Reclaim our country from xenophobes

Bob Stone's letter urging exclusion of Syrian refugees is a near perfect set-up for the opposite view.

He contrasts immigrants who settled this country from would-be present day immigrants by saying the originals didn't kill anybody or destroy the existing form of government. Perhaps he missed the part of his history class that described killing of tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of Native Americans by those original immigrants, and the systematic destruction of not only the form of government but the entire culture of the people that were here before them.

Current immigrants, in overwhelming majority, seem intent on peaceful assimilation.

As has been repeatedly noted, recent acts of terrorism in this country, have not been committed by Syrians, but mostly by white American citizens. Of course we should do what we can to protect against a very real threat. Singling out a particular country or religion is ineffective and wildly dishonest.

He urges us to not "give away our country". I agree. Let's say no to the 30 hysterical governors and most of the Republican presidential candidates who would exclude thoroughly vetted immigrants from a single country or practitioners of a single religion. Rejecting this damaging assault on our fundamental values would strengthen our country. Let's not give our country away to the xenophobes.

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 9:22 AM with the headline "Reclaim our country from xenophobes."