Donald Trump's reference last Thursday to Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as "shitholes" should certainly come as no surprise given his long, openly racist record. The two positives to take from this are that first, it makes it crystal clear that racism is not an issue confined solely to the past in American society, and that second, it provides cause for the majority of decent Americans to once again reaffirm their commitment to strive to continue the struggle to effectuate the founding words of the nation, that "we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal." There was no better time for this to come to a head than on the eve of the annual Martin Luther King holiday.
Trump's documented record of racism is a long one. It dates all the way back to the 1970s when he was fined as a discriminatory landlord. It continued through his anti-Obama "birther" pronouncements. His 2016 presidential campaign statements against Mexicans and blacks were right up the same alley. Trump's Charlottesville comments last year opining that there were "many fine people" among the neo-Nazis and Klansmen there chanting anti-Semitic, anti-Latino and anti-black slogans earned him the full-throated endorsements of America's Nazi, Klan, and so-called "alt right" movements.
Condemnation from the Haitian government, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the African Union have made it clear how much international damage has been done by referring to entire races and continental populations as people devoid of human worth. Now that such blatant racism is out in the open and globally recognized, it is more important than ever that decent Americans, regardless of their overall political beliefs, publicly reject these sentiments in favor of the conviction that we are all God's children who deserve the dignity and love due fellow human creatures.
Showing posts with label Racism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Racism. Show all posts
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Charlottesville
I've been asked to comment on the recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Charlottesville shows the Confederate element in the South is still alive and kicking. It's the foundation of their conservatism and why they went Republican and have stayed that way.
Trump's statement saying there was over zealousness on both sides was despicable in putting those demonstrating for love and acceptance on a par with the violence and hate spewed by Nazis, Klansmen and Confederate flag-waving racists.
This is what he said: "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence, on many sides. On many sides. It's been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. This has been going on for a long, long time."
See reaction to Trump's statement here. Even Republicans like Orrin Hatch and Marco Rubio castigated him for not decrying the hatred and violence of these intrinsically malevolent hate groups. These groups paraded down the street carrying the flags of entities that killed over a million Americans in the Civil War and World War II based on the execrable principle of racial supremacy. They chanted anti-Semitic and racial slurs. Some wore Klan robes. Many wore red "Make America Great Again" hats and chanted Trump's name. Many gave the Nazi salute. They attacked peaceful counter demonstrators. They even killed one woman. There are not "sides" here. There is decency and there is evil.
The neo-Nazi Daily Stormer praised Trump's statement for not criticizing them at all. My view is that Trump's campaign emboldened these elements and brought them out into the open. Trump's statement is clear evidence he doesn't want to offend his base, and he knows exactly who they are.
Charlottesville shows the Confederate element in the South is still alive and kicking. It's the foundation of their conservatism and why they went Republican and have stayed that way.
Trump's statement saying there was over zealousness on both sides was despicable in putting those demonstrating for love and acceptance on a par with the violence and hate spewed by Nazis, Klansmen and Confederate flag-waving racists.
This is what he said: "We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence, on many sides. On many sides. It's been going on for a long time in our country. Not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. This has been going on for a long, long time."
See reaction to Trump's statement here. Even Republicans like Orrin Hatch and Marco Rubio castigated him for not decrying the hatred and violence of these intrinsically malevolent hate groups. These groups paraded down the street carrying the flags of entities that killed over a million Americans in the Civil War and World War II based on the execrable principle of racial supremacy. They chanted anti-Semitic and racial slurs. Some wore Klan robes. Many wore red "Make America Great Again" hats and chanted Trump's name. Many gave the Nazi salute. They attacked peaceful counter demonstrators. They even killed one woman. There are not "sides" here. There is decency and there is evil.
The neo-Nazi Daily Stormer praised Trump's statement for not criticizing them at all. My view is that Trump's campaign emboldened these elements and brought them out into the open. Trump's statement is clear evidence he doesn't want to offend his base, and he knows exactly who they are.
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