Refugees and Politics

Unless you've been living under a rock, we have seen the political issues regarding the whole immigration/refugee issue here in America.  I haven't engaged in any discussions or debates about this.  I honestly don't know all the facts about it. If you are on Facebook for any length of time during the day then you've probably seen some of the ugliness that has come from both friends and foes regarding this issue.  All I've seen is that people can find articles to support both points of view.  If you hate Trump for signing it, then there are plenty of articles to fuel your flames.  If you love Trump for doing this, then you can find plenty of articles to fuel your flames. The news media has published their share of the situation with none giving the whole truth and all slanting the story to fit their agenda. 

During this hurricane of fury or excitement, depending one where you stand, it was coincidental that one of our history lessons was about Israel falling to the Assyrians.  In that lesson, the activity was to discuss what a community can do to help refugees.  The correlation is that the Israelites became refugees in a foreign land when they were forced to leave their country to live in Assyria. 

Our boys and I watched a YouTube documentary about a refugee camp in Kenya for Somalians.  It discussed the reasons the refugees were leaving Somalia and how Kenya was taking care of them.  During and after the video we discussed in details what all is involved in taking care of refugees.  I've listed the aspects we discussed below.  Obviously, I added to the discussion but I wanted them to understand what all is involved and that it's not a matter of "political" disagreement or agreement. There certainly are more to be considered but these are the ones we noticed from watching the video. 


Facets of taking care of refugees we have discussed so far:

1. Provide shelter: will it be permanent or temporary and how to transition from one to another. How will it be determined where they will stay (cities, land)? What kind of shelter? (Buildings, trailers, tents)

2. Provide food: figuring out what is the least expensive that goes the farthest. How much does each family get and how often? Food allergies? How to store the food? Where do we get the food that is provided t...o the refugees? How to keep it from spoiling or keep rats/mice/bugs out of it.

3. Provide clothing: how much clothing does each person get? How do you accommodate for growing children who need newer sizes more often? Clothing for pregnant women?

4. Providing healthcare: who will be the healthcare providers? Who will provide the medicine? Who much medicine does each family or person receives and how is that determined? Prenatal care, postnatal care.

5. Determining healthcare needs: what is the process to screen for communicable diseases among people with no medical records? Who provides this service and then what is to be done when a serious disease is detected? Where do you send them?

6. Providing Education: do these people deserve to be educated? Who will educate them? Who provides the materials needed? How is it determined who among them receive an education?

7. Providing Transportation: who will transport them to where they need to be once established as a refugee? Transporting to hospitals or medical clinics? What vehicles are used to transport and who provides it? Liability?

8. Maintaining Safety: how is order maintained? Who provides the safety? (National military, state policing)??? What is to be done when a refugee commits a crime against another or against a citizen of the country they live in? What kind of punishment is executed? Where do you send criminals and how do you house them?

9. Providing Jobs: will refugees be allowed to work or forced to work? How will they make currency in order to purchase items they want?

10. Providing Currency: will they be allowed to have currency or will they be able to exchange their country's currency for the currency of the country they are living in?

11. Records keeping: what records need to be kept? How do you gather the info? Who gathers the info and what is to be done with it? What measures are to be taken when someone doesn't meet the requirements?

12. Last but not least...how are all the above services financed? Who finances them?

It's a Matter of Lack of Morals, not Lack of Religion

It's not about a lack of religion. It's about a lack of morals.

I haven't spoken out as much lately regarding politics and such as I have in the past. It's not because I've lost interest but rather because I'm still processing much of it.

I'm terribly discouraged by our options for president as it stands now. And surprisingly to some, my issue with the claimed conservative nominee isn't his lack of religion. It's his lack of morals. You don't have to be religious or specifically Christian to be a moral person. And the opposite stands true, not all "religious" claiming folk have morals, either.

I've heard and read the argument of not voting is a vote for the other. This theory stands true for both candidates.

From my perspective, both candidates are equally immoral in their personal life as well as their professional life. This immortality will and has infiltrated their political career.

Another aspect I have noticed, patriotism is quickly and increasingly growing to be a major national religion. Voting or not voting does not determine one's eternal destination. Now it certainly may help one get there quicker than planned depending on the future circumstances of the one voted into office but voting itself does not determine your eternal life. This does NOT mean I encourage others to not vote. Voting, a treasured freedom we have, is a personal matter, although, I abhor the attitude of not voting strictly bc of apathy.

So, to those who attack others or me for even considering the possibility that we might not vote for a president this go around bc it would be a vote for Hillary, while in earthly theory you may be right, but I'm not accountable to do what is right by my country, I'm accountable to what is right by my God. What you choose to do is respectfully your choosing, now please allow others the same respect.

When Bathrooms Influence our Children

Regardless of how you feel about transgender issues, it all comes down to what parents think is appropriate for their children to be exposed to at any given age and at any given venue. The news of the federal government proposing all public schools accommodate and cater to the culture's growing transgender issues is even more reason for me to be diligent and proactive about how we educate our boys.

You see, on a personal level, someone being a transgender doesn't bother me. But when that lifestyle influences my children by way of bathrooms and classroom curriculum, I have to choose to take action for my children. And right now, that action is for me to have them home so that I am their main influence. I am still training them up in the way they should go. Part of that training is to teach them to love people no matter their lifestyle but that doesn't mean I have to expose them to alternative lifestyles and teachings while their hearts are still so very impressionable.

On a different note, when schools take federal monies, local control no longer exists regardless of the culture issues at hand.