A Letter to Governor Rick Perry of Texas
Governor Perry, you decided to send 1000 Texas National Guard troops to protect our border. What about the children who are already in our midst? How can you think about sending the militia, who might kill those precious children coming across our borders for a better life? Have you forgotten the millions of children lost in World War II at the hands of the Gestapo?
Recently I visited the Dallas Holocaust Museum, not for pleasure, but for research about the past. If you visit the Holocaust Museum, Mr. Perry, you may understand better why I’m horrified, about you sending “boots on the ground,” rather than equipping caretakers of the youngsters who desperately want a better life. The bodies are already piling up along the border, due to harsh, hot weather and traveling conditions. Some parents will never know what happened to their babies.
Beseiged parents may pay the price to hustle their children to a safer environment. Would they rather have them killed by the drug lords or try to send their children to a relative in faraway Arizona or Maine or Texas? They dream of a better life for their children, not lives that may again be in jeopardy, due to the close quarters for catching diseases, few showers and nasty food. What kind of a country are we?
When a child looks up at one of the guards in the ill-prepared camps and says in Spanish, “When will my aunt be here for me?” how will the attendant answer? “Shut up! We don’t know. We’ve got people on the border to make sure no more people like you show up on our doorstep!”
My heart bleeds for all of us in this more than messy crisis. Taking sides will not help. Deciding simply to keep people out, will not obliterate the need for caring for the human lives who are sleeping on the floor in what is nothing more than an internment camp with the ghost-like image of times past in Germany. How will these children remember coming to the US when they become adults?
Mr. Perry, I know you are not evil. There are two sides to most issues. I know we need to enforce the laws or change the laws. You would gain much more popularity if you implemented a plan to work towards finding foster homes or creating safe havens for the children, rather than letting these children sleep on the floor where it surely must smell awful.
Last week I heard someone I know well, who professes to be a “good Christian,” say, “Let’s just shoot them, as they try to cross the border.” I remain in shock from that remark, fearful of what may evolve.
If you only look at one side of the coin, you will ultimately loose face from all but the most vicious “Christians.” The armed militia you are sending will fail to improve the inevitable surge in illness in these “holding tanks.” Will this really enhance you in the eyes of the world? Is this what you want?
Please re-think what you are doing. Please visit the Dallas Holocaust Museum to see the piles of bones, eyeglasses, and jewelry. See the sad eyes in the old photographs. Imagine the horror when those children saw someone go for a shower and never return.
You don’t want to be held accountable for the possible escalation of an already bad situation, do you? You may have a better chance of becoming a hero in this mess if you treat the children with respect and responsibility. Please, never forget the children!