You lost my vote today.
Over the summer, I watched with horror as millions of Syrians and Iranians washed ashore in Europe. These people were living with such unspeakable tragedy that they risked their lives and the lives of the people they love (children, elderly, the disabled) to escape it.
Now, I've studied Europe's geography and political systems. I knew that they didn't have the space or the resources to handle so many refugees. But I looked around, at this beautiful state I live in, and I saw green fields and open spaces. I saw apartments and homes for sale and for rent. I saw empty commercial buildings, and I thought, we have room here. We live in this amazing land of freedom and democracy, where people can be at peace and raise their families and start new businesses.
What we are missing is the accompanying attitude of welcome.
We need a massive shift in our thinking, to stop hoarding our resources and our freedoms. We need to welcome these refugees to our communities, to live out the foundational principle of America. We need leaders in Washington who will show us the way. I hoped that I would see our Congress researching the issues and making informed decisions, but what I found were cowards reacting out of fear, making erroneous assumptions and knee-jerk policies.
You were one of those cowards.
I, and several of my friends and family, sent you a petition, explaining that we wanted Syrian refugees to come to Ohio. That we were willing to help them settle, to learn from them as they learned from us. I would love to see a Syrian restaurant pop up in my area, for my children to see different shades of skin and dress and beliefs when they walk in their public schools. We actually believe in the words inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, that timeless entreaty to "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."
Your response disappointed me, because you didn't even acknowledge that I was disagreeing with you. You clung to your cowardly decision, ignoring that your constituents were saying that they wanted something different.
"To that end, I call on the Administration to immediately halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees into the United States until there has been a thorough review of DHS and State Department vetting procedures to ensure that no terrorists or individuals with links to Islamist extremist groups make it into the United States, as they have in France."
It wasn't a Syrian refugee that committed that horrible attack in France, it was the very terrorists these refugees are trying to escape that did it. But the facts weren't really part of your decision-making process, were they?
I shook my head in disgust. Yet only a few weeks later, you appeared on my computer screen again. This time, Jon Stewart was visiting your office in DC, along with 911 First Responders. They were in Washington, trying to get Congress to pass the Zadroga Act, legislation to provide healthcare coverage for the brave men and women who rushed into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. This should have been a no-brainer. Our entire country was riveted on that day, watching the tragedy unfold. It created a time of unprecedented unity. If there is anyone that our politicians should be taking care of and protecting, it is those amazing first responders.
But Jon Stewart confronted you in a hallway to question why in the world you hadn't yet voted in favor of this continuing coverage. And it became apparent to me that you are not representing the wishes of our state. If it takes an unemployed comedian and a TV camera to shame you into doing the right thing, then you don't deserve your seat in Congress.
I voted for your opponent today. I hope a new face, a new voice, will listen to the people of Ohio instead of toeing the party line. Especially when the party is wrong.
May freedom win out over fear, and may America usher in the wretched refuse of Europe's teeming shore.
Sincerely,
Rachel Lipford
No comments:
Post a Comment