The city of Portland has been getting a lot of grief lately for housing asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo. These immigrants have suffered greatly in the Congo and deserve to be taken in to a country that can afford to help them (“Portland’s new asylum seekers settle in as community offers help,” July 13).
Now, some in Maine are complaining that the shelter in Portland should be housing our own citizens instead, some being veterans. The fact is, Portland has been sheltering Maine citizens (many veterans) for years. Those folks are not all from Portland. They are people from many towns and cities around Maine that can offer them no help at all.
I think it’s time that those heartless towns and cities start helping their own instead of expecting Portland to pick up their slack. Many complaints about immigrant are coming from the very towns that refuse to help their own homeless.
As for the homeless veterans, the Pentagon gets three-quarters of a trillion dollars from U.S. taxpayers. You’d think with all that money they could care for their own veterans. From where I sit, I see the military using the veterans, then abusing them through neglect. And don’t tell me I have no respect for veterans — I am one.
Peter Sirois
Madison
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