The country is headed in the wrong direction

I can’t stop thinking about the children. You know the ones I mean. I look at their faces and I see my grandchildren. A little boy of 7, terrified; a 10-year-old with defiance and bravado trying not to cry; a sweet and smart 13-year-old with tears and fear on her face. The thought is so frightening I can hardly write these words.

But that wouldn’t happen, their parents have not broken the law, right? Crossing the border is a misdemeanor. Like a traffic citation. Not a criminal offense. Seeking asylum is perfectly legal, and prior to the Sessions/Trump decision in May, children were not taken from their parents.

Have you ever crossed an international border? Not Canada, or even a European country, or on a tour, but somewhere you don’t speak the language, and the culture is different? It’s a bit intimidating. Do you have the right paperwork? Has a law changed? What is that border guard saying in his or her “’English” that you can’t understand? Asylum seekers face that. They were not expecting to lose their children.

We may not be lawbreakers, but if you aren’t scared of some of the things Mr. Trump frequently says ( just kidding?) about how it should be illegal not to agree with him, not to applaud long enough, etc. His heroes are dictators, who won’t allow citizen dissent. Many Auschwitz victims were not Jews, but those who spoke out against the government. Could that be us?