Trump the Racist

Not a bad subject for my return to the blog.  In the last couple of weeks the rhetoric against President Trump has been over the top.  I won't go into the sordid details because if you're reading you likely know the story.  But here's the Reader's Digest version.

He took on the four radical, socialist, far-left freshman Congresswomen by telling them to go back to where they came from.  And the world exploded.  Only one of them, Omar is from someplace else (Somalia) but they were all immediately lumped into a group that Trump hated because they were women of color.  Of course, you could interpret his remarks to mean maybe they ought to go back to their districts, figure out where it needs help and work on that instead of continually grabbing the national spotlight as a Trump hater.  And I can't emphasize their hatred of Trump enough.

Second he took on Rep Elijah Cummings from Baltimore after Cummings bullied Trumps Director of the CBP in a hearing.  He told the world the truth that parts of Baltimore, including Cumming's district is a shithole.  And the world exploded.  But the truth is that the city has been given billions of dollars and it's disappeared.  The truth is that the leadership of Baltimore has been Democrat, incompetent, and corrupt.  Oh yeah...they all happen to be black.  But I don't think Trump gives a shit about that.  The simple truth is that he is a streetfighter and doesn't hesitate to call it as he sees it.

But the media and the Democrats have adopted the narrative that Trump is a racist and it's becoming clear that they will use that mantra all the way to the election.  Funny that for 2 years the narrative was that Trump was a Russian agent and doing the bidding of Putin.  But that has waned as the Mueller report fizzled.  So they had to find something else.  Hence...racist.  And all the useful idiots run gleefully into the fray exclaiming their disgust and wringing their hands at what he is "doing to the country".

And so that brings me to a diatribe by the leaders of the National Cathedral in Washington DC.  I pay attention to this stuff because I'm an Episcopalian and this is my church.  But the sad thing is that I've tuned most of them out when it comes to cultural or political or ethical subjects.  Here it is:

Have We No Decency? A Response to President Trump

July 30, 2019

The escalation of racialized rhetoric from the President of the United States has evoked responses from all sides of the political spectrum. On one side, African American leaders have led the way in rightfully expressing outrage. On the other, those aligned with the President seek to downplay the racial overtones of his attacks, or remain silent.

As faith leaders who serve at Washington National Cathedral ¬– the sacred space where America gathers at moments of national significance – we feel compelled to ask: After two years of President Trump’s words and actions, when will Americans have enough?

As Americans, we have had such moments before, and as a people we have acted. Events of the last week call to mind a similarly dark period in our history:

“Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. … You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?”

That was U.S. Army attorney Joseph Welch on June 9, 1954, when he confronted Senator Joseph McCarthy before a live television audience, effectively ending McCarthy’s notorious hold on the nation. Until then, under the guise of ridding the country of Communist infiltration, McCarthy had free rein to say and do whatever he wished. With unbridled speech, he stoked the fears of an anxious nation with lies; destroyed the careers of countless Americans; and bullied into submissive silence anyone who dared criticize him.

In retrospect, it’s clear that Welch’s question was directed less toward McCarthy and more to the nation as a whole. Had Americans had enough? Where was our sense of decency?

We have come to accept a level of insult and abuse in political discourse that violates each person’s sacred identity as a child of God. We have come to accept as normal a steady stream of language and accusations coming from the highest office in the land that plays to racist elements in society.

This week, President Trump crossed another threshold. Not only did he insult a leader in the fight for racial justice and equality for all persons; not only did he savage the nations from which immigrants to this country have come; but now he has condemned the residents of an entire American city. Where will he go from here?

Make no mistake about it, words matter. And, Mr. Trump’s words are dangerous.

These words are more than a “dog-whistle.” When such violent dehumanizing words come from the President of the United States, they are a clarion call, and give cover, to white supremacists who consider people of color a sub-human “infestation” in America. They serve as a call to action from those people to keep America great by ridding it of such infestation. Violent words lead to violent actions.

When does silence become complicity? What will it take for us all to say, with one voice, that we have had enough? The question is less about the president’s sense of decency, but of ours.

