To the editor:

Instituting a ban on Muslims from war-torn countries is not only highly unethical, it will also make us less safe, even if that ban is temporary. It is counter-productive to implement such blatantly discriminatory practices and only fans the flames of radicalism by showing America to be heartless, denying rights on a religious basis. The ban shows us as cruel, unwilling to take in desperate refugees when we have the capacity and responsibility to do so.

Congressman Jack Bergman’s website states that Bergman “Speaks Out About President Trump’s Executive Actions on National Security.” That is misleading. Bergman is not “speaking out,” but rather taking the cowardly route of “wait and see,” promising only to “make sure our immigration policies protect the lives of innocent Americans.”

He should take the example of the governor of Washington State who showed up at the Seattle Tacoma airport and courageously demanded an immediate cessation of the executive order. He stood up for those who could not stand up for themselves.

That is leadership. The order has now been suspended and declared unconstitutional by U.S. federal courts, but in the meantime, people are being unjustly detained, students can’t get back to class, and thousands have been thrust into turmoil.

Jack Bergman should do the right thing — overturn the ban and make us all safer.

This ban has caused international upheaval and personal tragedy for thousands.

Make no mistake about it: uncertainty and chaotic foreign policy does NOT make us safer.

Suzanne Van Dam

Hancock