Tag Archives: immigration

Should we return the Statue of Liberty?

30 Tuesday Jan 2018

Posted by in Politics

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Should we return the Statue of Liberty to France?  We don’t seem interested in using it or what it stands for lately.

According to the National Park service:

What does the torch represent? The torch is a symbol of enlightenment. The Statue of Liberty’s torch lights the way to freedom showing us the path to Liberty. Even the Statue’s official name represents her most important symbol “Liberty Enlightening the World”.

(Source: Click here)

Of course, I’m asking a ridiculous question in order to talk about an important issue – immigration.

Immigration has been a divisive issue since people started coming to this continent from other continents – whether by choice or by force.

Over the decades different groups of people have been looked down upon and degraded because of where they are from, what language they spoke, what they looked like, and what they believed.  And yet, people still come.

One of the reasons they keep coming is the hope for a better life that is expressed in the sonnet that has been associated with the Statue of Liberty:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
MOTHER OF EXILES. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

(Source: Click here)

What does it mean to give us “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.  The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.  Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.”  This is an important question in the current immigration debate.  We hear some make the arguments that we only want wealthy, successful, and well-educated people.  Yet, how does that match up with the sonnet?  Of course the sonnet isn’t the law of the land.  And neither is the Statue of Liberty for that matter.  But it is symbolic of what we supposedly stand for.

So what about illegal immigration.  Let’s get right to it.  I don’t need to rehash all the arguments that have been made about illegal immigration.  You’ve heard and read many of them and may have even used them in arguments about immigration.

I know that facts don’t persuade people anymore, but just in case you actually care about the numbers of illegal immigrants in the country and where they are from, you can read the Pew Research information from last year.  http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/27/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/ It’s got lot’s of good information about how illegal immigration is changing in the US.

If facts aren’t your thing, then maybe you’ll consider stories.  The BBC ran a pretty good eight minute video on the consequences of the recent immigration enforcement.  You can watch it here.

I don’t pretend to have the answer to illegal immigration.  I see it as very complex.  It’s not a cut and dry issue for me.  It’s not just an issue of someone breaking the law, so send them back.  If you read the Pew findings, the obvious question will be – send them back where?  For many illegal immigrants, they don’t have a home anywhere else.  There isn’t a home or family just waiting for them.  Are we going to deport people to places they know nothing about?  Are we going to send people into homelessness and destitution, to places that persecute people because of religion and political identity?  Is that what our we are about?

Should we replace the Statue of Liberty and the sonnet associated with it with something else – a guy carrying a sign that says “Keep Out!”

Maybe I’m confusing things though.  Those that are opposed to illegal immigration aren’t claiming to be against all immigration – but rather that the rules be followed to enter the country.  I think there is some truth in this.  Yet, we have a problem.  We have millions of people who have entered the country illegally.  What do we do with them?  The short answer is I don’t know.

The longer answer is that if we attempt to deal with immigration as a separate concern, apart from any other issue, we will fail.  Immigration isn’t a stand alone issue.  No issue is stand alone.  It’s complex and deals with people and their lives.  While I don’t have political solution to this, I do know this much – we are called to welcome the stranger, to offer hospitality.  To be Christ’s presence in their lives.  To proclaim good news to the poor, the homeless, the lost, the widow, the orphan – the very people the sonnet offer a welcome to and call out to come to these shores for a better opportunity.

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

If we aren’t careful, the sonnet will be meaningless because of our own doing.

Miracle Mile

11 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Society, Theology

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There is a stretch of road in the community I live and work in that is called the Miracle Mile.  According to Wikipedia (as good a source for this as anything else I found):

“The stretch of US 11 between I-76 and I-81 is known as the “Miracle Mile” since it contains plenty of traveler services including restaurants, gas stations, lodging, truck stops, shops, etc. There is no direct interchange between the two interstates, so travelers must use this stretch, or travel through downtown Carlisle, to get from one interstate to the other.”

