Dear Editor: Regarding James Schwarzwalder’s letter (June 4), “Empathy for the Immigrants,” let’s be clear, no one has a “right” to come here just because they feel like it.
ISIS has told us it intends to get here with refugees, through drug routes and legally through JFK with visas printed on stolen legitimate machines.
When you come here on a visa, you sign a contract to go home… what’s with sympathy for these people, who overstay their visa?
It is not God’s work to commit national suicide. Previous waves of immigration had gaps as the new immigrants assimilated and became Americans. These new immigrants insist on their own flags and language.
We need to stop all immigration until we can control who is coming. This is not bigotry. It is the survival of the country I served in the military to defend.
TOM HACKERT
Whitestone
When discussing immigration in a Catholic paper such as The Tablet, perhaps you should consult Catholic teaching rather than rely on the talking points provided by cable news and your concern that the “survival of the country” is at stake. The ugliness of nativism is not the Christian way to address people less fortunate. Catholic concern for immigrants on the other hand, is rooted in Holy Writ, Christian tradition, and of course, charity.
The Catholic bishops website provides plenty of information on the topic.
http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/immigration/
The un-Christian sentiments expressed by several people writing in to The Tablet are very often in direct opposition of churh teaching and the messages of tolerance and mercy promoted by Pope Francis. Clearly The Tablet’s editorial staff supports these views as they publish these writers’ letters frequently. Perhaps more thought should be given as to what is published from readers in a Catholic newspaper. It may be time for the editors to ask themselves “What would Jesus write?”
The Tablet does not pretend to stand behind every writer, or even for that matter every column writer. We just hope to allow for open discourse for the benefit of society. We hope that when you read the letters it will help you better understand the perspective of others, for it is only through a listening ear and mutual understanding that we could ever hope to move forward.
It seems to me that the same readers are allowed to air their opinions over and over. Open discourse does not appear to be the objective of The Tablet’s Letters to the Editor section. Perhaps more thought should be given to spreading the Christian message that one would expect to find in a Catholic publication.