A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

     "A picture is worth a thousand words." I did not post a picture for the following link because I want people to have the choice of viewing the slide show due to the fact that it is graphic and heartbreaking.  Here is the link: Aylan Kurdi: Photo shows refugee crisis' tiny victim - CNN.com.  The pictures in the link are not just "worth a thousand words," but are representative of more than a million shattered lives.  Unfortunately, pictures like these seem to be necessary to snag people's attention in our country regarding the refugee crisis in Europe.  European nations are being inundated by refugees fleeing the violence in Syria.  Half of the Syrian citizens have now left the borders of their country, fleeing for their lives.  These people have nothing and are seeking asylum and protection for their families, whom at home face oppression and death.  They have come for help, and they want to protect their children.  If you click on the link, you would see that the poor little boy lost his life as the refugees attempted to flee, a very dangerous situation.  Their journey, obviously, was also very risky.  The boy's brother and mother also perished at sea.  Hopefully the crisis has everyone's attention now, because these people need help.  Our country, the United States of America, is one of the richest, most wealthy nations, and we have a long history of helping refugees.  However, we have not yet stepped up with full resources to help the situation; Germany, France, Austria, Italy, and England are doing all they can, but they are overwhelmed.  Now it is our turn.

     Unless you are a Native American and full-blooded, then you are an immigrant as well, whether voluntary or involuntary.  I'd like to remind the readers of the "New Colossus" engraved on the foundation of the Statue of Liberty, which reminds our country how we were founded and what we stand for.  Link: EMMA LAZARUS; FAMOUS POEM :"THE NEW COLOSSUS"
   

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
-"The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus



     Giving haven to the persecuted is part of what our country stands for.  After the photos in the link were published last week, the Obama Administration has agreed to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees, which is really a drop in the bucket compared to the amount displaced.  Some people will argue that we cannot take care of our own, but I assure you that our own are much better off than the Syrian refugees.  Let's all find charity in our heart and room in our land for these people.