As leaders of faith who believe in the sacredness of every single human being, the time for silence is over. We must boldly stand witness against the bigotry, hatred, intolerance, and xenophobia that is hurled at us, especially when it comes from the highest offices of this nation. We must say that this will not be tolerated. To stay silent in the face of such rhetoric is for us to tacitly condone the violence of these words. We are compelled to take every opportunity to oppose the indecency and dehumanization that is racism, whether it comes to us through words or actions.

There is another moment in our history worth recalling. On January 21, 2017, Washington National Cathedral hosted an interfaith national prayer service, a sacred tradition to honor the peaceful transfer of political power. We prayed for the President and his young Administration to have “wisdom and grace in the exercise of their duties that they may serve all people of this nation, and promote the dignity and freedom of every person.”

That remains our prayer today for us all.

The Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington

The Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, Dean of Washington National Cathedral

The Rev. Canon Kelly Brown Douglas, Canon Theologian of Washington National Cathedral

As I said, I in no way associate myself with this propaganda.  But I was sent another viewpoint today by a friend who believes as I do.  What's interesting is that there are a lot of us.  More than our clergy believes.  I think this guy nails it and speaks for many:

"As a life long Episcopalian educated in some of the nation’s finest Christian schools I am so sorry to see that the Cathedral is willfully blind to reality. President Trump is being forced to fight a particularly ugly battle to protect the citizens and borders of this country, to stop the horrific human trafficking and abuse of migrants and to actually enforce the immigration laws that were passed 30 years ago but have been largely ignored because of the economic benefits of cheap labor of poor people who can’t complain. How sad that a President who boldly points out the colossal failures of socialism and our own growing welfare state and the blatant failures and corruption of cities that happen to be run by democrat and black political machines suddenly makes him a racist in your eyes instead of a truth teller. Christ’s most vulnerable are being exploited and then abandoned by corrupt politicians and Donald Trump actually points it out- loudly and unapologetically. YOU should feel shame for cloaking your bigoted low expectations for minorities and overt political deceit in the moral language of the church. I will not take moral lectures from people who embrace policies and people who everyday bring us closer to a cultural and economic collapse and who attack those who tell the truth."

I think the last sentence nails it.  Spare me the moral lectures.

I posted this about an hour ago and started thinking about it and realized I left out a major issue I wanted to address.  Really a fundamental issue.  And that is the unprecedented hatred of our President.  You can't turn on the TV or log into social media or have a political discussion with almost anyone that it doesn't come through.  I guess some of the blame could be layed at Trump's feet because he is a streetfighter.  He gets hit, he hits back.  Simple as that.  It's also because he won an election that was supposed to be a coronation of the Queen.  Of course, the Queen was a criminal and should be in jail, but nothing to see here...move along.  But the weird thing is that the Democrats and the opposition just can't figure him out.  It's strange.  He is an open book. He calls them as he sees them.  He's not a politician.  And all the other platitudes.  But the only explanation is that they can't figure him out and when he does something they think outrageous, their heads explode.  The other thing that is more serious is the complete abdication of journalistic responsibility by the press.  I'm a big First Amendment guy.  I strongly believe in freedom of the press.  But the press should be free and skeptical.  It should not be prejudicial.  And all we see is a prejudiced and slanted press.  The latest evidence is the language used by them to describe Trump's tweets and language about the latest controversy described above.  They blatantly call them racist when there is no evidence of that.  They blithely think we'll all believe them just because they say so.  Many people see nothing racist in President Trump and in fact see him as doing an enormous amount for the minority communities.  Witness prison reform.  Witness opportunity zones.  Witness roll back of criminal charges.  Witness his rhetoric when meeting with minorities and their response.  The reality that is in front of everyone's eyes and the rhetoric from the press doesn't add up.  And they as a profession ought to be ashamed.

The Imperative to Return

It's been a month and I admit it.  I've missed it.  I've missed commenting, ranting, providing some fun, being a bit outrageous, and just generally venting on this blog.

