I know I'm the writer here, but you tell me: Is there a word to describe the abject cowardice of some Americans over the issue of admitting Syrian victims of terrorism into the U.S.? You could call them crybabies, but, really, they're much worse.
Faced with the prospect of listening to state Sen. Pete Kelly or presidential candidate Donald Trump fear-monger about Syrian refugees for no reason other than their religious faith, I'd rather sit in the last row, middle seat, between two moms with colicky babies for a 10-hour plane trip. Hell, I'd prefer a 3-inch wood screw in the temple.
The terrorist attacks across the globe have been horrific and effective. They've been especially effective in stampeding Republican candidates and officeholders into a display of moral cowardice, bigotry and political opportunism that is unrivaled in my recent memory.
After the Paris attacks, the French -- you know the "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" we all think we're so much braver than -- said they would accept 30,000 more refugees. America? Heck no. Some of us are too afraid of refugee children to even consider doing the right thing.
American "exceptionalism?" I guess by that we mean exceptionally callous, selfish and fearful.
Alaska's poster boy for that kind of American exceptionalism is Kelly, a Republican from Fairbanks. He described the desperate refugees as an "invading horde." He called on Gov. Bill Walker to join one Democratic governor and more than two dozen Republican ones in their unilateral surrender to the actual terrorists whose goal is to pit Muslims against Christians. An Alaska legislative attorney wrote a memo stating that "it does not appear that the governor has the power to refuse refugees lawfully admitted into the U.S." Thank God our governor is a grown-up.
Kelly says he's worried that admitting 10,000 mostly Muslim refugees into a country of 326 million people would constitute a religious invasion. Oh, yeah, that will definitely mean Sharia law within the fortnight. (If you're an Alaska Native or American Indian, the hypocrisy of this whole discussion must make your head explode.)
OK, as far moral leadership is concerned, Kelly is a clown. But he's hardly the only one in the tiny car. Alaska's all-Republican congressional delegation -- Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan and Don Young -- are also toeing the line of the national Republican strategists, who never, ever, miss an opportunity to use fear to push their agenda.
Scaring voters silly with refugee bogeymen is just one more way to try to put a political torpedo into President Obama. What they're doing is so incredibly obvious. The Republicans apparently don't care about the French, the refugees or what their behavior says about America's values.
Their behavior is so venal, so cynical and so compassionless, I don't understand how any American could fail to be ashamed of them.
Trump, the leading Republican candidate for president of the United States, says mosques should be closed and all American-Muslims should be registered in a database. He's just one small step from requiring them to sew yellow crescents on their jackets. Did I mention that he's the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president?
Candidate Jeb Bush says we should have a religious test for refugees to make them prove they're Christian. He didn't provide all the details, but I'm pretty sure the test will include putting bound refugees in ponds to see if they float.
Candidate Ted Cruz is the son of a Cuban refugee, who, according to Cruz, fought alongside Castro as a 14-year-old. Yes, Cruz's father fought for the Communists, but he was the kind of refugee America needs. Cruz too is a proud anti-Muslim bigot.
Does anything ring more hollow than this crew as protectors of "religious freedom?" Their antipathy toward Muslim refugees demonstrates that their passionate embrace of "religious freedom" is really just an excuse for religious discrimination. It's despicable. And un-American.
Of course our largest Republican presidential candidate, tough-talking New Jersey governor Chris Christie, is afraid to accept Syrian refugee orphans under the age of 5. That's definitely the guy I want as commander in chief when the chips are down.
"After the Paris attacks," Alaska's senator-from-Ohio Dan Sullivan, astutely explained, "it's important for us to remember that ISIS remains a very significant threat."
Apparently that statement of the blindingly obvious was intended to explain why he thinks we shouldn't allow a handful of Syrians to find refuge in the U.S. Now, if you've been paying attention, you might ask yourself: What the hell does that have to do with the refugee question?
The refugees are Syrians fleeing terrorists who are trying to take over Syria. The refugees are the victims of terrorism, not terrorists. One or two of the terrorists who attacked Paris had been back and forth to Syria but were not Syrians. They were French and Belgian citizens, some of whose parents had immigrated to Europe from majority-Muslim countries. Both the Syrian refugees and the Paris terrorists are Muslims, as were some of the victims of the Paris terrorists. Being Muslim doesn't mean you're a terrorist.
Now I'll bet on Kelly in a Dumb or Dumber contest against almost anyone, but he may have a fight on his hands in a faceoff with Congressman Tony Dale. Dale argues that we can't let Syrian refugees into his home state of Texas because it's too easy for them to buy guns there.
How about that? Refugees, who, unlike anyone else buying weapons, have actually undergone an exhaustive background check, shouldn't be allowed in the U.S. because they'd be entitled to that precious Second Amendment right.
Bottom line: The Pete Kellys, Donald Trumps and Ted Cruzes of America are four-square for religious freedom, gun rights and welcoming the dispossessed -- as long as everyone is white and Christian.
Fear makes people do shameful things. Jewish refugees and Japanese-American citizens found that out, and now maybe Syrian refugees will too.
I hope not. Will you find the courage to speak up against this betrayal of American values?
We all need the courage to speak up: America, founded on the religious liberty that we love and hold so dear, is under attack. Not from those who may immigrate but by some of our own. These refugees are human beings who left homes they love, and they need to start over in a land of hope, freedom and liberty.
Shannyn Moore is a radio broadcaster.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com.