The Enemy Within

While much as been said about the tragic events in Paris that resulted in scores of lives lost, the resulting focus on Syrian refugees in this country seems to be misplaced. We are correct to assume we are vulnerable. Attacks can occur from anybody, anywhere. Even with the diligence of the CIA, the FBI, Homeland Security, Sheriffs and Police Departments throughout the country, if someone wanted to kill us they can.

Even the tragedies at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado and the loss of life in San Bernardino are not enough to give us a wake-up call. These are American citizens conducting these acts and no immigration policy is designed to save us from ourselves. These senseless policies have not served us well in the past and they will not do so going forward. We are caught in a trap of our own making.

We need sensible immigration policies, not ones based on our worst fears. The vast majority of the people who want to come here have good reasons. Whether it’s to escape persecution, or for religious liberties, or to seek a better life, we have held ourselves out as the proverbial land of milk and honey, a place where everyone is accepted. A place where a person is judged on the content of his character - not the color of his skin, or his religion, or his sexual preference. Is this a big lie?

We continue to spout and promote these things with our newspapers, our books, our television, and our movies; and we expect the rest of the world to accept our wink and to know we are only joking. The reality is that we still see color here, we are not accepting of other people, and we maintain our prejudices. The American creed should be “You can believe what you want as long as you believe what I believe”.

We cling dearly to our second amendment rights while people easily acquire weapons to kill and maim other Americans - the same Americans that mistakenly believe they are safe because they live in country where their differences are "tolerated". Whether in Chicago, California or Colorado; we should do everything we can to point to the inappropriate use of weapons to challenge those who disagree with us.

We can continue to look at our borders and the freedom to enter the US as the source of our difficulty. The truth may lie much closer. We cannot continue to propagate lies without accepting consequences. There are many Americans who are either misguided or misled to believe those things that most of us know are untrue. We continue to struggle with the ideal we are committed to convey. We promote the things we want to be while seeking to bury the things that we are. While we look to external sources, we often find that those most prone to wreack havoc on our society are citizens of this country.

Brad Thompson