July 8, 2017
Dear Mr. President,
Congratulations, you were warmly welcomed by Poland. Do you want to know why?
The short answer is nationalism (there's a much longer
answer but the White House website limits me to 2,500 characters so let's just
stick with that).
Much like yourself, Polish MP Jaroslaw Kaczynski is gaining
power by riding a wave of populism and putting Polish national interests
first. For example, he has refused to
take international refugees into his country citing the "fact" that
they carry diseases (much the way you cite the "fact" that they are
all terrorists).
Now, nationalism has its place in the world and is fine to a point. I mean, every nation wants to promote their
strength and unity. Everyone wants to
take pride in their own national identity.
I certainly do and I'm sure millions of Polish people do too. But when a nation promotes its own greatness to the exclusion of others…well,
then we have a problem. A big, fat,
Nazi-sized problem.
I know how this story goes and I don't like the ending. That's why I will be doing everything in my
power to change the story, confirm the facts, speak the truth and build a
community where no one is left behind or left out. I may not have as much power as you or Mr.
Kaczynski, but I'm not exactly powerless
either.
Sincerely,
Amy Beaton
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