The Good American

One of my all time favorite movies is Under the Same Moon, or La Misma Luna in it's original Spanish.  The story follows Carlos, a young boy in Mexico who is waiting for his mom, who is in Los Angeles, to make enough money to bring him to the United States.  Carlos eventually tries to find his own way into the States.  After many hardships, he is finally reunited with his mother.

This movie came out in 2008.  The trials Carlos faced on his journey to find his mother are nothing like the trials families are facing today on the Texas-Mexico border.  Parents and children are arriving at the border together looking for a better life only to be forcefully separated and kept apart for who knows how long.  They are being kept in unsafe, unsanitary, and inhumane accommodations.

One of the main arguments I hear is that the parents should have thought of the consequences before they tried to illegally enter the United States.  This argument is valid.  But aren't the consequences a little extreme?  People are trying to join our great nation, to find freedom and peace.  Instead, we are giving them more terror and hardships.  Shouldn't we be willing to help them on their journey to citizenship?

Christ's parable of the Good Samaritan comes to mind.  The Levites and the Samaritans didn't get along at all.  When a Levite man was beaten and robbed, left to die on the side of the road, the only person that helped him was a Samaritan.  Two men walked right past their Levite brother, not willing to help.  The man who was supposed to be the enemy is the one who stopped to help.

Now, let's rewrite the story.  A Mexican family is struggling in their native country.  Their own government is doing nothing to assist them.  So the family flees to what is said to be the greatest country in all the world to find help, even though they know of the hatred that flows throughout this free nation to which they are escaping.

I'll stop the story there.  We already know how this story ends.  It ends without a Good Samaritan.  Let's change that.  Let's be the one they need to find peace in their lives.  Let's be the Good American.

Love Thy Neighbor

A woman from the church I attend recently became a U.S. citizen.  She was born and raised in Mexico and moved to the United States as an adult.  When other members of the church learned that she had gained citizenship, there was an outpouring of love and congratulations.  The support she received was overwhelming.
This got me thinking.  Why is it that we try to keep immigrants out?  Why don't we support them?  Why don't we help them?
Let's look at an example.  Last year, I was taking an online math class.  Math is ridiculously difficult for me.  In fact, this was my second time taking the same math class.  But I had support.  My parents pushed me and made sure I stayed on track.  I had a friend tutor me before tests.  Because of the help and love of others, I eventually passed the class.
Why can't we do the same for immigrants?  Instead of pushing them out of the country, let's push them closer to becoming a U.S. citizen.  Let's go out of our ways to help them achieve what they came here to do.  Becoming a U.S. citizen is not an easy task.  It takes time and work.  I feel that we, U.S. citizens born and raised, should want to help our new neighbors.  They're just looking for a better life.  They want the same life you have.  Why should we deny them that right?  The first step in opening our borders is opening our hearts.

Let's Just Tear Down the Statue of Liberty!

Did the title get your attention?  Good.  I don't actually want to tear down Lady Liberty, but it seems as though our great nation may be coming to this.  With all the controversy about President Trump's recent executive order banning travellers from certain countries, it seems as though we have forgotten what the Statue of Liberty stands for.  Time for a history lesson.
A man by the name of Edouard de Laboulaye, after witnessing the end of the American Civil War, wanted to bring his home nation of France closer to their ally the United States.  He proposed the construction of a monument to celebrate justice and liberty for all.  The Frenchman believed that the United States was a place where people were free to live whatever life they wanted.
Ten years later, de Laboulaye worked together with his sculptor friend Frederic Auguste Bartholdi to make his dream a reality.  Bartholdi was put in charge of sculpting and construction.  The United States was in charge of erecting a pedestal.  Everything was coming together nicely.  Until both the US and France realized they didn't have the funds to complete the statue.  After various forms of donations and fundraising, the Statue of Liberty was built and shipped to the United States.  Since then, Lady Liberty has greeted and welcomed foreigners into the Land of the Free.
Nearly 150 years later, the Statue of Liberty still stands.  But have Americans forgotten what she stands for?  People are being persecuted and turned away because their religion.  There is talk of a wall being built to keep out our southern neighbors.  Oh the irony!  One hundred and fifty years ago, our ancestors campaigned to raise money to build a monument to their freedom, to help them remember that we were all immigrants at one time.  Now, in the present, people are campaigning for a wall.  Taxes will most likely be raised in order to pay for the wall.  One hundred and fifty years isn't a long time.  But look what has become of us.  We went from a generation who was willing to allow others into their country to a generation concerned more about themselves than others.  So there you have it.  Let's tear down the Statue of Liberty.  It only seems fitting.

Works Cited
"Edouard de Laboulaye." National Park Service. National Park Service US Department of the Interior, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

"Statue History." Liberty Ellis Foundation. N.p., 2017. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

 
Blood, Sweat, and Tears:

Allowing Syrian Refugees Into the United States

   People love to complain. It is either too hot or too cold, too loud or to quiet. This house is too small, the grass is too long, this food tastes awful. As Americans, we find a lot to complain about. We tend to forget how much we actually have. The house is too small, but at least we have a house. The food tastes awful, but at least we have food. Everyday things are taken for granted. We should always try to remember that there are those who are less fortunate then we are.

