Do the next right thing.
I appreciate calm discussion. I am horrified that ICE killed a man whom they had already subdued. It was horrible to see. I know people who have come to the United States as refugees, fleeing terrible conditions where they came from. If the legal immigration process actually worked, was properly funded and utilized, we would still have ICE--because the current leaders of our country have decided that anyone not a full citizen cannot stay here. This idea is opposed to all that the United States stands for. Everyone here came from somewhere else; yes, the ancestors of the First Peoples came over too. I believe the Book of Mormon; in it God says that many of those who come here are moved by the Spirit of God. There are people who come specifically to hurt us--which is not very many people compared to the number who want to come to improve their own lives. Yes, we need to hold immigrants accountable for their behavior. We also need to hold ourselves and each other accountable. ICE messed up. Trump and his supporters have determined to get rid of everyone who is not a full citizen, and have even tried to eliminate birthright citizenship--so kiss your citizenship goodbye, friends. You were born here, but that isn't good enough for them. We must fight against this overreach. We were born here; we are citizens. And we need to extend the rights of citizenship to those who are willing and able to commit to support our rights as spelled out in the Constitution, including the right to peaceably assemble, the right to attend church or not as we please, the right to carry weapons, the right to defend ourselves and our property--including in court, the right to be safe from random searches, the right to be safe from seizure of our property and our children.
Those who violate those rights must be held accountable; if our executive branch of government is not holding their own people accountable, if our executive branch is actively encouraging breaking the laws, actively violating our rights without legal recourse or rebuttal, then the executive branch must be resisted. I do not want to wait until they come for me; I want to take action now.
What I personally can do: I am trying to be kind, to gain true information, to listen, to hug, to inform others when I get information. I want to encourage obeying the laws of the land, but I want both justice and mercy for those who break the laws. Only God can give that fully. We need to forgive, which does not mean condone; we need to hold accountable, educate, and try again. We need to allow logical consequences, including anger and resistance. We need to pray with every fiber of our being: God have mercy on us and help us learn to lift and help each other instead of tear down. Help us respect each other's rights to life and liberty; help us defend our lives and our liberty, and help us keep that property that should be kept and let go of what should not. Help us welcome those who think and act differently, who look and sound different, who have different priorities and values; help us look beyond their differences to see YOUR Children, God our Father. Help us be humble and help us learn and remember. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, the one who redeems us with His own life blood, Amen.
