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America, Land of the Free. Home of the Brave?
The second post today from a friend … this one from Michael Suderman.
At what point did we become such cowards? Over 200 years ago this country was founded by people who, without fear, stood up to an adversary immensely more powerful than themselves and declared that no longer would they be governed by tyranny, ruled by force or controlled by fear. They understood that ALL MEN, regardless nationality or religious belief, deserved the right of freedom from persecution. Since that time this country has heralded that as the cornerstone of our ideology. We have fought innumerable wars in that cause, extended our hand in friendship to the world promoting that. Promised our aid to any and all that asked fighting for that.
But today we are confronted with an enemy different than any that we have encountered before. An enemy that knows they are far outmatched, out gunned, outmanned. But one that cares not for moral value, world perception, or anything other than what means are available to remain in control. They hide themselves among civilians, women and children. They kill innocents rather than combatants to terrorize. And above all, they try and maintain their power and control by fear and oppression of those they would rule. They will go to any extreme to make THE WORLD fear them, in the hope that we will give in to that fear and leave them to themselves. They use religion as an excuse to validate their actions, though their religion promotes nothing of the sort.
And guess what, IT WORKED. Today Trump signed a ban, effectively contradicting everything this country was founded on and ever promoted. The people have spoken and said “WE ARE SCARED. BUILD A WALL, AND DON’T LET ANYBODY ELSE IN”. It is a sad day. We have allowed the Terrorists to validate their Label. No longer does “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” have any meaning here. Rather we have embraced hate and fear of any that have a certain ethnic look or religious belief. We fear those not from here, IMMIGRANTS. All the while forgetting that we are all immigrants. Forgetting that we are all different, that we all have different beliefs, are different ethnicities and different colors.
Trump says it is for our protection, but the fact of the matter is not a single immigrant refugee has ever been implicated in a terrorist act in this country. But how many thousands will die because they have been denied asylum from an enemy bent on their destruction. And even if, one managed to get here and commit an act of terror, are we willing to compromise all that is good, moral and right, to live in fear of a possibility that in all honesty might happen anyways.
In his first 10 days in office, President Trump has managed to single-handedly alienate us from nearly every nation on this planet. Tell me something. How does that make us safer? And are we so quick to forget. We are not the first country to close our borders to the world and build a wall, or Iron Curtain ….