This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Gov. Gary Herbert's decision to accept Syrian refugees in the wake of the Paris attacks is disturbing. The governors of 27 other states have put the safety of their citizens first while Gov. Herbert puts our safety last.
Herbert needs to wake up. Europe has been a refuge for years. What they got were non-assimilating enclaves where people are hostile to Western values and breeding grounds for radical jihadists. This is a fact. A number of the Paris terrorists were European citizens who became radicalized, and others were recent immigrants from Syria. Are there exceptions? Of course. But we can't let exceptions blind us to the realities around regarding the whole.
The open-arms approach has been a disaster for Europe and it has also been for America. One only need look to places like Paterson, N.J., and Minnesota. Herbert needs put the safety of Utahns first. That would be compassionate.
Jim Vetter
Eden