IamA American volunteer at a refugee camp in Greece for mostly Syrians. AMA!

What types of refugee people did you come across? What type of skills did they have that can be used in European/American society?

Mostly Kurdish people from Syria, but there were folks from many african nations and other middle easy countries.

Oh man, everything! They are just like western societies, there were barbers and coaches, and entrepreneurs and chefs and doctors and famers and everything, they'll be fine wherever they end up. Many had great english or other languages.

Can we call them economic migrants and not refugees?

Well its case by case I suppose. Some might be economic migrants that were using this global turmoil as an opportunity to seek out a better quality of life elsewhere.

BUT there were also many many who fit the UN definition of a refugee 'someone who has been forced to flee his or her country because of persecution, war, or violence. A refugee has a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.' - that is from the UN's website.

No because they are refuges, no need to give them another label.

Not all are. Most of them come from Pakistan and African countries where there is no war.why would you be so naïve

Source?

Can we? Yes. Should we?

yea thats really the question, does it weaken people empathy towards them? Or does it seem like they just want more money or something? I called them residents when I was at the camp with them.

yes we should

Do you mind explaining why? I'm curious about the rebranding.

they are not even close to the same.

Still would like to hear more from you on this? Why do you think people who are fleeing war/violence/terrorist groups should be called 'economic migrants' and not 'refugees' (fitting with UN's definition above)

Well thats what vetting is for. Also why do we have to take in refugees anyway. Whos got the money for this anyway. Its easy to be armchair quarterback and comment but somebody has to pay and integrate these people into society. Im sick of the dogooders who just think this is not costly and easy to do.

I agree with you there is certainly a cost to settle refugees in the country. WE currently spend about $600 billion dollors (near half of our total federal budget) on our military. Thats the most in the world, roughly double what the #2 slot spends. If we took the smallest fraction of that we could easily resettle people. (for that matter we could give free college for every american or house every homeless personal or have a federally funded healthcare system - but thats for another thread).

We don't HAVE to take them in, we could let them keep getting killed, keep drowning in the seas, keep having their families torn apart but it doesn't feel like the kind thing to do, the loving thing to do, the human thing to do. We can build a global community, I know we can, we've just got to start somewhere.

Could you explain why many people from Syria are seeking refuge in Europe instead of countries that are closer geographically, culturally, economically, share the same language and/or share the same religion? Such as: Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt. It seems like it would be much easier for the average Syrian to flee to those countries and to integrate in one of those countries than for example Sweden.

Also do you think Europe should accept more refugees even if that means that Europe will also have to accept a lot more economic migrants and if it will hurt their economies long term?

Lebanon

Are you kidding? Lebanon has more than a million Syrian refugees (with a population of about 4 million in 2010). Haven't looked up the numbers for other countries, but there ARE many refugees in neighboring countries. In fact so many that there's a good reason to go elsewhere.

https://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/lebanon_syrian_crisis_en.pdf

http://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2016/12/585cddcf4/winter-blows-across-lebanon-refugees-struggle.html

I've never said that there weren't many refugees in neighbouring countries. I listed the countries that accept refugees in large numbers and knew that those countries have a lot of refugees, and will accept more. That's why I didn't put Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Yemen on the list.

I think you should of listed Romania, Bulgaria etc that need refugees but are not taking in that many because most are looking at the higher financial benefits of coming to the UK etc

I saw a video of the Portuguese minister (if I'm not mistaken) who was at a refugee camp and said the refugees were welcome in Portugal. The "refugees" then laughed at the minister how poor Portugal is. So it seems like they come to Western/Northern Europe only for the financial benefits / better standard of living. The "real" refugees think something like "If I have to start my life over I would rather do it in a rich country" while economic migrants don't actually come from a war torn country and just want to move to a rich country. Both things shouldn't be accepted in my opinion. Portugal, Ronania, Bulgaria etc, are plenty safe and more than rich enough for a decent life.

Where do you live?

Im not doing this AMA, but i think i have some information you might want to hear.

I volunteered in a Refugee home here in Germany for a while and met two siblings, brother and sister, there . They came from Syria over Turkey and Greece. The situation in Turkey was simply miserable for refugees and the Greek police(?) just kept them for like a month and a half and then told them to go.