One reason I'm returning is that I've realized it's a great place to voice my thoughts and comments and not inflict them on people in general.  While I was not blogging, I had a tendency to provide comments on Facebook that...ahem...weren't necessarily appreciated by all.  My Son helped me see that.  And that's being kind.  I think it was something like, "stop posting on Facebook and get back on your blog"!  Okay...I get it.  Not everyone agrees with me (in fact most probably don't) and not everyone cares what I have to say (in fact most probably don't).  And over on Facebook, if someone gets upset by something you post they'll either engage in a Facebook war, which I'm really not interested in or hide/unfriend me, which makes me sad.  So I'm back.

The good news is that I've collected a few things over the last month for posting.  Some are funny.  Some are poignant.  Some are maddening.  All are typical of what I've posted over the last 5 years.  BTW, I've taken a few minutes to update the look.  Hope you like it!

In that vein, here's a recent Dilbert (one of my favorites) that sort of hits the nail on the head for a lot of folks.  Not me...but a lot of folks.  But I try really hard not to be this guy.

But I am still the guy that appreciates a pretty girl.  I've posted a few photos like this previously.  I usually get in trouble when I do...but oh well.  This seems like a fitting way to mark my return!

Timeout

I've been doing this Blog since October 7, 2012.  Hard to believe.  That's a lot of water under the bridge.  3085 published posts to be exact.  Some funny, some stupid, eloquent (if I do say so myself), some just for fun.  But increasingly mean and bitter.  Not too mean, but meaner than I like to be.  I guess it's a reflection of the times.  I've left Twitter because of the meanness.  It's a cesspool.  And it's not what I want to be reflected here.

So I'll take a break and regroup.  May come back.  May not.  May post occasionally when I'm inspired.  But taking a break from the day to day, week to week posting.  Need to recharge.  See you on the other side....maybe.

Solving the Immigration Crises

I've written on this subject many times.  Partly it is because of where I live in San Diego and the reality that immigration is an issue that we confront every day.  Part of it is that it's an issue that is pervasive in the news today.  Literally any station that you tune in is likely to have a story on the crises at the border.  Or as some have said, the manufactured crises.  Add in the hatred of President Trump by many members of the media, and you get over-the-top histrionics about abuses, atrocities, law-breaking, and mistreatment by our Customs and Border Patrol, ICE, and any other governmental agency that is trying their best to handle what has become an incredibly bad and increasingly out of control problem.

It is very, very difficult to get to ground truth when it comes to illegal immigration.  Just the term "illegal" is controversial for the crowd that believes in open borders and that our obligation as America is to be a refuge for people oppressed from other countries regardless of the circumstances.   For me, illegal is illegal and it's difficult for me to use any other word.  But I'm getting off topic.  As was the case with his essay on American Exceptionalism last week, a good friend and former Priest has written a superb essay on immigration that I'm going to copy in its entirely below.  I might also inform you that he is a lawyer and is currently retired from the Priesthood after a wonderful career and is now practicing immigration law in Arizona.  So with those bonafides, he knows what he is talking about.  It is really one of the best, most complete and most logically written discussions of immigration that I've read in a long time.

Like many, I'm disgusted with our political leaders (on both sides) who cannot come together and solve this problem.  It seems to a laymen like me that they should be able to get it done.  If the whole issue of irrational hatred of the President weren't present, I like to believe that there would be some movement to solution.  Maybe that's naive as it hasn't been done previously, but the problem hasn't really reached crises levels of today previously.  

