Biden's Pointless, Cruel Immigration Order
Biden's Pointless, Cruel Immigration Order
Plus, the 2020 racial reckoning that wasn't
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Our highlights this week:
- Biden’s Pointless, Cruel Immigration Order
- Japanese Incarceration, and Telling the Whole Truth about WWII
- George Floyd and the Racial Reckoning that Wasn’t
- The Complex History between the US and Iran
- Sy keeps us grounded with some hopeful music
- And a preview of tomorrow’s Shake the Dust with Pastor Rasool Berry
Sy’s Recommendations
Biden’s Pointless, Cruel Immigration Order
On Tuesday, President Biden issued an executive order entirely stopping immigrants from requesting asylum if they enter the country somewhere between our ports of entry until the daily requests dip below numbers we haven’t seen since the beginning of the pandemic. The link is a useful Reuters article which explains Biden’s motivations. To gain in the polls among voters who see immigration as a top issue, and to circumvent the Republicans who won’t let him enact this policy via legislation. But there are two main problems. First, the order will not achieve Biden’s stated aim of significantly reducing immigration because people seeking asylum at the border are only a small fraction of people crossing the border. Second, Trump tried to enact a similar policy via executive order based on the exact same statutory provision, and it was blocked by the courts. The ACLU and other groups have already pledged to file suits. So the order will achieve nothing other than denying some unknown thousands their legal right to argue that they deserve protection from persecution in their home country. And, of course, it will give Biden the excuse to brag about toughness on immigration. This is, to say the least, depressing. And I assume it is the sort of thing that caused almost 40% of you in last week’s poll to say you would either vote for someone other than Biden or Trump, or abstain altogether.
- Read the Reuters article about the order
Japanese Incarceration, and Telling the Whole Truth about WWII
In a recent ABC News piece, reporter Juju Chang visits a WWII Japanese imprisonment camp in Colorado with Carlene Tanigoshi Tinker, a woman in her 80s who was incarcerated their as a toddler. Tinker tells us about her families’ suffering, and how her parents never once spoke to her about the ordeal afterward because of their deep shame. The segment also chronicles the incredible story of the local high school teacher and his students who worked for years to preserve the stories and the grounds of the long-abandoned camp. Their project eventually became a full-blown museum, and now the camp is a federal historic landmark. I appreciate efforts like these to tell a well-rounded story of history. As a child, like most Americans, I learned the telling of WWII where America is an unqualified hero. But the incarceration of 100,000 people based solely on racism has to be part of the story. As does our national commitment to the ideology of eugenics, which we shared with the Nazis. And the influence Jim Crow and our racist immigration regime had on Nazi policy. The simple fact that we fought in Germany with segregated troops, and then focused racist violence efforts on Black vets when they came home, often doesn’t enter our moral self-evaluation regarding WWII. Let’s pay attention to and share efforts to tell the truth like this clip.
Jonathan’s Recommendations
George Floyd and the Racial Reckoning that Wasn’t
When the video of George Floyd’s murder went viral and protests erupted around the globe, change seemed possible. Millions took to the streets. Legislatures passed reform bills. The Washington Post estimated that corporations pledged $50 billion to racial equity. But now, as a recent Vox podcast explains, many corporations, legislatures, and businesses are experiencing a White backlash to the movement for racial justice. For example, two schools in Virginia that changed their names to get rid of Confederate historical figures went back to the Confederate names. And as we discussed in our most recent episode of Shake the Dust, book bans and opposition to teaching Black history are sweeping the nation. Backlashes like these have ample historical precedent in America. But followers of Jesus must stay committed to resisting injustice because it is right, not because it is trendy. In the kingdom of God, love and justice are constantly valuable, no matter the circumstances.
The Complex History between the US and Iran
Award-winning journalist and best-selling author Fareed Zakaria’s podcast (which is the audio from his tv show) recently spent an entire episode on Iran’s complicated history with the United States. It explained Iran’s transformation from ally to enemy in the mid-twentieth century. What surprised me here was the lack of historical context I see in other American media coverage of Iran, which tends to reduce issues to simplistic questions about fear or economic interests. Few outlets discuss how Iran was once a strategic ally of Israel. Or how it was closely tied to Britain and the US until a Western-organized coup toppled its democratically-elected government. Or America’s decision to support Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war, and its failure to criticize his use of chemical weapons. Similarly, we don’t often talk about the impact of George W. Bush putting Iran in his "Axis of Evil" just as America and Iran were taking significant steps to work together in Afghanistan. Jesus’ followers are called to be quick to listen, slow to anger, and abounding in love. That requires a willingness to learn context and understand why another country’s outlook can be so very different from ours.
- Listen to the podcast read the transcript, or watch the documentary on MAX
Staying Grounded with Sy
I will admit up front that this one’s actually from my wife. But it’s a great one. Listening to music is one of the main ways both of us release anxiety and find some equilibrium when things get difficult. One of the songs my wife always goes back to is Peace/Afio Mai by the New Zealand Christian group called Link. The refrain is simple and powerful: “You never told us that it would be easy/You said suffering will come/But you promised peace.” The second half of the song title is in Te reo Maori, which they often incorporate into their music. It’s a really great, contemplative song, and I pray you find hope in it.
Shake the Dust Preview
Tomorrow, we speak with Pastor Rasool Berry about the importance of understanding what kinds of power we have, what he thinks motivates the movement against CRT/DEI/whatever the new term is, his incredible documentary about Juneteenth and faith, and a lot more. Then here Jonathan and Sy talk about the pardon of Daniel Perry and the convictions of Donald Trump. There’s a lot to chew on in this episode. Don’t miss it!
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Jonathan and Sy