g5000
Diamond Member
- Nov 26, 2011
- 127,128
- 70,862
- 2,605
Remember how much we feared and hated Iranians? Iran had a revolution and took American hostages for over a year.
Iran had terrorist training camps and were sending out terrorists all over the place. Iran was behind the blowing up of the Marine barracks. Iran funded Hezbollah and Hamas which carried out terrorist attacks all over the Middle East, and particularly in Israel, a great ally of the US.
Iranians were hijacking airplanes and blowing shit up all over the place.
And then there were the Iranian refugees trying to get away from these maniacs.
Do you know what Reagan did about the refugees?
Did he shit his pants in fear? Nope.
Did he stir up the Right with anti-Muslim rhetoric and say we should not allow these refugees in? Nope.
Did he do some kind of fucked up calculus and say it wasn't worth the risk? Nope.
He let the Iranian refugees in. Because Republicans had real balls of titanium and real compassion back then.
http://www.paaia.org/CMS/Data/Sites/1/pdfs/iranian-americans---immigration-and-assimilation.pdf
Do you see that? At the peak of our anti-Iranian sentiment, we let in more Iranian refugees than any other kind of refugees.
Now THAT is what "home of the brave" looks like, boys and girls. That is what "American exceptionalism" looks like.
Reagan's own words:
I don't know who these people are today who are calling themselves Republicans. I really don't.
Iran had terrorist training camps and were sending out terrorists all over the place. Iran was behind the blowing up of the Marine barracks. Iran funded Hezbollah and Hamas which carried out terrorist attacks all over the Middle East, and particularly in Israel, a great ally of the US.
Iranians were hijacking airplanes and blowing shit up all over the place.
And then there were the Iranian refugees trying to get away from these maniacs.
Do you know what Reagan did about the refugees?
Did he shit his pants in fear? Nope.
Did he stir up the Right with anti-Muslim rhetoric and say we should not allow these refugees in? Nope.
Did he do some kind of fucked up calculus and say it wasn't worth the risk? Nope.
He let the Iranian refugees in. Because Republicans had real balls of titanium and real compassion back then.
http://www.paaia.org/CMS/Data/Sites/1/pdfs/iranian-americans---immigration-and-assimilation.pdf
Between October 1981 and February 1985, more Iranians were granted asylum — 11,055 in total — than any other nationality.
Do you see that? At the peak of our anti-Iranian sentiment, we let in more Iranian refugees than any other kind of refugees.
Now THAT is what "home of the brave" looks like, boys and girls. That is what "American exceptionalism" looks like.
Reagan's own words:
We shall continue America's tradition as a land that welcomes peoples from other countries. We shall also, with other countries, continue to share in the responsibility of welcoming and resettling those who flee oppression.
Illegal immigrants in considerable numbers have become productive members of our society and are a basic part of our work force. Those who have established equities in the United States should be recognized and accorded legal status.
I don't know who these people are today who are calling themselves Republicans. I really don't.