terrorism

One more quick word:

How wrong is it to reduce or stop entirely our willingness to accommodate refugees fleeing from the middle east? The knee jerk reaction on the right has been to call for a total halt to that willingness. What a horrible and un-American reaction.

Since 9/11 America has steadily exhibited a cowardice and retreat from its values that defies its swagger on the international stage. It’s reaction to being attacked was to turn world bully and to corrupt those values by diluting the freedom of its own citizens and by engaging in arbitrary violence around the world.

Now this defeatist petulance has been given new life by the Paris attacks. We are being urged, once more, to close the borders. This time even to those who deserve and need out help.

Why?

Fear. We cower in fear. We shake with national cowardice.

Instead of standing up and proclaiming the worth of our values, and instead of defying terror with our relentless attachment to freedom, we surrender it quickly and hide behind the false wall of security. While I understand the need to be alert and to protect ourselves – obviously – this ought be balanced with a pride in what we are supposed to stand for.

And what is this?

Our belief in modernity which brings with it a bundle of values not found in the homelands of the terrorists. Tolerance. Openness. Freedom. Equality of citizenship. And all the other attributes that add to to what we call democracy.

This is crucial.

You will notice we are not defending or standing up for our economic system. We are standing up for something far more important: democracy.

But we aren’t are we? We are quivering behind the chair or in the basement. We are stocking up with guns so we can shoot at ghosts. We are afraid instead of defiant. We are supine instead of erect. We are terrorized instead of strong.

And this defeatism is reflected in the Republican calls to close the borders. This is in stark contrast the usual braggadocio and bombast we get from the right who are usually so trigger happy and willing to bomb our ‘enemies’ that they scarcely ever stop to think about the unintended consequences.

Like encouraging terrorists.