I'm also dismayed and frustrated that so many Christian (especially the Episcopal church) leaders seem to be myopic on this subject and I am heartened to see a Christian leader like my friend and former Priest step up to writing a thoughtful and logical essay that not only is honest but offers solutions.  Because I'm not seeing much honesty or ideas from Christian leaders.  It's as if they have no concept of living in a country with the rule of law.  Now I get that the plight of the individual and the tragic scenes that are played out on our border can be heart rending.  But at the same time we have a country of laws and a system in place, flawed as it is.  Too many Christian leaders have very little tolerance for those of us who are suspicious of the hundreds of thousands of individuals who make their way from Central America with nothing and claim asylum.  It's a clear abuse of the system but they get away with it and has very little to do with a true claim for asylum.  It seems that their first reaction is to blame the government for enforcing (or trying to enforce) laws in existence and preach to us about welcoming law-breakers and oportunists.   There is also the issue of human trafficking and drug running that they seem to turn a blind eye to.  I don't know why that is but it's disheartening.  We are the most generous and magnaminous country on earth when it comes to immigration, but to hear some of these Christian leaders you wouldn't know it.  Their lack of leadership and honesty is somewhat breathtaking and has resulted in my largely ignoring or dismissing anything they say on this subject.  

There are a lot of issues when it comes to immigration, but the one that grates on me the most is providing to non-U.S. citizens bigger and better benefits to ILLEGAL immigrants than to U.S. citizens.  We've all heard the rediculous idea that illegal immigrants should get health care that all of the Democrat presidential candidates have signed up to.  And I think that may have doomed them!  The job of our government (for, of and by the people) is to protect our citizens and provide for the general welfare.  Look at the dichotomy of the two photos below.  One is of clean and safe shelters for illegal immigrants and one is of our citizens, many of whom are Veterans, on the street.  We have an enormous homeless problem that cities and states across the nation are ignoring.  And yet the Federal government does backflips to ensure illegal immigrants crossing the border are housed appropriately. Now don't get me wrong.  Providing for these people at the border given our current laws, is necessary but for goodness sake how do some of our city and state officials look at themselves in the mirror as they ignore our homeless problem.  In some cities certain areas are dangerous and unlivable.  Is that providing for the general welfare?  

So here is his essay.  As I've said, I believe it is honest, logical, forthright, and provides both lessons and recommendations.  

Seven Lessons on the Current Immigration Crisis

The current immigration crisis on our southern border is a complex, difficult issue – and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Immigration itself is one of the most complex areas of law; only tax law is more complicated. So, there are no perfect answers to the current crisis. With that said, here are my seven “take-aways” on what is happening at our southern border. I write as an immigration lawyer who has experienced the crisis at the border, helped as many migrants as I could, and is well aware of their suffering and heartbreak, but am also conscious of the limits on the present system to accommodate everyone seeking entrance to our country.

First, the immigration crisis at the southern border is not new. Under President Obama there also was a massive influx of migrants from Central America, including thousands of unaccompanied children. The facilities for these children became so overcrowded that temporary shelters had to be erected, including putting children in “cages” or modular cells, having them sleep on the floor and providing for their physical needs in a bare minimal way. As I say, this was under President Obama. Sadly, the same scenario now exists under President Trump, which is why the recent border aid bill passed by Congress is so needed. Quite simply, the system is overwhelmed by the numbers of asylum seekers coming to our country, and especially children. It was not designed to handle so many people so quickly. Thus, we have the congestion, overcrowding and a seemingly endless backlog of cases.

Second, the children in detention are not all being separated from their parents. Many are in this country alone or have come with strangers hired by their parents to bring them to America. The government cannot just release them into the general population, as we do with adult asylum seekers. Relatives or social service agencies need to take responsibility for them. It would be wrong to release these children into the care of strangers, or those who cannot prove they are their relatives or parents. Human trafficking is a serious problem in immigration. These children could easily be forced into sex or work slavery without any oversight from social service agencies. The government has a responsibility to ensure that these children are not exploited or used for illegal purposes. Thus, the children need to remain in custody until their safety and security can be assured.

