It is possible tools older than 50K years might have been less likely to survive, but if skulls and bones are found from prior periods, it seems bone and stone and a few wooden devices might have survived as well. My understanding is that they have not been found.

Fascinating topic to think about.

So now scientists say that Homo Sapiens have been around for 300,000. However, we only developed civilization in the past ~10,000 years.

What were our ancestors doing for 290,000 years, given that they had roughly the same mental and physical endowments as we do? Why did it take so long for civilization to emerge?

The Lost Civilization advocates have a point. We had the time to develop previous civilizations. Perhaps we did.

The Gobekli Tepe site in Turkey and the Giza pyramids are hard to fit into the conventional archaeological timeline. Perhaps they are instead remnants or inheritors of a previous civilization. I’m half-convinced.

Anyway. I’ve enjoyed going down this rabbit hole over the past year. It seems to me that archaeologists need to do less attacking and more explaining.
_______________________________

Stuff just keeps on getting older.
–Graham Hancock

Que bono

Unwitting, eh?

3. Dignity Program (for Long-Term Undocumented Immigrants)

Available to most undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. before December 31, 2020.
Provides a 7-year renewable legal status with work authorization and ability to travel (but no path to citizenship and no access to most federal benefits).
Requirements: Pass criminal background check, pay ~$7,000 in restitution/fees, pay owed taxes, regular check-ins with DHS, and remain in good standing.
Renewable if compliant; fully funded by these payments.

I can’t say I support this bill, given that Congress is famous for hiding exemptions/exclusions in the fine print of many of their bills proposing to fix some problem or another. But on the face of it, it looks like it’s a better attempt than previous proposals– especially the monstrosity proposed by the Biden administration.

The backbone of local economies, subsidized by other taxpayers (citizens).

That dog don’t hunt.

The “Workforce Fund” supposedly goes to Americans displaced by this newly minted legal immigrant– not to the immigrant. Congress just can’t help itself. They just have to spend money.

I am not so sure about the need or wisdom for this:
“Creates a $70 billion American Workforce Fund for apprenticeships, retraining, and education — one American worker trained per Dignity participant.” Part of the core value of the dreamers was that they already had acquired English and work skills due to long presence here, even if sometimes in the shadows. Not clear why they need a specific training/ apprenticeship program or why it should be tied to the Dignity participants. Better to keep this concept separate (and clearly focused on “disadvantaged” native born Americans?

That doesn’t make any sense. The people wanting cheap, scared labor want to keep these people working in the shadows.

Here are the elements of the bill:

Main Points and Key Provisions

1. Border Security and Enforcement

Requires full operational control of the southern border using physical barriers, drones, radar, sensors, surveillance technology, and 24/7 monitoring where needed.
Mandates nationwide E-Verify for all employers (phased in) to prevent unauthorized hiring.
Cracks down on human traffickers, smugglers, repeat border crossers, and fraudulent claims with higher penalties and expedited removal.
Uses DNA testing to verify family relationships at the border.
Increases resources for Border Patrol (pay, training, personnel).

2. Asylum System Reform

Ends “catch-and-release” policies.
Establishes at least 3 Humanitarian Campuses near the border for expedited processing of asylum claims (background checks, credible fear interviews, medical screening).
Aims to decide most asylum cases within 60 days.
Allows for regional processing centers in Latin America and penalties for fraudulent claims.

3. Dignity Program (for Long-Term Undocumented Immigrants)

Available to most undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. before December 31, 2020.
Provides a 7-year renewable legal status with work authorization and ability to travel (but no path to citizenship and no access to most federal benefits).
Requirements: Pass criminal background check, pay ~$7,000 in restitution/fees, pay owed taxes, regular check-ins with DHS, and remain in good standing.
Renewable if compliant; fully funded by these payments.

4. Dreamers / American Promise

Provides Dreamers (including DACA recipients) with 10-year conditional permanent resident status.
Path to full permanent residency (green card) if they meet requirements like education, military service, or work history, plus background checks.
No direct path to citizenship in the base program for non-Dreamers.

5. American Workers and Economy

Creates a $70 billion American Workforce Fund for apprenticeships, retraining, and education — one American worker trained per Dignity participant.
Modernizes legal immigration: Expands certain visas (e.g., STEM PhDs get easier O visas), raises per-country green card caps, reduces backlogs, improves student/employment visas, and creates flexibility for seasonal/agricultural workers.

6. Funding and Other

Self-funded through restitution, fees, and payroll contributions — projected to reduce the national debt by at least $50 billion.
Emphasizes “no amnesty” and “Americans first” while providing a practical solution for long-term residents in key industries.

The problem with the 2006 compromise was the order of securing the border and then amnesty. Conservatives didn’t/don’t trust Congress, since many are fine with a porous border– and a “cheap/scared labor force.”

So we got the “Secure Fence Act of 2006”– which was anyone but a wall.

There may be many poisonous elements in the fine print of this bill– which is pretty standard for Congress, but for the next three years, the border is secure. The elements that the President has used to secure the border need to be written into the law– making it harder for the next Democrat to resume the scam of “the border is secure” nonsense.

This shouldn’t make it more beneficial for illegals to enter– since it deals with people already in the country for years. The next Democrat can just ignore the law– open the border and allow illegals to receive government benefits.

I suppose the name of the bill makes it suspect, but on the face of it, seems like a good way to deal with people that have been here for decades,