The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

I don't feel I can let slide some of the comments coming this past week from Republican politicians commenting on Syrian refugees wanting to come to the United States.

The comments are completely foreign to the principles that form the moral backbone of our nation.

A mayor of Roanoke, Virginia, suggested Syrian refugees be sent to internment camps, such as those created for Japanese Americans in World War II. That action has been acknowledged as a shameful, racist action. The mayor apologized for the remarks on Friday.

Actor George Takei, who was interred in a camp for four years as a youth, commented on Facebook, "There was no threat. We loved America. We were decent, hard-working folks. Tens of thousands of lives were ruined, over nothing."

Also, presidential candidate Donald Trump wants to close mosques and he said last Thursday that he's open to a national database to track American Muslims. On Friday, he backed off a bit, telling the New York Times that a reporter had asked leading questions.

In any case, here's a start of a list for him, and I think this shows how absurd the notion is. The list is taken from Wikipedia's list of American Muslims:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – converted to Islam from Catholicism in 1968, initially joining the Nation of Islam before retaking the Shahada and converting to Sunni Islam that very summer.

Shaquille O'Neal – player for the Boston Celtics; rapper and actor.

Ahmad Rashad – former wide receiver for Minnesota Vikings, award winning sports-caster, (converted in 1972).

Rima Fakih – Miss USA 2010.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, medical doctor, talk show host.

Fareed Zakaria – author, commentator, and host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS.

Fazlur Khan – structural engineer, designed the Sears Tower, John Hancock Center.

Art Blakey – jazz drummer and bandleader.

Ice Cube – rapper and producer.

Jermaine Jackson – singer, bass guitarist.

Jawed Karim – co-founder of YouTube.

Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan – United States Army Soldier killed in Iraq.

André Carson – congressman from Indiana.

C. Jack Ellis – former mayor of Macon, Georgia.

Keith Ellison – first Muslim congressman from Minnesota.

Make a list? Right.

There is a vigorous screening process already in place for the refugees. What we need from our leaders is hard work and attention to detail, not over the top rhetoric that plays into the hands of ISIS propaganda.