Analysis, Commentary, Opinion
06.16.2018
Alien
There are a hundred and ninety-two
references to aliens, to strangers in scripture and none of them give license
to any person or power to treat those people unjustly.
On the contrary, the law
of the sacred text calls us to remember where we came from, to remember the
fact that we were aliens once in a foreign land, this is true of the ancient
Hebrews, and it is true of us, of all of us non-native Americans living here in
the twenty-first century.
“The alien who resides
with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as
yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God (Leviticus
19:34).
Listen to the word, and
listen to this.
We hold these truths to
be self-evident, that all people are created equal, and endowed by their
creator with certain inalienable right, among them, life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness.
The United States of
America begins with this script. The rights articulated here are not given by
the ruling power to the people, the people are endowed with these rights by the
creator, and they cannot be abrogated except by extreme necessity.
All people are endowed
with these rights; women and children, men, citizen or alien.
Listen to the law.
“Give the members of your
community a fair hearing, and judge rightly between one person and another,
whether citizen or resident alien (Deuteronomy 1:16).”
These are the dictates of
fairness.
All people under the
aegis and authority of the United States are to be afforded the same
protections under the law, whether on our sovereign territory or on foreign
soil. Wherever our flag flies, or the agents of our government are acting on our
behalf, they are to uphold, support and defend the constitution, the purpose of
which is to protect the rights of all people from injustice and tyranny.
“The judicial Power shall
extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the
Laws of the United States (shall be upheld in relation to)…foreign States,
Citizens or Subjects.”
This is the law our
nation was organized under. The constitution, its demands and the fundamental
human rights it protects are to be enforced everywhere at all times in regard
to all persons regardless of their standing as a citizen.
As the prophet said: “Do
not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise
evil in your hearts against one another (Zechariah 7:10).
This is a simple
injunction, and we have a responsibility to hold are elected representatives accountable
to it.
Put all of our leaders on
the record now, ask them if they support these crimes against humanity!
