Forgive me, but what am I missing? After the string of
terrorist attacks that culminated with the recent Paris tragedy, what do we in
America do?
- We express our sadness and offer prayers to the victims of the Paris attacks, but ignore the suffering of the victims of the Beirut and Kenyan attacks, the Russian airliner tragedy, or the Syrian refugees, and the countless other meaningless deaths of innocents.
- Our political rhetoric gears up for another invasion while our chicken hawk leaders all scream about ISIS (or is it ISIL) while pointing fingers at the opposing party.
- Social Media is flooded with memes and cherry picked statistics that prove or at least infer that all Muslims are prone to or associated with terrorism.
- Our state leaders refuse to accept refugees being repatriated by the Obama Administration.
- Senator Ted Cruz suggests that we accept only Christian refugees, since we all know only Muslims are terrorists. So much for “Love your neighbor as yourself.” -- Matthew 22:39.
- We change our Facebook profile picture by adding an overlay of the French Tricolour. Again, did anybody add the flag of Lebanon or Kenya to their Facebook profile pic?
- Security measures are in place and getting tighter.
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| Flag of Kenya |
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| Flag of Lebanon |
Is America really the land of the “free?” With today’s
technology, it should be relatively easy to track refugees. According to many
sources, Americans are, or at least can be, under constant surveillance. I am
not an expert on surveillance technology, nor do I wish to become one, but if
all it takes is a mobile phone or a fitness device to track our movements,
certainly we can repatriate refugees with enough security to prevent the
imagined mass incursion of terrorists we all hear about.
Most of us are descended from immigrants; my ancestors came
from Western Europe. Most Europeans who arrived to this country were not the
nobles, the rich, or the elite. Most were poor. Some were criminals, fleeing
from prosecution. The North American colonies were used by the British Empire
as a penal colony; the State of Georgia was first settled by European indentured
servants. So why is the "home of the
brave" so afraid of aiding
refugees who are more victimized than most Americans will ever be?
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| MS St. Louis -- Google it! |
America has a history of leadership through fear or bigotry.
Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany were turned away. Japanese
Americans--many who were born in the United States--were interred in camps due
to their heritage. Never mind the atrocities committed against the Native, Hispanic, and African Americans throughout our history. We seem to be repeating history.
When will we stop looking for simple solutions to complex
situations? Simple solutions like believing ALL Muslims are terrorists. People have criticized recent comments by Bernie Sanders
that climate change and terrorism are linked. Yet, I am convinced that the
majority of Middle Eastern terrorism against the United States is not simply because
of our “freedoms,” as the fear-mongering media has claimed. It is because we
are over there, on their land, "stealing" their oil, and imposing our will. I do not care if my neighbor
disagrees with me, or even despises my personal views. I am sure many of them
do. But I will fight him if he enters my house uninvited, takes my property,
and tries to impose his beliefs and views upon me.
-- Food for Thought
