[Lnc-business] Open Letter to Muslim Republicans

[Joshua Katz]

Sorry, I hit send too fast.  I had meant to include the following
highlights:

While suggestions that the U.S. employs a blanket ban on Christian refugees
from Syria have been proved false, leading Republicans are seizing on the
issue, arguing the Obama administration should do more to help Syria's
Christians escape the threat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

...

Analysts say the small numbers of Christian refugees in the U.S. is a
result of many factors, including politics within Syria and across the
Middle East.

...

Christians were largely protected under the regime of Bashar al Assad, who
himself is a member of the minority Alawite offshoot of Islam, Even while
Christians flee ISIS, they may feel safer under Assad’s sphere of
influence, U.N High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres suggested at
an event in Washington in October.

***

We're dealing with people fleeing from a force which is, to the best of my
understanding, far more violent towards Muslims they view as apostates than
towards Christians within their controlled territory.  We shouldn't be
surprised that more Muslims are fleeing.  Nor should it be surprising that
the UN has more places to settle Christians than Muslims, given that the
United States, which ought to be a beacon of freedom to those fleeing from
oppression, has Presidential candidates advocating religious tests for
refugees.  Other countries, which do not have statues proclaiming their
wish to grant liberty to the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning
to breathe free, are likely to be hostile to Muslim refugees as well.

Opinions, of course, may differ here, and I don't think we need for this
list to be a place for us to fight about refugee policy.  If we're going to
discuss refugee policies, though, I feel free to share mine as well: I
personally advocate for open borders, and especially for compassion and
asylum for those in need of it.  I also tend to disbelieve fear-driven
attributions of malice where reasonable explanations exist. If we had more
Christian refugees, I expect we'd find people complaining about the time it
takes to process them - the same people, largely, who are worried that it
doesn't take long enough to process other refugees.

Joshua A. Katz
Westbrook CT Planning Commission (L in R seat)

On Tue, Dec 15, 2015 at 10:41 AM, Joshua Katz <planning4liberty at gmail.com>
wrote:

>
> http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/263200-battle-brewing-over-christian-syrians
>
> Joshua A. Katz
> Westbrook CT Planning Commission (L in R seat)
>
> On Tue, Dec 15, 2015 at 10:21 AM, Scott L. <scott73 at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> I look forward to the Chair’s letter to Christian Democrats sharing their
>> outrage and hurt at Barack Hussein Obama’s
>>
>> recent actions and policies towards Christians.  After all, we know that
>> many of their families have fled repressive regimes abroad in search of
>> peace, prosperity, and liberty in the United States, but that our
>> Democrat President has refused to let them enter the United States or
>> any other country that dares to grant them refuge.
>>
>>
>>
>>     Scott Lieberman
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
>> December 15, 2015
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear Muslim Republicans,
>>
>>
>>
>> I share your outrage and hurt at Donald Trump’s recent comments and
>> policy suggestions about Muslims. I share your outrage and hurt that he
>> still is polling well among Republicans. I share your outrage and hurt that
>> we should even have to discuss such matters. But obviously we do.
>>
>>
>>
>> Freedom of religion is one of our most sacred American values, protected
>> by our Constitution. Never should someone be disparaged, profiled, or have
>> their rights infringed upon because of their religious faith. Republicans
>> like to talk a good game about our Constitution but, clearly, many are
>> making an exception when it comes to religious liberty. This is quite sad
>> and it is this kind of double standard that has caused so many
>> liberty-loving people to leave the Republican Party and find a better home
>> in the Libertarian Party.
>>
>>
>>
>> If you have not previously considered the Libertarian Party, I encourage
>> you to do so now. We are an extremely diverse group of people who are
>> passionate about liberty…about all rights, of all people, all the time. We
>> do not denigrate or disparage any group. We respect the humanity of all
>> people and their rights to make their own decisions about their lives.
>> Simply put: Libertarianism is the idea that every person has the right to
>> pursue happiness in any way they wish as long as it doesn't hurt people or
>> take their stuff.
>>
>>
>>
>> I know many of your families have fled repressive regimes abroad in
>> search of peace, prosperity, and liberty in the United States. I hope
>> you have found good things here. No country is perfect and recent weeks
>> have reminded us of that. But I maintain that, despite our imperfections,
>> the United States is one of the best places on the planet for
>> liberty-loving people. Our Constitution does protect your rights, and it
>> will continue to. And Libertarians nationwide always will stand with you
>> also, advocating your rights and the rights of all people to live freely.
>>
>>
>>
>> Friend, if you find that the Republican Party continues to disparage you,
>> please consider a home in the Libertarian Party where we respect all
>> rights, of all people, all the time.
>>
>>
>>
>> Nicholas Sarwark
>>
>> Chair, Libertarian National Committee
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=59129194&msgid=535057&act=MB26&c=1115108&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Flibertarians>
>>
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>>
>> <http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=59129194&msgid=535057&act=MB26&c=1115108&destination=http%3A%2F%2Flp.org>
>>
>>
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>>
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>>
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>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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