Sorry, but I'm not buying into the attempt to shame Americans into accepting hordes of Syrian refugees.
This could have major implications for Florida, and the nation, and it is too important to succumb to appeals to emotion.
Those who want to open the borders say that it is “un-American” to refuse Syrian refugees. “That's not who we are” is one formulation.
To the contrary. It is exactly who we are. America takes in more immigrants and refugees than any other country. It also provides more help to them on site wherever there is a problem that causes refugees.
But it does not mean any and all refugees belong here. Government's No. 1 job is to protect American citizens. It doesn't do the job when it has open borders that anyone can cross.
The arguments of intolerance and racism hold no water either. At some point tolerance becomes stupidity. Radical Muslims who want to destroy this country have made it clear that they would use our own high capacity for tolerance against us, by infiltrating, building huge populations and then taking over.
This is precisely what is happening in Europe. When someone tells you what they intend to do, you should believe them, especially if it is an existential threat.
Mark Steyn's book "America Alone" demonstrated the demographic plight. European countries have a low birthrate. Muslims move in and, with males having multiple wives, they have a high birthrate. They are taking over nations just by breeding.
Minneapolis welcomed Somalian refugees and now that city has become a major recruiting center for Islamic extremists.
No place in Florida is safe now, including Jacksonville.
I'm also skeptical of the claim that it is just a few radicals who present a threat. There are 1.5 billion Muslims. If only a few are murderous barbarians who kill other Muslims when they can't find Christians or Jews to kill and the rest don't support them, then why are there not large Muslim armies in the field opposing the barbarians?
It isn't as if the refugees have nowhere to go. Muslim nations have millions of square miles of empty land and billions of dollars from oil revenue. It strains credulity to say Muslims don't have room for 10,000 more Muslims and they must come to America.
Two-thirds of Americans oppose the move. They aren't fooled.
Let's see how tolerant other Americans are -- especially those in Hollywood -- when new Muslim majorities want to stone to death women who commit adultery and throw homosexuals from tall buildings.
Americans have nothing to be ashamed about when they choose to protect the homeland rather than introduce large numbers of people with customs and traditions that are not compatible with America's.
Let them do as they wish in their own land, but this is the home of freedom, tolerance and compassion. Let's see if the large numbers of people already admitted assimilate peacefully before we continue allowing them to stream into our nation.
Lloyd Brown was in the newspaper business nearly 50 years, beginning as a copy boy and retiring as editorial page editor of the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. After retirement he served as a policy analyst for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
