On Friday January 27th, 2017, for the first time in my generation’s life-time, our country entered a true moral crisis. For my entire life, independent of what political party held power, our country sought to make decisions with our morality acting as an essential component. We made decisions that showed compassion to those in need. We made decisions that empowered the will of the people. We made decisions that pursued justice above all else. The current administration, however, has failed to include morality, efficiency or even common human decency in their decision this past Friday.
President Trump and his administration knowingly issued this executive order determined to produce panic and chaos. They enacted it immediately before the weekend, failed to cooperate with any outside governmental agency, and in doing so disrupted the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world. The administration showed a blatant disregard for proper preparations and as a result released a dangerously ambiguous order. Actions of this nature, where President Trump shoots first and asks questions later, cannot go unnoticed. We as citizens must refuse to allow these types of scare tactics to become commonplace.
Growing up Jewish, I regularly heard the call to action that has shadowed Jews across the world for the past 70 years: Never Forget. We must never forget the people who died as a result of the hatred of others. We must never forget to protect those in need. We must never forget to push forward both people and policies that will always pursue justice above all else. As this presidency continues we must remember we are living in a historical moment, and as our country makes decisions that reverberate around the world I ask each and every one of you to remember one thing. History has its eyes on each and every one of us.
Charlie Cohen
Senior political science and public relations double major