So at this point,yes, they were technically safe but Greece just does not have the capacitys to deal with such an influx since they are already drowning in their own pool of bullshit to take care of. The migrants don't all just actively come to other countries, they are sometimes told to do so(or are just sent straight back). Mind you, i'm talking about people that have actual stuff to flee from, in this case ISIS and massive airstrikes that turned half of their city to rubble and killed both of their parents.Also, most people from Syria that i've talked to spoke English and are eager to integrate, but since most folks at the facility i helped out at where Syrian i can't talk much about other countries.

Should we take in more refugees? Yes, actual refugees absolutely, but i'm not blind enough to not see that we should probably come up with a better system to sort out the bad eggs and/or deport them.

but i'm not blind enough to not see that we should probably come up with a better system to sort out the bad eggs and/or deport them

This, and quick because for every sex attack/Terrorist attack created by the small minority will turn x ampount of people against them.

Fair point.

thanks for your words!

Great question. I wish I had a better answer for you, but it was not something I discussed with anyone. I imagine the feeling is there is turmoil in the whole area and if they want more of a feeling of being safe and a lower likelihood of being send back to their home country, then they'd want to get farther away, but a better question for them. Sorry!

Its a tough question and there is no easy answer. I'd maybe push back on hurting their economy long term? Most people I know had formal educations, trade skills and strong careers, I don't see how they would not be an asset to an economy. But seems to me worth getting some people abusing the system to help those truly in need. Seems like thats how most systems operate on all levels in all cultures. I understand some people feel differently. But watch the 'White Helmets' documentary. See what some people are going through, and think about the idea of closing the door on them, it just feels wrong in my gut.

People usually cite cultural differences as one of the main points against taking in refugees.

1)Have you noticed any major cultural differences?

2)Did you have a chance to discuss integration with some of the refugees?

Hey!

1) For sure, many many people spoke great english or other language, they were on their smart phones as much as we were, joked around etc. etc. Very similar. Of course most are coming from an muslim communities, so there was a bit more difference in traditional gender roles that what I'm seeing in Chicago. Then of course some slightly different food (all amazing) and things like that, but really not a ton different from what I saw.

2) ya! Most I am close with were eager to get to a new place to call home and get their life going. Broadly, people I've spoken in the west seem to have this larger sense of losing their 'culture' - they seem to want people from other countries to watch the same sports, the eat the same food. It seems to me like those feelings are really more a mask for being uncomfortable with someone that seems different, seems 'other'. Change is scary for a lot of people, esp adults and I'd guess that is most people really dug down on the questions of integration they'd see more of a reflection of deeper seeded personal issues than being worried of seeing more hijabs on the street. America has vilified Islam, we've seen terrorist in movies, and pun-dents screaming about 'radical islam' to bring us together over a common enemy. BUt seriously, they are just people like anyone else, go meet a few and hang out. 99% the same.

Thanks!

:)

I think the fear factor on terrorism has gone through the roof, but people's fear is also a cultural one where they believe everybody there is linked to the Taliban etc.

Did you see any extremist elements at work?

agree, through the roof. Islam is a beautiful religion and these people are wonderful, we've created all these terrible stereotypes and it's hurting many great people who just want to live in peace.

None, 0.

Islam is a beautiful religion

Especially if you're a woman or gay!

From what I can tell, conservative Muslim doctrine is the same as Christian towards the LGBT community, both are shameful. In some areas yes, woman are treated the way they were treated in america in the 20's or 50's. Every group wakes up at some point, they are on their path base on circumstances. Let's all be part of the solution!

Do you believe the Greek government should provide housing and public services for economic migrants and refugees coming to Greece? If so, do you believe that Greece should raise taxes to pay for this or should they cut the budget in other areas?

So whats happening now (to the best of my knowledge) is that the EU is paying lots of money to Greece so they (military) can provide food and some basic resources for folks (though the Red Cross/Crescent provide the housing at the camp I was at). Most refugees form the middle east make it to greece, some to Italy and they have to stay there while they are processed (months to year(s). Again, this problem will only be solved by the GLOBAL community, it can't all be on one country, esp. one as economically depressed as greece. I felt some sentiment from some of the greek people that negative towards the refugees b/c they felt like, life was not so great for them in greece, why would they support others. But that's the problem, the problem, is when you divide YOU from THEM. US and THOSE. We are all brothers and sisters of the same planet, if one of us suffers we all suffer. We've got to care for each other and help us each have our basic needs met, once people are safe, healthy, and housed, we can start to have different economic levels but not until then in my view.

