This morning, at 0:dark thirty the phone rang and when it rings at that hour, I've a good idea who is on the other end. This morning I was right; Mary wanted to know if I could keep Drew, her grandson. The regular baby sitter had influenza (that's what it sounded like) and all their other stand by's were sick as well. Apparently, there's something going around but since Dave got sick in 2010, I've only been sick once...a huge blessing, thank God! I mean really and truly sick...the grippe, not the grip...as in I've got a grip on the bed and don't wanna get up. (Which never happens because the animals really don't care if I'm too sick; they care about food and I'm their human who gives them food.)
So, The Boy, as he's called around here, arrived a little before 8 and Sam P. Spade, Secret Agent Angel, fell in LUV. Sam adores children and, come to find out, so does Gray Tom (although it could have been those nasty carrot mush The Boy was spitting out). I finally gave up on the carrots and popped a bottle in his mouth. Ahhhh. All is well and, while my back was turned, Sadie ate the carrots...loved 'em in fact! lol
You might want to stop reading at this point...I'm going to talk to myself and ask hard, desperately hard, questions. If you have any sane or sage advice or comments, feel free to chime right in. If you disagree, please do so pleasantly because People, I am frightened. I'm frightened for all of us, each other, our way of life, children, veterans, elderly, refugees. These are frightening times and, I'm ashamed to admit, there are moments, very long moments, when I forget God knows all, sees the future and absolutely nothing happens that is a surprise to Him.
If you're on facebook, perhaps you've seen those posts suggesting quite vehemently 'you've no heart whatsoever if you question bringing refugees into the USA', or, as one said, paraphrasing, "My religion demands I reach out to others" while another said, again paraphrasing, "those who would want to be in the White House think of refugees as Not Like Us".
There were many more comments that were sometimes more acerbic in tone and all seemed intolerant to the possibility someone might have an equally valid, but opposite, point of view.
As to the "my religion demands" camp...therein lies a huge part of the problem. Religion. I'm reminded of Nancy Pelosi who seems to have absolutely no concept of relationship so she fell back on that tired old chestnut, religion. Yo, Nanc...my religion demands nothing; my relationship demands all. Yes, Jesus did say "love your neighbor"; He also said, "count the cost" and if someone didn't welcome you or His message, leave and shake the dust off your feet.
Ah, we don't want to hear or read that...count the cost or leave someone behind because they don't want to hear His Gospel. No, we'd rather the suckling babe lying in the manger, totally dependent upon humans. We don't want the God Man who will, at a time of His Father's choosing, return to judge and make war. (put another way...there's no reason for us to judge one another as that's Jesus' job.)
Dave's voice is ringing in my ear..."So essentially people want you to choose between this child you've held in your arms or someone else's child?" Harshly put but financially speaking...yeah. 100,000 refugees will be housed in the USA according to John Kerry in an Aljezerra article. By his own admission, there isn't a plan in place. Put another way, the plan is to bring 100,000 refugees to the USA and feed, house, clothe and give medical care. And what about the folks who live here, have been paying taxes here and who are struggling to pay their bills, have little or no health care, etc.? What about them?
The USA is no longer the wealthiest nation in the world; we are, in fact, the largest debtor nation in the world. In 2014, we surpassed $18,000,000,000,000.00 dollars in debt, more than $54,000.00 per citizen and most of those dollars we borrowed from China. Last year the USA taxpayer paid $430 billion in interest!
Can you even conceive of the number 18 trillion? I can't but if it'll help, start counting now and when you've finished, 31 thousand years will have passed!
According to this site, it'll cost almost $260,000 a year to house, feed, clothe, give health care to a family of 5 refugees. Why aren't the Gulf States offering asylum? Interesting question, don't you think? But, back to us...are you willing to go without...food, shelter, clothing, medicine so a refugee can have it? Are you willing for your taxes to increase? Are you willing to house refugees...in your home? Are you willing to take from your child or children and give to another child? Hard questions and easy answers are not compatible; never have been, never will be but this is Sophie's Choice...for real.
Another salient thought I have is, "where are all those people crying for refugees when more than 2,200 babies a day are being aborted? or there are 50,000 homeless vets? or 1 in 5 children hungry? or 1.56 million other homeless? or those enslaved in sexual trafficking (the fastest growing global crime)?
I've got a lot of questions and not many answers but I do know...
I will not take food, shelter, clothing, medicine from the babe in my arms to give to another.
I expect the government of the USA to heed the Constitution to protect We, the people...at whatever cost.
I will give to the Salvation Army to help those beyond me and I will also heed how Jesus lived...He preached to thousands at a time but He touched only one at a time.
