(Cartoon image is by Jim Morin in The Miami Herald.)Donald Trump made it clear a few days ago that he is basing his presidential campaign on fear and hate by proposing a ban on all muslims entering this country. This isn't his first hate-filled proposal, but it may be his most egregious. He seems to be counting on the fear of Americans to propel him to the White House.
I don't think Americans want a country based on hate and discrimination (of any group) -- and the three Democratic candidates agree with that. They were quick to respond to Trump's hateful unconstitutional proposal, saying:
Hillary Clinton (on Late Night)
“I think for weeks, you know, you and everybody else were just bringing folks to hysterical laughter and all of that. But now he has gone way over the line. And what he’s saying now is not only shameful and wrong – it’s dangerous.” “This latest demand that we not let Muslims into the country really plays right into the hands of the terrorists.” “I don’t say that lightly, but it does. He is giving them a great propaganda tool, a way to recruit more folks from Europe and the United States. And because it’s kind of crossed that line, I think everybody and especially other Republicans need to stand up and say ‘Enough, you’ve gone too far. That’s not who we are. That’s not the kind of country that we believe we are, and we’re just not going to tolerate it.'”
Bernie Sanders (on the Tonight Show)
"What somebody like a Trump is trying to do is to divide us up -- a few months ago, we're supposed to hate Mexicans. Now we're supposed to hate Muslims. That kind of crap is not going to work in the United States of America."
Martin O'Malley (on MSNBC)
“I think this is the sort of fascist demagoguery every responsible citizen in the United States has the responsibility to speak out against. This sort of language and the context of a presidential campaign, of all things, plays right into the hands of ISIL. This is exactly the sort of behavior from unscrupulous politicians that is bad for our country’s security. It’s bad for the fabric of America and it does damage to the very values that we need to hold tight in order to confront this threat. I just find this language absolutely appalling. Who is he going to start with? Is he going to start with Muslim Americans in our armed forces? They can’t come home? Who is he talking about? Is he talking about Engineers that do business abroad? It’s just outrageous behavior. It is the sort of demagoguery that oftentimes precedes fascism. All of us have a responsibility to speak out against it.”
Let me leave you with one more quote -- this one from one of America's greatest sports personalities. Muhammed Ali said:
”I am a Muslim and there is nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino, or anywhere else in the world. True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so called Islamic Jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion. We as Muslims have to stand up to those who use Islam to advance their own personal agenda. They have alienated many from learning about Islam. True Muslims know or should know that it goes against our religion to try and force Islam on anybody. Speaking as someone who has never been accused of political correctness, I believe that our political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people's views on what Islam really is.”
