so you're telling me that the best political strategy is attacking Republicans when they do illegal and awful things instead of kinda siding with them because you think the public opinion is on their side? Jokes aside, it took me the 1st year of the 1st Trump's term to confirm that Republicans were going after LEGAL immigration, because I look at what they DO, not what they say. Glad it took only 8 years for Democrats to start figuring it out
I have been advocating for policy literacy. When people don’t understand current policy, what we want changed, and the best way to change it (they never should have canceled Schoolhouse Rock - remember “I’m Just a Bill?” - I think there is a subset of people in this country who assume the President runs the country).
Like Immigration, discussed here: after years of rhetoric, I actually believed that people just snuck across the border and had kids to force the US to let them stay here. I never heard of the process where they can turn themselves in to authorities, have a credible fear interview and start a process, or that so many were here doing it. I never saw information regarding the high costs of apprehension, incarceration and deportation is so high, or that their increased productivity that they brought to a community was a net financial benefit. It took reading defenses on immigration to know any of this.
Fundamentalist Christians have a very black and white legalistic mindset, and it is easy to reduce any empathy they might have for an immigrant with the kind of rhetoric coming from the Trump administration. A discussion with them should include various Bible passages that support the “alien within our gates,” someone that God’s people are admonished to treat kindly even in Exodus and Deuteronomy when they are reminded of God’s care of them when they wandered in the desert. Between pointing out the legalities there are (and how, why) and pointing to God’s instruction, the biggest argument by anti-immigrant activists falls apart pretty quickly.
Hatred’s biggest fuel is ignorance. Once you find out how human your enemy is, it is hard to pretend they aren’t a person just like you. We need policy summaries on major issues and maybe a free app or something to find them easily. I realize with the internet it feels like reinventing the wheel, but someone with knowledge of those specific laws being able to craft a topic, bold, clear, colorful presentation, might do a lot of good.
"we need to be... making the case for our own values and beliefs"
So what are those 'values and beliefs' with regard to immigration? Let me suggest that one belief should be that the role of employers in attracting undocumented workers here should not be ignored - it should be paramount. No border wall or deportation will ever stop ambitious people from a better life.
so you're telling me that the best political strategy is attacking Republicans when they do illegal and awful things instead of kinda siding with them because you think the public opinion is on their side? Jokes aside, it took me the 1st year of the 1st Trump's term to confirm that Republicans were going after LEGAL immigration, because I look at what they DO, not what they say. Glad it took only 8 years for Democrats to start figuring it out
I have been advocating for policy literacy. When people don’t understand current policy, what we want changed, and the best way to change it (they never should have canceled Schoolhouse Rock - remember “I’m Just a Bill?” - I think there is a subset of people in this country who assume the President runs the country).
Like Immigration, discussed here: after years of rhetoric, I actually believed that people just snuck across the border and had kids to force the US to let them stay here. I never heard of the process where they can turn themselves in to authorities, have a credible fear interview and start a process, or that so many were here doing it. I never saw information regarding the high costs of apprehension, incarceration and deportation is so high, or that their increased productivity that they brought to a community was a net financial benefit. It took reading defenses on immigration to know any of this.
Fundamentalist Christians have a very black and white legalistic mindset, and it is easy to reduce any empathy they might have for an immigrant with the kind of rhetoric coming from the Trump administration. A discussion with them should include various Bible passages that support the “alien within our gates,” someone that God’s people are admonished to treat kindly even in Exodus and Deuteronomy when they are reminded of God’s care of them when they wandered in the desert. Between pointing out the legalities there are (and how, why) and pointing to God’s instruction, the biggest argument by anti-immigrant activists falls apart pretty quickly.
Hatred’s biggest fuel is ignorance. Once you find out how human your enemy is, it is hard to pretend they aren’t a person just like you. We need policy summaries on major issues and maybe a free app or something to find them easily. I realize with the internet it feels like reinventing the wheel, but someone with knowledge of those specific laws being able to craft a topic, bold, clear, colorful presentation, might do a lot of good.
"we need to be... making the case for our own values and beliefs"
So what are those 'values and beliefs' with regard to immigration? Let me suggest that one belief should be that the role of employers in attracting undocumented workers here should not be ignored - it should be paramount. No border wall or deportation will ever stop ambitious people from a better life.