Some Blogs Write Themselves

Some blogs just write themselves.

What do you make of Donald Trump’s latest promise to deport all Muslims if he is elected?”trump1

Seriously?

Wake up America. As you turn off your TV and radio because you are sick and tired of political advertisements (knowing it will only get worse leading up to Election 2016) be aware that this might be the most important election you will/will not participate in your lifetime. It is imperative that you vote with your head filled with the facts and not just your heart over-flowing with “what might be” or pie-crust (easily broken) promises from experienced politicians and public speakers. You need to pay attention to what is being said and done.

Continuing to vote for ineffectual, corrupt politicians and ne’er do wells (because you are too lazy to investigate what is truth or fiction) is akin to knowing your spouse has cheated and contracted a STD but you continue to have unprotected coupling because it is easier than getting a divorce or to give up sex!

I am not a political pundit. I was a registered Democrat for over thirty years, which abruptly ended when the Benghazi massacre occurred (for my own reasons). I know a handful of the people involved in the widely publicized Washington dramas and traumas, and frankly, I trust what they tell me. They “live it” day in and day out. It’s a horrible job they have. No warm fuzzy there anymore.

Like some of the people I hang out with, I look at aberrant politics and questionable life policies as mental health issues. We all know from past experience that without rules, regulations and “parameters of acceptable behavior” there would be total anarchy. People that feel safe and empowered are happy. Happy people make better decisions. Better decisions benefit a wider range of people. When the masses benefit (versus a privileged few), everyone feels safe and empowered. The synergic result of “effective security” trickles down into every facet of our decision making abilities.

Traveling is not like it used to be. Security is tighter than ever overseas. At one layover they stared at my passport for ten minutes. My passport is five years old, and my hair is a different color. I practically had to undress for Customs in Germany! When we got back to the states, they barely even looked at my documents. I didn’t think about it until later. How safe is that?”

There is something to be said for getting out into the world, out of your neighborhood and comfort zone to experience a “global understanding” of how the world operates. My family has traveled overseas on behalf of the Federal Government for over thirty-six years in thirteen foreign countries. The process to travel overseas is fairly standard. You need a passport and at least one additional piece of picture identification. Visas and/or permits are obtained before travel begins. Vaccinations and health certificates are often required. Few countries (if any) have reciprocity, which means the process has to be repeated with every new country you enter (to satisfy specific country requirements) especially for those with the intent to reside for any length of time.

No vetting process of any country is perfect, of course, but some countries do a better job of it.

When we applied for the Foreign Service back in the seventies, we were required to procure all documents and necessary clearances to enter the country we were stationed to. Sometimes the process took several months, sometimes a year or longer. There was no “easy path”. We left our home, our family and friends, our schools and churches to represent American interests abroad, similar to the very same process many foreigners that legally enter the United States go through each day.

There was an implicit understanding upon acceptance of a tour of duty contract (overseas) that we would learn about the culture of our temporary home, accepting differences without judgments; learn the basic language and respect the rules of the land, no exceptions. Sovereign nations have templates and policies for visitors. You don’t have to agree. You don’t have to like it. It is what it is.

Most restrictions are predictable and fair, some seem harsh (men and women cannot attend public events together in Saudi Arabia) and some are unimaginably barbaric (in Singapore you can be “caned” for spitting on the sidewalk!) In Jerusalem we were encouraged to close our curtains during the Christmas holidays to hide our decorated trees out of respect for our Orthodox Jewish neighbors. It wasn’t a law, but it made sense not to call attention to ourselves as American Christians.

We knew what we were getting into when we departed the United States. There were occasional “surprises” (insurrections, military coups, health scares and natural disasters, etc…) but we would not have agreed to travel to a foreign country that imprisons on a whim and beheads Christians. We also would not have contracted to work in a place that constantly challenged our beliefs, mocked our values and disregarded our cultural norms as threatening to their own. We had no rights other than those extended to us as foreigners. There were no programs or freebies provided from the host nation to make our transition easier. These were the rules of the host nation, and we were expected to abide by them for as long as we chose to stay.

We were not refugees fleeing oppression, fearing for our very lives. We were not forced to go abroad. It was our choice, and we accepted each assignment with an open mind. At the end of every contract, we returned home to the United States with incredible memories and wonderful new friends.

Why do “these people” have to come to our country, putting all of us at risk? Anyone of them could be terrorists, even the women and children. Why bring them to a country of people they consider infidels, when they outright say they want to destroy us?”

hear no evil1What is the truth? I don’t want to burst any bubbles here, but the media does not always report all the facts. No, really. While the media is not to blame entirely for the fear and resentment Americans feel about the influx of refugees, sensationalism sells much better than the whole truth.

