It was heartening to watch as the French people came together after the attacks in Paris and it was equally inspiring to learn that other countries offered their support. Throughout the U.S., flags were flown at half staff and the French flag was widely displayed.
But now we see the ugly side of nationalism as Conservative Republic Presidential Candidates vie for the title of Isolationist in Chief. Many want to halt the inflow of Syrian refugees while others are willing to accept "Christians" only. Stoking fear in their constituents, they argue that our current vetting process is not effective and that "all it takes is one terrorist" to wreak havoc in the U.S.
Don't these politicians remember the Oklahoma City bombing and the Charleston church shootings, both carried out by white Americans? Our lenient gun policies, supported by these same politicians, put us at far greater risk of violence than we might incur from International terrorists. But fear is an effective political tool and the Paris attacks may prove to be a great source of American votes. Perhaps we could extend Trump's proposed "beautiful wall" around the entire country; we don't need seascapes anyway.
