Rubén Rosario: On earthquakes, turning away the stranger and rooting for the other team

Jan. 9--Happy New Year. Now on to things that made me nod, shake or scratch my head this week:

PR Strong -- What more will befall my beloved birthplace? A 6.4 magnitude earthquake early Tuesday off the southern coast of Puerto Rico claimed the life of one person, collapsed houses, disrupted water service and knocked out electrical power to most of the island. The earthquake, followed by a 6.0 magnitude aftershock, was the worst of scores of tremors that have been felt in Puerto Rico in recent weeks. The recent disaster comes as the island of 3.4-million U.S. citizens of mostly Puerto Rican descent is still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Maria two years ago. Like before, Minnesotans from all walks of life are sending more than thoughts and prayers. More than a few friends with plans already set to vacation on the island have offered to help in any way or bring supplies to my relatives, who other than losing power have not been directly affected by the recent spate of earthquakes.

El Fondo Boricua, a donor-advised fund of the St. Paul Foundation that raised and distributed hundreds of thousands in hurricane-related relief, launched a similar drive this week through partnerships with vetted non-profits on the island. (elfondoboricua.org) And the Puerto Ricans in Minnesota Committee has scheduled an emergency meeting for 6 p.m. Friday at El Colegio Charter School at 4137 Bloomington Ave. in Minneapolis to discuss ways to assist. (facebook.com/PRIMNCommittee) We now go from that outpouring of humanitarian caring to...

Pulling out the welcome mat -- Beltrami County became the first county in Minnesota and the second in the nation to oppose refugee resettlement. This comes in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump last year that now requires local governments to officially and now publicly inform the feds in writing whether to accept or not folks fleeing from war, persecution and other crisis.

This is another thinly disguised, politically motivated attempt by the Trump Administration to scapegoat another category of immigrants, feed red meat to his base, and fan the flames of fear-mongering if not outright bigotry.

Now ask me how I really feel.

The 3-2 vote by the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners was reportedly applauded by a loud majority of folks who attended the Tuesday meeting.

Here's the thing. According to the U.S. Department of State's Refugee Processing Center, not one refugee has been resettled in Beltrami County in recent years, if any, so the vote taken is largely moot. But it speaks volumes.

One commissioner who voted to deny refugees noted that the county, where roughly one in five persons is considered poor by federal guidelines, would be hard-pressed to provide resources to any incoming refugee.

That sounds more like a cover excuse than reality in my book. Credible government and independent studies and reports note that although there may be some upfront costs, a good portion of which is picked up by federal funds, churches and non-profits, refugees actually are more an economic boost than a burden to a community.

A recent report by the Department of Health and Human Services disclosed that refugees generated $63 billion more in revenue to federal, state, and local governments than they cost between 2005-20014.

On the same day Beltrami County took its no vote, Hennepin County overwhelmingly voted to accept refugees. It joins Blue Earth, Kandiyohi and Nicollet Counties and a growing number of other rural and outstate counties -- quite a number of them with similar demographics and economic makeup as Beltrami -- that voted in recent days to accept refugees. Ramsey County is also expected to vote yea at its board meeting next Tuesday.

"Minnesota has a centuries-old tradition of welcoming refugees," Marion Greene, chair of Hennepin County's board of commissioners, informed me. "The federal government essentially asked if we wanted to continue that tradition of welcoming and we said yes."

Go Niners -- The disapprovals from Vikings fans I know came fast and furious after I posted a profile picture proudly wearing a San Francisco 49ers cap on my Facebook page.

"What is wrong with you?" wrote one poster.

"Local newspaper columnist decides to irritate entire readership by wearing inappropriate hat," quipped former Star Tribune columnist Jon Tevlin.

"Exactly Jon, though I irritate people regardless" was my not so flippant reply. I could have rubbed it in more by wearing a cap embroidered with the logos of the five Super Bowl wins the 49ers have won. But I went humble instead.

I'm hardly a front runner, bandwagon fan. I have rooted for the Niners since the late 1960s and early 1970s when the team featured players like John Brodie, Gene Washington, and Dave Wilcox. I'm still a little miffed that the Vikings upset the heavily favored Niners during the 1988 playoffs when wide receiver Anthony Carter played the game of his life.

I believe the Niners will win Saturday's matchup, but I will not be heartbroken at all if the Vikings prevail. I got other things in life to worry about. I will change from my Ronnie Lott jersey to my Randy Moss one and root for the Vikes to beat either the Seahawks or the Green Bay Packers the following weekend in the NFC title game and go on to win the Super Bowl next month.

So there. No more angry emails or teary-eyed emojis.

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