So long story short, greece is not paying for them, the EU is, greece is actually likely skimming money from the pot that is supposed to help them.

How did you get involved with Echo 100 Plus? How were the other volunteers that you were working with?

Real simple! Go to link below, fill out forms, send in some documents and do a skype interview, if they can accept you its just a matter of schedule and room in the house to volunteers stay in.

It was a WONDERFUL experience. I made some great friends who I feel like I've know for years. It truly was a blast, we'd cook for each other and hang out and go out to restaurants for people last nights with the NGO. Just a blast.

http://echo100plus.com/en/get-involved

What's the overall atmosphere like within the refugee camp? By that i mean the people's moods on their current living situation other than how they feel about what's been happening at home.

hmm two sides to the coin. 1 side, people are happy to be away from a potential violent/unsafe circumstance but at the same time they are basically living in this wall-less jail. Someone else is deciding if/when they get to leave and start a life somewhere else (usually take 10-12 months to leave the camp - and you don't know where you're going until like two weeks before you leave), you pick up 'food' two times a day from a warehouse in little plastic bags, you don't have much to occupy your time. Some folks don't want to learn another language like english or German if they may end up in Spain.

BUT all that said, they mostly have a good community. Friends and family, sip tea, cook together, joke around. Overall I'd say its a positive vibe moment to moment, but in the back of peoples minds are the facts that they have no idea what their future will be....

What are the common problems with getting refugees resident somewhere outside of a refugee camp? What could European (or Western) governments and/or civilians do to help the situation?

Well, most everything is underfunded and most western sentiment is pushing to the right (less compassion and less willingness to accept more refugees into western countries). We're seeing a rise of the far right in many wester countries (trump and Brexit to name a few) that don't want refugees in their country. Government and civilians could press harder to accept more refugees into their countries and show a little more compassion and love in the public discourse. These are people, these are humans, who are leaving horrible horrible shit. They don't hate the west, they want to peacefully live in it away from violence.

Beyond that is an extensive 3-4 round interview process with months in between, it just takes a lot of time to process any one case. Mostly comes down to funding from what I can tell, but I wasn't involved on that side of it. UNHCR is a major player in deciding settlement, look into them.

How do you feel then about Australia doubling it's refugee intake from camps like you were while copping flak for banning the undocumented onshore arrivals? Do camps like you were in all report to the same regulatory bodies or to the countries they're in?

hmmm great question and I can offer little help here sad to say. Gald Australia is taking more folks into camps but bummed they are banning onshore arrivals. I'm uneducated here and don't want to BS something.

It's honestly a bit all over the map, there are NGOs, government bodies, UN bodies, and greek military all coming and going. New people arrive every few days and some folks leave here and there. All those diff groups communicate poorly from what I saw. Its national and international and NGOs all doing slightly different work on top of each other.

Do you believe there's a limit to the number of economic migrants and refugees these countries should accept? If so how should that number be determined?

hmmm. Me personally, I believe open boarders and welcoming/ supportive of Refugees is the right move. If we really want to create unity among human-kind, if we really want world peace, if we really want to care for each other, (if you're religious and you want to build the kingdom of heaven on earth) it can't be based on where we were born of who we pay taxes too. It can ONLY be because we are all humans. Going there confirmed all that for me, people were wonderful. Better people that a lot of my neighbors now.

Okay that said. I hear the practical arguments on both sides. I think the difference is in REFUGEE's and migrants. If someone is escaping violence, every nation in the world should be open to accepting them, as I'd want to find a new safe home if my build was being bombed.

In terms of exact #'s I think we REALLY need the global community to take this seriously and have some real dialogue. If EVERY country were willing to take in refugee's the weight would be so spread out that I don't think most nations would even notice. The problem lies when countries build up walls and say no, making it harder for other countries to take refugees in, so they end up saying no, and it snowballs from there. I'm very dissapointed in the global communities efforts here.

