Immigration

It's been interesting the past several months to keep up with the immigration issues that have come to the forefront and the related pending legislation. Since our ward has a large hispanic popluation, it's helped Jenny and me appreciate both sides of the argument in ways we probably wouldn't have otherwise. To us, it's not an "us and them" thing; the plight of those seeking a better life has names and faces. We've enjoyed getting to know more about other cultures as have our children.

Today, our bishop read a letter he wrote in response to recent inquiries about his and the church's stance on the issue. It was very well written and I'm glad he chose to read it in sacrament meeting. He made it clear that the Church wishes for members to stay in their own countries and build up the Church there as well as the article of faith that commands us to obey the laws of the land. Additionally, he reminded the hispanic brothers and sisters that they must make a whole-hearted effort to assimilate. He based his comments entirely on the scriptures and words of the prophets, especially President Hinkley's statements in April's conference regarding prejudice. However, the bishop reminded us that ours is a promised land and that the Lord wishes his children to have the best lives they can. One of the interesting things he mentioned was in 2 Nephi 10:18-19 where the Lord, speaking to the Lamanites, said that this is a choice land and that he "will consecrate this land unto thy seed...[and it is the] land of their inheritance."

I definately feel that some form of legislation is needed, although in reality the law is already very clear...the US welcomes immigrants, just after they've gone through the proper channels and steps to enter. It think, though, that the current circumstances require something specific to deal with it. It's just not logical or fesible to "round everyone up" and send millions of people back. Hopefully Congress will do the right thing and come up with solutions that make sense. I don't know exactly what that is, but that's why I've decided not to run for office (sorry to disappoint, but I'm better with PowerPoint and Excel than I am with politics and policy...which explains the D I got in Political Science in college).