EDITOR’S
NOTE: State Senator Elaine Morgan (R) who represents the northern half of
Charlestown became one of the first members of the General Assembly to demand
that Syrian war refugees be denied asylum in Rhode Island. Morgan, who has a
reputation for not being the sharpest pencil in the pencil box, wants to give
the Islamic State terrorists just what
they want. Idiot.
It has long been said that the true definition of courage isn’t
the absence of fear, but rather the ability to take action in the face of fear.
In the wake of a horrific terror attack in the heart of Paris, France’s actions
are about as courageous as could ever be asked of its people.
Despite the fear-mongering and the pressure from right-wing
elements in both France and the United States, France’s president Francois
Hollande renewed his vow to take in tens of thousands of Syrian
refugees and urged Parisians not to allow a few terrorists to stop them
from living their lives to the fullest.
“30,000 refugees will be welcomed over the next two years. Our country has the duty to respect this commitment,” explaining that they will undergo vigorous security checks.Hollande noted that “some people say the tragic events of the last few days have sown doubts in their minds,” but called it a “humanitarian duty” to help those people … but one that will go hand in hand with “our duty to protect our people.”“We have to reinforce our borders while remaining true to our values,” he said.
The French people have been remarkably brave throughout the
harrowing ordeal.
It’s the right-wing elements in America, thousands of miles
away, that have truly succumbed to the fear.
In Congress, the GOP quickly drafted up legislation
that would – depending on who was writing it – ban all refugees or ban all
refugees but the Christian ones.
All of this was done directly in the face of the evidence
emerging from the Paris investigation. In fact, no Syrian refugee has thus far
been named as one of the terrorists. They principally came from the EU itself.
A Syrian passport made to look like a refugees turned out to be a fake –
possibly planted by ISIS to sow confusion.
Refugees more generally have a remarkably low chance of being
future assailants. Out of the 784,000 Muslims taken in by the United
States since 9/11, one has
been arrested for being involved in terrorism.
The facts are clear: refugees do
not pose a threat. They are rigorously screened, interviewed, and checked. You
wouldn’t know any of this if you simply listened to what Republican leaders are
saying.
Chris Christie recently swore he would block even “5-year-old
orphans” from coming into his state, because he didn’t want to take the “risk.”
Ted Cruz, whose father was a refugee from Cuba, is actively trying to ban non-Christians
from being allowed into the United States. A Tennessee politician is now
working on deporting the Syrians already
living in his state and “politely take them back.”
Thankfully, President Obama and many Democratic governors have
stood firm against this growing xenophobic rhetoric. Like Hollande, Obama has
vowed to uphold the United States’ moral duty by helping averting the humanitarian
crisis unfolding in the Middle East. At a recent press conference, he called
out Republicans for their not-so-brave stances in the face of unfortunate
victims of strife.
“At first they were too scared of the press being too tough on them in the debates. Now they are scared of 3-year-old orphans. That doesn’t seem so tough to me.”
If they ever want to get serious about being tough, Hollande
just gave them an perfect example of how to do it.
Author Jameson Parker covers US politics, social justice issues, and
other current events which aren't getting the attention they deserve. Feel free
to follow or drop me a line on twitter.
