Governor Abbott’s Letter to the President Is a Cowardly PR Stunt

Governor Greg Abbott has sent a letter to the President saying Texas will not accept any Syrian immigrants in the wake of the Paris terror attacks. You might think it's a prudent move. I think it's cowardly.

Since when are we afraid in Texas? I thought Texas was the land of the "Big Hat" that everyone was welcome under? I thought Texans would show the world how to do things and do them right.

We could have vetted these people to the best of our abilities, monitored them closely and showed the rest of the world that Texans are a giving, kind group. We could have shown them that Texas means love and acceptance -- a message that they could have taken back into the world. We could even show the world what happens if any of these folks stepped out of line.

Nope. Instead, we're just saying 'no.' John Wayne wouldn't have said 'no.' He would have said, 'Just sit your ass over there until I know I can trust ya.'

Abbott thought Texas had the balls to stand up to the U.S. military during the Jade Helm exercises, and now he thinks taking in people who have nothing are a "threat"? That point right there shows you that he entered this fight to pander to his base and not because we Texans couldn't handle any problems that pop up.

Sure, there may be some people in this group who could pose problems down the road. I could say the same thing about a group of 10,000 school teachers, priests or any other large group. Saying "no" to refugees means telling our allies "no". Our allies have stepped up and died alongside Americans in nearly every war. And now that they need our help, we're going to turn our back on them?

I'm aware that not many of you will agree with me. That is a big problem. Terrorists want to do one thing, and that is to fundamentally change and disrupt lives. Letting them change who we are is doing just that. Governor Abbott just gave the middle finger not just to our President, but to the Statue of Liberty and to the fundamental values of America.

As to the PR stunt aspect of this, some states WILL accept refugees. Then, it's just a quick drive down the Interstate to other locations of the U.S. There's also the question of whether governors who have said "no" even have a legal right to do so.

Texas is, and has always been, better than the actions of Governor Abbott.