I think of the old story of the person walking along a beach, picking up starfish and tossing them back in, and someone comes along and says, "You can't save them all. Why do you even try?" Today, the story line has changed. The person is walking along the beach, picking up starfish and examining them to see if they are starfish worth saving. If they are veteran starfish, or firefighter starfish, he saves them. But, if they are immigrant starfish, he looks at them and asks what they are doing on his beach, and by what right they rode the waves that got them there. These waters near the shore are his, he reminds them, and they should not be swimming in them if they do not belong. Then, he stoops down to pick up another one -- and is stung as soon as his fingers touch it., "No, you are not a starfish at all," he says. "You are a jellyfish," And, with that, he concludes to pick up no more starfish for fear of being stung by another jellyfish.
So, what it boils down to is this: Are we judging fairly? Are the thousands of caravan migrants no more than starfish? Is it not enough just to refuse the jellyfish? Or, must we refuse all the starfish, as well?
No comments:
Post a Comment