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_11_in_Pennsylvania

The more common explanation I have heard regarding the name is that it got its name because it’s a miracle if you can get through the mile because of the traffic.  There’s some truth to that, but there’s plenty of exaggeration too.  Having lived in Washington, DC, even the Miracle Mile doesn’t see traffic like downtown DC or NYC.

Regardless of the reason for the name, it’s the name that this stretch of road has.

And it’s the stretch of road that also has a variety of people who are considered outcasts, expendable, unworthy, and worse.  It’s the stretch of road where there is homelessness, drug addiction, prostitution, sex and human trafficking, and immigration issues, among other challenges.  It’s the Miracle Mile – a place where it’s a miracle that people can drive through this stretch of road and completely ignore what happens there.  It’s a miracle that people can keep a blind eye to what goes on.

But what if that could change?  What if the Miracle Mile was known for something else – where miracles happen.

That’s what I think it can become.

That’s what God is calling on us to do.  To live out our faith, to create an environment where people can encounter Jesus and have their lives changed.  That would be a miracle.  To gather churches of different denominations together, agencies that deal with all sorts of challenges, businesses, etc.  All coming together to tackle the pervasive challenges that haunt the Miracle Mile.

What if the Miracle Mile were a miracle in our midst?  Not a miracle in the sense that you can get through it, but rather that it’s a miracle because people’s lives are changed – for the better.

Jesus is quoted as saying the following:

35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

(Matthew 25:35-40)

What if the miracle that God has in mind is right here in our midst? That those who are imprisoned in human trafficking, homelessness, and drug addiction are set free.  That those who are hungry are fed and the thirsty are given a drink of life-giving water.  That those who are widowed and alone have true companionship and community, that those who lack clothing are clothed, that those who are children would be loved and cared for, That those who are strangers are welcomed with hospitality, that those who have lost their humanity and dignity will have it restored.

That is the vision of what a miracle looks like.  That is what it means to live out the faith that we have been given.  That is what the kingdom of God looks like in our midst.  It’s not some distant, far off thing that we read about in the Bible.  It’s right here, just waiting to be unleashed.  And God is tapping us on the shoulder and saying, it’s time – it’s time for a miracle. It’s time for the Miracle Mile to be a miracle.

What do you think about…

13 Monday Feb 2017

Posted by in Politics, Society, Theology

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“What do you think about….”

That’s how the conversation started.  I was standing at the back of the church, as I always do, welcoming people as they came in.  One of the members of the congregation came in the door and said “What do you think about this whole immigration business.”  I wasn’t quite mentally ready for such a question.  I was expecting a “hello” first.  But that’s the way life is sometimes.

So I stammered a little bit, caught off guard.  “I…uh…well…” I was forming thoughts in my head but they weren’t ready to come out yet.  That’s when I stopped and realized, I have no idea what I was walking into.  So instead I responded by saying “Why do you ask?”

The gentleman proceeded to express his opinion about the matter, expressing fears that he had and questions that probably have no answer.  I just listened.  I felt compassion for him and I acknowledged the concerns that he had.

I don’t think he really wanted to hear my thoughts on immigration.  I think he needed someone to listen to him and the concerns and fears that he had.  In the end I never expressed what I thought about immigration.  It wasn’t necessary for me to.

But do I think about divisive issues we face in our country.  Issues like abortion, gay marriage, taxes, immigration, defense, the environment, foreign policy, the judiciary, etc.?

I have thoughts about each of these, but I’m coming to realize a few things – I’m a bit surprised by how long it has taken me to realize this.  I think that if we assume changing one law or policy is going to change the situation, we are fooling ourselves.

These issues are far more complicated than just having the proper law or policy.  There is no silver bullet that will solve all of our problems, even for one issue.

I think we place far too much trust and hope in our politicians and system of government to come up with the solutions to the problems we face.  I think we shift responsibility onto them to solve our problems for us.  That way we can either experience vicarious victory because they did what we like, or we get to whine and moan because they didn’t.

I think the more importance we place on our national political leaders, the further detached we are from the solutions.  I think we ceded our responsibility to act when we see an injustice around us or we expect someone else to help someone in need.  It’s their responsibility after all – that’s why we pay taxes right?