The current refugees from Syria are being split between obliging countries and governments, forced to go to unfamiliar places where they are not wanted or stay behind in their homeland and perish. Trusted professionals “on the ground” tell us that the majority of the refugees don’t want to leave their homes but must grab and run, at least until their country is safe once again. There is no time to clearly think things through. There is no time to gather certified documentation or go through in-depth vetting when they arrive at their final destinations. This is life and death. For many, they will leave absolutely everything behind.

The media infers that the poorly vetted and unmonitored refugees coming to America will be immediately assimilated into established communities, offered free temporary lodging, food stamps, medical care and the ability to qualify for employment and additional government subsidies. The children will be absorbed into our education system despite the obvious language barriers. There is even talk that many will be able to get drivers licenses’ and be allowed to vote in the next election. While some of the above appears to be true in a few cases, rumors are rampant, anger and resentment continues to build exponentially as a result. Obviously no one knows what kind of time frame will be set for these subsidies and freebies to end because no one can predict when it will be safe for the refugees to return home, if ever.

I firmly believe that those who have much are required to give much. It isn’t a religious thing. Its common sense, really. For those who stumble with the concept of helping others in time of need, I humbly offer a similar comparison that simple-minded folk (like me) can easily understand:

I am the mother of five. If each child brought home one playmate it would make ten kids around the dinner table. If all the kids were hungry, I fed them without thought of cost or inconvenience. If I was cooking, I invited them to help so that they learned to cook for themselves. If they were hurt, I rendered first aid without compensation. If they were upset, depressed or angry, I listened carefully and offered what assurance I could to provide comfort. Although, I treated them as I would my own children, clearly they were not. I was not “fond” of every one of them, but I was open to see what my child saw in them that I didn’t. At the very least, I was always near by to monitor behavior.

If necessary, they would spend even more time with us if their parents were traveling, taken ill or just needed “some time off” (that’s what good neighbors do). I didn’t try to integrate them into my family, and they didn’t ask to be a part of mine, at least not permanently. I never intended to adopt them or to advance my personal parenting ethics or spiritual precepts for them to take back to their families.  We have our way of doing things in our home, and they respected it, or went elsewhere. I was always present, not because I didn’t trust the kids but “just in case”.

At the end of the day, it was clearly understood that they all went home to their own parents. In addition, they were welcome and free to come and go in our house for as long as they followed our rules, respected our differences and tolerated the differences in each other.

Having a clear and consistent vetting process (no special waivers, passes, exceptions, etc…) might be a better alternative to closing our borders to foreigners in order to gain much needed clarity. It would be wise to put in place additional security procedures, for a start, like sharing information (not spying) of individuals (reporting persons that purchase two hundred canisters of propane fuel at Home Depot at one time) to stem the current tide of confusion and danger. It would be a positive step to regaining the people’s trust. There must be a will for our government to be consistent, and not focused on political correctness or expediency. Cultural sensitivity should be secondary to the regulations and procedures that protect national security.

How can we continue to give aid and assistance everyone who needs it without further depleting our already depleted resources?”

Truth is we can’t, but we shouldn’t and must not turn away from those we can help in some way. It will take an international effort and desire to do all that needs to be done, but it is not impossible. We must do what we can because it is the right thing to do.

We are a nation that is perceived to have much by comparison to others, but we are in trouble, too. People are angry and frightened. There is no way to protect ourselves from all terrorists entering our country within our current “broken” vetting process based on political correctness. What about the “home grown” terrorists (like the married couple in the recent San Bernardino massacre)? How do we protect ourselves from radical malcontents and zealots that are already in our neighborhoods?

We do our best. We just do our very best.

While our “kingdom is not of this earth” as many of us believe, we are the current stewards. The problems and fears we face are indeed real, but we must not live in constant fear and worry. We can change the hearts and minds of those to whom we extend our friendship and offer compassionate care in time of grave need. We can do better as human beings.

We can also do our duty and hold those individuals who would be in charge of our destiny accountable for what they say and do, gathering information from the past and in the present (of BOTH political party affiliations) when we vote in 2016. We need to feel safe in our own communities again. We need to feel better about those who are in charge of our country, constantly reevaluating whether their performances reflect the truth, or just promises made which they have no intention to keep (or realistically cannot keep). If we don’t do our job, why should we expect them to do theirs?

You are not mandated by any law to agree with me, of course. That is your right—at least I think it still is as of this writing.

God Bless Us, everyone.

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