Syrian Refugee Crisis

Q

QuickSilver

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How many should the USA and Canada take in? Or should we NOT?

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/04/syrian-refugee-crisis-why-has-it-become-so-bad

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/11/syria-war-assad-starvation-hunger


turkey-syria-accident-refugees.jpg
 

Our PM is refusing to increase the number of refugees that Australia will accept. He says he has already increased the intake by 4,400 but fails to mention that last year he reduced the number from 20,000 to 13,750, which means we are still taking less this year overall.

This is a disgraceful effort for a country as wealthy as Australia that also has a history of accepting and absorbing migrants and refugees from all parts of the globe.
I cannot see any reason why we couldn't absorb 50,000 refugees per annum for the next 10 years.

The image of that poor drowned little boy has touched many hearts over here, including those of some members of the government.
Unfortunately, the leadership is not for turning.
 
My heart's been changed a lot over the last year, and I feel people need to be helping the less fortunate. I think for me, I "fear" too much, I'm afraid if I "give" I won't have enough for myself. I think that is bs now, although there are times I fear again. I feel helping folks only makes us stronger, not weaker. Not that we would want to help for purely selfish reasons. Maybe if we all "try" to put ourselves in other's shoes we could open our doors with less fear.
 

One way of helping the refugees in Calais............

[h=2]The business manager, Belfast[/h]Richard Snape describes himself as “a capitalist, really” and has “never, ever, ever” done anything like this before, but the photograph of Aylan Kurdi lying on a Turkish beach was “the light switch”, he says. “Before, I was aware it was going on, obviously, but that was the switch. This is happening on our doorstep. This is humanity.”
The manager of a wooden floor company in Belfast, he has access to a van and storage space in the city, so on Thursday evening he put a note on his Facebook page asking people to drop off items that he could drive to the camps in Calais early next week. He then booked a ferry. By Friday morning, two other businesses had offered to drive behind him in convoy, one promising to fill a 7.5-tonne lorry.
“I’m going to take my van to Calais on Monday, drop a full load of tents, batteries, stuff like that, then do a few runs to a cash-and-carry dependent on what else they need, and then I’m going to come back again.

“I’m not looking to save the world by any stretch. But I think I can make a difference to 20 or 30 people in dire need, and I’m happy with that.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-aid-for-calais-refugees-into-their-own-hands
 
I'm Hoping the USA takes some.. If we don't... so much for the "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
 
QS to get back to your original question.....How many should the USA and Canada take in? Or should we NOT? ........I am sorry I am not in the position to answer that question with living in the U.K., what I can say though is, I am glad that there is help from the U.K. in whichever form it takes.
 
nwlady said:
My heart's been changed a lot over the last year, and I feel people need to be helping the less fortunate. I think for me, I "fear" too much, I'm afraid if I "give" I won't have enough for myself. I think that is bs now, although there are times I fear again. I feel helping folks only makes us stronger, not weaker. Not that we would want to help for purely selfish reasons. Maybe if we all "try" to put ourselves in other's shoes we could open our doors with less fear.
Click to expand...


Great thoughts Denise. All we need to do is open up our imaginations to the 'what if's'. What if it was me living in a country where my government was fighting against someone and I was the collateral damage. What if it was me, loading up my two little girls onto an inflatable boat and heading out to sea to try to save their lives. What if it was me, sitting there with my dying child cradled in my arms while the bombs fell around me.....what if, what if, what if! Would I not be hoping against hope that someone, somewhere would care enough to at least try to help!
 
Bee said:
One way of helping the refugees in Calais............

