THE LINE FOR AMERICAN REFUGEE STATUS

If you’re an experienced refugee, it is better as an American refugee?

What does America expect of the new people showing up?

Be a good neighbor and learn the rules of the road.

About the road: if you drive a luxury car with vanity plates you need auto insurance. If you don’t, you’re not following the rules of the road.

Further, if you hit another car, give that driver a concussion, then threaten to sue for damage to  your uninsured car, not only are you not following the rules of the road, you’re not a good neighbor.

With that in mind, which refugee/immigrant groups would you welcome to America before others. And which group would be least welcome?

The Syrians of 2015 top many lists as least welcome in places other than America. To be an American refugee means crossing a bigger body of water.

A despot willing to sacrifice their nation to stay in power taints everyone within the borders, and when they leave.

The idea of halting Syrian re-settlement got plenty of backlash until researchers uncovered President Carter’s Iranian policy after their revolution.

Why the Carter program? Because of another despot ruling a nation in transition.

Today’s Syrians and 1980 Persians might share a similar road to American refugee status.

Who are others to consider?

If you’ve seen Gangs of New York then you know how hard life was for Irish newcomers. The same with Sicilians in Godfather II.

If movies are a glimpse into history, those two films show a harsh reality.

How would ax toting Irishmen and gun wielding Sicilians do in today’s climate?

Did the Vietnamese ‘boat people’ refugees create the same conflicts as Syrians? Different times and different people, but the same drive.

The biggest difference is not knowing who is willing to pump bullets into helpless people or model the explosive vest. Both are signs of a bad neighbor.

Who are the refugees America welcomed?

If you were a German scientist in the Nazi era, America wanted you and your knowledge of nuclear physics. If you were a Nazi rocket scientist, America wanted you after WWII.

The first group helped build the world’s first nuclear arsenal; the second developed a missile delivery system. Together they created the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. And just in time.

Another under-appreciated group of new comers from WWII were the war brides of U.S. servicemen, as well as citizens of Europe living in their bombed to hell land.

Ladies from England and France brought their continental culture with them. Many banded together in groups like Daughters of the British Empire to retain their fading way of life from the old country.

If Syria produces the sort of refugees who adapt to American ways instead of tearing things down, will they be any different than the others?

Comments welcome.