From the New York Times, November 17, 2016
1942 All Over Again
'This is how it starts.'
That's a hell of a bit of rhetoric, and dead on correct. It goes on. Not on my watch without a fight. Never again.
'This is how it starts. 'On Wednesday evening, Carl Higbie, a prominent surrogate of President-elect Donald Trump, appeared on Megyn Kelly’s Fox News program to defend the idea of a national registry of all Muslims — an idea Mr. Trump floated repeatedly during his campaign, along with calls for an outright ban on Muslims entering the country, which legal experts said would be clearly unconstitutional.
'To defend the registry’s legality, Mr. Higbie pointed to the imprisonment of more than 110,000 Americans of Japanese descent following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. When Ms. Kelly expressed shock that anyone would approvingly cite one of the darkest periods in American history, Mr. Higbie backtracked. “I’m just saying there’s a precedent for it,” he said.
“I’m just saying” — that sneaky, timeworn disclaimer allowing people to say what they really believe without taking responsibility for it...' -- Michael K.
It CAN happen here, and it is happening here.
Japanese-American members of my extended family in California suffered through that shameful time in America's history. It appears that the incoming president and his administration are considering a registry for Muslims: Americans whose faith is Islam? Muslim immigrants? Muslims coming to the U.S. from hostile countries? Who knows? With our incoming proto-fascist regime, it seems anything is possible.
Do you have Muslim friends? Muslim members of your family? Be sure and remind them of the words from our national anthem "land of the free, home of the brave," then walk away shaking your head. A country of liberty and justice for ALL does not register people of certain religions. We already have a model for that.
This isn't an exaggeration. I've read on many right wing blogs the hatred and fear they hold for all Muslims, referring to all Muslims as "vermin," and "enemies of state," who need to be deported and denied their birthright of citizenship in order to protect America. Now these proto-fascists will have someone at the head of their government who is sympathetic to their pant-wetting fears and willing to consider the same sort of legislation that pre-war Germany adopted.
And the Short-Fingered Vulgarian hasn't even taken the Oath of Office yet.
17 comments:
It's worth noting explicitly, first, that Trump will take office as a minority president. And, second, that Congress, too, is a minority Congress. Democrats aggregate polled more than Republicans in both House and Senate. Only gerrymandered districts and Senate empowerment of states with lower populations keep them in power.
Oh, yeah, and voter suppression.
Call them, relentlessly, what they are: A minority president, and a minority Congress. Say it a often as Trump called Clinton 'Crooked Hillary'.
They take every opportunity to delegitimize Democrats. Seems to me that turnabout is fair play, especially when it's based on indisputable fact. When they claim to speak for the American people, they should be laughed it. And called fools, liars or both.
A twitter friend wrote:
Any Christian who isn't immediately outraged by the idea of a Muslim registry never gets to utter the words "religious freedom" again.
In a note related to 1942, here's a comment from one of the extreme/alt right clearly non PC loving blogs...
"Ok, I read the article concerning President-elect Trump and the Jap PM. Quite frankly, that world-wide stuff is over my head. "
Internment camps, registries, mass deportations, derogatory terms for ethnicity, a roll back of rights for people & with an AG nominee voted not qualified to be a judge for his racist tendencies, an attack on voting rights... yep, the Trump Admin... Making America Great Again. For the soon to be white minority.
Apparently, Jeff Sessions has been offered the AG position. Haven't heard if he's accepted.
That should pretty much demonstrate Trump's commitment to racial justice and voting rights.
Indeed, that's how it begins.
Terrible time ahead for race relations.
What? No loyalty oaths?
Thanks for the approval rating on Trump. I looked for it a few days ago and couldn't find it.
Kevin: "What? No loyalty oaths?"
I did hear trump wants non-disclosure agreements for everyone who works on his staff or the West Wing. Just as bad.
Next, he's on his way to victory rallies in all the states that supported him.
I wonder if there are any states with a city named Nuremberg.
Ducky: "Terrible time ahead for race relations."