Bottom line: If hundreds of nations took is X number of people based on the population size of their country that would seem fair to me.

Your idea sounds awesome in theory, but it ignores reality. There are very evil, sick people in the world. Its like the idea of not lcking your doors at night. Sounds all nice and happy in theory, but it could get you killed. Your whole theory is based off something that has never and will never happen in the human race. An open door policy worldwide is something so naive, it almost screams being misinformed. There is absolutely zero evidence that what you want or believe has ever worked, or will ever work.

I hear you. It is more optimistic then possible right now. There is a lot of hate in the world, the only thing that can defeat that is love. Kill them with kindness. Which yes, will lead to good people being on the short of the stick. But taking a global/life-time-of-the-human-race type look. I believe its what we need to do. SO do we open the doors wide open right now? No, of course not. Is it the goal, the light at the end of the tunnel, absolutely. All we can do is make the small changes days by day that is in our power to make, and show everyone love and kindess and eventually we will build a global peaceful village. Not in our lifetime, but I'll be dammed if I'm not going to do what I can while I'm on this earth.

Agreed, there are so many European Countries at least that actually need people but most migrants seem to want to come to Germany, France or the UK because of higher wages.

We need to change there mentallity on that so that they are happy with what country they are given.

From my experience, anyone that was granted asylum ANYWHERE was happy about it. Of course people prefer the Germany's and the UKs but people were very happy with Swiss/canada etc.

Do they just think all Americans are awful because of what's been going on lately? Or is that something they don't pay much attention to or realize that the US is being run by a psychopath and not every American is like that?

Not at all. Most people at the camp have lots of one-on-one experience of America who come over to volunteer and are nice and their friends so they prob think we are nicer than we are haha. But certainly most don't like our government and think many of us are backwards. But American's like anywhere, has good people and bad people, they understand that.

Hey man, really good for you, I did a few weekends volunteering in Berlin. How are you getting by board and food wise? Not to take the topic off the refugees just wondering how you got into it and where it's going.

Hey! Thanks, I'm back in chicago now. But Echo 100 Plus (ngo I was with) has a big house they rent in a town 15 minutes away and a few rental cars for transpo. Food, we are on our own, but sometimes ate the leftovers the residents didn't want for lunch and dinner usually someone cooked or we went out. Food was very affordable.

A somewhat unimportant question -- Did the topic of movies or tv come up with refugees?? If so, what?

yea! For sure did. Most people (15-35) watch American/western stuff that's blockbuster or huge, but also lots of Syrian TV or tv in local languages. Comedies are always popular as are big action/adventure, same as here.

Are the refugees more worried about destruction from the Western Coalition, or Syrian rebels?

Most Syrians refugees I spoke with are worried about Russian fighter jets, thats whats doing the most damage. Tied for 2nd would be the Syrian regime and daesh (isis) and other terrorist groups, but again, I'm can't speak for them directly.

Do they educate their children? If yes, is it good quality?

Not 100% sure what the context of the questions is but here is what I got.

Yes, of course, everyone wants to educate their children. In their home countries that was happening.

At the camp - the children roughly 5-12 go to greek schools in the afternoon for a few hours and our taught normal lessons in greek (which is a nice gesture but kinda pointless as no one speaks greek...). A the the camp there are many NGO's like 'I AM YOU' that focuses on education of all youth ages, mostly in languages etc. Most people can't wait to get settled somewhere to start their schooling back up. So overall quality, not sufficient, not what people want, but everyone is doing their best with the resources they have.

Seeing the current economical situation in greece, how many of the refugee you think will get job/work after completing education?

well most refugees will not end up in Greece, they will end up spread out all over the world. I think their shot of getting work is just as high as anyone else. Again, most have trade skills or strong careers, there were doctors, barbers, chefs, entrepreneurs, all kinds of stuff.

How did you earn money while you were volunteering? Or, if you were not, how much did the entire trip cost? What were some common expenses?

I'm strongly interested in doing something like this, I'd like to know how long it will take for me to save up to be able to afford it.

