Posted on 08/02/2014 8:57:47 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Other countries may turn away desperate children. But the United States should aim higher.
If a child showed up at your doorstep, begging for help, what would you do?
Most Americans, I suspect, would offer help, even if that meant simply calling the police, who would, hopefully, ascertain whether the child was really in danger. But a lot of Americans who would respond to such a scenario with compassion also believe that America should simply shut its door to desperate refugees.
I would suggest that a moral nation has an obligation to come to the aid of children who are fleeing grave danger. A nation as blessed as America ought to be a force for good in the world. "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."
This, in my estimation, is part of American exceptionalism. Like the U.S. Marines and the New York Yankees, classy operations aspire to higher standards of excellence.
The question of whether or not America is legally obliged to show this kind of compassion is irrelevant. Nations, like individuals, answer to a higher calling and should go beyond meeting the bare minimum of what is required by law.
I'm tired of hearing people say things like, "You know what Mexico does if they catch you sneaking into their country?" To which, I answer: "Do you want to emulate that kind of behavior?" The fact that other nations are less humane less generous is irrelevant. More is expected of America and that's a good thing. Rather than sink to the moral mediocrity of other nations, let's go for something greater. Let's hold ourselves to a higher bar. This should be a point of pride.
And I'm tired of conservatives acting as if we live in a world of limited resources, where we are all fighting over a small piece of the same pie, instead of realizing we can grow that pie. This populist rhetoric is the talk of defeatism, of fear, of scarcity. It is in utter opposition to the Reagan/Kemp brand of optimistic conservatism that helped transform the world.
It's the cry of victimhood not the talk of a prosperous nation, or of kindness or of greatness. It's the mindset of a nation that truly believes its best days are in the rearview mirror. To paraphrase Reagan, I reject that worldview, partly because such beliefs have a way of becoming self-fulfilling prophesies.
Fear leads to hoarding and bitterness. We can go that direction; conservatives can make that their brand. The GOP can become the party of the angry and the dispossessed not the party of the aspirational and the generous. But why would we want to?
More emotion disguised as reason.
Will the last one to leave Latin America please turn out the light
You know what I would do? I would call the police. There is a difference between a house and a country. This whole equating houses to countries is so ridiculous. It’s inane.
Now, if a child came to my door, and the people in my house demanded I feed, clothe, educate, and pay for this child’s rent. I would kick the child, and all the people in my house out. If they wouldn’t go, well ...... they would.
I am all in favor of the same compassion We would give to AMERICAN kids who were sent on a 2000 mile plus journey by their parents under the care of criminal gangs: Rescue the younger kids, criminally charge the gangs, terminate all custody rights of the criminally negligent parents, and try any of the older kids with gang affiliations as adults.
If the so called child was 18 years old and covered with tattoos including his entire head, I'd tell him to take a hike. Next question.
who is this idiot?
does this idiot even believe in American exceptionalism?
Matt K. Lewis is a contributing editor at TheWeek.com, writes for The Daily Caller, and co-hosts The DMZ on Bloggingheads.tv. In 2012, the American Conservative Union honored Matt as CPAC “Blogger of the Year.” Matt lives in Alexandria, Va.
If a “child” broke into my house to steal food I would call the police.
Bite me Matt.
My colleague at The Daily Caller, blogging pioneer Mickey Kaus, recently challenged his readers to create videos attacking amnesty. (It should be noted that Mickey who happens to be a Democrat opposes immigration reform for the simple reason that he believes more immigrants will hurt American workers who are already struggling. His brand of populist/protectionist politics isn’t my cup of tea. I prefer Reagan/Kemp/Ryan/Rubio optimism as opposed to a Malthusian worldview that says we live in a limited world and are fighting for scraps.
http://theweek.com/article/index/246064/the-anti-amnesty-movements-underbelly
The purpose of a National Border is to keep Invaders OUT!
The purpose of the US Chamber of Commerce is to do whatever the Democrat Brotherhood wants them to do.
American exceptionalism demands first and foremost that we keep America exceptional.
Ultimate compassion is sending them home to family. Isn’t that what they told us with Elian?
Civil War II can't come soon enough, IMO. Let's get the dance started and over with. Liquidate the parasites by simply forcing them to work for their meals and be done with the welfare state once and for all as far as I'm concerned.
Oh, and it's way past time to start Tar and Feathering idiots like this author who make every and any excuse that “disenfranchises” productive Americans.
American exceptionalism demands we fundamentally transform ourselves into a different country.
7 BILLION people in the world.
118m jobs in the US.
we can’t take them all. there’s a reason out immigration policy only takes a few... to allow some time for assimilation. too many too fast and it messes up the country
which 0bama understands. that’s his main thought.
The GOP can become the party of the angry and the dispossessed not the party of the aspirational and the generous. But why would we want to?
Right here shows this guy is a Lefty. He advocating big spending to support illegal immigrants.
What’s sad is he mentions Reagan who got suckered into approving amnesty while the Dems later defunded the border security.
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