LETTER: Welcome the stranger
Welcome the stranger
My faith tradition emphasizes welcoming the stranger, healing the sick, even loving your enemy, proclaiming release to the captive, and setting at liberty those who are oppressed. But that is clearly not the mood in present-day America. So, I make my appeal solely on selfish grounds. Does it make sense to refuse to give full, quick medical treatment to those in camps at our borders who have walked a thousand miles with only what they could carry? They are much more likely to be carrying various diseases than drugs. Think of it as protecting ourselves.
Also, it has become clear that our president does not want to count non-citizens in the upcoming census. But not counting people who are seen as a problem means those exact areas will not have the resources to handle the “problem.” This type of being “tough” is like “if he won’t dim his lights. I won’t dim mine.” It only makes sense to the very dim of mind.
Rod Weiss
Washington