I can do no more.
You who are without sin, cast the first stone.
Blessings ~ Drew ~ Salvation Army ~ Jesus ~ relationship, not religion ~
What a thought provoking post. I am torn between what we "should do" and what I feel we "must do". I firmly believe we have to take care of our own first and foremost. It is easy for the outcry to be "take them all in- every last one"...they would do that without vetting anyone-and open the doors to possibly harboring criminals-criminals intent on taking our lives. It is scary times we are in...very scary. I am so sorry that this world has come to what it is today. We WERE the richest country on earth at one time--no more. We have let a few fools speak for ALL of us...and have changed the course of all of our lives. I am sad for the world our children are going to inherit if things don' change drastically. I am NOT political...and I have no agenda...I would just like to see a bit of peace in our lives. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteWarning: long comment ahead!
ReplyDeleteThe vast majority of us Americans are from immigrant stock, many of them NOT welcome at the time, and no, not all of them "legal." Some were fleeing wars, persecution, or starvation, but some (many?) were "just" seeking a better life with more opportunities to earn money to support their families, buy a home, get/give a college education. And then there are those who were brought here against their will, ripped from their families and homeland....
I "shared" a bit of history on FB last week, and then added my own comments. To wit:
"In 1939, the U.S. turned away the MV St. Louis, carrying nearly 1,000 German Jewish refugees. The liner was forced to return to Europe, where her passengers disembarked in Continental countries, where a quarter of them were murdered by the Nazis in the next two years. The U.S. did not want to open its borders to Slavs and Eastern European Jews, fearing their possible Communism and their non-Christianity.
"In 1942, the U.S. imprisoned its citizens of Japanese ancestry, causing most of them to lose all their material possessions, fearing some of them might act to sabotage and attack American targets on the West Coast.
"Today these acts are rightfully regarded as shameful incidents of moral cowardice and outright bigotry. They targeted people fleeing oppression, out of fear that they threatened our security.
"Please think before you jump on the fearmongering bandwagon being declaimed by so many American governors and pundits this week. 75 years from now, which side would you want your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to learn about you being on?"
(That was the share; below are my comments I added.)
I've been thinking about this history a lot this week . . . made even more real because I taught several high school "World War II Living History" classes at our homeschool co-op. My students and I got to hear from an American, born here to Japanese immigrants, who lost all property and was imprisoned along with the rest of his family; from a man who immigrated here as a young teen from Germany before the war broke out and was grilled and interrogated again and again when he volunteered for U.S. military service; from a Holocaust survivor who saw intolerance and prejudice creep into Poland long before WWII broke out; and much, much more. Yesterday I heard John McCain state that we cannot let our compassion compromise our safety (referring to the Syrian refugees). I believe it is far more dangerous to us as human beings to let safety concerns compromise our compassion. "By this will all men know you are My disciples, that you love one another." Yes, I'd rather die with compassion in my heart than live in fear and loathing – or worse, apathy – towards "them."
We have similar issues here with refugees coming, the first plane load arrived the other week end, they have been housed given benefits, medical care, clothed there homes have been furnished the area they living is very deprived with 100's of homeless sleeping in shop doorways, it has the highest percentage of food banks so family's can feed there children, the government have asked the locals to welcome the refugees the government I think is wearing rose tinted glasses and is stacking up trouble, locals are angry that they are treated lesser than than the refugees by there own government that they have paid taxes too, it angers me that all the celebrities and wealthy have jumped on the band wagon making themselves look good at helping refugees wanting them here but not in there back yard sending them to deprived struggling areas and expect those who have nothing to house them. I feel sorry for them but this is not the solution, lets get there homeland sorted for them to live in and lets give our homeless and deprived the homes and help that would have been given to the refugees.
ReplyDeleteWell said and amen. I am bookmarking this post.
ReplyDeleteWell, as you know, I'm not particularly religious. So that's not part of the equation for me. I do feel for those who need our assistance and would love it if it were feasible to reach out. All those who say we HAVE to... well I have a simple question... How are we going to house them, feed them, give them medical care, give them a job? We're not doing that for our own. Do I think it's awesome to turn our backs on people who genuinely need our help? NO.. the way I see it, we were all refugees at one point in historoy. But we haven't answered that question for our own people. OUR OWN people are suffering, homeless, starving, etc. etc. etc. What's the -PLAN-? we don't have one.
