To the editor:
As we receive news and current events, whether by TV, newspaper or off the internet, we are bombarded with reports of illegal aliens at the southern border and cries to secure the borders.
My heart cries out for the lives of these thousands of people. Why and what encouraged them to walk the extreme distance from their homeland to our backdoor?
Then I look and see refugees everywhere across the globe. We must modify our immigration laws to find a way to integrate these masses of people struggling to find some form of security into our country.
If we look at our planet from outer space, we soon notice there are no fences or walls visible. Borders are a human invention and change with every generation. I have to ask what all these people are running from and what they are running to. Much of the answer is how governments around the world address the rights and freedom of the people.
Most people care little about politics or who or what style of government they have. They just desire to raise their family in security with the resources that are available to them.
America is a blend of all the ethnic cultures in the world. This diversity gives us a blend of cultures, thinking and lifestyles that is the strength of our country.
Diversity and equality mean different things to different people. In a free society such as ours, it is our strength, but assuring equality in diversity is difficult. Depending on how you describe a group or individual will show where they fit in the normal six sigma bell curve of society.
What is considered normal depends on your viewpoint and where you stand. There is no one-size-fits-all society. Ethnic and racial issues differ by the environment in which you grew up and have lived. Hormones and DNA may dictate our view on the importance of gender rights.
What is important is that all people have the same opportunity to live freely with equal access to all that society has to offer. What freedom does not say is that one segment of society has a right to impose their opinions and lifestyles on others.
When we legislate and mandate regulations within our communities, we must view that bell curve of what seems to be normal mindful of what may be offensive or a hardship for that fringe group, and then determine if there is a reasonable way to accommodate them and to bring them along.
William Gerhard, Scipio