So someone needs to take Facebook away from FitzSimmonds, at least as long as long as he's RPV treasurer. Nothing but "twaddle" comes from his ramblings. Witness the latest that is making the rounds because every time a Republican says something like this it will:
Right before my daughter Abbie was born we started looking for daycare options. Jess and I agreed that we would perfer a home daycare operation over something like KinderCare because we figured she'd get more attention. Jess went onto the Fairfax County website and found a few, and the first person she met we'll call "Sarah." Sarah is Muslim and from Pakistan. Her and her husband came to America about fifteen years ago to make a life for themselves and raise their family. They pooled their money and invested in a Town Car and a Suburban because he works as a professional driver. She got accredited to open a daycare in home. I don't think we ever dreamed of finding someone so incredible. She loves Abbie like her own daughter and makes us feel like we are part of her extended family. She went home to Pakistan several months back, her first visit in 11 years by the way, to see her sick mother. Thankfully her mother's health rallied and when she came back she brought us all presents, including a beautiful hand-made Pakistani-style dress for Abbie. She arguably is as important in Abbie's life as we are. We trust her unconditionally. Every time I go to pick her up, Abbie is playing with her youngest daughter.
What FitzSimmonds doesn't understand, and what makes his statement in the capacity as an RPV official so offensive, is that somehow Muslims will never be apart of the fabric of America. Bob, most Muslims don't want to strap a bomb onto themselves and blow shit up. Every Muslim-American that is a teacher, doctor, student, or any kind of professional here in the United States came here to share in what this country was supposed to be about. When I read what Bob wrote, it frankly made me sad. It made me sad that "Sarah" might read it, see one of my bumper stickers, and wonder if I feel that way about her. I think about the friends I've made here in the Fairfax YRs that is diverse a group as exists in the state GOP. It makes it hard for me to tell people I'm a Republican. We have people in the party like Rand Paul and Paul Ryan trying to solve issues of poverty and criminal justice; we have elected officials like Tim Scott, Susana Martinez, Mia Love, Marco Rubio, and Brian Sandoval attempting to show the country that you can be any color and be a Republican. Things like this just undoes so much of that work so fast because so many people really believe that Republicans are like FitzSimmonds, and all the work the officials cited above are doing is just for show.
"Sarah" is apart of the fabric of America. Hell, she is apart of the fabric of my family. My very white, half-Catholic, half-Jewish family. FitzSimmonds and his type are doing everything in their power to remove people from the party, people who's immigrant story testify to everything conservatives and Republicans claim America is. Hard work, guts, inudstry, the drive to make something of yourself thanks to the freedoms and opportunity in our country. But because of people like Bob FitzSimmonds, they will not be Republicans because they will think Republicans don't want them here.
"Sarah" and her family are as much American as me and mine.
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