In our daily efforts to bring readers the news and events happening in our regions, there are regularly those that hit home a little more than usual.

It could be a fatal car crash or some other tragedy in the community – understandable that we are affected as much as readers (we’re human too!)

Or it could be that a particular topic raises attitudes either unexpected or unpleasant that we can’t just let slide.

So it was last week when we reported on a group of Bega Valley people willing to open their hearts, and potentially their homes, to refugees fleeing persecution and widespread slaughter in Syria.

The feedback via Facebook was immediate and overwhelming.

Comments along the lines of “don’t let that rubbish into our community”, and that crime rates will rise as a result of allowing “them” into Australia, were repeated and commented upon favourably.

As were calls we have enough problems of our own without inviting more – true, but can’t we work on both?

Readers who expressed any solidarity with the proposal were quickly hounded down and bullied into submission.

The racism, bigotry and heartlessness of my fellow Australians I find appalling.

Are we so afraid of anyone from the Middle East that we shut our doors without a second thought?

Are we so selfish that we close our minds to the value of mixing with other cultures?

I can already hear the shouting about how allowing Syrian refugees into Australia is apparently allowing terrorists into the country and that Islam is destroying our way of life. Seriously?!

To tarnish an entire religion or country based on the fanatical beliefs and actions of a few is beyond the pale.

I read on the weekend that the US has had 990 mass shootings in the past 1004 days.

I strongly suspect no-one is calling for our homes and borders to be closed to those Americans and their extremist, violent ways.

All religions preach peace and goodwill to our fellow humans. And all have at some point been used to justify the most horrendous acts against our fellow humans.

Please don’t allow fear and hatred of “the other” destroy our humanity.