The Question of the Day: Should Newfoundlanders care about Lebanese Canadians?

On VOCM's web site today, their question of the day asked the following:

Do you think the federal government is doing a good job of getting Canadians out of Lebanon? Question Date: 7/25/2006

The comments were interesting, to say the least. Sadly, they displayed a side of Newfoundlanders that we'd rather not talk about, so if I have offended you, it is unintentional, however, it's something I think we need to talk about.
Let's start with the comments that had tones of racism in them. Yes that's right, I'm not pulling any punches here, even though the respondents tried to. The use of quotes around certain words in a clever attempt at the art of rhetoric. Indeed, a veiled attempt at connoting that these survivors of an illegal act of war in Lebanon are "less" than Canadian, indeed, less than human. Judge for yourself from the quotations below:

WE COULD STAY " HOME" AND NOT VISIT A WAR TORN COUNTRY TO TAKE A VACATION (Caps by author)

...let these "Canadians" find their own way home. Take care of your "own" first.

...why "we" are responsible for moving them anyway. They chose to go there to visit, and chose to be Canadian citizens

Sadly, I am of the belief that these comments represent an attempt to distinguish these Canadians as some sort of lesser type of Canadian. The question is why? Is it because they hold dual citizenship, or is it something else? Is it because they are predominantly of Arab descent? Does that make them less Canadian? Does that make them less human?

As of the posting of this blog, the question has 22 posted responses to the question of the day. 18 of these either agree that the government is doing enough, or too much (and include the comments posted in this blog).
Those of us who are fans of the question of the day (or rather read it every day) have witnessed time and again overwhelming votes and comments in favour of the government doing more to help the people in this province who work in the fishery (Government at both levels).
Yet the comments below provide interesting insight into the beliefs of the people who responded overwhelmingly in the negative, in terms of whether or not to provide assistance to Lebanese Canadians:

...is the question of what these people are doing there.

...I realize that most of them have families there but is that a good reason to go seeing the situation

...If they wish to return to the home lands when this is taking place let them return there and not expect out tax dollars to help them...

Wow! I wonder if these are the same people who hold out hope that the government will intervene and help with tax dollars if necessary to put a fish plant (ie low skill labour) in another small Newfoundland community!
We deride (and rightfully so) people from mainland Canada who refer to us as lazy, and being only concerned with staying home. Those of us who have had to move away freely admit we long for the day when we can return home, and if Ft. McMurray existed somewhere in Newfoundland, we all know Alberta would be deserted.
This is nothing to be ashamed of, it is something to be proud of! We don't leave this beautiful Island with the worst weather in the world willingly.
My question then, is this: Should Lebanese Canadians feel any less for their homeland? As inhabitants of an island that shares a common problem with Lebanon (forced outmigration)
we should hold empathy for these Lebanese Canadians, and yet today's comments certainly do not reflect this.
It all suggests to me tones of racism, as if because they are originally from the Middle East they are to be treated as less than we would expect for Newfoundlanders.
Please note that of course I fully realize that there are plenty of Newfoundlanders who feel similar to the way I do (According to the poll, 26 per cent of respondents do), however as I stated at the beginning, my cause for concern was both the tones of the actual respondents, and the lack of a dissenting point of view.
Comments?