| Gamera | N/A | | posted 17-Dec-2001 11:13am |
ASB- I am not going to make your changes, but I would like to explain why, rather than just ignor them, if you'll give me a chance. I think you may be a bit behind in following the news, and may have misread the question as well. First of all, it does not at all imply that all americans hate arabs, any more than it would imply that all americans hate japanese, if the question asked what you would do, if it was 1942 and your Japanese neighbor asked you hide him from an internment camp. It does imply that the US government has created conditions in which innocent arab men may be treated as criminals and fugitives- a "US policy towards arabs," not unlike the policies that lead towards the internment of Japanese. The scenario is based on facts, more than fiction. Over one thousand arab men were rounded up in the month after Sept. 11 with NO EVIDENCE whatso ever. The Attny General's office has come under heavy fire from Congress for doing this, but still they took another month to release the just the numbers of people rounded up and another week for a partial list of names. Their families, really and truely, found themselves missing their sons, fathers and husbands, with no word of what happened, for weeks or months. I cannot stress enough, that these men were NOT fugitives by any definition. Over half- over 500 people- were let go after up to a month in prison, because there was no evidence at all linking them to terrorist activities. Again, even our own congress is saying that the behavior of the executive branch is out of line, but the White House has invoked "executive privilages" to decline to release information about their actions. Leaving Congress with out much recourse. Additionally, two weeks ago, Atty General JA asked local police departments to bring all Arab men (within a certain age bracket of which I am unsure)in for "voluntary questioning." Only two or three precints in the whole country chose to send letters requesting that the men in question come in on thier own, if they have evidence, rather than sending officers to their doors. These men had no record, they were not wanted or suspected of any crimes. This does constitute a "US policies towards arabs." We want to believe "this can't happen here." And that if the police and government are doing this, then they must have a good reason. But again and again I find myself thinking about the non-jews in Germany who were not anti-semetic, did not hate jews, like you and I do not hate arabs. I wonder "how did it go that far?" How did the US get away with the Japanese internment camps in WWII without citizens who liked their Japanese neighbors, doing something about it? What would I do? The question intentionally uses a 17 year old- old enough to be at risk, and yet still young enough to panic and run, when an adult would most likely not. Whether or not you would harbor a fugitave of any race is a valid question, but when you are faced with a scared boy at your door, do you presume him innocent or guilty? and how do you treat this one individual? Do you always assume that the law officials are right and the one they are looking to detain is wrong? Is it possible that his life and limb and home and security may be endangered, just because of his race? Anyway, it sounds like your answer is "I would turn him away." |
