The Blood of Those Who Seek Freedom

 A patriot is but one who loves America. With the coming of this morning's sun, we honor those who gave their all, gave their lives defending freedom. Some of them died defending the freedom we enjoy right here in America; they died protecting the freedom you and I enjoy. Others died fighting to defend the freedom of those in foreign lands; they died for Vietnamese, and Iranians, and Afghans -- people they never even knew.

It sometimes takes a bullet, a tank, and a jet fighter to free those oppressed in foreign lands. Our soldiers have died for them as well as died for those on our own shores.

Freedom isn't free, we say. It requires the blood of patriots, the blood of soldiers.

There is not a day to honor another group of patriots. These fallen heroes die not as they go to foreign lands, but as they come from those foreign countries.

You might be offended that I should rise to honor those we call "illegals" right along with the brave soldiers who die on foreign beaches. But I don't come to play the game of whose blood is more sacred. All lives are precious. All blood is sacred. And the blood of those who die for the cause of freedom is blood that deserves honor. Place the migrants at the end of the line, if you weigh their lives as less. But, give them a spot in line, the same.

Otherwise, we give no honor to those who fall in search of freedom, who try to reach freedom, only to reach death. Since 1998, more than 8,000 migrants have perished while crossing parched land and rocky terrain where summer temperatures sometimes reach 118 degrees. Some have lost their lives to the climate, others to the cartels, and yet others to transportation tragedies.

And, we call them criminals for seeking their freedom.

A patriot is someone who loves America. These migrants love America. You can play the game of saying they don't love it as much as you and I, but I'm not sure we should be playing games with people's lives -- word games and judging others when it is their lives, not ours that are at stake. Our contempt for them amounts to the smug judging the humble, we whose lives are safe, and freedoms assured, condemning those who risk their lives for freedom they don't have.

They give their all for freedom. Just like the soldier, they seek freedom for family, for friends and for loved ones. And they die for it. They die for the cause of freedom.

And, instead of honor, we spit on their graves.