Duped into fear

Thanks to Shawn Vestal and the Spokesman-Review we have the real information about the supposed immigration crisis. Without someone willing to do actual research and a paper willing and able to publish it, the citizens of this country would continue to be duped by its leaders. There is no crisis, and the numbers prove that undocumented immigration is far less than it was in 2000 – 80 percent less, in fact.

I’m not sure why our leaders are giving us this false information. I can only speculate that the reason is to create a divisiveness where it doesn’t exist, pitting neighbor against neighbor, so we are driven by fear. Fear for our own safety; fear of the “other.” This fear keeps the powerful in power because people are convinced the powerful can eliminate the problem. In this case the “problem” is other human beings.

That sort of strategy worked well in Nazi Germany. We, as citizens, must make sure it doesn’t work here. Our “problem” is other human beings who fear for their lives in their countries of origin. They are human beings just like us and they deserve respect and compassion.

Linda Greene

Spokane