Hate or Fear- Part Two

Records indicate that as of December 2013 the Obama administration had deported more than 1.9 million people since taking office. This is more than any previous administration. Yet Congress does not trust him to enforce immigration law. President Obama has had members of Congress call for his impeachment for failure to follow provisions of the Affordable Care Act and for the trade of prisoners of war for an American serviceman held by the Taliban. It strikes me as odd that now members of Congress including some Republicans feel Congress does not need to change the law and President Obama can address the issue on his own. The two faced nature of this suggestion by members of Congress is stunning.

We are a nation of immigrants. All of us except for Native Americans came here from somewhere else. We came in hopes of new opportunities, to escape persecution, for religious freedom, and for a host of other reasons. It was not unusual for new immigrant groups to be treated poorly by those other nationalities who had arrived earlier. The poor treatment of Irish and Chinese immigrants is well documented in our history. So the fact that there are groups in California and other locations protesting the arrival of illegal immigrants through our southern boarder is not entirely surprising. What I find disturbing is that this reaction is aimed at children. It is a youthful and vulnerable group arriving at our boarder after a difficult and dangerous journey. They should not face additional danger and mistreatment at the hands of American citizens. There are many who would characterize these actions as hateful. They are not. They are born of fear. We have become a fearful nation. What if some of those coming through are members of a terrorist group? Is another 9/11 plot going to be hatched by some of these people illegally entering the country? Jobs are scarce and difficult to obtain, especially those that pay a decent wage. Will these newcomers do work that should go to citizens or drive down wages because they lack the documents to obtain legal employment? No, the poor behavior of those protesting is not driven by hatred as many in the media would like us to believe. They are frightened. They are looking at a future they no longer see as theirs. A future where the majority is no longer white. A future that scares them. The thing that provides stability in our system is the law. We need to follow the rule of law and address the issues raised by these children in accordance with the law of the land. Those on the right or the left who attempt to frighten the American people need to understand that their conduct is making this issue worse and not better.

 These are not words of hate, they are words of fear. The people protesting in the picture above are not hateful they are frightened.

Where does the path lead us? There is no way to know, but we should walk it with our heads held high knowing that if we work together we can address any challenge and hold true to our most basic principles.