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I've been hesitant to share my thoughts on some of the things that have transpired in our country over the past few weeks - in a perfect world, none of my readers should know anything about my political views. I shrugged when asked about the inauguration and then the Women's March, but I don't feel I can sit silent as our new president plans to single out and alienate immigrants, the very people who helped shape our country into what it is today.
I'm not very familiar with my family's history but I can imagine that a great great great relative of mine came to the United States from Germany some time ago. I'd imagine most of us can relate, that relatives travelled here from outside countries on a prayer, with just a few bucks in their pockets and few belongings. They set out for a better life, or to escape wrongdoings in their home country. Maybe they were just enchanted by the idea of freedom that was promised in the U.S. Whatever their reason, they were accepted and they all played an important part in establishing the rest of our family lines. But what if they had never been allowed to come to the U.S.?
I've been reading the stories of green card holders who have been in this country for years and the fear they now hold; I've been reading the stories of those escaping the turmoil in their rocky regions - what have any of them done wrong?
I've been watching as people of all ages, color and religion have been protesting President Trump's recent immigration ban. Although the "Women's March" wasn't something I personally could get behind, the immigration ban is something I feel I have to stand up and say something about. And I'm certainly not the only one!
The damage this ban could do the people of this great nation, the legacy of this great nation and the values rooted so deeply at our core - it is scary to think about.
I'm proud of our (now former) Attorney General Sally Yates for refusing to enforce Trump's absurd legal order to bar citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. I'm proud of the four federal judges from across the country that spoke out and said "this isn't lawful."
"There comes a time when people, no matter who may be their boss, they stand upon their principles, so at the end of the day they can look them selves in the mirror and say 'I synchronized my conduct with my conscience,'" Representative Elijah Cummings in Yates' defense.
I, too, will stand up to defend you. And so will many others who, at the end of the day, do not feel this "Muslim ban" is lawful or falls in line with our country's Constitution.