I had some money saved up, subleased my place (broke even) and only went for about a month. My flight was $780 from chicago and food/essentials while I was volunteering was somewhere around. $150-$175/week. Echo houses you and transports you to and from camp. In Greece food is cheap. I stayed 2 nights in athens before I went to camp. hostil was like $20.night and it was like $9 for train up to camp one way. Check it out if you can!! - http://echo100plus.com/en/get-involved

So you say you are volunteering, does that mean you are also capturing footage since you are a filmmaker?

yes! I shot lots of footage, I'm working on a fundraising video for Echo 100 Plus (my NGO) and then going to do 2-4 'Refugee Profiles' of like 2-3 minutes each on some of the residents (interviews and broll). Look for those on What Matter Productions social in a month or so - www.facebook.com/WhatMattersProductions

Will you be going back for maybe a catch up if possible?

what do you mean? Going back to Ritsona camp to get more footage? I'd love to follow the guys to wherever their new home ends up being.

Are you doing this for a film or out of the kindness of your heart? Or both?

Started with just doing it because I wanted to help. Brought my camera along and opportunities arose. - I'm working on a fundraising video for Echo 100 Plus (my NGO) and then going to do 2-4 'Refugee Profiles' of like 2-3 minutes each on some of the residents (interviews and broll). Look for those on What Matter Productions social in a month or so - www.facebook.com/WhatMattersProductions

I'd love to do something like this. Were the people nice and appreciative?

Also I know you volunteered but do they provide any type of compensation for your travel or anything like that?

You should! Go For it! Tons of great groups to volunteer with like Echo and Lighthouse relief. People overall were appreciate, I made some great friends I'm keeping in touch with. Wonderful exp.

I applied here - (http://echo100plus.com/en/get-involved) sent in some info, had a skype interview, booked plane ticket and I was there!. My flight was $780 from chicago and food/essentials while I was volunteering was somewhere around. $150-$175/week. Echo houses you and transports you to and from camp. IF you really need $$ help on a flight on a case by case basis can chip in. In Greece food is cheap. I stayed 2 nights in athens before I went to camp. hostil was like $20.night and it was like $9 for train up to camp one way. Check it out if you can!!

What did you spend your days doing? What were your primary tasks and responsibilities?

Good Q - Most of my day volunteering was spent with food distribution (greek military truck pulls up with 750 little warm trays of food like lentils or rice, or noodles with sauce, 800 oranges, 500 pieces of cheese and bread - depending on the day of course - we unload, sort, then hand out food based on how many people in the family to the resident coming to collect). Clothing distrobution (sorting donations into ages/genders - then certain days we set up a little 'shop' where the residents go through the binds and pick items). Hygiene distrobution (same thing for shampoo and soap and toothpaste.

Paste that - you're cleaning the warehouse, helping with projects around the camp (leveling out football field, helping other NGO with education project, spending time with residents). It's great! Shifts are about 6 hours a day 7 days a week, past that, you're keeping the home all the volunteers share. Learn more at - http://echo100plus.com/en/get-involved

I've known for quite a while that disc golf (frisbee golf) is wildly popular in Greece. Did you see any frisbee golf stars?

Please answer asap I have fly fishing lessons in 25 minutes.

solid bits, appreciate the care.

Are there children without parents that you have run into? What are some sad stories you can share.

Didn't find a lot of 'children' with our parents, quiet a few teens there with out their parents. Not sure I love the idea of kinda making spectacle out tragedy on this board given some of the responses I've seen so far from people. Would be happy to share some things one on one maybe. But also don't have a ton of stories as we were more focused on the present and the future than the past. But many people came from sad circumstances for sure.

I feel like the sad stories need to be pushed more.

Yes not everyone will like them, but if the mainstream media is only focussed on the negative we need to push the positive (positive being that we are helping people who have suffered so much).

Echo 100 Plus really focuses on dignity, on making the residents feel respected and human, not a number in a system. So Echo focuses less on 'tragedy porn' as some would call it, and more on highlighting how great individuals are. But I certainly see your point. Mainstream TV media is doing little if anything to highlight good people in horrific circumstances.

How did you get started? What were the steps you took to becoming a volunteer? How much did it cost you out of pocket to do what you're doing?

