Obama says United States governors’ refusal of refugees ‘hysterical’ – Information

Conservatives talk a lot about American exceptionalism. “That’s not American. That’s not who we are”. That message needs to resonate again today.

A State Department spokesman said that the disparity is coincidental because “we can’t predict exactly who [among a refugee population] is going to apply” for American asylum. More than 50 percent of Syrian refugees who have been referred to the United States by UNHCR are children – children like 11-year-old Ali, whose small body was mangled in 2012 by the same barrel bomb that killed his younger sister, 14-year-old Khamleen, who was bright, chatty, and obsessed with Korean pop music, and 11-year-old Radwan, who worked 12 hours a day, six days a week at a tailor’s workshop to provide for his widowed mother. We’re the good guys.

The sadistic Islamic State, or ISIS, is looking for proof the West stands against Arabs and Muslims. “And I would be open to that if it can do it in a way that allows us to ensure that among them are not infiltrated, people who are part of a terrorist organization”. Moreover, he is a Cuban American who appeals to the white nationalists, nativists and xenophobes in the GOP. But taking the grief, fear and frustration out on those fleeing Syria’s civil war is cold-hearted pandering, and it ignores the protections in place within the immigration system and the security gains to be made from acting humanely in the face of violence.

Aren’t we morally obligated to defend our Western values of democracy, freedom and equality against Islamist ideologies that would threaten them? “That doesn’t sound very tough to me”. Other Republican candidates have called for a ban on allowing Syrians into the U.S. All three Democratic presidential candidates have said they would admit Syrians but only after thorough background checks.

Stating that you are a Christian, as Donald Trump has done, makes you a Christian as much as saying “moo” makes you a cow or owning a basketball makes you an NBA star. Neither Abbott nor any of the two dozen other Republican governors making the anti-refugee declaration may override the authority granted to the executive branch by Congress. We now have a vigorous screening process. But the Homeland Security Department puts applicants through a process that takes more than 18 months, on average.

Do you mean to tell me America can’t handle that? If so, forget the free world – we couldn’t lead our way out of a mall parking lot.

Most disturbing, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Texas Sen. “Congress should support this move, as it would quell concerns about terrorism”. His tragic death focused our attention on the desperate plight of so many Syrians who have fled the horror of ISIS and Assad’s army. “Do they run for their lives or join ISIS, the only group offering them food, shelter and a few stability?” And, rather than asking about their theology or to quote the Bible, refugees would likely have to prove their membership in a Christian community: what church did you belong to? I remember the often-quoted adage among Vietnamese forced to flee after the US pulled out of Saigon in 1975: “Eat the fruit, remember who planted the tree. Drink the water, remember the source”. “Instead of using this tragedy to scapegoat all refugees, I call upon our public officials to work together to end the Syrian conflict peacefully so the close to 4 million Syrian refugees can return to their country and rebuild their homes”.

Our character is being tested.

We need our leaders in Congress, in governors’ offices, in the Oval Office to rise to the occasion, be real statesmen, understand the nature of strength and leadership and this enemy. And, please, no more political expediency or playing on fear, which does nothing but exacerbate it.