The business manager, Belfast

Richard Snape describes himself as “a capitalist, really” and has “never, ever, ever” done anything like this before, but the photograph of Aylan Kurdi lying on a Turkish beach was “the light switch”, he says. “Before, I was aware it was going on, obviously, but that was the switch. This is happening on our doorstep. This is humanity.”
The manager of a wooden floor company in Belfast, he has access to a van and storage space in the city, so on Thursday evening he put a note on his Facebook page asking people to drop off items that he could drive to the camps in Calais early next week. He then booked a ferry. By Friday morning, two other businesses had offered to drive behind him in convoy, one promising to fill a 7.5-tonne lorry.
“I’m going to take my van to Calais on Monday, drop a full load of tents, batteries, stuff like that, then do a few runs to a cash-and-carry dependent on what else they need, and then I’m going to come back again.

“I’m not looking to save the world by any stretch. But I think I can make a difference to 20 or 30 people in dire need, and I’m happy with that.”

http://www.theguardian.com/world/20...-aid-for-calais-refugees-into-their-own-hands
Click to expand...

This is really the ticket, doing what we can individually, and it doesn't have to be front-page news, giving millions. This guy is my kind of person, and there are so many folks doing the right thing. Thank you so much for the uplifting article. It encourages me to get off my butt, and do what I can, maybe just in the house I live in, maybe just down the street;) but there is always something we can do:) denise
 
Bee said:
QS to get back to your original question.....How many should the USA and Canada take in? Or should we NOT? ........I am sorry I am not in the position to answer that question with living in the U.K., what I can say though is, I am glad that there is help from the U.K. in whichever form it takes.
Click to expand...
I wandered off the OP, apologies.

Numbers, I haven't a clue. I do think we need to be taking in though, for sure;)
 
Our Prime Minister is under extreme pressure to step up and take in a considerable number of refugees. Being as we go to the poll for a federal election month, hopefully he will stop dragging his feet. I would like us to take at least five thousand.
 
Debby said:
Great thoughts Denise. All we need to do is open up our imaginations to the 'what if's'. What if it was me living in a country where my government was fighting against someone and I was the collateral damage. What if it was me, loading up my two little girls onto an inflatable boat and heading out to sea to try to save their lives. What if it was me, sitting there with my dying child cradled in my arms while the bombs fell around me.....what if, what if, what if! Would I not be hoping against hope that someone, somewhere would care enough to at least try to help!
Click to expand...

I think both countries have space to spare, it's managing it so folks aren't just put somewhere without a way to survive, and start their lives over in a new place.
 
The US and Canada should take in as many as they can legally, using existing laws and processes in place. Increase the budget for immigration enforcement but any country has got to be careful about unregulated unbridled immigration. I see why many European countries are leery of the large numbers that are coming in at once. This is where organizations like the UN should be screaming. The problems or motivations for these mass migration need to be addressed. By going elsewhere the problem is just being shifted or left unaddressed.
 
I don't know how many the US has taken in so far, but in Canada, we've taken in 2400 apparently over the course of a year while the government is now agreeing (in principal) to allowing a total of 20,000.

But one of our elected officials reminded us that when the Vietnamese boat people were trying to get to Canada by sea and dying in the process, we finally got off our buttes and took in 60,000 and we did it by sending immigration staff directly to them and facilitating their move instead of making it such a beurocratic nightmare that it took longer than those people had. We did it then, why can't we do it now? Germany has so far taken in 800,000! Compared to our 2400? Shameful and especially as Germany is a much smaller country than Canada!

It also seems to me, and maybe I'm being immensely naive, when we save these peoples lives, for the most part we have just made the first step towards adding another grateful and loyal citizen to our ranks.
 
ditto on all you said, but especially your last sentence Debby. I couldn't agree more. God knows we could use more folks that would be grateful (I hope) and loyal to our countries. Instead of fighting against what may be a true blessing to our country, accept them with open arms. I don't know, I just see things changing for the worst in the world, including the US, maybe this is something that might help us more than it helps the refugees/immigrants.
 
Debby said:
I don't know how many the US has taken in so far, but in Canada, we've taken in 2400 apparently over the course of a year while the government is now agreeing (in principal) to allowing a total of 20,000.

