‘Simple’ solution anything but

A recent Sound Off! comment noted that undocumented immigrants could alleviate their fears by just becoming documented, and asked for an explanation “why this simple solution doesn’t work.” The solution is anything but simple.

For most of us who are native-born citizens, our ancestors came to this country before there were any immigration laws; hence, there was no “wrong” or illegal entry. Today, current law allows for four legal entry methods.

1. Employment-based immigration: Reserved for immigrants who are highly skilled and/or highly educated (mostly medical professionals, college professors and technology experts). Low-wage workers need not apply.

2. Family-based immigration: Lawful Permanent Residents may petition for family members to be allowed in, although the waiting period can be upwards of six years. Also, no single country is allowed to have more than 7 percent of family-based visas in any year.

3. Diversity Immigration: Similar to a lottery, but people from countries already having the highest number of immigrants here are not eligible.

4. Refugee and Asylum: Applies to people fleeing home countries due to fear of persecution and war. We traditionally allow the fewest number of immigrants into our country via this status.

Immigrants waiting their turn and doing it the “right way” sounds reasonable, except that for most, there just is no right way possible. The door has been bolted shut and the welcome mat pulled inside for most low-skilled workers.

For more information, please read "Welcoming the Stranger" by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Hwang. Written from a Christian perspective, this book examines the history of immigration laws along with the value of immigrants.

We are all, including Native Americans, products of immigration, and we’re a much better country because of it.

Doctrinal details

It’s true, early Christians did miss, and the canonical gospels don’t mention, the story of Mary’s “Miracle of Fidelity.” It’s also true the account appears centuries later, in the Quran (written from 609 to 632 A.D., by Mohammed). He died in 632 A.D., and is buried in Mecca, where millions gather at his grave to honor him.

Ultimately, Mary needs no miracle to prove her fidelity to anyone. The Bible prophesied that a virgin would conceive, and bear Immanuel, “God With Us.” She accepted that role (Mary’s Magnificat, Luke 1). Jesus was more than a prophet; the Bible emphasizes Jesus as the final revelation of God to man (Hebrews 1:1-3).

History often produces ironies. A man, now buried in Mecca, had (even by sympathetic accounts) nine, maybe more wives. He records a story of the virgin Mary’s fidelity in the birth of sinless Jesus, whose grave is empty.

Pause button

At what point do we say an area is “overdeveloped”? I’m not against growth or advancement, but it seems there are more and more pristine areas falling victim to the bulldozer, while southern areas of the city languish and decay, with higher crime rates and the exodus of businesses and residents. I’m not sure how many apartment complexes, condos and the like Columbus can support; they could be built in South Columbus, but then who would rent them, and for what price? We built a lot of housing, expecting an influx of personnel to Fort Benning, and what did we get but the opposite.

I’m more in favor of renovation and restoration of some of our historic or unused structures rather than clear-cutting another area for financial gain. When I first saw the Chattahoochee River (a lot of years ago) my comment was something to the effect that “does anyone in this town realize what they’ve got here?” This was before the Riverwalk was even thought about, and you made sure your car doors were locked if you had to drive through Phenix City.

Then, some forward thinking people, some with whom I had the pleasure of associating, made things begin to happen, very slowly at first. Somewhere in there things exploded and everybody was jumping on the bandwagon. The restaurants downtown are nice, but how many will last? Maybe it’s time to take a step back and look at what we’re really doing.

Living history

Seeking to honor our Vietnam veterans through the preservation of their life stories, Auburn High School students are inviting Vietnam veterans to join them at the National Infantry Museum Tuesday, March 28, for oral history interviews. Student volunteers, following a one-month study of the Vietnam War, will be conducting these interviews with copies given to the participating veteran as well as, with their permission, to the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.

Interviews will be audio-recorded and last up to 90 minutes; the questions asked are open-ended, allowing veterans to choose individual stories and details they wish to share. Through this event, students hope to be able to honor the courage, service, sacrifices, and character of Vietnam veterans through learning more about their lived experience.

Interview sessions are being offered at 9:45 a.m. as well as 1 p.m. EST. Those wishing to participate or learn more about this event can contact Dr. Blake Busbin, Auburn High history teacher, at wbbusbin@auburnschools.org or by calling Auburn High School at (334) 887-4970.

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 1:22 PM with the headline "‘Simple’ solution anything but."