Editorial: We All Have Fathers

— by Margie Doyle —

My dad died when I was 21 and I’ve often thought about what my life might have been like had he been around to advise me about my education, my career, my marriage, my children, my country. I wish I’d had more time with him.

And as with Mother’s Day, whether or not we ARE mothers or fathers, physically, we’ve all had mothers and fathers — otherwise we wouldn’t be here.  So, as with so many other good Americans, I’m haunted and angry about our government’s policy and actions in separating children from their parents, who in their desperation, are breaking the law to enter the United States. I believe in a merciful God and try to follow the compassionate teachings of Jesus Christ.  I have the good example of my parents, flawed humans like me, and for the most part, I stand by my decisions, try to rectify my mistakes, and take pride in my achievements.

The way our country is dealing with these vulnerable, innocent children is wrong and it’s harmful; not just to the children and families directly involved, but to all of us. These separations must stop now and an emergency Mercy Corps should be directed to reunite over 2,000 children, now incarcerated in cement floor, iron-fenced compounds, with their families. This is an attack on our values more harmful than any cyber-attack, sexual harassment, terrorist attack or natural catastrophe has ever been. We must respond and make every effort to remedy.

My dad, who had dual US-Canadian citizenship, kept every copy of the weekly Time magazine from 1939 to 1969. As a child, I would read through them, afraid of the Soviets and horrified by  the Gestapo and the concentration camps of World War II. I began a lifelong study of “the good German” phenomenon, where ordinary people — like my family — ignored what was happening in their names, on their streets, to their neighbors. How does this happen? When is civil disobedience called for? What should we fear?