I don’t believe it is representing us well right now. When I was the same age as the children in Uvalde, my father taught me to stand for the pledge of allegiance when I believed my country was representing its people well or to protest and stay seated when it wasn’t.
#NO LONGER HOME OF THE BRAVE FREE#
We didn’t stop to reflect on whether we are actually free and brave after this horrific event, we just stood at attention. Players, staff and fans stood for the moment of silence, grieving the lives lost, and then we (myself included) continued to stand, proudly proclaiming ourselves the land of the free and the home of the brave. It’s also time for us to be brave enough to put aside our fears and open our hearts.The day 19 children and 2 teachers were murdered, we held a moment of silence at sporting events around the country, then we played the national anthem, and we went on with our lives. Our national anthem ends with these simple words “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” It’s time we allow others to experience the freedom that we have and that they deserve. Limiting, or completely denying, immigration into our country based on national origin or religion is absolute discrimination. Some would willingly discriminate against others because of fear.ĭiscrimination of any kind is unacceptable. Somewhere along the way, many of our fellow Americans have allowed fear and hatred to guide their thoughts and actions. I was also taught to do unto others as I would have them do unto me. I was taught to trust everyone until they prove that they can’t be trusted. I was taught to help anyone in need in any way possible. I’m a product of the rural South-what many would refer to as the Bible belt. How is it that people can allow fear to influence their decision-making processes to the point that they can justify inhumane treatment of others based on their fears? How can logical people think it is acceptable behavior to discriminate against an entire group based on the actions of few? Ironically, many who are against our federal and/or state governments allowing refugees from Syria seem to be more of the religious persuasion and most arguments that support curtailing the influx of refugees are based on fear-fear that the refugees will bring harm to our nation. I’m certainly no biblical scholar but at an early age I was taught the book of Psalms and specifically chapter 23, which reads in part “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” Participating in sports can be dangerous. Driving in Atlanta traffic can be dangerous.
We face a multitude of dangers every day of our lives. We hear those who profess to be of good moral character saying it is acceptable to refuse assistance to others in need because they might be a danger to our society. What troubles me is how a national tragedy has so deeply divided our nation. Whatever one’s preferred position on these topics is, there are statistics that can be manipulated to support it. Some will quote statistics of crimes committed by those of the Muslim faith. There are others who quote statistics of the number of Americans killed annually by fellow Americans and others who will quote stats of crimes committed by refugees. Some say Syrian refugees are no less of a threat than fellow Americans now known as homegrown terrorists. Some say the vetting process is not comprehensive enough to weed out possible terrorists from entering the country under the guise of a refugee, which is entirely possible. We have read and heard voices of condemnation and voices of support on the subject of admitting Syrian refugees into our country. The recent mass killings in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., have put many in our country on edge and again pitted Americans against each other in hotly contested debates over immigration, gun control and refugee admissions policies.
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