The politics of hate are getting worse. We are beginning to see hate invoked, especially by Republican candidates, grow by leaps and bounds. The bad part of this is that too many Democrats are quietly allowing it to happen, even abetting it. Those Democrats who voted for the House Refugee Bill have quietly abetted the hate towards Muslims.
But, the crown goes to Trump and Carson. It extends to the rest of the Republican field by their almost complete silence on the matters. As I watch what is happening, I sometimes wonder if this is the year 2015 or 1931. I wonder that because some of the same tactics used by followers of Hitler are now being used by so-called conservatives today.
Last week, a black man showed up at a rally for Donald Trump in Birmingham, Al. He shouted “black lives matter” and then removed his sweatshirt to reveal a T-Shirt saying the same things. Apparently things got a little heated and Trump yelled “get him out of here.” The man fell to the ground and was seen being beaten and kicked by several white attendees. Yesterday, Trump said “the man probably should have been roughed up because he was obnoxious.”
This is at least the second time Trump refused to condemn an attack by his supporters on someone. He refused to denounce supporters earlier when they beat up a homeless man in New York. Then, yesterday Trump doubled down on his hatred towards African-Americans and played to the racism of his followers. I guess he needed to justify the earlier attack.
He tweeted a bogus set of statistics that claimed that African-Americans are responsible for 82% of white people’s murders. The list contains other bogus statistics as well. He cites the Crime Statistics Bureau of San Francisco for the numbers. Problem. The Crime Statistics Bureau of San Francisco does not even exist! Yet he claims that these statistics are for 2015, which isn’t even over yet.
On the other hand, the FBI who really keeps tabs on these statistics, says that in 2014, about 82% of white people murdered were murdered by other white people. While Trump claims that 97% of black murders were committed by other blacks, the FBI says about 90% were killed by other blacks and about 7% were committed by whites.
These numbers reflect the real murder rates. It is commonly known that murders mostly occur between people of the same race, because people are usually murdered by someone they already know. So, blacks usually kill other blacks, and whites usually kill other whites.
There is only one reason to send out this tweet. Feed the racism that is beginning to run rampant on the “conservative” side of politics. There can be no other reason to submit such false statistics as fact. To put it pure and simple, Trump is race-baiting his followers who really don’t need a reason.
Also yesterday, Trump said he “saw thousands” of Arab people cheering in Jersey City on 9/11. This is a vile rumor that has been on the internet for years. Trump claims he “saw it on TV.” Problem is no one else can verify that information. Mostly because it never happened.
He isn’t alone in this problem either. Both he and Ben Carson believe that Muslims should be required to “register in a database” and that they should be required to carry “special ID cards.” To be fair, most of the rest of the Republicans did dispute the database idea, but remained silent on the special ID card theory. That is except for Cruz who doesn’t seem to think the database idea is all that bad.
There is a growing number of Republicans who think that Mosques should be closed. If not completely closed, then at least “monitored” to make sure they aren’t “radicalizing” the followers. Trump and Carson even believes that “water boarding” should be used on Muslim prisoners “to get better information.” Carson says we should not give up water boarding in the name of political correctness. Well, what about giving it up in the name of law, which forbids it.
Last week a group of Texans gathered outside a Mosque to “protest.” They apparently felt they needed to be armed to the teeth in order to protest a place of worship. Which is exactly what they did. One carried a sign that said “the best way to stop Muslim terrorism” with an arrow pointing to another man with an assault rifle. Let’s be honest, this wasn’t a protest, it was an attempt to intimidate worshipers at the Mosque.
The House bill on refugees makes it nearly impossible for any Syrian or Iraqi refugees to come to this country. They even left out Cruz’s religious test that would allow “Christian” refugees into the country. The Republicans claim the vetting of refugees is problematic. Yet, when Gov. Snyder of Michigan was asked what the problems were, he couldn’t give an answer. He just thinks it should be stronger.
So, I ask you. It this the year 2015 or are we back in 1931? The politics of fear and intimidation worked for Hitler. Are Trump and the rest of the Republican field trying to mirror that victory? In 1931 the target of the hate and intimidation were Jews. Today the target is Muslims and African-Americans.
I am wondering when we will see our own group of black shirts or brown shirts marching in our streets. I am wondering when we will begin to see “open intimidation” of opponents of this field on the streets. If these politicians continue to defend such attacks, it will happen more often.
I never imagined that I would ever witness a major political party in this country stoop to such “gutter politics.” Yes we went through Reagan’s “welfare queen” tantrums and other “scapegoat” politics in the past, but never to the point of violence. Never to the point when the candidate supports such violence.
I also have to assume that the Party agrees with these tactics since their leaders have been mute over these incidents. I don’t know what you wish to call all of this behavior. I call it the beginnings of fascism. Something my father and his generation fought to eradicate from the world. I doubt the “greatest generation” would be very happy with what is going on in the Republican Party today.
