Word of the Week - Freedom

Isn't it strange when one theme is repeatedly woven into your consciousness in unexpected ways?  This week it has happened with the word freedom.  This week we celebrate freedom from British tyranny.  In the sermon at church last Sunday - the essence of which boiled down to freedom being free ONLY when given away to others in service.  Then Monday in yoga class of all places  - the theme was repeated in describing the concept of Moksha - enlightenment through freedom, release or emancipation. As well as Dharma being the moral order of the universe and how it relates to Moksha.  But I digress...

How can we celebrate America's freedom and independence 

when a government policy exists that tears families apart 

as they attempt to follow the process to enter our borders 

resulting in parents and children being detained indefinitely 

in subhuman conditions?

Freedom isn't free unless all who desire it share in it.  I spent this afternoon in downtown Tacoma silently holding a sign that read "WE cannot celebrate Freedom and Independence while CHILDREN are in CAGES!!!"  The sign elicited comment from people of all walks of life, cultures, creeds, colors and only two negative comments I refuse to dwell on.  But I did find the grace to pray for the offenders. It garnered support from the many honks, thumbs up and nods I received, even from law enforcement personnel.

In grade school when I learned of the Nazi Germany history that included the concentration camps, I could not fathom that no one had the courage to stand up and stop it before 6,000 people died. Did no one reach out to the rest of the world?   I realize now that those who spoke out against the policy were most likely among the 6,000.  Until no one remained to speak out for fear of death.

It was at that time that marked on my very being that if I saw injustice, bullying and history begin to repeat itself, I would use my 1st Amendment freedoms to speak up, protest, resist and not give up until someone somewhere heard and registered that this was wrong.  I'm seeing it now and am not willing to let us go further down this path.

Can you imagine what this debacle will do to our foreign policy?
How are we ever going to repair these families we have now destroyed?
What is it costing us to keep these people detained in subhuman conditions?
Who or what corporations are profiting from it and can we boycott them?
What are the effects on the officers responsible for these detention centers?

WE have NO idea what the long-term effects of this stupid process will be - 

but I guarantee we will feel those effects 

long after this administration is gone.  

Hopefully 2020 will start the healing.

If you didn't vote in 2016, please commit to doing so in 2020.  If you voted for a third party just to keep from voting for the two main candidates, realize the numbers work against you.  
If you don't feel strongly enough for any one candidate, ally with the one candidate who can win against the opposition.  Someone with integrity, a plan, credibility, diplomacy and who will work with both parties to unite our country instead of destroying through ignorance and insults.

Work for freedom for all, PEACE, justice, care of creation and celebrate the cultures that make this country unique.  For someone to come here and face separation and incarceration, what worse horrors must they be fleeing?