Choose to see the good in immigrants

It’s indeed sad that hateful people see it as their mission to hurt or kill others they don’t like. However, if we try to legislate against hate itself, then it’s akin to the old Siberian gulags that the Soviets used in dealing with “enemies of the state.”

The last I checked, the freedom to hate is indeed codified in the First Amendment ... free speech, free expression, free thought. It’s what one does with that hate that changes the scenario.

Instead of outlawing hate, we should encourage more people to speak out with opposing views; the intent is to promote more thought, discussion, debate, and hopefully reasonable solutions that benefit one and all.

Let’s not pander to the left by even thinking of legislating against hate; who has the authority to determine what “hate” really is? A recent column in The Denver Post lament-

You can either believe the fantasy that every immigrant is waiting to harm you or the reality that most will be the next soldier that protects our country, the next doctor that saves a life or the next employee that grows a company.

Truth is, immigrants, even illegal ones, commit less crime than our own citizens.

Republicans have used parlor tricks like telling us cutting taxes for the wealthy will magically make us all rich.

Now they scare people into thinking that immigrants are worse than us, asking us to fear the “other” and then suddenly we will be safe.

Isolation is not safety, it’s only a world where no one wants to help you.

We have a choice for our children. Let them stand naked and alone in this world or let them be part of a country and a world that works together to make the future brighter. Send letters of 250 words or fewer to openforum@denverpost.com or 5990 Washington St., Denver, CO, 80216. Please include full name, city and phone number. Contact information is for our purposes only; we will not share it with anyone else. You can reach us by telephone at 303-954-1201.