Treat strangers well
Following the tragic phenomenon of the separation of children who cross the border illegally and mostly ask for asylum, brings a Hebrew term which is hard to explain, however, it means acting in a manner not consistent with the law.
There is no question about it. We all believe that law and order must prevail in society, but as the above mentioned term implies, there are instances where the letter of the law shouldn’t be followed. The separation of children from parents is one such instance. There must be another way to both prevent this inhumanity and to preserve law and order. The Hebrew Bible instructs us to treat the stranger as well as the native resident, something which was understood even in those ancient days.
— Rachel Kapen
West Bloomfield
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Drop the dangerous King Amendment from the Farm Bill
To protect our Michigan agriculture and laws, the King Amendment (HR 4879) must be dropped from the U.S. House version of the Farm Bill which is up for a vote very soon.
The King Amendment which purports to protect interstate commerce of agriculture goods would, in fact, force states to take any and all agricultural products (broadly defined) from other states that produce them.
This dangerous legislation could undermine hundreds of state and local laws covering everything from food safety to child labor to animal welfare.
In Michigan, for example, laws that: protect our cherry crops from pests, impose quarantine restrictions on transport of bee products into Michigan, place restrictions on selling dog or horse meat and prohibit importation of infected wood could be null and void if the King amendment passes. So would laws in other states such as prohibitions on shark finning, puppy mills, exposure to dangerous pesticides, BPA in infant food containers, or diseased livestock.
Anyone who is concerned about protecting our state’s laws covering everything from food safety to child labor to animal welfare, needs to immediately contact their U.S. Representative and insist that they oppose the King amendment or anything similar on the Farm Bill.
— Anne Honhart
Birmingham