Yes, Governor Baker’s post-Paris position on Syrian refugees shows a galling lack of compassion and courage. But, it also demonstrates a shocking level of incompetence.
What happened in Paris that requires rethinking the risk of Syrian refugees? Nothing.
We already know that a small group with explosives can kill and seriously injure huge numbers. See, Boston Marathon bombing. We already know that automatic weapons easily obtained in this country can be used to slaughter innocents trapped in a theater. See, Aurora, Colorado, shooting. We’ve known of the risk that ISIS will bring the battle to the US and Europe and that may involve ISIS (and other) terrorists posing as Syrian refugees. See, the federal screening process for potential terrorists among Syrian refugees, which has choked the intake of refugees to an inhumane trickle.
As horrific as they were, the Paris attacks were hardly surprising. There isn’t a single element of the events that shouldn’t have been accounted for in our much-less-than-worse-case planning. The Paris attacks do nothing but confirm well-grounded, but well-known, concerns.
Governor Baker’s (and all the other governors’) knee-jerk, no-Syrian-refugees-in-my-state response to the Paris attacks — to the extent that it relies on safety as justification — is a declaration that he hasn’t been preparing properly. It’s a declaration that he hasn’t been doing an adequate job protecting the safety of the Commonwealth.
Further, he didn’t do the modest amount of inquiry to find out if there’s anything a governor can even do to stop refugees. There isn’t. And, publicly declaring that we’re going to reject Syrian refugees is unnecessary attention to the state that increases the likelihood that we’ll be a target, particularly for sympathetic radicals already here. Fortunately, Governor Baker can take comfort that Massachusetts is but one of 23 states with ill-advised governors, all but one of which is Republican. (Say it ain’t so, Maggie.)
Yes, Governor Baker was not as extreme and strident in his statement as someone like Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal. It’s cold comfort. Any statement other than “We will not let events in Paris deter us from providing safe haven to those displaced by the very same actors” is extreme enough.
A real failure of the kind of executive leadership Governor Baker promised.
Christopher says
…I accidently put on another thread. Who wrote this diary? It’s credited as “–disturbed”, but I believe that represents a site glitch.
Charley on the MTA says
It’s Sean Roche – will try to fix
bob-gardner says
I hope Governor Baker will protect us from meteorites.
sabutai says
Meteorites are generally white, so I can’t imagine he and his Republican brethren will have a problem with them.
Mark L. Bail says
All of the attackers from Friday’s massacre in Paris so far have been identified as European Union nationals, according to a top EU official. The announcement further casts doubt on the validity of a Syrian passport found near the bodies of a slain attacker.
whoaitsjoe says
But in a post, rightly galled for incompetence
Not automatic. Automatic weapons are actually extremely difficult to acquire in the US.
Agree with everything else in the post.
Sean says
I’ll fix it when I can.
whoaitsjoe says
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/17/what-americans-thought-of-jewish-refugees-on-the-eve-of-world-war-ii/
Trickle up says
He’s not doing this in a vacuum, he’s a Republican pulling for the team.
The goal is not to keep refugees out—who cares about them? It’s to frame Democrats as weak.
About the ugliest sort of partisanship I can think of.
Christopher says
Does anyone else see just the opposite? Democrats are the ones with the strength and courage to stand up for American values while Republicans cower behind what are likely to be unfounded national security fears. One of our parties is weak, but it’s not the Democrats on this one.
historian says
One of the worst displays of cowardice and xenophobia in decades put on by the Republican Party along with a few craven Democrats. Tough guys who like to wrap themselves in the flag whip up fear of desperate people who have lost everything. There is no excuse. We’ve also leaned from Baker’s response to Moulton that after months of fawning coverage that he will accept no criticism. I’m sorry: the claim that Baker is not as bad as Jindal says nothing.