Presbyterian

Illegal Immigrants?

I suppose such a term might be necessary for the sake of so-called national security, but I do so very tentatively. No matter the critics claim, whether disruption of the work force, the cost to provide for their needs, or an increased crime rate, the truth remains these are human beings created in the image of God and it is a sin for a Christian to treat them otherwise.

What happened to the most universal symbol of the United States, The Statue of Liberty? Just over one hundred years ago these words, a poem by Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) were set in bronze at the base of the statue:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
with conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
a mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame,
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
with silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

How soon we forget from whence we all came. Very few reading this are native to this land and many not that far removed from the boats that brought them here. These are human beings and deserve not our pity but a helping hand outstretched in mercy and love. Regulate if we must for safety’s sake, but let us keep it humane and treat these people with dignity. Most will make fine citizens given the needed assistance and time.

Short answers to come of the points of the bigots that would crush a downtrodden people:

The cost? What is one human life worth?

The Jobs taken from citizens? Show me the citizens that want the jobs the vast majority of these people hold.

The crime rate? Wow, do you mean we did not have that already?

Quit playing God! Reach out to these people with the same things you would desire in their place. Walk in their shoes for one day! Which of us in the same circumstance would not go to all ends to provide for our families? I know you better not stand between me and the very existence of my family, one of us will die. All things considered, these people are meek and humble, compared to most of us.

Dr. Chuck Baynard June 2007

This entry was posted on Friday, July 20th, 2007 at 9:23 am and is filed under Government, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.