MY NEW HERO
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings (D)
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings (D) isn’t afraid of the Syrian refugees fleeing a civil war in the Middle East. He’s more concerned about the white men who grab military-grade firearms and shoot up public venues…. “I am more fearful of large gatherings of white men that come into schools, theaters and shoot people up, but we don’t isolate young white men on this issue,” Rawlings told MSNBC on Saturday, addressing the recent claims by a number of public figures that the U.S. needs to turn away refugees from war-torn Syria because some of them could be terrorists planning an attack.
If we’re to seriously discuss the threat this country faces from terrorism, it would seem sensible to begin the discussion with the greatest peril to our safety and security. After all, if you’re trying to protect yourself, you most likely are going to want to know what you’re protecting yourself from, no? In the case of terrorism, though, politicians and the media aren’t focused on the most obvious and immediate threat. In fact, they’re not even discussing it. They’re focused with laser-like intensity on what’s actually a relatively minor threat- Syrian refugees- and are heavily invested in demonizing a group simply wanting a safe place to land.
The fact is that Syrians pose a relatively low threat to the Homeland. A far bigger peril is posed by…wait for it…White American males. White supremacists, for instance, pose a far greater threat on American soil than foreign terrorists.
Our fear of terrorism is so far out of whack that it borders on the absurd. An American is 35,079 times more likely to die from heart disease than from terrorism. We’re 55 times more likely to be killed by a police officer (or 58 times), depending on which study you choose to believe) than by a terrorist. Far more Americans are killed by guns violence than by terrorism…but, hey, the 2nd Amendment is sacrosanct and inviolable! Only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun, remember?
Few public officials will address the elephant in the room. Dallas, TX, Mayor Mike Rawlings has shown the courage to talk about a glaring gap in our approach to terror. We’re not addressing the real problem- White males- because it’s SO much easier to demonize swarthy Muslims. Facts be damned, we’re ignoring a very inconvenient truth because it’s uncomfortable to face the reality that terrorists look a lot like us.
[R]efugees seeking to enter the U.S. actually go through a rigorous screening process that can take between 18 and 24 months. The process includes in-person interviews and in-depth background checks performed by the FBI, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security. And there have been barely any cases of refugees conspiring to aid a foreign terrorist organization since the Sept. 11 attacks. Twelve of the 785,000 refugees accepted into the U.S. since 9/11 have since been arrested or removed because of terrorism concerns — accounting for about one thousandth of 1 percent of the total.
Rawlings raises a very good point, in that any discussion of how to effectively deal with terrorism MUST begin with admitting what the real threat to the Homeland is. Despite what politicians and the media believe or at the very least are trying to convince the American Sheeple of, Syrian refugees aren’t the problem. If we’re terrified that Syrians might be potential terrorists, why are we not dealing with ACTUAL terrorists in our midst?
In order for a Syrian refugee to be granted refugee status in the U.S., they must first undergo a vetting process I suspect a lot of Americans wouldn’t be able to pass. By the time they’re allowed into this country, the odds of them actually being a terrorist are exceedingly slim. The problem is that politicians and the media are far more concerned with making Syrian refugees pay for the Paris attacks than with dealing with the reality of terrorism in this country. It’s all about making people feel safe…because it’s far easier than admitting the problem lies within our borders.
Mike Rawlings is so far the only politician I’ve heard with the honesty and courage to address the elephant in the room. There’s a perception that White people can’t be terrorists…which is the very definition of self-delusion. If we’re going to insist on addressing a problem by first ignoring it, we shouldn’t claim surprise when the bill for such ignorance and denial come due.
If you don’t believe me, I have two words for you- Timothy McVeigh.
