Terrorists, not refugees, are the enemy

It is the season of Thanksgiving, and across the Cape Region as everywhere across the nation, families will gather to give thanks for the many blessings we share. This year, just weeks after terrorist attacks on Paris, we may hold loved ones just a bit closer and feel a deeper gratitude than usual for the blessings we celebrate on Thanksgiving, that most American of holidays, a day that celebrates the generosity of Native Americans in welcoming immigrants to a new land.

In the aftermath of terrorism, it is only natural to fear that the next attacks will bring the battle closer to home. The urge to roll up our welcome mat and bar the door is strong, and it’s fueled by political rhetoric aimed at firing up our deepest fears.

Gov. Jack Markell has called upon us as Delawareans to have “compassion for a suffering population that wants nothing more than a safe place to rebuild their lives from the rubble of war.”

“Instead of using the mourning in France to deny opportunity to thousands of innocent people,” Markell wrote recently, “we should recall the most famous gift we received from the French – the Statue of Liberty, with the famous inscription recognizing America as a place that welcomes “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

That’s from Emma Lazarus’ famous poem, at Liberty’s feet, which also reminds us that “From her beacon hand glows world-wide welcome.”

If terrorists succeed in convincing us to slam our borders shut, they will have succeeded in turning us away from the values Americans hold most dear.

Are we going to turn away thousands of children because some among them might turn out to be terrorists? Beyond that, if we give up the values Lady Liberty proclaims and turn innocent people away, are we not inspiring many more to become terrorists?

There is a price we pay for the free society we cherish, a price we all must pay, not just when terrorists threaten, but every day.

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.