Jersey Girl wrote:What are your thoughts on this? The caravan we've read about and seen in the news. Folks coming up from Honduras to get away from gang activity there and see asylum in the US. I read the story of one woman's journey, she was pregnant and traveling with her 2 young children. There were times during the journey where they went hungry and were grateful where in one town, someone gave the boys apples. The journey north to the US was fraught with struggle and hardship.
this does not justify anything and certainly "pity" is not an appropriate measure for political asylum.
Jersey Girl wrote:This is where my thoughts begin to compete with each other. On one hand, I don't want to see people living with violence unleashed. I want folks (particularly parents with children) to live a good life of work, self satisfaction and personal growth, reaching their potential inasmuch is possible. I don't want to see children's development impacted by sustained violence.
When on the other hand...some part of me says "Are we actually relieving their country of origin of it's responsibility to it's citizens? What can we do to pressure this country to improve the circumstances therein?"
violence begets violence?
Jersey Girl wrote:When are we our brothers keeper and is there a point at which we should not be our brother's keeper?
be careful with Old Testament references in a New Testament world, you may not like where they conclude. Nevertheless, robbing Peter to pay Paul ain't good policy either. At what point do teach the man to fish?
Jersey Girl wrote:Of course I don't know the history of the violence in that country, but there is an example of my competing thoughts. I don't see a solid conclusion or solution.
you ask above about "how to pressure this country?"... when do you tell citizens to run and when do you tell them to stay and fight?
A country does not become non-violent when that violence is victorious.