My thoughts on today's immigration protests

The torch of liberty, whose bright and shining flame guides the way towards freedom and safety, and has welcomed those from around the world to join our American family will not be extinguished.
We are a land vast in size, immense in generosity, and sincere in our desire to see dreams come true, families be reunited, and love for one another guide our brothers and sisters to our highest potential, both as individuals, and as a community.
We are not perfect as a nation. We let religious and ethnic suspicion and mistrust turn our heads, and steal our attention too easily. We let the lies and half-truths that are the mental fast food of our day supplant the healthful knowledge of hard-studied facts and truths. We prefer shouting each other down from the anonymity of a keyboard, rather than having a civil discussion with our neighbors at our fence or on our front porch. We have unresolved racial conflicts that have persisted throughout the decades. We have empowered corporations with the same or higher rights than individual citizens. And, in so many of our communities, our families are under siege, and being torn apart by the immediate and long-term impacts of a massive drug problem.
And even still, with all of our well-known faults, we remain a beacon of hope for so many people the world over. Our churches, mosques and synagogues are open. Those with no religion have the same absolute and inalienable rights as those that occupy those houses of worship. We can congregate, we can proselytize, we can dream, we can protest, we can report, we can travel, we can observe and we can decide our own opinions based on those observations. If we fail, we can start over. If we struggle, we can seek and find help. If we dream, we can achieve.
I do not fear immigrants. With no immigration, I would have likely experienced a very different mortal experience in this world. Instead, I am thankful for a nation that has welcomed immigrants. I welcome the contributions that they make to the fabric of our nation, and the absolute benefit that they make to the quality of our lives, through the jobs that they create, the care and innovation that they possess, and the culture that they bring to us from all over the world.
I salute those refugees who served our Armed Forces, and who are now attempting to start a new life here. I salute those who have spent months and years in camps just hoping and praying for the opportunity to be free. I support those legal permanent residents who have been here for months and years, have left the United States and are returning back after a short visit, only to be denied entry to their home, based on the place of their birth, rather than the content of their character.
I will fight for the rights of those that strive to join our American family. I am not a lawyer, and I am not a member of government. I am a citizen. I will use my rights as a citizen to advocate for those who strive to live our American dream, while always striving for the protection of the safety and security of our nation.
My fight will start with advocating to my elected representatives. If my elected representatives choose fear, lies and hate, I will become a candidate to take their place in government, and shine the light of truth and humanity into darkness. And, I will support those other citizens who choose to do so, as well.
I hope that you will join me. I hope that together we can fight for a nation that is tolerant, respectful, kind, loving and willing to face the world, not only as a military and economic power, but, far more importantly, as a moral champion for the people of the world.