This writer has never been and probably never will participate in the forces that protect America, such as the Navy, Marines, or the Army. I have never organized an air strike, and I know less about military strategy than probably all topics I’m unfamiliar with combined. Never will I be a Napoleonic strategist, or someone with the ability to send ground troops at my fingertips, or someone with my finger on the “nuclear button.” Therefore, I admit my knowledge of these topics is limited. My plea may go unnoticed as I’m sure many others have, pleas by both the informed and the uninformed. But plead I must, for the sanctity of life is at stake every second of every day right now in our world.
Along with the many other crises that humanity faces on a daily basis, there is the issue of an awesome humanitarian disaster known as Syria. As I sit here in a Starbucks writing this, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for my life, the food I'm eating, and the warm space I can afford to sit in for a little while. There is not much I understand about Syria. I have seen videos from the BBC of children being pulled from the rubble and I have seen pictures of children with blood on their face crouched in the shadow of a family home destroyed by bombs. What I do understand is that war is a crime, no matter what the stakes, no matter what the goal.
For the past few weeks, I have been working in association with the Hillary Clinton campaign in Pennsylvania. My feelings on women’s rights for equal pay, LBTQ+ rights, a fair minimum wage, and many other views align directly with her’s. However, upon having a friendly political discussion the other day, I realized that the view that rests closest to my heart is the protection and love of children and preservation of their childhood.
Let me preface my next statements by saying this, Hillary Rodham Clinton has done much for America’s children: not least of which was her having a hand in creating CHIP, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which has covered the expenses of children who might not otherwise have a means of paying for their healthcare.
But after my political discussion, in which the other party asked me about Syria’s children, by extension a topic I care most about, I learned that the U.S. was taking part in bombing the country along with Russia and the Syrian government. In July 2016, an article appeared in "The Guardian" stating that the U.S had killed 73 women and children civilians in Syria. So how did I miss this? Hillary Clinton stated in the debates that her position on Syria was to set up a no-fly zone, which almost certainly could lead to war if the opposing parties refused to cooperate. War would spell more killing of civilians, and more killing in general. I began to realize that this is not what I signed up for when decided I wanted to go door-to-door encouraging people to make Hillary Clinton the next President of the United States.
This article is not meant to sway your political decision on November 8th. It is simply here to remind you that we share this planet with our brothers and sisters, and that as St. Teresa of Calcutta once said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Even among the most content people in the world at this moment, there shouldn't be any peace, for the world has forgotten that Syria is our sister, and we have forgotten that we belong to her, and her children and their lives are as much our responsibility as any child’s life within our borders.
Accepting refugees is not enough. It is wonderful, but not enough. If we truly want to be a force of change in this circumstance, we must call ourselves to action and protest the war and bombings in Syria.
