4-16-2016 Identifying With Refugees: Try Empathy For A Change Now, I am nobody. I am just some inmate sitting in a prison cell. But I watch the news and get saddened by what I see. Specifically when it comes to the refugees from Syria. Or anywhere else for that matter. These people are human beings. Not someone else's problem, they are our problem. Why, because they humans, like us. They is no them, only us. I identity with them because they are not wanted by anyone. Not only were they driven from their homes by people who don't like them, then they go and seek help from countries that are more then capable of helping and they refuse them. Unable or unwilling to distinguish between right and wrong, good or bad. I think we forget that when we came to this country, agree or disagree with the tactics, we were searching for a home as well. Since many of us Americans have never had to search for water or be homeless we are calloused to anyone else's struggles or misfortunes. Its easy to sit in the comfort of your chair and make decisions about things you have never experienced. Let's say Russian troops invade American soil and then coordinates with North Korea and China to take over this land....not to far fetched huh? When we are displaced and beaten and starving and tired we will be looking for a safe place to dwell...I would hope that other places would help me. Our government doesn't seem to worry about that though. Maybe they think they are untouchable and safe in a wartime situation. After all we are learning of fallout safe houses on Nat Geo and the History channel from the 50's...if those secret lairs are now declassified its obvious that they have something better already. Riding above us all, unconcerned about humanity because they have protection already. What about the helpless widows and children wandering camps right now praying for someone to help them just live? What about the father who just wants work? What about them? I hope no one stifles me when I get out. I hope that I am not locked out of opportunity. If that means that my children must compete with a Syrian or a Mexican or anyone else for a job then I guess as a man and a parent I had better have shown them how to do so. If your nervous about things like that you had better do some serious self-evaluation. Immigrants and refugees aren't the problem, our self-entitlement and selfishness and laziness is. If American and aren't hating gays, its immigrants. If it's not immigrants, its women. If it's not women, its other races or the lower class or its the poor or the insane... yuck! Bigotry is bigotry no matter how you disguise it. With Love Jeff Utnage 823469 Censor That (or we can support our 1st Amendment...just sayin', everyone else would be charged with messing with someone's else written material unless your a WA STATE DOC EMPLOYEE) Yeah, still pissed about my emails being censored...