A Syrian refugee child sleeps in his father’s arms while waiting to board a bus after arriving on a dinghy from the Turkish coast to the Greek island of Lesbos on Oct. 4. (Muhammed Muheisen, Associatd Press file)
Re: “Colorado will accept Syrian refugees, Hickenlooper says,” Nov. 17 news story.
More than 20 states’ governors have said they will not accept refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict. On Monday Gov. John Hickenlooper said Colorado will not join those states. Hickenlooper said, “Our first priority remains the safety of our residents.” It that were true, wouldn’t a cautious governor, one who has concern about the safety of the citizens, follow the lead of the states refusing to accept Syrians?
The governor went on to say, “We can protect our security and provide a place where the world’s most vulnerable can rebuild their lives.” But what about those citizens, many of them veterans, who live on the street, some of them a short distance from the Colorado Capitol?
According to the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative’s most recent Point-in-Time survey — which was conducted on Jan. 26 — 6,130 individuals were experiencing homelessness in the seven-county metro Denver area. Of those counted, 37 percent were women and 49 percent of “households” were families with children.
Perhaps the citizens of Colorado need a governor who is concerned about the citizens in his own backyard before welcoming potential terrorists into the state.
Barry M. Johnson, Fort Collins
This letter was published in the Nov. 19 edition.“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free … ” is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France in 1886. It has been a welcoming beacon of freedom and opportunity to immigrants coming to our shores for much of our great country’s history. Fathers, mothers, children — looking for what many already here take for granted. Shame on the governors who would turn away thousands of innocents because of ignorance, xenophobia, selfishness, or fear of political retribution.
Some of you might say the rest of the world only wants what we have. I submit that most people in the world would prefer to live in the country of their fathers and mothers if it were possible. The millions of displaced people of the world live in conditions and have fears we cannot imagine. Thank God for the blessing of having been born on the privileged side of a line that can determine much of your fate, and ask yourself why you deserve it any more than those millions of displaced families.
Erwin Turner, Boulder
This letter was published in the Nov. 19 edition.Re: “A panic attack on Syrian refugees,” Nov. 17 editorial.
During World War II, the United States turned away more than one boatload of Jewish refugees attempting to flee the horrors of Nazism in part because of a fear that German agents might be embedded within the group. Many state governors appear to be willing to repeat such a shameful act with regard to Syrian refugees. Some presidential candidates have suggested that only Christian refugees should be permitted.
As our president correctly noted, such sentiments are offensive to values that we profess to cherish. Our governor, fortunately, agrees. As he noted, there is a way to protect our security and allow at least some of the most vulnerable to rebuild their lives.
Thank you, Gov. John Hickenlooper, and The Denver Post, for taking your stand.
Kenneth Lieb, Golden
This letter was published in the Nov. 19 edition.
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