Newsletter: Opinion: Silly season on Syrian refugees

Good morning. I'm Paul Thornton, The Times' letters editor, and it is Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015. Fall is one month old, and El Niño is already looking really scary. Here's a look back at the week in Opinion.

Last week's attacks in Paris had the added misfortune of taking place during the American presidential primary season, so there was no chance of respectful grief or emotional solidarity with the French being the extent of our response. Case in point: Five of the six identified attackers were French, so the Republican candidates and like-minded politicians clamor to keep America safe from … Syrians?

Sen. Ted Cruz would winnow the field of acceptable refugees down to only Christian Syrians, similar to what Jeb Bush proposes. In Congress, House Republicans voted to block Syrian and Iraqi refugees from coming to the U.S. A majority of U.S. governors want to refuse refugees resettlement in their states.

The Times editorial board has a message for them: Stop the fear mongering. It writes:

The United States doesn't have the same challenge as Europe, whose relative proximity to the Middle Eastern war zone has left it inundated with millions of refugees. And the source isn't just Syria and Iraq; refugees — both political and economic — from Africa have landed in Europe as well. There are few good options for stopping that tide without first stabilizing the regions from which it arises; a political solution to the Syrian civil war is a crucial first step to achieving that stability.

We haven't faced this exodus simply because it is so much harder for Syrian refugees to arrive at the border and seek asylum. President Obama affirmed in Turkey on Tuesday that "America has to step up and do its part" in providing for war refugees, which presumably includes moving ahead with his plan to accept up to 10,000 Syrian refugees this fiscal year, up from fewer than 2,000. This page has argued that the U.S. should take significantly more because there are too many for Europe to absorb and because of our history as a safe haven. Nothing in the Paris attacks changes that.

That's not to suggest that the U.S. should accept any and all comers. What the Republican candidates ignore, though, is that there is already a system in place to vet the refugees. To gain entry to the U.S., a Syrian refugee first must pass rigorous screening by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which verifies personal backgrounds and details before recommending individuals for resettlement to the United States. Then the Department of Homeland Security does its own screening before a refugee is granted entry and protection.

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Refusing entry to Syrians is not only unnecessary, it's also un-American. Editorial writer Scott Martelle says this reflexive heartlessness goes against our national character: "For a nation built by immigrants and their offspring, including waves of refugees over the years, to say, 'wait a minute, not THOSE people,' is to reject our very roots. Not to mention hamstring future economic growth, since immigrants help fuel the economy." Readers largely agree — a few draw comparisons to the homegrown mass shooters of late and wonder who it is Americans should really fear.

Two questions about the attacks: First, why France and not the U.S.? Columnist Doyle McManus says it's because Islamic State really, really doesn't like the French (a spokesman called them "spiteful and filthy"), and the country has the largest Muslim population in western Europe, making it a fertile recruiting ground and big terrorist target. McManus ends with this reassurance to Americans (but not so much to the French): "The Paris attack confirms that Islamic State's threats of violence against the West should be taken seriously. But the most acute danger lies in France and other European countries, not here." L.A. Times

Second, why bomb a soccer game? Andrés Martinez says there are obvious reasons why a terrorist bent on mass murder would target the 80,000-seat Stade de France during a match attended by the French president. But, Martinez says, there's also a "more substantive" reason for murderously terrorizing a soccer match: "If you are a crazed 'Soldier of the Caliphate,' soccer ranks up there with Hollywood movies and American pop music among the most potent threats in your deluded campaign to win over hearts and minds around the world." Zócalo Public Square

Go ahead, care about the Paris attacks and campus protests at the same time. The battle for public attention is happening in real time on social media, with Black Lives Matter activists expressing anxiety that their concerns on social justice risk going unnoticed and their conservative detractors countering that Black Lives Matter doesn't care about the victims in Paris. Ann Friedman pleads for multitasking in public dialog: "As we collectively figure out how to respond to dramatic, single-day events like terrorist attacks, we must also continue talking about how to remedy problems that are long term and cumulative, such as racism." L.A. Times

More on Paris: The Times editorial board, writing shortly after the attacks, said that nations like France and the U.S. need to "find a way to respond to that asymmetric threat without curtailing civil liberties or closing their borders." Initial reader reaction was raw; some criticized President Obama and recommended fierce reprisal against Islamic State, and there was disagreement about whether Islam as a religion was to blame for the violence. Later in the week, readers disagreed about the best response to Islamic State. Author John R. Bowen recommends France combat homegrown extremist violence by better integrating Muslims into French culture and by reaching out to mainstream Islamic leaders. Jonah Goldberg complained that President Obama is "in denial" about the Islamic State threat.

Prostitution — it isn't "Pretty Woman." In an interview with columnist Patt Morrison, prostitution expert Melissa Farley sums up the reforms she advocates — mainly, criminalize the pimps and buyers, not the women — by saying Richard Gere's character should get the police mug shot while someone offers to help Julia Roberts' character by saying, "Would you like to go back to school? Get a PhD in psychology or journalism? You're smart. Would you like to run your own business rather than selling sex?" L.A. Times

Send me complaints and feedback: Email paul.thornton@latimes.com. I read every letter — I promise.