Hey, Pops, Guess What? Syrian Refugees Are a Comin'

by Kim D.

This morning started off pretty well until I saw this in my Twitter feed:

Syrian refugees being settled in McBee SC.

— Anthony Jordan (@FafaJordan) May 25, 2016

My first thoughts are great - that's 10 minutes down the road from where my parents live and about five minutes from the Robinson Nuclear Plant. Besides, why McBee - the heart of Bubba land? 

There are only three, main things to know about McBee, South Carolina:

1. Unless you want to be severely reprimanded or punched in the face, never call the town McBee. It's pronounced MAC - Bee.

2. Watch your speed - the town has always been known as a speed trap. It's one of those small, Southern towns that has a courthouse, a jailhouse, an old caboose as a library, a Subway, a few gas stations, an elementary and a high school, and a couple of churches. Highway 151 cuts straight through the center of town which is the main road which leads from Charlotte, NC to the Darlington 500 races and Myrtle Beach. It's one of those towns for which if you blink while driving through, you miss it. Add to that, the police have nothing better to do on most days than to sit in concealed areas and wait for unfortunate speeders to pass through.

3. McBee's main claim to fame sits on the outskirts - McLeod Farms - one of the largest peach producers in the state.

So, I ask, again, why McBee, SC? Before the trolling begins shaming me into acceptance of people who cannot be fully vetted and are coming from an ISIS-infested region of the world, please stop. This is happening in South Carolina for one reason only - federal dollars. South Carolina is one of the poorer states and it has suffered greatly under the Obama administration. 

One website describes McBee as being located "within the state’s “Corridor of Shame,” a broad swath of poor, rural South Carolina that features some of the most corrupt local governments and most poorly-run government school systems." Just down the road, folks in Hartsville would nod their heads in agreement, especially my dad. 

Well watch out Pops because they are a comin'. According to Fits News . . . 

. . .  lawmakers in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina have been desperately trying to reach Haley to voice their opposition to a new planned resettlement complex in McBee, S.C. Haley – who has been a bit, um, “busy” lately – hasn’t returned their calls.

These lawmakers say they have received word that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – is in the process of relocating more than five dozen mobile homes near McBee, S.C.The purpose of these homes?  To provide accommodations for a Syrian refugee resettlement.

Governor Nikki Haley has recently been sued for rolling over and allowing the influx of refugees into the state:

The lawsuit asks for a halt in the refugee resettlement program in South Carolina “until a full accounting of any and all federal money used in this program and specifically where it was allocated and how allocated (and) in which counties.”

The lawsuit has been filed by Attorney Lauren Martel on behalf of Walter “Brian” Bilbro, a South Carolina taxpayer. Mr. Bilbro has said he did not file the lawsuit as part of any group but as a concerned taxpayer who is worried about the security threat the refugee and asylum programs pose to his family and that the community as no way to object to these threats or the the cost imposed on the community to support the people brought into the state.  

The lawsuit would prevent the state from settling any more refugees or asylees until a full accounting of Federal, State, and County funds being appropriated for this program are fully investigated. The lawsuit also seeks to halt courts from “rubber stamping” green cards for minors claiming asylum without vetting their stories. Currently the only information used to determine if a child is fleeing violence and abuse from their home country is their own testimony.

The lawsuit comes as a response to Pres. Obama’s plan to increase the total number of refugees admitted in the U.S. from 70,000-85,000 this year, including at least 10,000 refugees from Syria.

While this drama plays out, remember again that the proposed refugee resettlement complex in McBee is just down the road from a nuclear power plant. Knowing not all refugees can be 100% vetted is it worth the risk? It only takes one ISIS jihadi to make things go BOOM!