Much like his ill-fated character Jon Snow in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, writer George R.R. Martin believes in peace and unity. This is why he is strongly encouraging American leaders to let Syrian refugees in despite the objections made by several governors and other political figures, who expressed fears that a terror attack similar to the one that happened in Paris might repeat itself in their shores.
He used the poem entitled "The New Colossus" written by Emma Lazarus to make his point:
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
Martin said that her poem appears in bronze on the base of the Statue of Liberty, which is "a statue given to the United States by France, our nation's oldest friend and all."
He said that bit of history seems particularly important now, in light of the terrifying attacks made against Parisians recently.
"For me, Lady Liberty and the words on her base represent the best of what this nation of immigrants is all about," he wrote in his blog. "One has to wonder if all the governors (including our own governor here in New Mexico, I am ashamed to say) and congressmen voting to keep out the Syrian refugees have ever visited the Statue, or read the words on her base. If so, they surely failed to understand them."
He said that everybody already knows about the part "your tired, your poor, your huddled masses," so he would like to bring people's attention to something else entirely.
The name of the mighty woman with a torch is Mother of Exiles, and from her beacon hand "glows worldwide welcome" since she encourages people to "send these, the homeless, tempest-tempest-tost to me."
According to Martin, Lazarus had it right while "Donald Trump and thirty-one governors have it wrong, wrong, wrong" since she exhibits openness and equality.
He said that Americans and the rest of the world for that matter should not be prejudiced against the Syrian refugees simply because they "are as much victims of ISIS as the dead in France."
"Let them in. Santa Fe, at least, will welcome them," he added.