ReplyDeleteNo easy answers for sure. *sigh
Amen! Both sets of my grandparents & my in-laws are/were immigrants. When they all came to the US, from Poland & Italy, they had to have family, friends, or someone that was willing to house them, help them learn English, & help them get some sort of employment, & help them obtain their American Dream. All the government gave them was asylum, there wasn't the free hand outs like there is now...they came here to better themselves, to become AMERICANS, to embrace being an AMERICAN. They still spoke their native language in their home or amount friends, but in public they learned to converse in English, they still followed their traditions, but they also embraced those of this countries, & didn't demand that we change ours to accommodate theirs. Yes we are a Melting pot of many walks of life, but with that the base, values, what this country was conceived on should stay untouch it's the stock, those that are here or come here are the vegetables & spices, they should enhance the flavor/country, not destroy it.
ReplyDeletemy grandparents came to the United States from Serbia in the late 20s and spent necessary time at Ellis Island first. they were ***thoroughly vetted***, noted no diseases or such, proved sponsorship and a job, and were released to enjoy the freedoms of this great republic. their life remained in an eastern european area of a large city, though they barely learned english they became americans through and through - honoring and obeying the laws and heartfelt traditions. they were never serbian-americans. they were americans.
ReplyDeleteMy 30 year Cottage Garden I just moved from? When I saw the thousands of refugees that had already moved into my county 2 years ago, etc etc, and fully aware of their birth rate, and years on welfare, knew I had to leave. Who can afford to retire in that environment? Welfare: housing, food, health care, schooling for hundreds of thousands? Mental math is enough, zero need to put pencil to paper.
ReplyDeleteI believe in the Constitution.
Today, I saw this, https://refugeeresettlementwatch.wordpress.com/2015/11/24/maine-governor-working-to-stem-the-flow-of-welfare-to-migrantsasylum-seekers/
Seems I take action faster than the governor in Maine.
Yes, America should have immigration. Follow laws on the books, and the Constitution. Yes, America should give welfare help. Best methods? Don't know. Worst methods? Seems we do know.
In, Founding Gardeners, by Andrea Wulf, page 42, "If America did not increase the budget, (John) Adams feared, there would be, "A universal and horrible War." Only in the previous week, just before (Thomas) Jefferson had gone on his garden tour, Abdrahaman warned them that the Barbary States were ready to attack American vessels, for "it was written in their Koran" and therefore their duty to fight the enemies of Islam."
Ironic, I'm a gardener and not looking for this stuff, yet there it is, from the founding years of our country & my own backyard.
Garden & Be Well, XO T
Appreciate the post. Lots of hard questions. Lord show us the right way to go! It sure isn't clear cut...
ReplyDeleteDiana, so many won't ask hard questions, won't reach out but they will vote for whomever promises to give them "free stuff"...as if it's free! Some people never think nor plan for the future which is very discouraging and seem to not consider future ramifications.
ReplyDeleteAh but Diana, you do have an agenda...it's peace and peace comes at a terrific price.
Michelle, thank you for your comment but it appears you've missed all salient points and have given no answers whatsoever. You confuse legal immigrants and refugees. Immigrants have to have sponsors who will help with housing, jobs, language, clothing. Refugees are already being given Medicare and Medicade both programs, in October, were given $150 BILLION dollars out of Social Security.
Why do you object to refugees being vetted? It's a simple question. Why?
I'm well aware of the Holocaust and the American Japanese being put into interment camps. I'm also well aware the Japanese were put into camps AFTER the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A shameful act? Yes, Pearl Harbor and camps but moral cowardice and outright bigotry? We disagree. It's easy to take the high road 70+ years later but at the time, the President and advisers believed the safety of the country was at stake. Do I wish it hadn't happened? Yes, both Pearl Harbor and camps but they did happen and since I wasn't there at the time, I refuse to judge those good men and women who made horribly difficult decisions. I won't add coals to that fire.
I don't have subscription television so haven't jumped on any "fearmongering bandwagon"; as to your question "75 years from now, which side would you want your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to learn about you being on?"...I'm more worried about God and what He thinks of me now. I'm also worried that allowing non vetted people from a known terrorist country into the USA might not allow for a future 75 years from now. John McCain spent 5 years in a prisoner of war camp that spit on the Geneva Convention. He was tortured each and every day for FIVE YEARS. He knows whereof he speaks; you and I do not. Is his opinion more valid than yours or mine? Like the pig said to the chicken, "for you it's a contribution, for me, a total commitment".
Michelle, your case is without teeth as you've not answered my questions including why allow these refugees to be admitted without due process? Your response chastises me yet I've never said I didn't want them admitted. I said I want them vetted prior to arrival. Why don't you want them vetted? Please tell me your rationale so I can understand...but without the rhetoric; please be logical and not emotional and you might consider reading some of the other comments. There are a couple from people whose elders came here as immigrants, spent time at Ellis Island and then were assimilated into the USA culture...very compelling comments.
