Letter: Travel ban doesn’t really protect us
The billions we spend each year on intel and other security functions have protected us from foreign terrorism since the 9/11 attack committed in 2001 by mostly Saudi jihadists. Would a travel ban against Muslims from six countries really protect us any more than we are already protected? There’s no evidence that Muslims or any other immigrants, including undocumented ones, commit more criminal acts than other American citizens.
Our refusal to admit refugees from countries that have suffered devastating civil wars and natural disasters has undoubtedly tarnished our image as the world's moral leader. Policies driven by hysteria and xenophobia are an insult to our history, our character and our values. This is not who we are nor whom we should become.
The president’s message to Saudi Arabia during his recent “wildly successful” foreign trip was that they have a green light to continue their current behavior without interference from us; Iran is the only problem. Truth is that Saudi support for terrorism has been obvious and substantial since the days even before the 9/11 attack. Iran is far from innocent, but the jihadi beliefs promulgated in Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi madrassas begat al Qaida and ISIS; doesn’t Donald understand that?
Martin Bensky, Richland
This story was originally published July 1, 2017 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Letter: Travel ban doesn’t really protect us."