Righteous Indignation

This blog has never been a home for rationalizing, justifying, defending, or supporting Donald Trump. It’s author is not about to start now. That said, this blog is a home for defending and supporting traditional GOP principles. We are a nation of immigrants. It is our core and our strength. All of us are immigrants.

This week’s hullabaloo was all about President Trump’s alleged (it was, after all, in a private meeting behind closed doors) reference to Haiti and several African countries as, in short, “Shitholes”. 

Lesson #1-There is no longer such a thing in Washington DC as a private meeting.

Lesson #2-Donald Trump really doesn’t care whether participants in a private meeting violate the implicit pact of silence. If he is so inclined, he will simply deny he said that which he is accused of having said. 

Lesson #3-The President’s mind boggling, endless bombshells are used by his detractors  to pursue their agendas with just as much disdain for the truth as that of which they accuse the President!

In short, truth, honesty, and transparency are in short supply in Washington. “This is nothing new”, you may say. Perhaps that is the case, but certainly this administration has brought out the worst on both sides of the aisle.

Lest I lose the plot, let’s take a look at the context of the conversation in which the President is alleged to have made his defamatory remark. A group of Republican and Democrat congressional representatives were gathered to talk about immigration reform. This is when the President is alleged to have made his remark. Within 12 hours, there was global uproar. The vast majority of the tumult was about his blatant, unrepentant racism.

I’m sorry, what did I miss? Where does racism enter the equation? You see, this is classic spin. The President made a callous, very un-Presidential remark. Is anyone, at this point in time, shocked by that? But he did not say anything about race. For the record, and for balance, the President tweeted this remark. “Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said “take them out.” Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings – unfortunately, no trust!”

In the years 2010-1014, the biggest percentage increase in immigrants to the United States came from these countries; Saudi Arabia (up 93 percent), Bangladesh (up 37 percent), Iraq (up 36 percent), Egypt (up 25 percent), and Pakistan, India, and Ethiopia (each up 24 percent). (Click here for more details.) Now ask yourself; if, by chance, the subjects of the conversation had been Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan, India, and Ethiopia, do you think the President would have had any different comment?

His commentary had nothing to do with race. He simply thinks there are a lot of crappy countries in the world, and, surprise, surprise, a disproportionate amount of our immigrants come from those countries. You, (and I, for that matter) may argue that opening our arms to those from the most depressed countries in the world is what we are all about. The President may disagree. He would tell you that disagreement is the crux of the discussion that took place last week. Alas, that was not the proverbial take-away.

Mr. Trump’s intemperate remark (as reported by his detractors ) opened the door for another round of media and late night President bashing, but the at the heart of these diatribes there lies a farce. There was wasn’t anything blatantly racist in or around his comments. They could have been about the vast majority of countries from which immigrants flee to come to the United States. You see, folks, they want to leave their countries too! Why? Because THEY think their countries are shitholes, and they want to come to the last great land of opportunity and hope left on this planet.

Have you ever seen Brittany Hughes on Reality Check TV? Watch this video. Bingo!

Now, the typical media response was more like this one, when MSNBC interviewed Congressman John Lewis. I don’t have a quarrel with much of what the Congressman says in the interview. But the leap to racism is subjective! Across the board, people have played the race card on Trump based on their own feelings, tastes, and opinions. NBC published this article entitled “Is it Finally Time to call Trump a Racist?” Perhaps more than anything, they label President Trump a racist simply because they detest the man. They hate everything about him. Let me be clear one more time. There is much about President Trump that I do not like! But don’t lose your own personal virtue and integrity by throwing around disingenuous labels.

I’ve had enough of the righteous indignation. It seems to me that the President gives his detractors plenty of valid reasons to form opposing positions without them having to resort to tangential, obfuscatory, pandering attacks.

More to follow-