trhe land of the free because of the brave

I got to meet Meryl Streep for crying out loud.The land of the free, because of the brave. I have experienced things that simply wouldn't be possible elsewhere. I've been in rooms with people so accomplished and talented I've had to pinch myself. I have encountered more opportunity, more chances to pursue my dreams in the US than I've had anywhere else I've travelled to. Or maybe it’s to keep them in.įorget for a minute that almost every American’s family came from some place else and reflect on the deceit, on the cowardice of hiding behind “American values” because you are so afraid to lose power and have more people of colour in your country. Trump wants a wall, and by hook and crooked crook, he’ll do everything he can to get it. The hypocrisy of how this ideal is flagrantly disrespected every day is sickening.Īs I write, lives hang in the balance as politicians play a game of Power Grab to see who can gain more political ground with immigration in the wake of a government shut-down last weekend. It’s right there in the Declaration of Independence. One of America’s core values is purportedly equality. In other words, they want less brown people in their country. They care about keeping the borders “safe”. Families decimated by unstable economies are forced to make the heartbreaking decision to split up and enter without papers.īut Donald Trump, his advisors and his voters don’t care about that. When you've already lost everything, you don't have much choice but to venture towards America. Remaining at home can be a death sentence. Gang violence in parts of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico can be so bad that risking an illegal border crossing into the US is the only option. They care about keeping the borders “safe”.’ Photograph: AFP/Getty Images ‘Donald Trump, his advisors and his voters don’t care about that. Most are decent human beings trying to give themselves a better shot at life. Stoke fear among Fox News watchers and people who don't want to believe that most immigrants to the United States are not, in fact, rapists or murderers or criminals. The solution to this fear seems to be discriminate and exclude.

What some might regard as a rich tapestry of human representation, others see as a threat to their power.

There is a real and genuine fear of 'the other' in this country.

Trhe land of the free because of the brave