All that news recently about Idaho being a hot spot for refugee resettlement must have stirred the pot there and thus the Idaho Press-Tribune editorial board apparently decided it was their duty to tamp it down before it got out of control.
We learned recently that resettlement contractors have plans to resettle Syrians in Magic Valley. And, then World Net Daily posted a lengthy article on how Idaho is welcoming Muslim refugees.
Interestingly the paper published a poll and asked readers to vote. Here is the question:
How concerned are you about Syrian refugees being brought to Twin Falls?
Over 53% of respondents so far had voted that they are “very” concerned.
Opinion editor Phil Bridges says this. Notice that he blames talk radio and conservatives for being paranoid. He even mentions unreasonable fears about “no go zones” and beheadings. He obviously has no clue what ‘civilization jihad’ is.
If you listen to much local talk radio, you’ve probably noticed that some vocal people of a decidedly conservative stripe are very concerned that a few hundred refugees, some of them Syrian, are going to be brought to Twin Falls.
[….]
On balance, we believe there are more reasons to support these refugees than there are to oppose. But reasonable minds can disagree. Just make sure that, if you’re in opposition, your arguments are based in logic, not unreasonable paranoia.
— Phil Bridges
Subsequently the paper dismissed a reader who reported that the FBI testified to Congress that it could not screen Syrians for security.
See our complete archive on Idaho. Be sure to see posts on the Uzbek refugee terrorist arrested there.
Wilson-Fish!
Idaho is one of those states operating as a Wilson-Fish state. Unlike other states where the resettlement contractors and the federal government call all the shots and the state government has no say on how the program is run, Idaho reserved a small role for itself. In Idaho it looks like the state government will be in charge of enrolling refugees into its state Medicaid program or disbursing the limited 8 month subsidy for refugees that don’t qualify.
The refugee contractors like to tell the public and elected officials that the refugee program is 100% funded by the federal government. In reality, and as stated explicitly by ORR and the GAO, the costs of the federal refugee resettlement program have been shifted to state and local governments because the federal government has chosen not to appropriate enough money to pay for its program.
Maybe the Idaho Press-Tribune should look into that rather than castigate its readers (more than half of them) for being paranoid!