I would like to respond to a letter to the editor in the Jan. 2 edition of The Monitor.
Have we learned nothing from the use of language over the past four years? Invade, assault, swarming: These are all words that inspire hatred and fear toward our fellow humans.
As an immigrant to the UK and having lived there for 16.5 years, I can speak firsthand to the difficulties of assimilating into a country that was not my birth country. Everything is difficult — finding a place to live, setting up utilities, finding a doctor, making friends. I, at least, had the advantage of speaking the language.
An immigrant does not take their new life for granted. So, they work hard, most times far harder than citizens born in the country to which they came. Many are not even able to work in their chosen field because of language and educational challenges. I do not begrudge them for uprooting their lives and leaving their families for what they hope to be a better life.
Lastly, a weak government: Congress makes laws. Congress has the power and ability to overhaul the immigration system. Yet, Congress refuses to actually address immigration issues. Instead, they prefer to place blame on the president and his administration. Congress must act before the president can. Any action he takes is only a Band-Aid and not an actual solution.
So, write your Congress members and ask them what they are doing to address the situation. And please, stop demonizing immigrants. They are human just like we are and have the same hopes and dreams we have.
Eileen Moore
Palmview
Stand up
to Putin
Happy New Year to all the readers of The Monitor.
In America we tend to have short memories and also the people around the world. Did the world not learn from the flu pandemic of the 1918 to 1920 and the invading tyrants like Hitler? Hitler bombed several countries into submission along with his tank divisions, devastating those countries! From our actions, I say no!
How much longer will the world put up with Vladimir Putin’s killing in Ukraine? I for one suggest that Europe and others join us in telling Putin to put a stop to this nonsense and withdraw from Ukraine by a short set timeline or suffer a mass invasion of Russia by our coalition, taking out all his military and putting him and others on trial for war crimes. He only understands brute power and we and other countries have that power.
Bill Williams
Palmview
Words
hurtful
While substitute teaching at my favorite “high needs” middle school I was telling my class that when you write a letter to the newspaper another might blast your opinion. I reminded them of the old saying I heard as a kid: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” Then the most far-away (I thought), introverted student sincerely and softly touched my 70-year-old heart with, “Yes, they will do harm.”
Mike Sawyer
Denver, Colo.