Started by telling everyone I knew I wanted to do this, and word got out, I was connected with a friend of a friend of my moms who volunteered with Echo 100 Plus (the ngo i was with). I applied here - http://echo100plus.com/en/get-involved) sent in some info, had a skype interview, booked plane ticket and I was there!. My flight was $780 from chicago and food/essentials while I was volunteering was somewhere around. $150-$175/week. Echo houses you and transports you to and from camp. In Greece food is cheap. I stayed 2 nights in athens before I went to camp. hostil was like $20.night and it was like $9 for train up to camp one way. Check it out if you can!!

Thanks for this. So you were there for a few weeks, are you planning on returning? If not, what's next for you?

2 week min for echo100plus, most NGOs have the same requirement. I brought a lot of work home with me on beefing up the NGOs social media and helping with fundraising etc. I'd like to do more in this field long term and searching for the right fit along with my filmmaking/comedy profession.

What's the attraction to goats?

0

Any celebrity sightings?

haha, like who? I think a musician joined the echo team right after I left the camp.

I don't know, you tell me ahole

That escalated quickly

pull on collar

Why are you doing this? What's your financial/career plan for when you come back here?

Doing this because I felt called too. This is the largest gloabl migration crisis since WWII and for the most part the western world is doing little to help, so wanted to do what I could.

I'm stable as a filmmaker/comedian in Chicago, so could afford the time off. Now I'm back to normal life, though stearing my focus more towards work like this. See some of my non-profit/social justice film work here . www.facebook.com/WhatMattersProductions

On a personal level, what are a few of your favorite films?

haha, recently liked the 'white helmets' short doc and '13th' doc, both oscar noms. Also like comedies and family animation stuff.

Trump told me that refugees r gonna try to have sex with me, is that true?

Good question, Trumps tells us lots of things based on no fact, evidence or conscious logic. I can say with certainty that no with is going to try have sex with you.

It's fine and dandy if you want to risk your life helping these violent and troublesome people, but do you believe we should bring this violence, rape and hate into western society like Hillary planned? How can you justify this given the clear evidence of how badly this has worked out for Europe?

Curt question here. Can you show me some evidence of your assertions? And how many people from this region do you know or have spoken with? Yes absolutely they are coming from really troubled areas with war and chaos, but the people I met wanted to get out of those situations. I do do think we should help them, it seems to be a moral imperative regaurdless you are religious or not (if you are WWJD?).

Ever person I met was not violent, not criminal, not hateful. If anything they are victims of those things and victims of hate from many westerns who accuse them of being horrible things that they are not.

I'll point you to this article with sources that shows domestic terrorist attacks since 9/11 and who carried them out...Look at the data yourself.

http://people.com/politics/donald-trump-refugee-muslim-ban-terrorist-attack-us-statistics/

2002 D.C. sniper attacks:

Over the course of three weeks in 2002, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo killed 10 people and critically injured three others in Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Virginia.

Muhammad was born as John Allen Williams in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Malvo is from Jamaica.

2006 UNC SUV attack:

Mohammed Reza Taheri-aza intentionally rammed into people on the UNC Chapel Hill campus. Nine people were injured, none seriously. Taheri-aza was reportedly an Iranian-born U.S. citizen.

2006 Seattle Jewish Federation shooting:

Naveed Afzal Haq shot six people, one fatally, at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle building. Haq was a U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent.

2008 Knoxville Unitarian Universalist church shooting:

Jim David Adkisson killed two people and wounded seven others at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Adkisson was American.

2009 Arkansas recruiting office shooting:

Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad shot and killed one military recruiter and seriously wounded another at a Little Rock, Arkansas Army/Navy Career Center. Muhammad, previously known as Carlos Leon Bledsoe, was American.

2009 Fort Hood shooting:

Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army major and psychiatrist, fatally shot 13 people and injured more than 30 others in Fort Hood, Texas. Hasan was born in the U.S. to Palestinian parents.

2010 Austin suicide attack:

Andrew Joseph Stack III deliberately crashed his single engine plane into the Austin, Texas, IRS building, killing himself, one IRS employee and injuring 13 others. Stack was American.

2012 Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting:

Wade Michael Page fatally shot six people and wounded four others at a Sikh temple is Oak Creek, Wisconsin. Page, who was active in white supremacist groups, was an American.

