Everyone knew the Republican hysteria over President Obama (and others) not using the exact words “Radical Islamic Terrorists” was the stepping stone to condemning all Muslims. They needed those words to be said in order to morph Radical Islamic Terrorist into Muslim. Donald Trump just sped up the morphing process.
Via TPM:
GOP frontrunner Donald Trump released a statement Monday calling for “a total and complete shutdown” of Muslims immigrating into the United States in light of recent terrorist attacks.
“Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine,” Trump said in the statement. “Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life. If I win the election for President, we are going to Make America Great Again.”
Trump spokesman Corey Lewandowski confirmed to the AP the proposal would apply to Muslims who are tourists as well as those seeking immigration visas. Another campaign spokeswoman told The Hill the ban would also apply to Muslim-Americans traveling abroad.
And with that… my bet is Trump wins the GOP nomination.
You know, for a group that goes on and on about the Constitution they sure haven’t read it.
I’d chalk this up to fear, and that is part of it, but most of this racism and bigotry is due to hate. Donald Trump has tapped into this fear and hate and every vile, racist, bigoted thing he spews forth (to cheers and increased polling numbers) brings him one step closer to winning the nomination. He knows his base.
There’s been a lot of discussion on DL, and elsewhere, about Islam and terrorism. I haven’t waded into that discussion too much. Something keeps holding me back. First, I don’t think there can actually be an honest discussion when we lump all Muslims (or blacks, gays, Hispanics, Jews, etc.) together. To me that’s lazy and extremely unfair. Second, we do not apply this standard to Christians. If religion (or race) is a reason for San Bernardino then it is a reason for Planned Parenthood shootings and black church shootings and school shootings. If the religion of the shooter matters then it has to matter across the board. And that’s why I hesitate in these discussions. Christian terrorists get a pass on their religion because most people in this country are Christian, or know Christians. It’s familiarity with Christianity that allows us to distance ourselves from that sort of terrorism. It’s why every single time a white guy shoots up the place we say, “We can’t believe that happened here!” even though it always happens here. Cities have their gang violence, but suburbia is the domain of mass shootings. Perhaps we should be discussing that? No? Why not?
And that’s really my point. We are quite selective in discussing these events. White suburban/rural males and access to guns is not open to discussion – that’s a mental health issue. Imagine if most mass shooters were Asian women. How do you think that conversation would go? Would it be mental illness? A lone wolf? LOL, of course not. We’d be drowning in discussions about Asian culture and tiger moms.
Hmm… I sorta went off track. Sorry. Back to The Donald and his latest toss of red meat to his ravenous supporters. No more Muslim immigrants or tourists. And if you’re a Muslim American who has left the country (for vacation? for business?) then you don’t get back in. My husband travels abroad for work. A lot. What if he were Muslim? He has Muslim co-workers, what of them? I have Muslim friends who vacation in Cancun, what about them? If you’re an American Muslim are you under country arrest?
But… we can’t have people on the No Fly list unable to buy guns? WTF???? And it’s not that I have faith in the No Fly list, it’s that if we are as afraid as we claim to be, then banning people on the No Fly list from purchasing guns is a no-brainer.
Muslim registries for American citizens, monitoring Mosques, limiting travel (and probably gun purchases by Muslim Americans because we all know the 2nd Amendment really only applies to white people) stuns me. These things are exactly what Republicans have been screeching about when it comes to themselves and their guns and their “War on Christmas” and Christians. And yet, here they are, turning their faux nightmare into somebody else’s reality. And I think that’s the reason they are so afraid of any sort of gun control and the phrase Happy Holidays. They’re afraid because it’s on their to-do list for others. It’s why they can see it happening.
This fear and hatred oozing from the Republican base is what’s dangerous. Seriously, if we can’t manage more than a shrug for white male Christians shooting up the place then I’m not comfortable with us losing our minds over Muslims – and please notice how Donald Trump has pulled back the curtain and showed the world that the concern isn’t about Radical Islamic Terrorists. It never was, and that’s probably the reason I avoided certain discussions. I heard the dog whistle, loud and clear.
My Muslim friends are afraid and I don’t blame them. Donald Trump, the GOP front runner, has put a target on their backs.
I’ll leave you with this comment posted by Rick on Frank Knotts’ post at Delaware Right:
And we’re supposed to reley on our government to “vet” the refugees. The San Bernardino killer made multiple trips to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. That should at least cause a blip on the Homeland Security radar. Did it? No.
There was a time when the United States was pretty much immune from Islamofacism. In these times of international travel and mass communication, that is no longer the case. They are coming for us, and more are coming- many are already here. Eventually, we will be seeing events like this weekly. Islam, in accordance with the Koran, is at war with the infidels of the West.
Muslims are not moving to Europe for economic opportunity. They are using the power of demographics to conquer Europe. The head of the Muslim Brotherhood said as much. That is the plan. And, barring an epiphany within the European population if not their governments, the plan will succeed. Europe will join the Caliphate.
Islam is dedicated to the Koran’s call for conquest. And they will never, ever stop. The West had better recognize that fact. “Liberals” and other deniers had better understand that all of their pet causes- abortion, gay rights, women’s rights, artistic freedom and so on- are not recognized by Islamic states. As a matter of fact, engaging in the aforementioned is punishable by death.
The Christian church was reformed centuries ago. There are no more Crusades, no more conversions at the point of a sword. Conversely, Islam has not changed one iota. Submit or perish.
Oh, the irony. Like the GOP “recognizes” abortion, gay rights, women’s rights, and artistic freedom as rights. Is he for real? Banning these things is the Republican agenda. They’ve been very clear on this. Did he type this with a straight face? Funny how the GOP’s to-do list once again has more in common with the tactics of those they claim are a threat. If Islam is a threat due to their views on abortion, gay rights, women’s rights, and artistic freedom then so are Conservatives. They really do agree on a lot. If they were on a dating website they’d be matched up for having so much in common.
I want my country back.