I realize some are offended by the term "refugee" BUT

[Pacifist Patriot]

I think it is an important word to use. Not only is it appropriate, it is technically correct. A refugee is someone who flees for safety. One who seeks refuge and is unable to return to their home. A popular connotation may be one of crossing international borders but it also conveys a distinction between those who can return home (evacuees) and those who have no home to which they can return (refugees).

Refugee status does not mean people are no longer citizens without the associated rights and privileges. They are refugees within their own nation. We have a civic and moral obligation to assist our refugees as best we can. The government is failing miserably at both providing refuge and upholding their human and civic rights. Fortunately we have citizens with a higher sense of duty.

I realize some people will disagree with me and that is fine. But please know that when I use that term I mean no disrespect and I use it to distinguish between those who have the opportunity to return home some day and those who do not.

[Stockholm]

1. There is a legal definition of a refugee in the Geneva convention

In the 1951 Geneva Convention the term refugee applies to any person who, due to

"a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it. In the case of a person who has more than one nationality, the term 'the country of his nationality" shall mean each of the countries of which he is a national, and a person shall not be deemed to be lacking the protection of the country of his nationality if, without any valid reason based on well-founded fear, he has not availed himself of the protection of one of the countries of which he is a national"

http://portal.unesco.org/shs/en/ev.php-URL_ID=3138&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Hurricane victims is bad enough is it not?

[wli]

2. unable to avail himself of the protection of that country n/t

[Pacifist Patriot]

3. Interesting. I would argue most of the refugees are being persecuted

for reasons of race and/or membership of a particular social group. I'd also say they are not being protected by their country. I realize the Geneva convention definition is focused on international boundaries but that is to be expected given the nature of the accord.