World Refugee Day 2013

Today is World Refugee Day. 
According to a new UNHCR report, the average number of forcibly displaced people is at an 18 year high and, as of the end of 2012, 45.2 million people are displaced.   "This includes 15.4 million refugees, 937,000 asylum seekers, and 28.8 million people forced to flee within the borders of their own countries." 
Please take a moment to appreciate the freedoms we typically take for granted: the freedom of speech, the right to vote for your chosen political representative without fear of retaliation, the ability to move freely, the right to practice your religion as you understand it, and the privilege to live without fear that you may be targeted and harmed solely because of an inherent trait (your gender, sexual preference, or ethnicity).