Let’s play a game. It’s called “Which Governor In America Is The Absolute Worst?” Haha wait there is no way to win this game because in light of the Syrian refugee crisis, there are so many competing for the title. That said, way down yonder in the Lone Star State, Greg Abbott is doing his damndest to be as completely awful as possible, because everything’s bigger in Texas. What’s Abbott up to? Of course he is one of the however-the-hell-many-is-it-now governors who have stood strong against letting Syrian terrorist toddlers into the United States, but Abbott being Abbott, he’s really kicked it up to another level. A stupider, meaner level. He’s now threatening to defund a relief agency if it has the goddamn gall to help resettle Syrians in Texas because of course he is.
Throughout our history, we’ve welcomed refugees to our shores. Whether feeling political/religious/ideological oppression, looking for an opportunity to better themselves, or hoping to provide a better life for their family, refugees have helped make this country what it is. America is a more diverse, vibrant, and interesting place because of the mix of cultures, creed, and ethnicities woven into the warp and weft of the fabric that is America.
It would be easy to go through a long list of those who began life elsewhere, only to emigrate to America and eventually change the world. People from all walks of life have come to America and later left their mark in ways they almost certainly wouldn’t have been able to had they been denied entry.
(Here’s an example: Steve Jobs? The son of a Syrian immigrant. I rest my case.)
The idea that we can and should be denying Syrian refugees entrance to the U.S. because they might be terrorists goes against everything that makes America what it is. Never mind that Syrian citizens who wish to emigrate to the U.S. must undergo and pass a rigorous, robust, up to 24-month screening process. Never mind that not all Syrians wishing to find sanctuary here are Muslim. The mere fact that a Syrian might possibly be a terrorist should be enough to deny them entrance. Never mind the battalions of angry Conservative White Christian males who pose an undeniable clear and present danger to the Homeland; we must fear Syrians…because terror. And Islam. Oh, and also that they hate us for our freedom.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is certainly not the only Right-wing demagogue willing to deny Syrians entry to this country…but he’s certainly one of the most vocal and dangerously unhinged. Despite no demonstrable threat posed by Syrians, Abbott believes the only way to protect this country is to bar the door to those fleeing political unrest and horrific religious violence in their home country.
Is it possible there could be terrorists hidden amongst Syrian refugees? Of course; there’s no way to completely eliminate that contingency…but the truth is that there are already terrorists among us. These traitors look like you and me…and so we collectively deny their existence and act as if ignoring the very real threat posed by angry Conservative White Christian males means it doesn’t exist. Then a Robert Lewis Dear shoots up a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs and we react as if it’s something we can’t conceive of.
Hypocrisy and denial will do that.
Abbott and other Republican luminaries who would bar the door to Syrians might want to consider a couple of facts:
Syrians wishing to emigrate to the U.S. already undergo what’s arguably the most thorough, stringent, and robust screening process the U.S. government conducts.
Not all Syrians are Muslims. The Syrian family that turned themselves in asked for asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing at Laredo, TX? Yes, that one, the one Abbott crowed about claiming that “capturing them” was proof of the need to protect Texans (when The Black Guy in the White House © won’t) from the terrorist threat posed by Syrians? They’re Christians…and they weren’tt “captured;” they surrended at the border and asked for asylum. Abbott has been strangely silent about this case since the truth came to light. Go figure
Welcoming Syrians (or refugees of any nationality) isn’t about terrorism or the “threat” they might post to the homeland. It’s about remembering who we are and what makes America that vibrant melting pot it is. It’s about remembering why people risk life and limb to come here.
It’s about compassion…something that Gov. Abbott and the demagogues who think like him seem unable to comprehend. There’s no way to make the Homeland absolutely safe and secure from every conceivable threat (especially since the most prevalent danger we face comes from within). What we should be able to do is to demonstrate that Americans don’t cower, that we’re capable of compassion even when we might (legitimately or otherwise) be concerned for our safety. We should be able to act to provide shelter to those in need of a hand up.
We’re Americans; that’s what kind, caring, compassionate, CHRISTIAN people do. We’re not cowards and demagogues who, like Gov. Abbott, would bar entry to Syrian refugees simply because we’d rather scapegoat them than help them.
We’re better than that…right?
