To Cross A Border or Not…..

You can't live on this planet and not be aware of the recent horrors in Paris, Beirut and elseswhere. Coverage of the terrorists and their actions saturates every newscast on radio, TV and of course in social media. Messages of anger, retaliation and support are everywhere.

And the discussion broadens to include and point fingers at the millions of refugees trying to flee Syria and get to somewhere safe. Leaving everything behind, homes, jobs, extended families, the land of their birth, they flee…..walking, or crossing the Mediteranean in unsafe boats. Desperate, frightened but with a small glimmer of hope in their hearts. Hope for a better life, a safe place, a future for their children.

Many individuals and politicians are now speaking out about how we (Americans) should not allow Syrian refugees asylum in the US. They use a broad brush to paint a picture….Syrian refugees = Muslim = ISIS = terrorists.

Then there are some quick Facebook posts in answer: "If you can differentiate between while Christians and the KKK/Westboro, then you can differentiate between Muslims and ISIS." "If only we had a seasonally appropriate story about middle eastern people seeking refuge being turned away by the heartless."

And so the discussion continues…..while increasingly desparate families seek safety. Listening to a college professor as he was interviewed on NPR the other day I got a new perspective. I had no idea that ISIS pays its soldiers on a monthly basis, and if they are killed then their families receive death benefits. As the professor went on to say….these payments are a very effective recruiting tool in areas and countries where there are simply no jobs…..no opportunities to earn enough to feed a family. So young people, raised in areas such as this, are ripe for ISIS recruiting efforts.

So I look at the pictures of the refugee families, especially the ones with small children and read the fear in their faces. The exhaustion. And I have to think….without a caring world response (including the US) these children will be the next generation of ISIS fighters. What have they got to lose?

I invite you to google Brave New Films video: Help War Refugees. And be sure to look at the children's faces.

Do we need to carefully vet refugees coming to America….yes, no matter what their country of origin. But do we close our doors? No.  "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breate free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

We either believe in what America stands for …… or we don't.