Readers React: How the world failed Aylan Kurdi

To the editor: It’s great that the picture of the lifeless body of a 3-year-old boy from Syria is fueling soul-searching about the refugee crisis. But how pathetic and shortsighted to look at dealing with the effect and not the cause. (“The death of Aylan Kurdi and the need for a moral policy on refugees,” editorial, Sept. 3)

We will go from crisis to crisis with continuing mass tragedies if we do not establish a world order that takes action against any group or regime that creates a migrant crisis and with it the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and the displacement of millions of people.

The soul-searching should explore why the civilized world does not use all of its tools to end the savagery of groups such as Islamic State or regimes that attack their own people. There is a moral imperative for every civilized nation to join in the battle against those groups or regimes.

A bully will continue until it is stopped or it realizes that it faces a determined and all-powerful opponent. Should that ever occur, the world would be such a better place.

Sid Pelston, Marina del Rey

..

To the editor: The photo of Aylan the Syrian toddler washed ashore in Turkey has stayed in my mind. It breaks my heart.

At a time when presidential candidates talk about securing the border and building walls and fences, I think of the little Syrian boy and know that if he had made it to Canada, he would have had a normal, happy and secure childhood with his parents and relatives.

Perhaps, instead of talking about building walls and fences, we should remember Emma Lazurus’ poem engraved on a plaque inside the Statue of Liberty: “Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,/ I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Alba Farfaglia, San Clemente

..

To the editor: Let me see if I have this right.

Some newspapers and media outlets declined to print this heartbreaking photo out of fear of offending the public’s sensibilities. This precious little boy did nothing more than travel with his parents to seek freedom and a new beginning.

The image of Aylan’s body lying on a beach reminds us all of how precious life is, and how quickly it can disappear. Why is it so difficult to show innocence lost due to war?

Bryan McCall, Camarillo

..

To the editor: The increasingly horrific human and moral crisis of refugees pouring into Europe resonates with every follower of the news.

It is true that the U.S. falls short in allowing refugees from the Mideast to enter this country, in comparison with the numbers for much of Europe. However, there is always another side to any coin.

How many asylum-seekers or immigrants from Mexico and Central America has Europe taken in? We also have an ongoing immigration issue involving smugglers of people, overcrowding, death and disregard for human dignity.

Meg Coulter, Los Angeles

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook