I have tried really hard to stay away from expressing my feelings on what is happening as I try not to discuss politics or religion.  However, there is so much happening in the world right now that it has made my heart heavy.  I am struggling to wrap my head around why we think that allowing Syrian refugees into our country is a good idea.  Not to mention that most Americans are ignoring the fact that it is more than just Syria that is sending Muslim refugees to America.  The United Nations has sent more than 100,000 Muslim refugees to America from Somalia since the early 1990’s.  Many more have come from Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq, Iran, Uzbekistan, Burma and other Muslim countries.

As of November 13, there have been 289 known terrorist attacks in the world.  289…KNOWN.  What about the ones that haven’t been reported on a national level?  There have been more than 20 cases of terrorist plots against the U.S. by Muslim immigrants that have received little or no national media coverage.  Hundreds of Muslim immigrants have already been charged and convicted of providing material support to terrorist organizations or plotting to launch their own attacks here in the United States.

Are we just supposed to ignore all of this and open our doors to more terror?  Are we supposed to ignore the fact that a Muslim immigrant from Syria living in Ohio, who applied for and received US Citizenship was accused by federal prosecutors of planning to kill three or four American soldiers execution style at a military base in Texas?  What about the college student in Oregon, a Somalian refugee, who attempted to blow up a Christmas tree lighting ceremony?  Or the immigrant from Kuwait who carried out the jihadist attack that recently killed four marines and a sailor in Chattanooga, using an AK-47 against unarmed military men?

Are we supposed to welcome terrorists and give them jobs, benefits, healthcare and housing at the expense of our thousands of homeless veterans?  These veterans gave everything to protect our freedom and we don’t even have the decency to make sure that they have the same things that we are willing to just hand to foreign refugees.

My dad, a Vietnam Veteran, was in the VA hospital in Des Moines last summer recovering from a life threatening infection, when my mom noticed the amount of homeless veterans waiting for care.  She went and talked to a social worker to see what she could do to help and was told that they really need warm blankets that will stand up over time.  So she started making them quilts out of blue jeans and flannel.  She reached out to the VA coordinators in counties all across the state and has made it her mission to provide homeless, and needy, veterans with warm blankets.  In the last year she has made, and distributed, over a thousand quilts and has requests for more weekly.

Why can’t we all be more like my mom and help our own citizens before we open our doors to those who may harm us?  When are we going to start teaching our children that helping other Americans is more important than supporting a hidden agenda or political gain?

Why are we more worried about hurting the feelings of terrorists than remembering that those same people did to us on 9/11?  How do I explain that to my son?