Some thoughts on refugee issue

To the Editor:

Over the past week, there has been much attention paid to the Syrian refugees being settled in cities across our country, including St. Louis and Kansas City. There has been loud opinions both pro and con on this issue and I would like to address two of them.

The first is the idea that opposing this implantation of Syrian refugees into our communities is somehow un-Christian. How can it be un-Christian to want to attempt to guarantee the safety of our families from Paris type attacks? How is it un-Christian to want more information on these people before we turn them loose in our society? How is it un-Christian to want answers from the Federal Government regarding the peoples' backgrounds before we give them citizenship and sign them up for government programs? A friend of mine said we lock our doors at night, not because we hate who is outside, but rather because we love those who are inside.

Secondly, why is the Federal Government not treating these refugees like any others in history? Normally, refugees are running away from a war or conflict for the purpose of safety. After the war or conflict is over, the refugees return to their homes and attempt to rebuild their lives. But in this situation, the refugees are brought half way around the world and implanted into different faiths, languages, and culture without any illustrated intent to return them to their homes when this conflict is over.

There are lots of questions here that need to be answered. Who is paying to bring them to the US? Who is financing their new lives here in the US? Did they pass background checks? Why are particular refugees sent to one city and not another? How were the refugees that were allowed to come to the US selected to come here instead of other receiving countries?

Governor Nixon said we must trust the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to make sure these refugees are screened. We all know where trusting the Federal Government gets us and this situation is no different.

Eddy Justice

Poplar Bluff, Mo.