I have seen a lot of proselytizing lately, mostly by the
conservative religious right, stating things like: “Veterans should come before
migrants!” or “Veterans needs should come before illegals!” As a United States
citizen you would be hard-pressed to disagree; and if you did, you more than
likely will be labeled a liberal kook, or worse yet, an ISIS sympathizer. While
this propaganda machine steamrolls along, and so many angry individuals hitching
their patriotic wagons to it, I wonder if they have ever considered that this
just might be a political trick bag?
False Dichotomy/Trilemma
We Americans really do pride ourselves on our black and
white thinking when it comes to issues such as these. In this case it must be
as simple making a choice between Veterans or Immigrants; or Veterans or
Illegals? Or if you want throw them all together and have a nice false trilemma
we could say that we have to choose between Veterans, Immigrants or Illegals?
Please tell me that we have risen above these either or/s scenarios?
A Hard Truth
Having worked with a great number of homeless Veterans, in both a professional and a volunteer capacity over the last two decades, I will let you in on a little known secret: Not all homeless Veterans want help (especially from the government). I spoke with hundreds of Vets who basically told me that the wars our government sent them to broke them- and they really don’t want anything more from it! Others told me that being homeless was their last bastion of freedom. They understood that they were not capable of entering the workforce, nor did they have any desire to. Also, many of these veterans associated getting help with a loss of individual freedom; they feared being forced to take medication and being reduced to a simple diagnosis or a number. Funny how a lot of vets felt reduced to being a serial number, or a mere “Government Issue”, during times of war.
The Christian Dilemma
In closing, I wish to speak to those who identify as a
Christian…and by Christian I mean “follower of Jesus Christ”- as opposed to those
who pray at the altar of Nationalism or use the phrase “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” on a daily basis. To the followers of Christ I would just ask
that we take some time and consider the hurting, whether they be foreign or
domestic, and try to see them through the eyes of Jesus Christ. The wonderful
thing about Jesus is that HIS power and grace has no boarders! HE is also able
to produce supernatural surplus where there are extreme deficits; and HIS
perfect love is able to cast out all fear. Have you met HIM lately?
So what are your thoughts? And be brutally honest.