   Over the years, there have been many different occasions in which people have been forced to flee their homes, to give up everything they hold dear. The most recent group of people to leave their country is the Syrians. These refugees experience hardships that we cannot even begin to imagine. We the people of the United States, in our houses that could be bigger, are not doing enough to help those who have been displaced. Why should we help them? Let us ponder this. What should we know about these people? We need to establish the why, where, and what. Why are so many people fleeing their homes? Where are they going? What is currently happening to them?

   The Washington Post published an article that shows exactly why so many people are leaving Syria. According to the article, 57 percent of the refugees fled Syria because it was unsafe for them to stay. Others left because their homes had been taken over or destroyed by the government, Syrian rebels, or ISIS. With all of this going on, the price of food has sky rocketed leaving many without any money (Alhamad, Mironova, Whitt). Without money, it becomes difficult to pay for housing, casuing people to flee. There are plenty of reasons why people are trying to escape Syria, but the big eye opener should be that they are leaving because they feel unsafe.

   Many Americans have argued that Syrian refugees should not be allowed into the United States because some of them might be terrorists. Wayne Root compared letting refugees into the country to allowing your child to trick-or-treat at a particular house knowing that some of the candy that house is distributing is “laced with poison.” Root takes the situation with Syria to the extreme. Could some of these people be dangerous? Sure. But if you think about, these people are fleeing from danger. They have left their homes because they felt unsafe. Is it really possible that someone trying to find refuge from a storm would attempt to stir up their own hurricane? Probably not.

   Now that all of these people have left their homes, where can they turn? Thousands have fled to Turkey. Others have gone to Europe. A few have even made it into the United States. But the process is not easy. Alex Altman tells of a family's struggles to find a home outside of Syria. Faez al Sharaa and his family left Syria because it was getting to be too dangerous to live there. They were smuggled to a refugee camp in Jordan, where they worked with the United Nations to be relocated. After almost two years, the Sharaa family was moved to Dallas, Texas. Faez admits, though, that he did not want to be relocated to the United States. Altman writes that the United States “provides fewer benefits than some European nations.” This didn't sit well with Faez. Although he and his family are safe in Texas, they need to start life over again. Faez found a job and he and his wife are learning English.

   The Sharaas were very fortunate. Things worked out very well for them. Others have not been so fortunate. Julie Bindel wrote an article about a large group of refugees living in an abandoned building in Lebanon. The building was abandoned because it was labeled as unsafe. Yet here is a group of a people so desperate for shelter that they are willing to sleep inside an old, broken down building. Bindel describes the sights and smells of the place as being “rancid” and “dreadful” (13-14). On top of the horrible living conditions, women are being raped and abused. Some are forced to sell their daughters into marriage. No one should have to live like this. Although they are in a safer place, these refugees in Lebanon still go to bed at night frightened.

   Which brings us to why the United States should allow refugees into the country. Again, it does not make sense that someone running away from terror will turn out to be a terrorist. With this in mind, does it not seem like the right thing to do? The United States is a country founded upon freedom. America was built by immigrants. We should be continuing that legacy. But how would America benefit? Kim Cragin and Ben Connable believe that by letting refugees into the country, we could potentially weaken ISIS. The terrorist group ISIS is trying to turn the Middle East into an Islamic power by forcing people to believe in their cause. Anyone who disagrees with them is put to death. Although Syria is primarily an Islamic country, many of the residents, not extremists, believe in peace and love. No one should be forced to do anything. By allowing Syrian refugees into the United States, the number of potential ISIS recruits drops dramatically. Cragin and Connable insist that “forcing Syrian refugees to remain in ISIS-held areas will increase ISIS’s recruiting pool and undermine all efforts to stabilize the Middle East.” Not only will less people be getting killed by ISIS, the terrorist group will also find it more difficult to find recruits. With less individuals joining ISIS, the United States is a little safer from terrorist onslaughts. This solution certainly won't end attacks, but it may help reduce the number dramatically.

   So the next time you find yourself thinking that your life could be better, instead, think of how blessed you are. Think of those who are less fortunate and find a way to help them. The United States is still a very prosperous country, despite what some may think. We have the space and resources that these displaced Syrians are in need of. By allowing them into the country, we could change the lives of thousands, perhaps millions, while potentially thwarting the ideals of ISIS. Shouldn't this be what America wants?

Works Cited

Alhamad, Karam, Vera Mironova, and Sam Whitt. “In Two Charts, This Is What   Refugees Say About Why They Are Leaving Syria Now.” 28 Sept. 2015. The Washington Post. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

Altman, Alex. "Syrian Refugees In The U.S. Feel A Backlash." Time. 14 Dec. 2015: 24. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

Bindel, Julie. "Ask Anyone Who Has Blood In Them To Help Us." New Statesman. 24 May 2013: 13-14. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

Connable, Ben, and Kim Cragin. "To Undermine ISIS We Should Welcome Syrian Refugees." Newsweek. 2 Dec. 15. Newsweek. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.

Root, Wayne. “Here’s Where We Should Tell Obama to Send All the Syrian Refugees” The Blaze. 23 Nov. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2016.