Posted on 11/16/2015 9:55:33 AM PST by BlessedBeGod
President Obama on Monday invoked Pope Francis as a way to justify taking in thousands of refugees from war-torn Syria, despite warnings from Congress and several states that doing so runs the risk of taking in terrorists disguised as refugees.
"When Pope Francis came to visit the United States and gave a speech before Congress, he didn't just speak about Christians who were being persecuted, he didn't call on Catholic parishes just to admit those who were of the same religious faith, he said protect people who were vulnerable," Obama said in remarks to the press in Turkey.
His comments came after some have suggested that only Christian refugees should be taken in, but Obama rejected that.
"And when I hear folks say that, 'well, maybe we should just admit the Christians but not the Muslims,' when I hear political leaders suggesting that there would be a religious test for which person who's fleeing from a war-torn country is admitted, when some of those folks themselves come from families who benefited from protection when they were fleeing political persecution, that's shameful," he said.
"That's not American; it's not who we are. We don't have religious tests to our compassion," he said.
He credited his predecessor, President George W. Bush, with not instituting anti-Muslim policies in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"I was very proud after 9/11 when he was adamant and clear about the fact that this is not a war on Islam," Obama said. "On this, they should follow his example. It was the right one. It was the right impulse. It's our better impulse."
"We also have to remember that many of these refugees are the victims of terrorism," he said. "Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values. Our nations can welcome refugees who are desperately seeking safety and ensure our own security. We can and must do both."
Obama has been fighting a torrent of criticism in the days following the terrorist attack in Paris that killed 129 people. Many want him to reverse course on taking refugees, since at least one of the terrorist attackers entered France disguised as a refugee.
But Obama has rejected that, and on Monday also rejected the idea of putting U.S. ground troops back into the Middle East to fight the Islamic State.
In his lengthy address in Turkey, Obama argued that no-fly zones don't make sense because "ISIL doesn't have planes," Obama said. So-called "safe zones" for Syrians would require ground troops and could become magnets for further attacks.
"There's a whole set of questions that have to be answered there," he said about pursuing ideas floated by well-meaning critics.
However, Obama said he is willing to try new methods.
"There will be some strategies that we try that don't work and some strategies that we try that do work," Obama said, adding that he will "double down" on those.
Obama said the U.S. and 65-nation coalition combating the Islamic State are making progress. He said the group is "systematically going after their leadership," pointing to the strikes that targeted and presumably killed "Jihadi John" last week and one Saturday that most likely killed the group's leader in Libya.
But Obama acknowledged that the attacks in Paris showed that the coalition needs to do even more. He said that during the G-20 summit, nations "committed to strengthening border controls, sharing more information and stepping up our efforts to prevent the flow of foreign fighters in and out of Syria and Iraq."
Obama said that foreign fighters returning home have to be monitored more closely. But he said they are more dangerous for Europe, as far more Europeans went to Syria and Iraq to join the Islamic State than Americans.
The Obama administration is acutely aware that groups such as ISIL with "twisted" ideologies can potentially strike in the West. "And we have consistently worked with our European partners disrupting plots in some cases," he said. "Sadly, this one was not disrupted in time. But understand that one of the challenges we have in this situation is that if you have a handful of people who don't mind dying, they can kill a lot of people."
Because of the attacks on Paris, the U.S. announced a new agreement with the French government, he said. "We're streamlining the process by which we share intelligence and operational military information with France."
Obama said only unconventional methods will defeat the Islamic State because the Sunni terrorist group is not a nation or state.
"We play into the ISIL narrative when we act as if they're a state and we use routine military tactics that are designed to fight a state that is attacking another state," he said. "These are killers with fantasies of glory."
During a speech at the White House Summit to Counter Violent Extremism, President Obama urged inclusion of Muslim communities around the globe saying, “We are all in the same boat.†(Associated Press)
“Muslim migrants threw 12 Christians overboard to their deaths because they were not praying to Allah “
We knew this was coming. The pope is a hard-core leftist, and Obama will hide behind him.
so why do these two IDIOTS need the swiss guard and secret service to guard them ????????????
two commies living the dream
The Pope can bunk with them in the Vatican.
Both he and the pope are jokes and insane bring on the end times leftists!
Congress is in on this Treason with soebarkah. They could stop it cold if they wanted to. However, they just issue warnings that they feel gives them political cover.
TRAITORS ALL!
My thought too!
The only time Zer0 acknowledges Christianity is when he wants something.
If it was about humanitarianism, they would have rejected the silver.
www.house.gov
www.senate.gov
Call your reps and tell them not one Syrian refugee is to be admitted to the USA.
You do not want another 9/11.
You do not want another Paris ...this time on our soil.
For the morons in DC who say we need to take our fair share of refugees, our fair share was 7,000 dead men and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 50,000 wounded warriors.
That was our fair share.
The Arabs with all their oil money can take care of their brothers.
Not our problem.
Make the call. It is time the jerks in DC are reminded who the bosses of this country really are.
His comments came after some have suggested that only Christian refugees should be taken in, but Obama rejected that.That's because he wants ONLY muzzies admitted, leaving the Christians stranded to be slaughtered. He wants that and is implementing that because he is himself a jihadist.
My Congressional representatives are all communists and islamist facilitators. Nothing would change by my communicating with them but to inspire them further to hasten their contributions to the destruction of America.
Make the calls anyway.
Mine are all Dem morons.
Made my calls, including to my Dem governor.
They need to experience a tidal wave of grief from their constituents.
Every call helps.
FReepers, HAVE YOU CALLED YOUR STATE GOVERNOR AND REPRESENTATIVES OFFICES TODAY???
Americans must insist that officials be seen PUBLICALLY resisting this “fundamental transformation” of our country, and thanked for standing against these resettlement efforts.
Also, warn your officials that many local Catholic Charities have and are lending with government subsidies material support, aide and comfort to foreign and domestic enemies now disguised as “refugees”.
I called Governor of Texas office and he also has issued a press release of a letter to the president rejecting any resettlement of foreign “refugees” into the STATE OF TEXAS, and called on the state offices of HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TO CEASE cooperation with any further efforts to distribute into Texas the same refugees.
Catholic Charities, in many places, has acted as their own local capacity allows, in concert with the Obama Health and Human Services to accommodate illegal immigrants and now foreign enemies disguised and hidden among refugees to find housing, material support and J-O-B-S.
Yet, he has a lot of backers here even on FR.
Frankie the idiot pope isn’t the one we should be listening to now.
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