BTW I've traveled extensively in Eastern Europe and on several occasions was in towns and villages when they celebrated the day Allied troops freed them from oppression. Men and women have kissed me on the cheek when they found out I was American; they thanked me for American troop involvement in WWII. Travel has broadened my mind and attitude in ways I would never have thought possible. It's made me a more compassionate and wiser woman. It also has allowed me to think beyond the here and now to the far reaching consequences of making quick decisions. I have learned from my past and the past of others.
Everyone in the USA is from "immigrant stock"; those tribes generally referred to as "Native Americans" didn't simply sprout here. They, like the rest of us, were from somewhere else.
Dawn, thank you for your comment. Yours is the only one, thus far, from someone who is living with refugees. I can understand why citizens feel deprived and think government employees are going to pay a heavy price, eventually. Yes, there are a lot of people who have a "not in my back yard" mentality but don't care who gets hurt in the process. It's rather like when New Orleans, here in the state, was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina. No media covered the ensuing troubles...9 year old girls being raped while being housed in a stadium or elderly being mugged and beaten.
ReplyDeleteYour solution of getting their own homeland sorted out is a good one. Who wants to leave their homeland with, essentially, nothing and go to a foreign country where they must know trouble awaits? Wonder why no one has talked about that possibility?
Nancy, it's a hard topic and made more difficult when people react instead of respond. Too many want to have an open door policy without considering how that will affect those who are in just as great need of decent shelter, clothing, food, medical help.
Karen, Social Security was "robbed" in October 2015 of $150 BILLION to fund Medicade and Medicare and it's those programs that will pay for the refugees. There's a HUGE difference between immigrant and refugee; the overwhelming majority of folks were immigrants, coming through Ellis Island, having sponsors, etc. I like Dawn's suggestion...help get their own country right so their citizens can remain home.
Cynthia, you know better than most what it means to be an immigrant. You've had the blessing of knowing your forebears and what they went through. I love the cooking analogy...perfect!
Sherry, another first hand view, thank you. Our country is richer for those who struggled to come here and become Americans!
Tara, When I hear or read of people who want an open door policy, no vetting, I wonder how far they would go to support the Constitution? The answer...not far and it breaks my heart. If they dislike this country so much they will not support the Constitution, why not leave? We would all be better off.
I'm glad the Maine gov. is taking action; better late than never and some governors still are on the fence.
I bet not 1 in 100 knows the USA was at war with Muslims over 300+ years and Thomas Jefferson started and ended it. The reason Jefferson had a Koran in his library was so he might better understand the enemy. The Koran says anyone who will not submit to the Islamic religion is an infidel and should be killed.
It also amuses me their religion is Abrahamic based yet Jehovah God made Abraham the father of Israel...the Jews who, as you know, are sworn enemies of Muslims.
Lisa, Lord help us all. It's a mess although I do like Dawn's suggestion.
Congrats to you and have a great Thanksgiving yvonne
ReplyDeleteI do believe the biblical principal of taking care of your own first is true here more than ever!
ReplyDeleteNew American Standard Bible
But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 5:8
Our government is creating a bigger mess and walking a thin line with all this mess! I am sure we would all love to sit around printing money when we need a handful! I am dumbfounded the people who follow this president, it is frightening to say the very least! I just pray and know God holds all these answers. I am just fearful for this country. So much homelessness and poverty here already. Tragic and our nation needs prayer. The devil has made himself quite comfortable here.
Keep praying.
Sandra, I was just in your neck of the woods again in my travel to NC and maybe one day I'll figure out where the heck you are and visit you! Regarding your post! (Lovely baby by the way.)
ReplyDeleteI'm 60 years old and have never seen our country in such a mess. It stays on my mind constantly, and I'm afraid to consider the consequences of our lawless government on this great nation. I believe Obama is a great deal responsible for creating the unrest in the middle east his irresponsible decisions of pulling our troops out of Iraq prematurely, and by supporting and foisting the Muslim Brotherhood first on Egypt and even hosting them in our own White House which he's turned into a joke. My questions mirror your own as do my concerns, and as for the bleeding heart attitudes of those with the 'open arms' program, "please stop rushing to give away things that don't belong to you!" Liberals are so good at that.
Hey, I'm with you, and I am very political. Thank you for having the guts to bring it up. Your comments were timely and intensely thought provoking. God please forgive us and help us to know Your will.
Thank you again.
Deb