I think we think our role in society is to voice an opinion on every issue we are presented with and have a firm answer.  It’s what we expect of our elected officials to do, don’t we?

I think we think too short term because our attention spans are minuscule.  So many of these issues are long term and deal with historical trends, culture, and so much more – they are very complicated.  Yet we seem to expect that they can be reduced down to something so simple and clear.

I think we place our faith at the foot of partisan loyalties.  When the reverse should be true.

I think we forget that there are more options than just either being for something or against something.

Let’s take one complicated issue for example – abortion.  What do I believe about Roe v. Wade.  Am I for the law or want it overturned?  I think we spend far too much time fighting over the legality, rather than actually dealing with the situation.  I want to get society to a point where it doesn’t matter what the law is because we’ve changed society so that abortion isn’t even needed.  I want there to be unconditional support and love for mothers and their children so that whatever needs they have, they are taken care of. I want us to do that because we actually follow through on our belief that life is precious and to be cared for.  I want there to be a situation where our culture changes to support life at all stages because this is what we believe.  This requires a change in the whole culture though – from entertainment, to insurance, to health care, to work, to pay, to neighborhoods, to taxes, to everything else.  I think it’s real easy to sit around and debate a law and expect that a law is going to change people just because the law changes.  I think it’s far more difficult, but more worthwhile to see a change in our culture.  Maybe I’m just ignorant, but I see this as what we are called to.  I don’t think we are called to place all hope and salvation in the law.  Should we have laws, sure.  Should they change – if that will actually help.  Should we place more trust and hope in them than they deserve, no.  The law is just one piece of the puzzle.  Maybe it’s a start.  But so often it seems like once the law has changed the clamor for the issue at hand vanishes.  We changed a law, all of our problems must be solved.

I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t do anything on these issues because they are too big.  Instead, I’m arguing that the law is just one piece, one part.  And honestly, I’m not convinced it is the most important part.  How we live and interact is far more important I think. That goes beyond a law or policy.

Ellis Island

04 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by in Travel

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When you make the trip to the Statue of Liberty, you always end up at Ellis Island – the island that is now a museum.  It’s the site of where all immigrants coming to the US by boat through NYC came through.

Every one of them went through this hall when it was in operation:

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Over the years, this hall had many transformations, no different than our country has had transformations.  There were pictures of what looked like cattle stalls, benches, a stage and music, and finally abandonment.

I can only imagine what the building was like when it was at the height of its use.  You can almost hear all the varying languages.  You can almost see all the people, jammed in together hoping beyond hope to be able to stay.  You can almost smell the worry of people who came with only the shirt on their back not knowing what they would do if they did make it in.

One of the exhibits in he building tells some of the immigrants stories through the materials that came with them.  It’s quite fascinating. Here’s one shot from the exhibit.

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I chose this one because the copper pot is from Finland and well, Finland holds a special place in my heart.

In the building, there are other things that are marked, but I doubt most people even come close to realizing the significance.  Things like this stairway:

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On it’s own, you would never know that it is anything special.  There’s a marker on the side at the bottom of the steps.  It’s called the Stairway of Separation.

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Feel the tension from that description.

In many ways, Ellis Island is still a valid analogy for the United States.

Quote

24.06.2014 The…

25 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by in Finland

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24.06.2014 The decision regarding your application has been made. The authority concerned will contact you.

This is what I saw when I logged into the Finnish Immigration’s website to check on the status of our residence permit applications.  Talk about nerve-racking.  A decision has been made, but I’m sitting around waiting to see what the decision is.  I guess it needs to be in some sore of official letter or something.

I’m thinking that the decision is a positive one though.  We submitted the application.  Finns looked at it and asked for some supplemental information that involved some Apostille certifications.  I found out what an Apostille certification is, got what was needed and submitted the information with the proper certification.  The next day, the website tells me that a decision was made.  That should be good news right?

It should, yet my human nature is getting the best of me right now as I anxiously await what the decision is.  I know doing some exercise will help – it will keep my mind off of suspense.