Stand by our values

When you teach a man to hate and fear his brother...when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies... We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of all...We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled nor enriched by hatred or revenge.

- Robert F. Kennedy

Terrorism has struck again and with a vengeance. Explosions and shootings in Paris and across the globe have signaled a new level of man's inhumanity to man. No longer are we concerned with hardened targets like embassies but now "soft" targets are what people fear and worry about. Restaurants; theaters; concert venues; cafés. No place seems immune from this current ISIS jihad.

Targeting these "soft" targets sprinkles fear everywhere - even here, I venture. Fear makes people react and not act. Fear is irrational. Everyone is overcome with the need to "do something," anything. We ignore facts and reason and, sadly, our deep-seated values.

The attacks in Paris had a predictable and disturbing effect on the presidential campaign.

I expected Donald Trump to be blustery and irrational, but I did not expect him to be such a fear-mongering bigot.

Register Muslims? Regulate mosques? I am not sure what goes on in Ben Carson's mind but it is apparently a very scary place.

This is not pre-war Germany.

Most of the Republicans are flailing around showing how tough they are by trying to ban Syrian refugees from coming here or, in a de facto way, making it so difficult they cannot come in.

Banning refugees from coming here? Really? Is that what we have become? The House passed a bill making it virtually impossible for any Syrian refugee to enter this country.

The overwhelming majority of Syrian refugees are women and children fleeing the same conflict in which we are now involved.

Most are literate and just want what is best for their families.

They are leaving a war zone, which has become unlivable.

Because one guy who was involved in the Paris attacks may have - that is "may have" - gone through Greece, we paint all Syrian refugees as the same.

Talk about overreaction! There have been almost 9 million people displaced as a result of the civil war which began in 2011.

Three million have left Syria to go to its neighbors and 6.5 million have been displaced internally.

One guy involved in the Paris melee may have joined the throngs of people leaving the region and we are ready to zip up our border.

Before this "enlightened" Congress decided to pass this bill restricting refugee immigrants, they probably were not aware that only 46 Syrian refugees have been admitted to date.

It is an 18-month to two-year process to get admitted here under refugee status, and most will not qualify.

It is an incredibly stringent vetting process involving many federal agencies.

They already get what is known as a Syria Enhancement Review.

So if a terrorist wanted to come to this country via the refugee route he/she would have to be among the millions waiting for a decision, then be chosen among the 10,000 who will be potentially admitted after a minimum 18-month to two-year wait.

His/her chances would be immeasurably slim.

He might have a better chance winning Mega Bucks.

Wouldn't it just be easier to apply for a visitor visa?

I am ashamed we only want to take in 10,000 refugees. The best manner of defiance is not to cave-in to the fear mongering and paranoia but to stand tall and show all what we are made of and show what our core values are. We will not buckle. So we should not take in 10,000 but 10 times that amount. They will immeasurably improve the fabric of our country and add to the mix which as made this country great. Let's not show our cowardice but our strength, our real strength.

I had the privilege of visiting the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York Harbor a few years ago.

It was very inspirational and a reminder that we are a nation built on the toil of refugees and immigrants.

Many of our colonies were founded by refugees from religious persecution.

Some were fleeing war zones.

Are the Syrians so different? Orphans? Emma Lazarus is credited with the saying at the base of the Statue of Liberty: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores.

My ancestors were among those huddles masses and I bet many of yours were, too.

Have we forgotten? These are our core values and they should continue to be.

Standing by these values keeps our country great.

Dan Glode is a Sisters resident and retired attorney and Lincoln County District Attorney