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- Salty Ginger Talk Newsletter
Man pleads guilty to smuggling over 20,000 people into the US
Our take: 52-year-old Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul pleaded guilty to leading one of the largest human smuggling organizations in the US, admitting to smuggling around 20,000 illegal immigrants from Guatemala to the US between 2019 and 2024. Charging people between $15,000 - $18,000 per person, Matul arranged the entire journey and would hold people in stash houses in the US against their will until their fees had been paid in full.
This is a direct by-product of our lax approach to strengthening and defending our borders. If you think this is a humane way to treat people, you and I have a very different opinion. A strong border and an easy-to-navigate legal process to enter the US are the best and most humane things we can do to both protect US citizens and those who want to become US citizens. It would discourage this type of activity, as well as protect US citizens while providing a safe, legal path to citizenship.
COURTESY: MSN
California high school provides shelter to a man with an extensive criminal history so he can avoid ICE agents
Our take: This story has zero to do with ICE or immigration. The question here is, what the hell is a high school doing allowing a strange man to come running onto the campus, into the building, and around students and teachers?
I don’t care if he was a saint. It’s a terrible decision. This guy was no saint, having an extensive criminal history including arrests for domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon, and DUI. When your politics have you siding with criminals over law enforcement officers, it’s time to check your politics. You have lost the plot.
COURTESY: MSN
Millionaire says she is happy to pay more in taxes
Our take: Bro – This lady in Washington says she is a millionaire and happy to pay more in taxes because “it helps everyone.” We have good news for her. She doesn’t have to wait. She can send as much of her money to the State of Washington as she wants. The link to do so is right here. https://tre.wa.gov/accounting-and-banking-services/donate-state-washington. If not, she can shut the fuck up.
If she is so virtuous, good for her. As for me, I don’t trust the government to spend our money more intelligently than we do on our own, or through non-profits run by citizens who are accountable to others. I am 100% for helping people who need help. I think the government is a terrible and inefficient way to do so. Keep the money with the people and allow them to directly help those who need it.
COURTESY: MSN
Tip of the day – How to find purpose in your life
Recognize your strengths and talents
We all have strengths and skills that we’ve developed over our lifetimes, which help make up our unique personalities. Yet some of us may be unsure of what we have to offer.
If we need help, a survey like the VIA Character Strengths Survey can be useful in identifying our personal strengths and embracing them more fully. Then, you can take the results and think about how you can apply them toward something you really care about.
But it can also be helpful to ask others—teachers, friends, family, colleagues, mentors—for input. In the Purpose Challenge, students were asked to send emails to five people who knew them well and to pose questions like:
What do you think I’m particularly good at?
What do you think I really enjoy?
How do you think I’ll leave my mark on the world?
Adults can do this if they need feedback, too—either formally or informally in conversation with trusted others. People who know you well may be able to see things in you that you don’t recognize in yourself, which can point you in unexpected directions. On the other hand, there is no need to overly rely on that feedback if it doesn’t resonate. Getting input is useful if it clarifies your strengths—not if it’s way off base.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.” – John Spence