Octopus Overlords

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 3:38 pm On the other hand, if the ratings were good none of that matters.

J/k of course, but absolutely terrifying that (1) it happened and (2) it was aired as a perfectly reasonable way to address what the GA perceive as problematic.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 4:08 pm

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 3:38 pm On the other hand, if the ratings were good none of that matters.

J/k of course, but absolutely terrifying that (1) it happened and (2) it was aired as a perfectly reasonable way to address what the GA perceive as problematic.

It happened, but the terrifying aspect is that we saw it happen. And if you see it happen once, you don't see it happen thousands of other times.

Zarathud wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2024 2:20 am It’s almost like VR is intentionally and regularly posting drive by videos on the most incendiary US political issues.

Klass was born in Canada, his mom was Canadian, but his father was American, born and raised in New York. Klass said his family moved to the U.S. when he was two and stayed here. As Klass got older, he assumed he, too, was an American, a dual citizen.

He laid out dozens of documents from his past, along with other documents and pictures that offer a glimpse into the deep roots he formed in the U.S. over his lifetime.

“You know you're old when the old driver's licenses were paper,” he chuckled as he showed us old driver's licenses he had been issued in the U.S.

Klass said he was never questioned about his citizenship status - not when he got his Social Security card, Driver’s license, or voter registration card.

“I’ve been voting for over 40 years. I guess I’m in a lot of trouble,” he said with a sarcastic laugh.

By voting as a non-U.S citizen, Klass broke federal law each time he voted in an American election.

Klass said his citizenship status was also never questioned when he applied for and was approved to serve as a Marine for the U.S. military (he didn’t end up serving due to getting a union job, he said). At one point in his life, he was even approved to work for the New Jersey State Police.

“The only thing they asked me for was my social security card and my driver's license,” he said.

---

After learning he wasn’t really a U.S. citizen, Klass formally applied for status but was denied.

U.S. Customs & Immigration Services wouldn’t share details when we contacted them about Klass’ case. In an email, a spokesperson stated that they don’t talk about individual cases.

But in a 2022 denial letter, the agency stated Klass didn’t provide enough evidence to prove his father lived in the U.S. for 10 years before Klass was born, which is a requirement for a child seeking citizenship through a parent.

Klass contacted Senator Marco Rubio’s office for help and hired an immigration attorney and even a genealogist who found records linking Klass’ dad to the U.S. in the years before he was born. Still, his fight continues to this day.

“I’ve seen a handful of cases like this; they don't come around every day,” explained Indera Demine, a Fort Myers-based immigration attorney.

She said Klass’ case is likely a reflection of a large, complicated, and changing U.S. immigration system that can’t always accurately track who’s here legally, illegally, or somewhere in between.

“For many years, the DMV and different agencies didn't necessarily communicate with each other,” she said, adding that “the documentation that you need to renew your driver's license or for Social Security benefits were not as stringent as they are now.”

When asked how Klass was able to get a Social Security card, Demine responded, “That's a good question. It's quite possible that back then, the requirements to have a Social Security card are not the same as it is today."

“I worked my 50 years, and I paid into my Social Security. They should be paying me,” he said about the retirement benefits he was expecting to receive but has yet to collect.

When asked what happens if his case doesn't get resolved and how it’s changed his view of America, Klass said, “I’ll probably move back to Canada. Yep, bye-bye, America.”

Unagi wrote:

Zarathud wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2024 2:20 am It’s almost like VR is intentionally and regularly posting drive by videos on the most incendiary US political issues.

This is the pattern I see too.

It's most annoying when VR is "on your side" of the argument but just repeatedly drives over the horse and grinds it into the road until the carcass is just a grease spot.

Zarathud wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2024 10:58 am

Unagi wrote:

Zarathud wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2024 2:20 am It’s almost like VR is intentionally and regularly posting drive by videos on the most incendiary US political issues.

This is the pattern I see too.

It's most annoying when VR is "on your side" of the argument but just repeatedly drives over the horse and grinds it into the road until the carcass is just a grease spot.

It’s like one of those AI hallucinations where the program doesn’t understand that it’s not the content that’s the problem, it’s the delivery and credibility of how things are presented.

By the way, I’m in full support of rhetorically beating a deceased equine. It entertains me.

Zarathud wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2024 10:58 am

Unagi wrote:

Zarathud wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2024 2:20 am It’s almost like VR is intentionally and regularly posting drive by videos on the most incendiary US political issues.

This is the pattern I see too.

It's most annoying when VR is "on your side" of the argument but just repeatedly drives over the horse and grinds it into the road until the carcass is just a grease spot.

It’s like one of those AI hallucinations where the program doesn’t understand that it’s not the content that’s the problem, it’s the delivery and credibility of how things are presented.

By the way, I’m in full support of rhetorically beating a deceased equine. It entertains me.