NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There goes my favorite 4th grade social studies unit.

TEN DAYS. How much harm could he possibly do in ten days?

A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

Is something about this thread inappropriate . . .? It's taking a while for the comments to get through. I'm sorry if it's inappropriate.

Sometimes it takes awhile. We're busy with other things. And some comments may need to be reviewed by more than one Admin.

Admin

This is kind of random, popping in like this (no, I haven't left the CB!) but I felt the need to say something, somewhere, and I had a feeling I would be able to do it here. So here's what I have to say. 

It's having a major effect in my community...one of my friends's aunt was going to come to the states for 90 days of cancer treatment, but now she can't. My math teacher is Iranian, and she has family she can't visit. My 6th grade world cultures also has family in some of those countries, and he's probably experiencing difficulties. There's a large part of my fammily from Iran...my uncle's sister was going to come visit him, but now she can't. Another relative of mine (I don't know her very well) is visiting from Iran, and her son was going to come too, but now he's stuck. That's the sad part....and then it gets ridiculous.

A translator for the U.S. government was detained! They let him through eventually, but still. A director who was nominated for an Oscar can't get in. An 88 year old woman who was visiting her son who is fighting for his country can't come back to the U.S. rihgt now. A 3-year old American citizen was detained. And her parents, who have green cards.

It almost doesn't feel real. And yet it is. I nearly cried when I found out...it's just so shocking. It feels like something you read in a textbook. Because it makes no sense, and it's ridiculous. You-Know-Who shouldn't be able to even do this. 

But there is still good news...

People are fighting back. Both by raising awareness, and through legal action.

Lawsuits are being filed like crazy. In one city (I forgot which) the city asked for ten lawyers to volunteer with the immigration ban case. There are some states that are saying they'll ignore the law, and are filing objections. In my city, there were protests at the airport. Even people in Republican-leaning states are protesting. Subtle yet not-so-subtle ways of raising awareness.....today there is a Google Doodle honoring Fred Korematsu, an activist who survived and spoke out against Japanese internment camps. One quote from him is, "No one should ever be locked away because they share the same race, ethnicity, or religion as a spy or terroist. If that principle was not learned from the internment of Japanese Americans, then these are very dangerous times for our democracy." Companies like Starbucks and Lift are taking action too. As for the lawsuits, hopefully the cases will make it high, and maybe even to the Supreme Court. 

What I'm really hoping the most for is the legal action. That's the next step in making things happen, after protest and speaking out. I can't say for sure it will happen of course....I'm no lawyer, no citizen. But there's hope.

It's still awful, it really is. But try not to bring you down for long. 

Whether this ban upsets you, or has a personal effect on you (which can be worse), stay strong. You may feel pain, but stay strong. Do good in your community, at your school. Love, don't hate. 

No matter what, don't let what's happening in our country make you give up.  

Thank you for sharing that, Owlgirl. 

We can't ignore what's happening in the world, as tempting as it may be. I'm not an expert on government policy or anything like that, but a friend of mine, who knows a little bit more about than I do, encouraged me to write a letter to my government representative. 

I thought that sounded like a respectful and impactful way to let my voice be heard, so that's what I'm going to do. Who knows if they'll listen to a kid, but I want to try. 

I am speechless, in the worst way. I cannot belive that this is something we are worrying about in the USA. This is not the United States that I want the world to see; not the US I want to see. I think this is an absolute catastrophe.