We know that a select few are responsible for the heinous crimes. We know that their actions don't represent the large majority. We know that they can hide amongst the innocents and make it extremely difficult to weed out them out. We also know we can't really close the borders without first doing a major audit of what's going on within.
Of course I'm talking about the scandal that erupted surrounding the sexual abuse of young boys by priests within the Catholic Church.
What's that?
You thought I was talking about Paris, terrorism and refugees?
The similarities are astounding, aren't they?
I'm not about to take sides in what has become an all-out war of words over what to do in the aftermath of the atrocious attacks in Paris. All I'm here to do is add a little context after reading enough online comments that make me want to turn off my computer and heave it into the Bow River.
Maybe I'm getting soft but I do kind of understand both sides.
There are those who want to go to war. They want to bomb ISIS (and in some cases the Middle East) back into the Stone Age, which might be an upgrade for some of the people who live in those nations. Those who want to take the battle to these terrorists want the slaughter of our innocent people to stop. They've watched as we've seemingly done nothing in recent years to neutralize the threat, and you know what they say about the definition of insanity (for those who don't know, it's doing the same thing over and over and over again while expecting a different result).
There are those who don't want to go war. They believe we need to save the refugees. Canada, in particular, is supposed to be a peacekeeping nation and it makes no sense to potentially slaughter innocent people in order to get a select few. They've watched as we've taken the battle to others and waited years to finally get to the end game (aka Osama Bin Laden).
The crazy thing is: both sides are right and wrong. We can't sit around and do nothing anymore. How many more of these attacks will we have to endure before someone finally puts their foot down and says "enough is enough"? Because we can mount social media campaigns and paint our Facebook profile pictures in the colours of the flag of the latest victimized country all we want, but that hasn't stopped the bloodshed before. The problem though is this: do we want to go to war when we don't seem to know who the target is? This is essentially guerrilla warfare. Unlike many wars in the past, this isn't a specific country we're facing. It's not a particular dictator or group leader. It seems it's every soldier for themselves, and as long as they do the deed, they are off to the mythological world they've been promised. We'd simply just be adding more fuel to the fire.
As far as the refugee issue goes, I've really been amazed at the amount of hatred that is out there towards Syrian refugees. They're being viewed by some as, essentially, all potential terrorists. We need to close our doors to all Muslims, they say. But do they realize they're going to have to close that door to many other nations along the way as well, if that's the road you want to take? Did you know that in 2010, there were more Muslims in China than there were in Syria? That's according to this Pew Research report. That all being said, there is an obligation to make sure Canadians (in our case) remain safe, so you can't just leave the door wide open (although I don't believe that's what has been proposed at all). The proper checks and balances should be done.
But now we've talked ourselves into another predicament, haven't we? How do we prove these people are exactly who they say they are? How do we know they're not going to commit more crimes? How do we know innocent people aren't going to be caught in the crossfire? Are we talking about Syria or are we talking about priests again?
Some of us are scared. And I get that. Not to sound all mushy but it's days like these which should remind us to be looking out for ourselves and each other. Whether it's terrorism, gangs, domestic abuse or white collar crime. We need to care a little more about what's going on in the world around us. It starts in our own neighborhoods, standing up for what's good and speaking out against what's bad. You don't want kids to be recruited by terrorist organizations? Make them feel like part of the community. You don't want seniors to be scammed by sophisticated criminals? Be more involved, help them understand what to look for. You want newcomers to our country to "adhere to our societal norms"? How about we show them why it's so great to live here, instead of exposing them to ignorance which will make some question why they moved here in the first place? Because I'm pretty sure most came here as it's the "land of opportunity", not the place where they get snarled at or all-out ignored simply because of their skin colour or home country.
I'll never claim to have any of the answers. In fact, I'm certain I end up questioning myself more than anything each time I write one of these blogs. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't care about your political stripe, religious choice, marital status, sexuality, wealth, waist line or any other "defining feature", as long as you're a decent human being. And that's what seems to be lacking everywhere I look. My only hope in the days and weeks to come is that we make the right choices based on basic human decency.
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