If Sessions accepts, the U.S. will have as its chief law enforcement officer a man deemed too racist to hold a position as a federal judge, and as POTUS a man who was prosecuted by the DoJ for race discrimination in his apartment complexes.
The tyranny of the minority in full blossom.
Dave: "Internment camps, registries, mass deportations, derogatory terms for ethnicity, a roll back of rights for people & with an AG nominee voted not qualified to be a judge for his racist tendencies, an attack on voting rights... yep, the Trump Admin... Making America Great Again. For the soon to be white minority."
There are more of us than them. We already have heard from the very powerful and influential head of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt.
We will never let this menace about to enter the White House that he is a minority president and that more people voted against him than voted for him. His rotten approval rating represents the fact that millions of Americans know this.
"Fearful working-class Whites" voted for Trump…
Knowing he vowed to cut taxes for the rich.
"Fearful working-class Whites" voted for Trump…
Knowing he built and staffed his hotels with immigrants.
"Fearful working-class Whites" voted for Trump…
Knowing he imported cheap Chinese steel for his construction projects.
"Fearful working-class Whites" voted for Trump…
Knowing he outsourced his name-brand products to foreign labor.
"Fearful working-class Whites" voted for Trump…
Knowing he promised to kill healthcare for 11 million Americans.
"Fearful working-class Whites" voted for Trump…
Knowing he didn't pay income tax for 20 years.
"Fearful working-class Whites" voted for Trump…
Knowing his "University" stole millions from people desperate to improve their economic prospects.
Seeing the pattern yet?
Let's just cut the crap, and drop that whole "working-class" qualifier from "Whites".
Trump voters were fearful alright, just not about anything "working-class".
Shaw, Ducky, et al...
You give a guy the benefit of the doubt on election night. Then you wait and see his nominations and his leadership team. We were promised the best team ever, with many new faces.
So far what i am seeing is a lot of familiar people with ideas that seem out of step with a multiethnic pluralistic society. One commentator wrote... "You elect a white nationalist president, you get a white nationalist government."
When a president's choices for his cabinet and advisors delight white supremacists and the KKK, you know we've sunk into the cesspool.
Trump is popular with a minority of Americans. Our only bright hope is in knowing that our allies and a majority of Americans see a trump for what he is. He promised to surround himself with the best and has chosen the worst.
We can lament tRump's election and his appointments all we want, however, it is what it is. We're screwed until those who supported and voted for him realize they've been had as well. If they do by 2018 the nation may stand a chance of retaining her soul and identity. If not, too horrid to think about.
The America a majority of Americans want to preserve does appear to be slowly slipping away. I'm reminded of the greatest generation and the values they stood, fought, and died for. Is America looking site of those values? With the election of tRump and the apathy many show towards those he is surrounding himself with one can only believe she is.
RN: "We can lament tRump's election and his appointments all we want, however, it is what it is."
Yes, trump is the president-elect, but that doesn't mean we who opposed this unqualified man have to be complacent and accept all of his appointments without a push-back. It's up to people like Senator Elizabeth Warren and us to point out to Americans that Trump is change for the worse in America (See Sessions, Jeff, Bannon, Steve, et.al.).
Andy Borowitz (not too far off of reality):
Nation Baffled By Trump's Failure to Name Charles Manson to Cabinet-level Post
Also, let's not forget the KKK admirer, Jeff Sessions said this:
GOP Senator Says Grabbing A Woman’s Genitals Is Not Sexual Assault
“I think that’s a stretch,” Jeff Sessions said.
America's Sexual Predator-in-Chief will have as his chief law enforcement officer a jerk who thinks it's okay to grab a woman, against her will, by her genitals, that calling that "sexual assault" is a "stretch." I hope the first ones Sessions tries that out on are Melania and Ivanka, just to see how they welcome it.
A man who could not be confirmed as a federal judge is now selected to be Attorney General?!? That is just Trump-crazy!
"this is how it starts..."
And THIS is when it will be over.
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