Policy was unAmerican

I, like a majority of Americans, am horrified by the policy of separating children from parents who are apprehended at the border. This is inhumane and does not in any way reflect on American values. This policy is not a result of Democrats failure to go along with draconian zero tolerance immigration reform proposed by our President. Trump himself, realizing the overwhelming disgust at his policy, reversed it easily himself. Nor does the Bible, as Pence claims, call for us to follow what our leaders tell us to do. This passage was used by supporters of slavery to justify slavery and by German Lutherans to encourage support of the then Hitler tyranny. Nor is the policy a result of “complications from previous court decisions,” as (Rep. Greg) Walden claims.

No this policy stems from an utter lack of basic human decency. Immigrants are not “infesting” America as Trump claims — they simply are desperate humans fleeing awful situations and deserve better treatment than what we have been subjecting them to. We are a nation of immigrants! Have we Americans forgot the first line inscribed on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor”?

It is not the immigrants who are bringing America down. It is the white supremacists, the ignorant, who, emboldened with the current administration’s racism and disregard for immigrants, are like rats set free, destroying our open and welcoming culture. We are better than this!

Rick Tietz

Bend

Let it go, Bill

Seeing former President Bill Clinton doing his best to promote his new book written in collaboration with James Patterson was hard to watch. After so many years since the scandal of his relationship with Monica Lewinsky he still seems to be parsing words and phrases from the sad days of the affair. It has been over 20 years, and Bill is still stuck on his mode of being a politician.

In these days of the #metoo movement hardly anyone can escape the scrutiny of public and sometimes legal judgment and that is good. But hardly is the operative word since we have someone in the White House who not only brags about his ability to “grab ‘em by the … ” but continues to stoke the fires that somehow seem to grant him immunity to any kind of backlash, political or otherwise.

I wish Bill Clinton could be as clean with his apologies as he was good as a politician. Heck the guy did an amazing job, left the country with great prosperity and opportunity but has been unable to conquer his need to remain “above the fray.” Let it go, Bill; your time in the limelight is past; you can leave a legacy of decency through a thorough examination of your life so that young and bright up and comers can learn from you. That would be your ultimate political gift to … say, the super bright possible next president of the United States Gavin Newsome?

Carlos Wysling

Bend

Changing prejudice

Regarding the recent letter about how to change prejudice in this time of increased intolerance and racism nationally:

Change starts with us. Being white in a majority white community like Bend, it’s hard to see our own prejudices. We do so when we recognize how privileged we are by a society that values and advantages whiteness. “Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race,” by Debby Irving is one book that helped me understand this dynamic.

We can change attitudes through education. We must educate ourselves and our children to know: we are all part of the “us” that is the human family; definitions of race are social constructs not supported by scientific evidence; the U.S. has a history of enslaving people of color and destroying indigenous cultures; systemic racism exists at every level of our social system; and prejudice and racism continue to exist here in Bend.

Efforts are underway to address prejudice. Not In Our Town seeks to be proactive rather than reactive to racism. The Restorative Justice & Equity group, the local school district, and the Latinx and Afrocentric Studies Clubs at COCC were planning a Town Hall on racism for high school students of color for October. The Latino Community Association and the Immigration Solidarity Network would both welcome your support. The community book read associated with COCC’s Season of Non-Violence is a way to join with like-minded people who want to create an accepting community.

Change begins with individuals who are unwilling to accept the status quo and who believe change is possible.

Beth Hoover

Bend