Aliens Could Pose Problems
by John Sledge
N.C. Farm Bureau
! For many years efforts have
been underway in Washington to
rewrite and reform the Immigra
tion Act.
There is a growing feeling that
the illegal alien problem has gotten
out of hand, and that mass impor
tations of refugees from Cuba,
Southeast Asia and Haiti have rais
ed a fear of being overwhelmed by
foreigners.
Past efforts to solve the illegal
alien problem have been limited to
finding as many as possible and
deporting them; but the Border
Patrol has not had the resources to
stem the tide.
Only a small percentage of those
who enter or stay here illegally get
caught; and many quickly return
after a free trip home. When they
claim to be political refugees, it's
nearly impossible to deport them.
During the past two years, the
Reagan administration and the
Congress have cooperated in the
development of legislation that
makes it illegal for anyone to hire a
so-called "undocumented
worker," and would place civil
and criminal penalties on
employers who knowingly did so.
Some industries, like
agriculture, which require large
numbers of workers on a seasonal
basis, have become highly depen
dent upon undocumented workers.
It's estimated that undocumented
workers represent around 15% of
the hired workforce in agriculture,
but only constitute about 7 or 8%
of such workers employed in the
total economy.
Although legislation to reform
the Immigration Act was not on
the agenda during the recent "lame
duck" session, it is expected to be
taken up by the new Congress.
Among other things, any such
legislation should include a
workable procedure for bringing in
temporary foreign workers on a
timely basis when U.S. citizens
cannot be recruited to do the
necessary work on farms.
Sunday School lesson
Background Scripture:
' Luke 7:11-23; 10: 25-37.
Devotional Reading:
Luke 6:6-1 1 .
Lots of people I know like to
talk about religion. They love to
discuss and argue the fine points of
religious ideas. In fact, for some
people, the essence of religion
seems to be doing battle with
"wrong" religious thinking, com
i batting "unsound" religious con
cepts, and debating differing
theological formulations.
Those same people, I've often
observed, are considerably less en
thusiastic when those abstract
religious ideas are personalized.
For example, it is one thing to
discuss the nature of God and
quite something else to begin to
spell out what demands our belief
' in God makes upon the way we live
our lives.
This was true in the encounter
between Jesus and the lawyer who
asked him, "Teacher, what shall 1
do to inherit eternal life?" It was a
perfectly good question to provoke
a religious discussion. People often
discussed the meaning and nature
of "eternal life."
But, of course, Luke tells us that
the lawyer's interest was not really
in eternal life, but in putting Jesus
"to the test." The lawyer wanted
to see how Jesus would answer this
question. Perhaps he would say
something that could be held
against him. Or maybe he would
be embarrassed by not having a
worthy answer.
i
At any rate, the lawyer probably
figured he could hardly lose, for, if
Jesus gave the traditional answer,
the lawyer would be able to get
some points with his perfect obe
dience to the pharisaic life under
the law. And, at first, that's what
appeared to be happening. Jesus
asked him, "What is written in the
law?" and this gave the lawyer a
perfect opportunity to parade his
> own moral rectitude.
Flushed with success, the lawyer
went one step too far. Not content
with his victory, he pressed Jesus
on still another debatable point:
"And who is my neighbor?" The
lawyer should have quit while he
was ahead, for at this point Jesus
got "personal" in a way the lawyer
would have preferred to avoid. In
stead of discussing the question in
theological or philosophical terms,
Jesus told a parable that made the
answer so clear to everyone as to
place their behavior under judge
ment - especially that of the
lawyer.
The lawyer began the conversa
tion on a wave of religious pride,
but when Jesus personalized it, the
proud lawyer was humbled by the
Master's answer. To inherit eternal
life would make sonie re
quirements on the lawyer that he
was not to prepared to make.
So long as the preacher inveighs
against sin in a general way, we
may be led to express enthusiasm
for his preaching. But if he should
move from generalizations to
specifics that touch our lives, we
may be led to conclude that he has
moved from preaching to meddl
ing. In that sense, Jesus was more
a meddler than a preacher, for the
essence of the gospel, as he saw it,
is in "getting personal."
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idenborough Center
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Fireworks crackled and auto
horns sounded as church bells
pealed in the new year. Here and
there a rocket burst against the
moonlit sky. 1 walked toward the
bus stop exchanging greetings with
passersby, caught up in the magic
of the moment, feeling good about
having spent the waning hours of
the old yer in church, looking for
ward to what the coming year
might bring.
But, of course, that was back in
the olden days. About 1947, I
believe. Things were different
then. The Second World War had
ended. Thousands of sons and
lovers had come home from dis
tant places like Salerno, Bagdad,
and Iwo Jima.
The world was at peace, at least
temporarily. The nation's
economy looked good. People
were filled with a mood of op
timism about the future.
Most important, television
hadn't yet caught on. That's why 1
was out on the streets, I guess, in
stead of sitting at home watching
Guy Lombardo's orchestra play
"Auld Lang Syne" at some New
York hotel.
Television has turned millions of
Americans into second-hand
revellers. People used to get into
New Year's festivities with gusto.
Back in the days when early
Dutch settlers lived in New York,
New Year's Eve was a time for
visiting friends and neighbors.
Every house was open. Cakes, ale,
and other refreshments were on
hand to serve drop-in guests. The
people went from house to house,
renewing friendships, settling per
sonal differences, and having a
hearty good time with one another.
Religious services have always
played an important part in New
Year's celebrations. Earlier in this
century, it was customary for great
crowds to gather in the streets to
listen while church bells and
chimes rang in the new year. Some
churches still conduct "watch ser
vices" at midnight on New Year's
Eve.
Those who were not inclined
toward churches gathered in places
like New York's Times Square to
carouse and shout the new year in.
But television has changed all
that. A few people gathered in
churches and in Times Square on
New Year's Eve, but countless
Americans stayed at home watch
ing the Times Square mer
rymakers on TV, listening to the
raving of some frenetic master of
ceremonies in a hotel ballroom
half a continent away.
It's a little frightening, when you
realize how the boob tube has
cultivated such an enormous
preference for second-hand ex
perience.
Instead of celebrating, we watch
other people celebrate. Instead of
enjoying family life to the fullest,
we watch make-believe families on
television.
Instead of getting out and play
ing touch football with the kids,
we give ourselves curvature of the
spine slumping into easy chairs
while the NFL pros have at one
another.
One of the strangest sights in the
world is to see a group of children
lying on the shag rug in the family
den watching kids on TV having a
great time playing outdoors.
But it's not hard to figure out
why they prefer to get their play
experiences second-hand. They
learned it from their parents.
Ross Completes Basic
Navy Seaman Timmy Ross, son
of Rev. Therodore P. Whitted of
Route 4, Box 214, Raeford, has
completed recruit training at the
Naval Training Center, Orlando,
Fla.
During the eight-week training
cycle, trainees studied general
military subjects designed to
prepare them for further academic
and on-the-job training in one of
the Navy's 85 basic occupational
fields.
Personnel who complete this
course of instruction are eligible
for three hours of college credit in
Physical Education and Hygiene.
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