Sunday, June 24, 2018

Solve the Issue of Those Seeking Asylum



1. Violate our laws.

2. Deny protection to people requesting asylum.

3. Separate children and parents by great distances. Hold the     children as hostages.

4. Offer to return children if asylum case dropped & agree to deportation

5. Both legally and morally reprehensible.

We turned away Jewish families seeking asylum from Nazi Germany's holocaust. After that disgusting decision and after reviewing the internment of Japanese-Americans, we created laws to protect those seeking asylum. We now violate those laws because we don't like the color or ethnicity of those seeking asylum.

Fear of change is our motive.

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Happy Father's Day!

Victor, where-ever you are, I wish you a happy Father's Day.

You made me question my own image when I met you on the shore of the Aegean Sea on the Greek Island of Kos. I vividly recall the sound and smell of the waves as they hit the beach and the laughter of your children as they played in the small tent. Your words still haunt me. 

"When bombs drop and destroy the house next-door we do not know if they are barrel bombs from Assad, missiles from the U.S., or bombs from Russia. We only know that our neighbors are dead and we could just as easily been killed. Grocery stores are gone. Water is gone. People that I knew are hanging from lamp posts and trees. There was even a human head lying in the town square. Gangs roam the streets and shoot people at random."

You did not abandon your family, but you protected them as you walked all the way from Syria to Turkey. You hid to avoid the roaming gangs. (The U.N. estimated over100-waring factions in Syria). You scavenged for food and water to feed the children. You carried the girls as you ran into abandoned buildings when bombs suddenly started dropping. You negotiated with smugglers who stole what little remained of your possessions, and you held the girls tight in a tiny, overloaded boat. The day after you waded to shore, the Greek military picked up you and your family. (Thank God that the Greek Military did not even consider separating you from your children). You were released and told to the daily list outside of the police building for your names and the date and time of your final interview that determines if you can continue your journey.

You had no idea what awaits you. You believe that there will be work for you in Germany if you can make it to Germany. There will be opportunities to put food on the table and your girls will live in safety. 

During my life as a Father, I never had to sacrifice for my daughters. Not really. I like to think that I would have been brave enough to protect them and to leave all that I know, for their sake. 

Happy Father's day. I wish you well.