Two wrongs not right for refugees

The decision by 23 governors, including Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, not to accept Syrian refugees rubs me the wrong way for two reasons.

First, the war in Iraq was instrumental in giving birth to ISIS. Our policies helped create this Frankenstein, so we bear some responsibility for aiding the victims of ISIS. Shirking this responsibility strikes me as immoral.

Second, by refusing to accept the refuges because of the costs and risks, decisions clearly impacted by the Paris bombings as well as the swell of anti-Muslim sentiment, the governors are saying: "We are a weak nation, and are afraid of ISIS, and will readily abandon the long-standing U.S. tradition of being a safe haven for refugees."

I am not comforted by those messages; they run counter to my sense of patriotism and belief in America. Two wrongs don't make a right.

George Peternel

Arlington Heights