 10th, 2017 at 08:35

      The internment of Americans of Japanese origin was a sad and ugly page in American history. It’s ridiculous to imply they were spies. You are using one misstep of a honorable President to justify the deeds of a very evil small man, the so-called president that only does the wrong thing.

      • Robert M. Snyder February 10th, 2017 at 09:16

        ” It’s ridiculous to imply they were spies.”

        President Roosevelt didn’t approve of the internment because he suddenly acquired a distaste for the vast majority of Japanese Americans. He did it because he was seriously concerned about the possibility of a handful of Japanese Americans engaging in covert acts.

        For you to say that his concerns were ridiculous is arrogant in the extreme. You weren’t there. You can’t imagine the level of his concern after he learned that most of his Pacific fleet was at the bottom of Pearl Harbor.

        You can play armchair president all day long. But real presidents have to make tough choices where none of the options are good ones. Obama chose to be nonconfrontational. He chose not to confront Assad in a meaningful way.

        That’s like you or me standing on a sidewalk and watching a big kid beat up a little kid, and choosing not to get involved. We aren’t responsible for the little kid’s injuries, but the little kid might not see it that way. He might ask why we didn’t do anything to prevent the beating.

    • William February 10th, 2017 at 09:01

      I dropped the tip for this story, as I have been watching it for a while.
      Question.
      What does FDR, the Japanese interment camps and the Pacific fleet have to do with this child?

      • Lyndia February 11th, 2017 at 00:01

        NOT A DAMN THING.

      • StoneyCurtisll February 11th, 2017 at 11:49

        Nothing…
        It is a simple kellyann Conway type distraction…:)

    • Comicus February 10th, 2017 at 23:15

      *FDR is universally condemned for locking up Japanese Americans in concentration camps. Well, with the exception of trump apologists like you. The fact is there were no (that’s 0) acts of sabotage by Japanese Americans. So, we do know for certain how many of them were enemy agents. There was widespread documented support among German Americans for Nazi Germany, the most prominent the Amerikadeutscher Volksbund, AKA the German American Bund. There were actual german American spies and actual german American sabotage. Of course, I don’t need to point out that those Germans were white people
      *Besides, those ‘bad hombres’ in Iraq and Syria were us. Our insistence on policing the world created the mess from which they flee. Before the US decided to ‘fix’ things for them, they were stable countries, not wartorn hellholes hemorrhaging refugees.

      • Robert M. Snyder February 10th, 2017 at 23:31

        Dude, the conflict in Syria is a civil war. It’s Syrian-on-Syrian violence.

        Assad’s people are the Alawites. They are the most progressive elements of the society. If you’re a Syrian woman with an education and a job, chances are pretty good that you’re an Alawite. The rebels are the most conservative elements. Backing the rebels is like backing an armed militia in Montana that wants to overthrow the US government.

        Regardless of which side you back, it is Syrian-on-Syrian violence. Past US actions might explain why some Syrians hate the US. But they don’t explain why Syrians are killing each other.

        News flash: America didn’t invent hatred. Most of the hatred and violence in the world would still exist even if America had never been founded.

        • Comicus February 11th, 2017 at 22:06

          We’re backing those rebels against Assad. We give them weapons. We’ve bombed Syrian government troops. US special forces are on the ground in Syria. Pull your head out of your ass, dude. Read a newspaper. Watch TV news if reading news is too much of a burden. Don’t pretend our hands are clean in Syria.

          As for the invention of hatred: Your pathetic straw man deserves no response.

          • Robert M. Snyder February 11th, 2017 at 22:35

            It’s all well and good for us to ask ourselves how our country’s actions might have contributed to the dysfunction in Syria. But it is my impression that the vast majority of Syrian deaths have been at the hands of other Syrians.

            How many US special forces are on the ground? I googled that and the highest number I found was 250. What percentage of the 300,000 total deaths could 250 people have possibly caused? Even if these 250 special forces managed to kill 3000 people, that’s still only one percent of the 300,000 total deaths.

            How many Syrian government troops have our bombers killed? I googled that question and found numerous articles that mentioned “dozens”. On Oct 16, Amnesty International reported that coalition forces killed 300 civilians in all airstrikes up to that point. So that accounts for 300 out of 300,000 total deaths due to coalition airstrikes.

            So why don’t you pull your head out of the sand and face the fact that it is a civil war. Syrians are dying because other Syrians want them dead.

            • Comicus February 11th, 2017 at 23:46

              Syrians are killing other Syrians with our weapons, our training and our logistics in a civil war orchestrated by us. Nothing you’ve stated refutes that.

    • StoneyCurtisll February 11th, 2017 at 11:52

      Robert, you are such a fragile snowflake…
      Perhaps you need a safe place to retire and lick your wounds.

      • Robert M. Snyder February 11th, 2017 at 12:13

        If I needed a safe space, I would hang out on a conservative blog, not this one.

        If you truly believe that safe spaces are a bad thing, then why don’t you spend some time interacting with people on a conservative blog? See how easy it is to defend your beliefs in a place where nearly everyone disagrees with you.

        I predict that you’ll find what I have found here: a number of thoughtful people who are willing to interact with you in a mutually-respectful manner, and also a number of people who just want to call you names because they lack the courage to consider other perspectives.

  2. labman57 February 9th, 2017 at 20:57

    “These are bad people. We don’t want them.” — Donald Trump

  3. Gina Bousquet February 9th, 2017 at 22:45

    Poor baby…

  4. fahvel February 10th, 2017 at 04:25

    I thought the ban was rejected by an appeals court.

    • Larry Schmitt February 10th, 2017 at 07:07

      It has, but it takes time to get his parents to the States so they can re-schedule the surgery.

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