Before Using This Heartbreaking Photo to Attack Trump, Please Remember This...https://t.co/GBnGJezLSD
— Independent Journal (@TheIJR) January 29, 2017
...many are voicing their opposition visually with the use of a heartbreaking image of a Syrian boy who tragically lost his life when his refugee boat capsized while attempting to flee from Turkey to Greece. The young boy's name was Alan Kurdi, and the image went viral...
While there is much debate to be had over Trump's executive order, let's establish some very important facts one should remember when using this specific photo to attack the President:
When this photo was taken, President Obama had been in office for nearly seven years.
One does not recall President Obama being blamed for Kurdi's death in front page headlines or his imagery being used by politicians to score political points against the other team. Yet, it was President Obama and his administration who had immense power to affect the fates of those in the region who suffered the most, like Kurdi's family.
During Obama's tenure, his administration repeatedly failed to act decisively to bring the Syrian Civil War to a close....
The Obama administration has a horrendous track record of taking in Syrian refugees, just like Kurdi....
The Obama administration's complete withdrawal from Iraq left a power vacuum which created ISIS, the very force which led Kurdi's family to flee....
Critique President Trump all you want — as with all leaders, his critique is often deserved — but pinning the horrors and tragedies of a past administration on the current one is an unfair practice, especially if you were conveniently silent while those tragedies were occurring.