Third, the political pandering and party politics on the current crisis in disheartening. I go back to the aid bill recently passed by Congress. There is no debate that conditions for the children in custody is deplorable. And yet, the progressive caucus in the House voted against the bill, even though it passed in the Senate by a vote of 88 to 8. How could any House members have such a callous indifference to human suffering as to vote against a bill that is desperately needed to help the children in custody? Sadly, they put politics above people. They voted against the bill to further a political agenda against the President and immigration authorities. Thankfully, their efforts failed, and enough House Democrats and Republicans were able to pass the bill.  Along the same lines, I was dismayed by the Democratic presidential candidates at their debate last week. They all raised their hands that Americans should pay for the medical care of undocumented immigrants. But not even in Canada, which has a government-run medical system, does that happen. Every Canadian province has a waiting period before someone new to the province can get free medical care, and you must be a legal resident to get it. While it may make sense to provide medical services to everyone in the country, regardless of status, the question of how to pay for it is a serious one.  In the same debate, the Democratic candidates all agreed that an illegal crossing into the United States should be a civil and not a criminal offense. In other words, a person can enter the United States by bypassing a border crossing without any serious consequence. And yet, that practice is not true for American citizens. It is a criminal offense for an American to cross into the United States from either Canada or Mexico without going through a border crossing and being approved by a border agent. The penalty for illegal entry is a hefty fine, confiscation of one’s car and possibly jail time. If that is the case for Americans crossing illegally into the United States, why should that be any less so for non-Americans?  One last point: We all saw the horrific picture of a father and daughter lying face down in the Rio Grande River, their lifeless bodies clinging to one another. The picture was enough to bring tears to our eyes. I can’t begin to imagine their desperation to embark on such a dangerous journey and to attempt to cross a river where many others before them have drowned. But I need to ask a question – and I am not being heartless in asking it: If that father and daughter had waited their turn and entered through a border crossing, would they both be alive today? Yes, there is a long wait at the Mexican border, but at least there is relative safety. The fact is: It is not only illegal to try to enter the United States by other than a border crossing, it also is dangerous, with migrants dying either in the desert or drowning in a river.

Fourth, the United States can accept many more immigrants into this country – not just for compassion’s sake but for our own sake and the economic prosperity of our nation. America now accepts about 1 million immigrants a year, but I think the country could accept at least 3 million a year – there are many jobs in this country that go unfilled, and not just high-end jobs but basic laboring jobs that employers find difficulty filling. We need more workers in this country, and we will need more in the coming years as Americans are having fewer children. Quite simply, a broad-based immigration workforce is essential to our economy.  One possibility is for Congress and the President to authorize 3-year work visas for people who seek to come to our country for economic reasons. I think America could take several million of these people, vet them for any criminal activity, and ensure they have their medical vaccinations and are in good health. After 3 years in the country, they could apply to renew their visa, and then renew it again after another 3 years. After nine years of being in the country without any criminal activity, they could apply for legal permanent residence, and then citizenship.

Fifth, we need to legalize the eleven million undocumented residents now in this country and give the DACA recipients a path toward citizenship. This makes eminent sense – to allow those undocumented persons already in this country to remain here so long as they have no criminal record, are in the workforce and paying taxes. We are not going to kick out of the country eleven million people, nor should we. They can pay a fine, learn English, wait their turn to become legal permanent residents, and over time apply for citizenship. Similarly, recipients of DACA should not have to fear deportation. They are here in this country working or being educated in our schools and universities – they are in every way Americans except for their status. It’s time to put them on a path to citizenship.

Sixth, the present immigration system is broken and needs to be entirely re-created.

Seventh, don’t blame Donald Trump for this crisis. I can understand why people dislike Donald Trump. He says things that are bombastic, vulgar, offensive and just plain wrong. His actions have exacerbated the immigration crisis, but he did not cause it. As I indicated at the beginning of this reflection, it was under President Obama that we started caging children who were coming to this country in massive numbers. And as much as we hear reports of ICE raids and people being arrested and deported from the country, we need to keep in mind that under President Obama 3 million people were deported – more than under Presidents Bush and Clinton combined.

The only way for immigration to be addressed properly is for the President and Congress to come together and work on a bi-partisan bill that will: 1) provide border security both structural and electronic, 2) legalize the undocumented immigrants already in this country, 3) provide a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, 4) revamp the immigration laws to allow more visas for economic immigrants, 5) require asylum seekers to apply in their own country rather than at the U.S. border, and 6

The Rev. Dr. Gary Nicolosi July 1, 2019

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