Peter Husby published this letter to the Editor in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle today.
Read it at this link:
https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/opinions/letter-to-the-editor-let-s-fix-our-broken-border-policy/article_9f8c64b0-6ecd-11ef-a5da-df16a2e800f9.htmlwww.bozemandailychronicle.com/opinions/letter-to-the-editor-let-s-fix-our-broken-border-policy/article_9f8c64b0-6ecd-11ef-a5da-df16a2e800f9.html

Let’s Fix Our Broken Border Policy
        U. S. immigration policy isn’t working well for anyone. Businesses are crying out for workers, the border is not secure and migrants are suffering and dying in the desert instead of going to work. Think about it: while our government spends billions on border security, legislators have been trying to come up with a guest worker program that meets our demand for labor. This makes no economic sense.
What can we do about it?
 First, make it relatively easy to obtain a guest worker permit. Let people stay as long as they are working and check in with immigration authorities every few months.
Second, help the “sending” countries develop their own sustainable economies and to eliminate cartel and gang violence.
Third, eliminate private, for-profit prisons. They cost taxpayer lots of money and keep migrants from working.
Fourth, give asylum-seekers a safe place to apply for asylum at the ports of entry. Asylum- seekers are extorted, mistreated and lied to by Mexican cartels as they are transported to the border.
Fifth, hire more immigration judges to process asylum requests. Decriminalizing needed workers would fund more judges.
Sixth, STOP the legal and illegal flow of guns into Mexico.
                Almost all of these weapons end up in the hands of organized crime. Last, put an end to border mythology. Anti-immigrant reactionaries would have us believe that the southern Arizona border, for example, is too dangerous to visit because of a predominance of drug smugglers, criminals, etc. Not true. As part of the humanitarian aid group Tucson Samaritans, I have personally made over 200 trips to the border area in an attempt to prevent death and suffering. I have never felt the least bit threatened by anyone. Most migrants are escaping violence and extreme poverty.

Dear New (to me) Friends,
Thank you so much for making me feel welcome at the Luccock Camp gathering.  Being with you lifted my heart and renewed my spirit.

Several of you expressed a desire to learn more about Luccock’s plan to replace the old Billings cabin with a new one that will that will be ADA accessible and inclusive.  We have plans, and are in the beginning stages of organizing fund raising.  You can follow us at the website https://luccockpark.org/ where you can sign up for the e-mailed newsletter and make donations if you wish. 

It was great to learn you have been coming to Luccock for 40 years!  You are one of our longest groups of guests, and we look forward to you every year.  

You are a Blessing,

Rev. Su DeBree, Luccock Camp Board of Trustees

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    Spring has come to Montana. Our rivers are flowing cold and full, wildflowers are popping, birds are beginning to nest, calves are cavorting in green pastures, and political advertisements are already abundant and aggravating. Yes, we are ramping up for an election year. Does fear and loathing disrupt your equanimity? Do acquaintances and in-laws manifest opinions or favor candidates that are upsettng? Do we keep our heads down, turn off our media, and avoid conversations with those who inhabit the other side of “the Divide”? Or is there an alternative path, a path of engagement, where conversation with those on the “other side” becomes an opportunity to learn, to build bridges or heal damaged relationships?
    This August 16-18, 2024, we invite you to Montana Gathering of Friends (MGOF), to join us in seeking guidance on this alternative path with a special Friend-in-Residence. We will also enjoy worship sharing groups, interest groups, fellowship, singing, family fun night, and recreation, including hiking, river floating (on the nearby Yellowstone), and delicious mountain air, starry night skies, spectacular scenery, and deep worship.
Our Friend-in-Residence and plenary speaker this summer is Karen Tibbals, a Quaker from New Jersey. Karen will share practical ideas and techniques from her book “Persuade, Don’t Preach: Restoring Civility Across the Political Divide.” Karen has developed an approach to bridging “the Divide” based on Moral Foundations theory, which holds that political opinions are based on deeper moral values, which themselves are rarely discussed. She shares her approach to bridging “the Divide” using media and experiential learning exercises. You can explore Karen’s bridge building work at her blogpost: https://www.ethicalleadership.org/
        Per tradition, Summer MGOF will be held in the cool mountains south of Livingston, Montana, at Luccock Park Camp. Luccock Park is a beautiful historic church camp on the edge of the spectacular Absaroka Wilderness, only an hour north of Yellowstone National Park. Montana Quakers have come to love the beauty, tranquility, inspiring scenery and spiritual refreshment at this special Camp and Gathering for over 40 years.
    The camp offers a variety of small and large group cabins, campsites, three fresh-cooked meals per day in the dining hall, and a quiet spacious campus. The fee is very reasonable, and is based on a “pay as you are led” model, so that no one is excluded, regardless of their economic situation. Children are welcome, and are charged no fee. We will start the retreat early Friday evening August 16 with a Potluck Dinner featuring “grown in Montana” or “home-made in Montana” dishes, and we will conclude after Sunday lunch August 18, 2024. We hope you can make it and look forward to seeing you there.
Please go to www.montanafriends.org to register and see a detailed weekend schedule. For questions, call Carol Bellin at (406) 542-4223 or Larry Leonard ati(406)581-8852.