Community Chat

[JustJazzmom]

The International Rescue Committee responds to U.S. Governors on Syrian refugee resettlement

New York 17 Nov 2015 - 

Refugee resettlement from around the world, for people of all religions and none, has been one of the success stories of the United States.  Now is no time to abandon this successful model.  Refugees are the most security vetted population who come to the United States. Security screenings are rigorous and involve the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the Department of Defense.  

Across the U.S., successful Syrian-American communities are testimony to the potential contribution of refugees to this country.

Banning Syrian refugees will not make America safer; it will make refugees more desperate.  Syrian refugees are fleeing violence — including by ISIS — and are seeking safety for themselves and for their families.   

We deplore the insinuation in the recent banning orders against Syrian refugees that either they are terrorists, or that it is impossible to separate them from those seeking to come here to commit terrorism.  

At a time when so many Syrian families are dependent on outside help for their survival, we call on all those in and aspiring to elected office to live up to the highest ideals that have made this country great.

The United States cannot provide a home for everyone.  But it can show, and has throughout its history, people from across the world how to live together.

[ChynnaBlue]

---

@AngusandBuddhasMom wrote:

Not everyone is blind to what has happened in Beirut and how the western media shrugged it off. 

---

The media didn't shrug it off. They did report it, but people did not grab it and run with it the way they did the Paris bombings. You can read more about it in this piece, entitled "Did the media ignore the Beirut bombings? Or did readers?" and posted on Vox.

Excerpt: "The New York Times covered it. The Washington Post, in addition to running an Associated Press story on it, sent reporter Hugh Naylor to cover the blasts and then write a lengthy piece on their aftermath. The Economist had a thoughtful piece reflecting on the attack's significance. CNN, which rightly or wrongly has a reputation for least-common-denominator news judgment, aired one segment after another on the Beirut bombings. Even the Daily Mail, a British tabloid most known for its gossipy royals coverage, was on the story. And on and on.

Yet these are stories that, like so many stories of previous bombings and mass acts of violence outside of the West, readers have largely ignored."

People chose to pay more attention to the Paris attacks, Facebook activated their Safety feature, which they'd previously only used for natural disasters, and people kept responding, which caused Facebook to create the French flag icon and people drove the media to make the French bombings a bigger deal than the Beirut bombings.

I think HappyDaze brought up one reason why - Many people assumed that Beirut sees this kind of thing on a regular basis. We are desensitized to violence in the middle east, not to violence in France. This is also a reason people are unaware of or ignoring the Syrian refugee crisis. We too easily assume it's always bad there, so why would this be different? It is different and the fact that places are turning Syrian refugees away because of what happened in France is exactly what the terrorists want to happen. It's all very sad.

[goldensrbest]

I do feel, and have said,that Israel has fought terrorist for so long, now i wonder if people understand what they have dealt with for all this time.

[HappyDaze]

---

@MaggieMack wrote:

There is another thread that spoke of creating an army out of all the displaced refugees and sending them back to take back their countries. What a novel idea! If you want to come to America, your first two years will be spent serving the country in some way in the military. They would learn the language and have marketable skills to enter the job force instead of relying on handouts. If you don't want to serve, don't come. That might weed out some of those with questionable motives.

---

or we just simply helped better train those with questionable motives and they would then have a better idea how our own military operates..

[AngusandBuddhasMom]

---

@ChynnaBlue wrote:

---

@AngusandBuddhasMom wrote:

Not everyone is blind to what has happened in Beirut and how the western media shrugged it off. 

---

The media didn't shrug it off. They did report it, but people did not grab it and run with it the way they did the Paris bombings. You can read more about it in this piece, entitled "Did the media ignore the Beirut bombings? Or did readers?" and posted on Vox.

Excerpt: "The New York Times covered it. The Washington Post, in addition to running an Associated Press story on it, sent reporter Hugh Naylor to cover the blasts and then write a lengthy piece on their aftermath. The Economist had a thoughtful piece reflecting on the attack's significance. CNN, which rightly or wrongly has a reputation for least-common-denominator news judgment, aired one segment after another on the Beirut bombings. Even the Daily Mail, a British tabloid most known for its gossipy royals coverage, was on the story. And on and on.