2014 Overland Park Jewish Community Center shooting:

Frazier Glenn Miller, Jr., a neo-Nazi white supremacist, committed a pair of shootings at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kansas, killing a total of three people. Miller was American.

2014 Las Vegas shooting:

A married couple, Jerad and Amanda Miller, committed a shooting spree in Las Vegas, killing three people as well as themselves. Both were American and supported extreme anti-government views.

2014 Queens hatchet attack:

Zale H. Thompson attacked four New York City Police Department officers with a metal hatchet, injuring two. A civilian was also injured after police opened fire on Thompson. Thompson, who was American, was described by police officials as a self-radicalized Muslim convert who was inspired by terrorist groups.

2014 slayings of NYPD officers:

Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley killed two on-duty NYPD officers, reportedly as revenge for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. Brinsley was born in the U.S. to a Muslim African-American family.

2015 Charleston church shooting:

Dylann Roof killed nine people and injured one during a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Roof, a white supremacist, is American and was sentenced to death on Jan. 10.

2015 Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting:

Robert Lewis Dear, Jr. committed a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic, killing three and injury nine others. Dear, who is American, was ruled incompetent to stand trial and was indefinitely confined to a Colorado state mental hospital.

2015 San Bernardino attack:

A married couple, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 civilians and injured 22 others in a mass shooting at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California. Farook was born in the U.S. to Pakistani parents, and Malik, who was a permanent U.S. resident, was born in Pakistan but grew up in Saudi Arabia.

2016 Orlando nightclub shooting:

Omar Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53 in a mass shooting at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida. Mateen was an American born in the U.S. to Afghan parents.

2016 shooting of Dallas police officers: Micah Xavier Johnson ambushed a group of Dallas police officers, killing five and injuring nine others. Johnson, a former Army reservist, was an American.

2016 Minnesota mall stabbing:

Dahir A. Adan committed a mass stabbing at the Crossroads Center shopping mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota, injuring 10 people. Adan was born in Kenya and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2008.

It's a lot of scare tactics and lot of hate. They want to live peaceful lives away from violence, which is what I imagine you or I would want to do if the roles were reversed....

Look at Europe. I'm not going to waste my time gathering up evidence that you claim is not there, when these are current events. It's like arguing with someone who says "prove to me Donald Trump won the election"... no matter what you show them, they'll never be convinced. We are not imagining the mass rapes, terrorist attacks, violent crime, hatecrimes and rise of Sharia Law that is plaguing Europe. This is America. We will not allow this savagery here. You are trying to swindle your way out of this. I don't know why, but political correctness and diversity agendas have brainwashed our society to bend over backwards for people that will ultimately destroy us. Like I said, it's your choice to help them, but I have a right to refuse to bring in the dangers of Islam and their culture in order to protect my family.

umm, he deff won the election, the got the electoral votes, not arguing at all there.

Okay I hear you, show me Europe. what signals do you have that Shaira law is rising there? can you show me a single example of a 'mass rape' in europe? I'm unaware of any. Terrorist attacks, yes there have been some in Europe and they are tragic. There have been sooooo many more in the countries these refugees are fleeing. They want to live in peace, they want to raise their families, and cook meals together, and drink tea and play games, and live in a place where they are safe. I really encourage to imagine if the roles were reversed and you lived in a place where bombs were being dropped on your neighbors. And you went to another country and knocked on the door and said, 'please let me in, I don't want to die' - what would you hope you heard in response?

In terms of hate crimes, yea, there are a lot of those. PLenty here, plenty from white nationalist that don't want anyone in this country that doesn't look/act/think like they do. So we are allowing that savagery here.

What do you feel like dangers of Islam are? Do you feel there is a difference between Islam and radical Islam? Do you feel there is a different between Christianity and radical Christianity?

Where the fuck else are they supposed to go? Should they just lay and die under a fucked up regime brought about from Western domination, sham governments and war manipulation to serve God knows what political needs?!? Easy to judge entire cultures and races from a comfy room and an internet cable.

A men

Do you get raped often, or do you simply give yourself willingly?

Wow...that's such an unloving thing to say. I'm sorry you feel to need to say things like this. I wish you luck.