Letter: Sarkisian sisters hardly a threat to national security

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005 | 9:17 a.m.

Given the good fortune of the Sarkisian sisters as a result of their being permitted to remain in the U.S., we all can be grateful that common sense prevailed and that the spirit of the law was seen as being as important as the letter of the law.

Still, it took a call from Nevada's Sen. Harry Reid to Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge to ensure their well-being. What was as outrageous as their incarceration and possible deportation was the reality of what that decision to deport would have meant -- a factor which our system leaders seemed unaware. Christian Armenia, though both historical and unique, borders Islamic Azerbaijan and Turkey, making the region a continuoulsy volatile one. It is not a place one would want to send U.S. teenage girls who cannot speak the language.

Perhaps we have overreacted to too many things after 9/11 in our effort to make the U.S. safe for all of us. When teenage girls who are 100 percent American are considered a likely threat, it is time to step back and reconsider our priorities.

JOHN ESPERIAN Editor's note: John Esperian teaches English at the Community College of Southern Nevada. He taught at the American University of Armenia during the 1996-1997 school year.