Yet these are stories that, like so many stories of previous bombings and mass acts of violence outside of the West, readers have largely ignored."

People chose to pay more attention to the Paris attacks, Facebook activated their Safety feature, which they'd previously only used for natural disasters, and people kept responding, which caused Facebook to create the French flag icon and people drove the media to make the French bombings a bigger deal than the Beirut bombings.

I think HappyDaze brought up one reason why - Many people assumed that Beirut sees this kind of thing on a regular basis. We are desensitized to violence in the middle east, not to violence in France. This is also a reason people are unaware of or ignoring the Syrian refugee crisis. We too easily assume it's always bad there, so why would this be different? It is different and the fact that places are turning Syrian refugees away because of what happened in France is exactly what the terrorists want to happen. It's all very sad.

---

Thanks Chynna I have family over there I don't need to read about it. I know they reported it but like you said "we" as a society did not run with it like we did Paris.

[culebra]

I think the reason the state governors are refusing refugees is that one of the terrorists in Paris came in on a refugee passport from Syria.  I happen to live in Illinois.  Our governor is one of the governors refusing refugees.  As I live in Chicago I am sympathetic to refugees, but I also do not want to feel afraid.

[HappyDaze]

@ChynnaBlue excellent, excellent post. I think the day(s) they discussed the Beirut bombings I wasn't around to watch tv much so I missed it.

[Topaz Gem]

---

@HappyDaze wrote:

I think it is sad and ignorant that so many states are refusing the Syrian refugees. I do believe we need to do our best to insure that the ones coming over here have no ties to terrorist groups but to just blatantly refuse all of them and not acknowledge the humanitarian crisis is, well, inhumane.

---

I don't agree with you at all.  Sad and ignorant?  Hardly.  The USA is the most compassionate country on the planet, but our leaders were elected to keep our citizens safe.  Regardless of what the president claims, there is no way that these people can be individually vetted to the extent that he can guarantee our safety.  Thankfully our individual governors are stepping up to the plate.  It's about time someone stands up for the American citizens.

Once the threat is over, the USA can let in as many refugees as they want, but in the meantime, they need to have plain old common sense.  ISIS TOLD us that they are aiming for the U.S. next; are we really that stupid to let Syrians flow through our borders willy nilly?  The terrorists are not stupid; they stay one step ahead of us all the time.  If ISIS knows that we're letting in Syrian refugees, OF COURSE they're going to try to pose as refugees and come in with no hassle at all.  We really can't afford to be that stupid.

[DowntonAbbey]

I am glad they are letting us talk about this horrible tradgey.  I was not at home I don't think........but I turned the news on late that evening and was just in shock.........I stayed up most of the night watching all the news Icould and it is just so very sad.  I am close to not going to anymore football games, or the mall or any large arena like concerts.........I am going to live but in my home and a few restaurants but knowing we can't just hid but we have to live yet it is shocking for everyone.   I think the violence has just really started and is not going to start.  My cousin has been to Paris, my brother has, my sons best friend has and my son's best friend wants to go back but I don't know if he does now but he is speaking great french and trying to teach me some but I can't retain it.  I love that language............I love France..............I am suppose to have some french in me..........so........I guess maybe that is why I have always favored Paris.........anyway.............we just have to treasure every day even more.

[MaggieMack]

---

@HappyDaze wrote:

---

@MaggieMack wrote:

There is another thread that spoke of creating an army out of all the displaced refugees and sending them back to take back their countries. What a novel idea! If you want to come to America, your first two years will be spent serving the country in some way in the military. They would learn the language and have marketable skills to enter the job force instead of relying on handouts. If you don't want to serve, don't come. That might weed out some of those with questionable motives.

---

or we just simply helped better train those with questionable motives and they would then have a better idea how our own military operates..

---

Well, we have already had terrorists in our military, think Fort Hood. The "brotherhood" and "sisterhood" that the military generates might be a force for good. I honestly don't think there's anything about the workings of our military that has escaped the bad guys so far. Obviously, we would not put the unknowns in jobs dealing with classified issues.