For Fathers Day

This idea came from Stephen Colbert last night.

Our kids were so fortunate to have a great dad.  He has been involved in their lives from the beginning, from changing diapers to coaching Little League, to building sets for the children's theater, to being one of Lawsuit's biggest fans--and even doing a solo on stage once.  He was always there to read "Night Before Christmas" on Christmas eve and judge dives at diving meets.  I love the relationship he has with all of them.

Now think of the fathers who live in Central American countries wracked by war, torture, rape, murder.  They have this dream of taking their children to safety in the United States and hope to seek asylum, only to learn when they arrive here that their children are to be taken away from them and they themselves are put in jail, awaiting a hearing.  Some are taken from their parents arms to "be bathed" and then never returned.

I have been assured that the children are returned in a couple of days.  Tell that to the parents returned to their native country who Skype their EIGHT MONTH OLD child each week, and who still have not been able to reunited with the baby.

I've been told that it's probably a lot of hype by the media.  And yeah, maybe the story of the breastfeeding mother who had her baby taken from her breast may or may not be hype, but the other stories are being proven more and more to be true.

After being forcibly removed from a holding facility by the police Senator Jeff Merkley was finally allowed into the Brownsville detention center, but no cameras were allowed.  His report was that though the WalMart was filled with nearly twice its capacity and though there weren't enough caregivers to handle the kids, they were doing alright.  But these were boys 7-10.  How about one of the other 100 facilities with younger children?  Kids from babies to 17?  They are kept indoors all day and allowed outside for only 2 hours.

Women were interviewed and told of being separated from their children and then having to sit in a room while their children cried in a nearby room.  Another woman from Honduras reported that her husband had been beheaded, one son killed and another one paralyzed by a bullet and that she had fled to the U.S. seeking asylum for herself and her remaining son.  Sessions has now said that "fleeing violence" is no longer a valid reason for granting asylum and she says that if she is returned to her country, she will be killed.

A priest, who obviously didn't want to say anything negative, talked about a facility where the older kids were used to routine and when told to go to bed, they did, but that the little ones, age 2 and up, were more and more difficult and "harsher disciplinary measures" had to be taken.  Nobody asked him what those "harsher measures" were.

Thank goodness the clamor by voters like you and me is growing, even congressmen on both sides of the aisle are starting to voice disgust at what is happening.  Heck, even Franklin Graham, Billy's son, says it's disgusting.  But #45 is adamant that the Democrats don't want to change the policy, because they won't give him his wall (among other things).

Now, since all 100 facilities are so overcrowded with terrified children, they are talking of building a tent city somewhere in Texas.  Anybody know what the weather is like in Texas in the summer???

Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked if, as a mother, she had no empathy for the families and the reporter was told she was only answering serious, not frivolous questions.

Wouldn't it be nice if groups of congressmen, Republicans and Democrats, insisted on visiting a lot of those 100 facilities to inspect them, not just the ones hand-picked for them?  Wouldn't it be nice if there was such an outcry from those of us who are losing sleep over the plight of these families made enough noise that something changed?  Wouldn't it be nice if those parents could finally get their baby back?

Colbert suggests that a good thing to do in honor of Fathers Day is to contact all of your legal representatives in Washington and demand they bring a halt to this cruel practice, and reunite parents and children.  I did it.  Will you?

(This might not be effective for the woman who was given a piece of paper with the name of her children on it, so she could find them again....but it wasn't her children on the paper)