Why is this Syrian refugee issue so black and white? On both sides?

[LettuceSea]

Bash me all you want, but I am concerned about the safety of our country, and if we are effectively able to properly vet refugees from any country, because it's becoming obvious that it's very, very difficult to do so. It just feels like we are trying to jam a square peg into a round hole primarily based on legacy concerns.

Can we find a middle ground solution to this? Is there a way to be benevolent but not naively idealistic?

It would be terrible to allow refugees to continue to suffer under oppressive rule. And considering the resources the US and Europe have, they don't have to. But there are far more solutions than than the unnuanced "let 'em all in! Remember WW2? have a heart!"

I am all for keeping Syrian refugees out of harm's way, but it will cost billions of dollars, far more man power, and concerns of violence, hate crimes, and more divide in our country if we dump them into American society. But if we don't go this far, many will label those that disagree as xenophobes who are taking the bait.

What are the alternative solutions beyond this black and white pissing match?

I don't have the answer, maybe you guys do. I just hope that we all take a deep breath, and look at all viewpoints here. The WORST thing we can do is try to make this a one answer solution within the party, and criticize and blast anyone who disagrees. That's how you close the tent.

[edhopper]

1. Okay slowly

THE TERRORISTS IN FRANCE WERE FRENCH, NOT REFUGEES.

[LettuceSea]

4. All of them? Thank you for proving my point

Too quick to entrench...

[Abouttime]

11. Right wing home grown extremists

Just like the terrorists here in the USA, we even have our own hate preachers, limpball and his ilk.
What really needs to be stressed is that we caused this refugee crisis, by invading Iraq and primarily by changing the climate due to our own short sided behavior, burning massive amounts of fossil fuels and squandering the resources of the Middle East.
Look in the mirror fellow Americans, these unfortunate refugees are a direct result of our lifestyle.

[el_bryanto]

2. I think if your problem is that people need to be more willing to come up with reasonable solutions

You should probably go talk to the people who are blocking the refugees. I am fairly certain that most people on the left would happily discuss safeguards and means to see that they are taken care of and not just dumped into society. It strikes me that people on the right are more likely to just shut down discussion of how we might approach this issue.

Bryant

[LettuceSea]

5. I think both sides get caught up in the game

RW: shut the boarders down Keep those bastards out of 'Murica!

LW: You have no soul! Make it 65k refugees!

Maybe it's just bound to happen due to this emotional tragic circumstance, but I'm looking for some level headed middle ground leadership to emerge. I don't care what side it comes from, hopefully D.

[GreatGazoo]

3. what if none of the attackers were Syrian refugees?

and this narrative is just a way for RWers to attack others as 'soft on terror' or whatever?

Belgian and French born muslim extremists:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/11/what-we-know-about-the-paris-attackers.html#

[LanternWaste]

6. Act with humanity

"What are the alternative solutions beyond this black and white pissing match? "
Act with humanity. We all of us know precisely what ethical behavior demands of us. The particulars are up to you. All else is simply rationalizing reasons not to act in an ethical manner, regardless of whether we call that naive or allege without evidence that it's closing the door to any dialogue or metaphorical tents.



"Why is this Syrian refugee issue so black and white?"
Projecting the very nuance you yourself propose, it may also read thus: "Why is this issue of hungry, sick, poor people escaping a war-torn landscape offering no future so black and white?"



"...criticize and blast anyone who disagrees."
Nuance indeed. I do not see the Democratic party offering one and only one solution, nor do I see it criticizing with any who disagrees merely for the sake of criticizing.

[LettuceSea]

8. Your responses are meant to elicit biased emotion ;)

Having said that, you make some good points that are difficult to refute.

Yes it is a sad situation...something we probably will never have to go through.

But I get concerned when we take that emotion and rationalize it into "we need to stand by our ideals let them all in." Not sure if that was where you were going next, but I've seen a lot of that these past 2 days.

If you look at the board today, pretty much anyone who questions the "let em in" approach is getting labeled as a coward and a sucker. Personally, I fail to see why letting 65k refugees into the US is the absolute requirement to keeping them safe. Is that the only way to keep them safe? It seems inefficient and riskier from both an expense, coalition and national security standpoint. I can be convinced otherwise...but haven't yet seen a solid retort that doesn't play off of idealism and emotion. And playing off of emotion is exactly what the GOP is doing, just in a far more disgusting way. We're better than that.

This is our opportunity (and our candidates) to show that we're better at reaching solutions and listening to all sides on this terrible problem.

[earthside]

7. Knee-jerk liberalism.

It concerns me greatly to see increasingly a disdain for varied opinions and voices in these activist liberal/Democratic social media venues.

There is a tendency to put everything in black-and-white, us against them terms even among 'liberals'.

I don't think this bodes well for the country and I am more and more worried that Democrats are on the verge of clutching defeat from the jaws of victory by pandering to the more extreme elements of American liberal politics right now.

I personally am very progressive, but something is wrong when you can't use certain terms on DU without being 'alerted' or castigated as some kind of bigot or hater. I like a reasonable, open, tolerant discussion that includes various point of view, but I'm seeing that as a rarer and rarer thing here.

There are other liberal perspectives on the Syrian refugee issue, there are other progressive points of view about the state of Islam in the Middle East and the world, there are Democrats who have legitimate questions about free speech, BLM and college activists, etc.

I hope that the liberals/progressives/Democrats can stick to reason and logic and tolerance even here in the rarefied pixeled world of DU.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. They should be treated like other immigrants. Allowed in the country and

obligated to follow the countries laws. If they don't, they should be prosecuted like any other citizen.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

10. I have heard many American generals --

both active and retired -- as, well as security experts say that they had confidence in the high quality of our refugee process, and felt that Syrian refugees should absolutely be let in.

The day that America refuses to take in new immigrants, refugees, or asylum seekers is the day we should just admit our talk about the greatness of our country is all utter bullshit.

And if that means "closing the tent", I'd much rather have a smaller tent and reach out to all our new citizens to make it larger again.