But one of our elected officials reminded us that when the Vietnamese boat people were trying to get to Canada by sea and dying in the process, we finally got off our buttes and took in 60,000 and we did it by sending immigration staff directly to them and facilitating their move instead of making it such a beurocratic nightmare that it took longer than those people had. We did it then, why can't we do it now? Germany has so far taken in 800,000! Compared to our 2400? Shameful and especially as Germany is a much smaller country than Canada!

It also seems to me, and maybe I'm being immensely naive, when we save these peoples lives, for the most part we have just made the first step towards adding another grateful and loyal citizen to our ranks.
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My thoughts too. We also absorbed thousands of Chinese students overnight after Tiananmen Square by simply declaring that they could have permanent visas. Where there is a will there is a way but our current government has been playing on people's xenophobia and while the people may be feeling compassionate, the leadership is lacking. The money we are spending pushing people away from our shores could be better spent sending officers to the camps to process people and facilitate their transfer to Australia.

I agree that the best migrants are desperate people in need of refuge and acceptance.
 
QuickSilver said:
I'm Hoping the USA takes some.. If we don't... so much for the "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
Click to expand...

It seems to me that the U.S. has its hands full just trying to absorb and take care of the constant flow of "immigrants" flowing across our Southern border from South and Central American nations. This flood of Middle Eastern immigrants trying to enter Europe, is going to create some massive problems....both financial and social...for the European nations, in coming years. There are thousands of Africans flooding into Morocco trying to find their way into Spain.

The U.K, is already feeling some stress from the Muslim influence in recent years....and there are Muslim factions whose primary goal is a complete takeover of the British government.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31834549

Germany and Austria, with their open invitation to these Syrian refugees, is going to find that decision coming back to haunt them.

While it is certainly a tragedy to see all these people being displaced...it is just a portent of things to come. This is just the beginning of a massive movement of poor people fleeing corrupt and failed nations, and heading for the more stable countries. As a result, the nations taking these people in will be increasingly unable to support them, and their existing populations will begin to suffer from the decrease in their traditional support programs. As the populations of these disadvantaged people continue to expand substantially, it is going to result in a decrease in the quality of life for everyone.
 
Are you saying the USA cannot do anything... we are too poor... and the undocumented workers are causing us to NOT be able to help with the Syrian refugees? Is that what you are saying???
 
Don M. said:
It seems to me that the U.S. has its hands full just trying to absorb and take care of the constant flow of "immigrants" flowing across our Southern border from South and Central American nations. This flood of Middle Eastern immigrants trying to enter Europe, is going to create some massive problems....both financial and social...for the European nations, in coming years. There are thousands of Africans flooding into Morocco trying to find their way into Spain.

The U.K, is already feeling some stress from the Muslim influence in recent years....and there are Muslim factions whose primary goal is a complete takeover of the British government.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-31834549

Germany and Austria, with their open invitation to these Syrian refugees, is going to find that decision coming back to haunt them.

While it is certainly a tragedy to see all these people being displaced...it is just a portent of things to come. This is just the beginning of a massive movement of poor people fleeing corrupt and failed nations, and heading for the more stable countries. As a result, the nations taking these people in will be increasingly unable to support them, and their existing populations will begin to suffer from the decrease in their traditional support programs. As the populations of these disadvantaged people continue to expand substantially, it is going to result in a decrease in the quality of life for everyone.
Click to expand...

The following is the sentence that stood out for me from your link...........The umbrella body, the Muslim Council of Britain, has not signed the letter.............and that is good enough for me if The Muslim Council of Britain hasn't signed that letter, that tells me they do not agree with it and I would rather take notice of them than those that did sign that letter especially Yvonne Ridley and the political party she used to belong to.
 
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Bee, I agree with you wholeheartedly. Literally, one can choose to nitpick these refugees to death by such actions. There will always be excuses not to help. I am not a Christian, but a dear friend who is, refers to this approach as Phariseeitis. Sad.
 

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