On the evening of Jan. 21, I realized for the first time that the community I was raised in was being compromised and maybe it has always been this way, it has just taken me 24 years to realize it. That evening I sat on the second floor of the courthouse and listened to a few speak about the refugee relocation situation before people like Holly Johnson could speak up. Holly Johnson is the state refugee coordinator for Catholic Charities of Tennessee.

Those few people who spoke poorly about a group of people they knew nothing about saddens me. If you knew you were going to speak in front of a group of commissioners about passing a motion, it would seem as if you would do a little research. I am going to be completely honest, I came out of the meeting with a different attitude than I did going in. That day, I was under the impression the "conversation" would be about illegal immigration but I was mistaken.

For an entire week, I have re-thought that evening and if those few people who are so uneducated on this situation then how many more have the same views in Bedford County? Born in 1995, I haven't seen the extremity of racism like some, but I have seen what prejudice is. At a time in my life, I would have been considered prejudiced, and it is something I will have to answer for one day. Looking back, I regret it because I have met wonderful people of different races and nationalities that I call my friends. As a child I was raised by some pretty awesome people that I call my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and even friends. One thing that sticks out in my mind that I've been taught that's applicable to this situation is .... The choices you make young will haunt you when you get old. Some of my choices come and haunt me already but one thing is for sure, having hate in my heart will not be one of them.

A man stood up first, I will not mention his name, he claimed refugees bring TB, AIDS, and HIV to Bedford County. He went on to say that, as a community, we should not support them but help the homeless. It was about a 3-5 split. At that point in time, I was still uneducated myself on the situation but in times like those I rely on my heart. One woman got up to make a remark on how the sexually transmitted diseases he talked about were not discovered in a third world country but yet discovered here in the United States.

Thankfully, Holly Johnson stood up to educate. Refugees can receive up to eight months of cash assistance, but most become self-sufficient at six months. With the cash assistance program, an adult receives $335 or a couple $450. Last time I checked, not many of you could live on that. They are required to get a job, pay taxes, and support themselves like you and I. They are here legally so they can apply for the same assistance programs like American citizens, but the likelihood of receiving them is very slim.

Refugees are vetted by Homeland Security along with 12 other international agencies. It takes 18-24 months to be approved and they have to go through a face-to-face interview first. Did I also mention they administer a series of medical tests and exams? They do not come to America with terrorism intent or harm to the community medically. It takes four years, eight months for a refugee to apply for citizenship, but five years to receive it. It was told that Homeland Security and the FBI made a statement that they cannot vet that many people, I cannot find that statement. Also, yes, we should worry about the homeless community, but this is apples to oranges, not apples to apples.

Let me go on to say that Bedford County in the past 12 years has only received from relocation, five refugees. A refugee can move when they arrive but generally stay within the county they were relocated to. Over the past five years, Tennessee has received 2,500 refugees, last year 700, this year they are expecting 350. Those refugees are settled primarily in four counties: Davidson, Knox, Hamilton, and Shelby. We as a state are primarily receiving refugees from Burma and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; both countries are going through civil war. We have received some from Iraq but they are the translators and individuals who helped our military while they were in Iraq. Now those individuals are in danger. All this information has come from Holly Johnson -- who, by the way, has not yet received any inquires from the commissioners responsible for this witch hunt. A website you all can go to is www.tnrefugees.org.

In the meeting, I brought my religious views into it, which is sometimes frowned upon, but I wanted to make a point. Sitting in that room 90% of the individuals in my opinion would have considered themselves of Christian faith. We as Christians should be holding true to our morals and values and apply them to the positions we are in. How can we consider ourselves followers of Christ if we cannot seem to find it in us to try our best to do what he would have done? Do you think he would turn those individuals away? They are trying to find refuge because they are in danger. They want to find a better life for them and their families legally. What is wrong with that? Contact your commissioners and ask their views. If you are having difficulty accepting refugees please do the research on the situation and then search your heart. That's what I have had to do.

-- Cole Krieg is a local agriculticulturist in Bedford County who specializes in beef cattle and walking horses.