In this episode I discuss my thoughts about how the U.S. is currently dealing with immigration and immigrants. As an immigrant to Israel I lean on my experience to compare Israel to the U.S. I also reserve some particularly sharp critique for Trump’s current Deputy Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller.

Emma Lazarus’s sonnet “The New Colossus”

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46550/the-new-colossus

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston on his city’s handling of immigrants

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz6U5vwCcak&t=299s

Ronald Reagan’s farewell address

https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/farewell-address-nation

Stephen Miller’s early life

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/us/politics/stephen-miller-trump-white-house.html

Op-ed by David Glosser, Miller’s uncle

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/08/13/stephen-miller-is-an-immigration-hypocrite-i-know-because-im-his-uncle-219351/

Kristi Noem’s photo ophttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKYW5gKeOWc

Article on immigrants and crime

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/debunking_the_myth_of_immigrants_and_crime.pdf

Article - “The Afrikaner Exception” by Meir Brooks

https://meirbrooks.wordpress.com/2025/05/18/racism-of-the-unadulterated-kind

I was an early adopter of social media, especially Facebook. It was a natural progression for me from writing letters to the editor, calling talk radio, and creating my own family website. I discuss some virtues and vices of social media and then how it might be skewing my perception of the behavior of the current US administration as it regards entry of citizens to the US in a very fraught environment where basic rights have been called into question.

The Lipkin Family website

https://www.lipkinfamily.com/

Ezra Klein explains the case of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia in this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN1oBfg0fwI

Article about US Citizens stopped on entry

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2025/03/26/american-travelers-us-borders/82641005007/

Article about Tufts Student sent to detention center for writing an op-ed

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/17/trump-rumeysa-ozturk-tufts-detention

Article about Trump’s statement regarding deportation of US citizens

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/trump-wants-deport-some-us-citizens-el-salvador-2025-04-14/

I have a 17 year old son with Down syndrome whom I adore. I discuss his birth, development, education and more. I then get into some philosophical issues regarding the growing trend to abort fetuses when Down syndrome is detected and a discussion of a hypothetical future where it would be possible to “cure” Down syndrome.

My blog post about Yisrael’s birth

https://www.lipkinfamily.com/blog/adventure.htm

Yisrael’s Bar Mitzvah highlight video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnzK5WLUUIM

World Down Syndrome Day video

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Biex1XR_mpo

My Substack article “When Nurturing Goes Haywire - Raising A Child With Special Needs”

https://mslipkin.substack.com/p/when-nurturing-goes-haywire-raising

Instagram video by a woman with Down syndrome discussing some of these issues

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DEuxWlgRjZo/?igsh=OXM3aTRpd3ZlcTFx