To: Sen. Catherine Cortez Mast (NV-1)
Ask Senate Democrats to force extended debate on House American Safe Act
This bill from the House is useless politics, adding nothing to the welfare of the country, discouraging our allies, encouraging our foes, and making refugees from ISIS terrorism the victims of Congressional political terrorism. It does nothing but add a useless layer of bureaucratic oversight to the existing vetting of refugees, vetting that is already the toughest in the world, thus slowing down the processing of destitute people.
Why is this important?
This is simply the politics of fear run rampant by Republican posturing: By encouraging the people to cringe before the threat theoretically posed by the possibility of a few terrorists being admitted, it threatens to reverse over two hundred years of both compassionate aid to afflicted people and loyalty to democratic values. Worse yet, it gives the terrorists exactly the fearful response they want, thus encouraging more and larger terrorism and other countries to follow our pathetic example. It diminishes America’s standing to lead in meaningful action against terrorism, while increasing the likelihood we will be driven into a violent alternative, already being pushed by leading Republicans, another useless and endless American war in the Middle East.
If ISIS should kill tens, hundreds or even thousands in more of their fanatical attacks, we must remember that we have weathered such brutality before, and we don’t need to encourage it with this weakness, especially not in a bill that does nothing to prevent it. What we should be doing is helping the downtrodden and taking meaningful action against the terrorists by greatly increasing the speed and scope of admitting refugees, while working to create a worldwide alliance to remove the funding, communication and territory of terrorists. France, which was the victim of the act that is the excuse for this bill, responded with continued compassion for the refugees along with firm action to find the terrorists. Finland, Greece, Canada, and Germany, among many others, are working to take in more of these unfortunates, not fewer, and certainly not none, which is the real point of this selfish nationalism. They wisely see that helping refugees is not only a moral obligation but that courageous and intelligent people like these are an asset to a country, as refugees have always been to ours.
Tragic as the consequences of this bill are to refugees, to Americans, and to people who look to the United States for principled leadership, perhaps more tragic is the corrosion of the American spirit, by this cynical stimulation of fear in crass political calculation. Unfortunately this is the same calculation that led the Republican party to oppose extension of health care insurance, protection of the environment, rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure, increasing employment, raising the minimum wage, controlling firearms, reforming taxes, protecting unions, guarding voter rights, and providing safe banks, food, and drugs—in fact just about every attempt to protect the American people since 1933. Whether the issue is immigrants, fair taxes, government regulations, unemployment, or voter fraud, the Republican party always tells us to be afraid of something, and the object is always political gain for them, more wealth for the one percent, or both.
Senate Democrats, you have an extraordinary opportunity to give this bill a disciplined rejection, demanding answers to issues raised and throwing inevitable misleading counter-attacks. Let the debate begin!
If ISIS should kill tens, hundreds or even thousands in more of their fanatical attacks, we must remember that we have weathered such brutality before, and we don’t need to encourage it with this weakness, especially not in a bill that does nothing to prevent it. What we should be doing is helping the downtrodden and taking meaningful action against the terrorists by greatly increasing the speed and scope of admitting refugees, while working to create a worldwide alliance to remove the funding, communication and territory of terrorists. France, which was the victim of the act that is the excuse for this bill, responded with continued compassion for the refugees along with firm action to find the terrorists. Finland, Greece, Canada, and Germany, among many others, are working to take in more of these unfortunates, not fewer, and certainly not none, which is the real point of this selfish nationalism. They wisely see that helping refugees is not only a moral obligation but that courageous and intelligent people like these are an asset to a country, as refugees have always been to ours.
Tragic as the consequences of this bill are to refugees, to Americans, and to people who look to the United States for principled leadership, perhaps more tragic is the corrosion of the American spirit, by this cynical stimulation of fear in crass political calculation. Unfortunately this is the same calculation that led the Republican party to oppose extension of health care insurance, protection of the environment, rebuilding the crumbling infrastructure, increasing employment, raising the minimum wage, controlling firearms, reforming taxes, protecting unions, guarding voter rights, and providing safe banks, food, and drugs—in fact just about every attempt to protect the American people since 1933. Whether the issue is immigrants, fair taxes, government regulations, unemployment, or voter fraud, the Republican party always tells us to be afraid of something, and the object is always political gain for them, more wealth for the one percent, or both.
Senate Democrats, you have an extraordinary opportunity to give this bill a disciplined rejection, demanding answers to issues raised and throwing inevitable misleading counter-attacks. Let the debate begin!