Rant alert. Any views expressed here are my own and do no represent my family, friends or employers. I maintain the ability to be objective in my professional work and strive for fairness in any coverage I contribute to.
It should be easy to unequivocally denounce Nazis, Kluxers, and far-rightwing White Nationalists. A no-brainier. You would figure that it wouldn't take a uniquely “bigly” good person to gather up the moral intestinal fortitude to rebuke them, to call them what they are, pieces of trash. Even if you don't particularly believe it, it should not be exactly scrupulous to say, “those guys are jerks.” Is that what we get though? No, we get a very timid and pathetic, “There are very fine people on both sides.” Yeah. I am sure that there are several Nazis that are “very fine” once you get past the whole pesky Nazi thing.
Oh wait, it gets worse. The guy known for saying what he means, for not beating around the bush said that both sides are to blame. Really? That alt-left (not really a thing) protesters broke the rules, had no permits and started trouble with the innocent racists that exalt genocide or promote superiority based on their skin color. He really showed a penchant for realpolitik. Clearly he knows his base and did not want to be viewed by them as insulting. SO he pussyfooted (not pussy grabbed!) and suggested they were two sides of the same coin. What a coward.
Never mind the Central Park Five.
Never mind a history of refusing to rent to blacks.
Never mind having Roy Cohn as a mentor.
Never mind questioning Native American's heritage because they “don'tlook like Indians” (And I'm not talking about Elizabeth Warren whom he calls Pocohontas).
Never mind attacking a gold star family because of their Muslim faith.
Never mind saying Judge Gonzalo Curiel was biased because “he's a Mexican”.
Never mind claiming ignorance of who David Duke is or what White Supremacists are when asked about their endorsements of him.
Never mind never apologizing for leading the charge in the bogus conspiracy that President Obama was foreign born.
Never mind the pardon of racist Joe Arpaio.
Never mind characterizing Mexicans as rapists.
Never mind hedging by saying “many of them are good people.”
Never mind saying that “laziness is a trait in blacks.”
Never mind any of the other very disgusting things I could write.
Alone many of these may be “okay”. But these are not isolated. He may not be a complete racist. But he's ignorant and petty and cheap and classless. And at least half his supporters really are deplorable. The other half merely condone such activity. It's a pattern. Undeniable.
Once you take office you represent us all. You are supposed to be our leader. We don't get that. He seems only interested in representing those deplorables. Love or hate Reagan, Bush, Clinton, other Bush, or Obama, at least they were leaders. Leaders with class. They stood up. They were men, not little boys full of bluster. They didn't always deflect. They didn't say silly outrageous things with a safety net to fall back on to claim sarcasm or speaking grandiosely with hyperbole. They didn't condone violence or call Liberals or Conservatives enemies. They didn't lash out when they felt backed into a corner. They didn't seemingly make up facts on the spot.
The reaction to this display of acute timidity was both encouraging and expected. I say expected because those deplorables do not disappoint. They never do. They say he is on point, or that he catered too much to the snowflakes. And then they follow his lead and try to pretend that Black Panthers are on par with the Kluxers. Black Panthers? Really? Even if they are, are they even relevant? Or they say that BLM is a terroristic hate group just as bad as Kluxers or the Nazis. Just because they make you feel uncomfortable doesn't make them terrorists. “But what about the guy that shot up police in Dallas? He was BLM!” No, he wasn't. He had no ties to ANY protest or political groups. He simply showed up and murdered. Why don't I condemn veterans because that guy was a veteran? I don't blame them because it's ridiculous to do so. Admittingly he supported the New Black Panthers Party. The Black Panthers call them illegitimate. They actually are a hate group. BLM started up in response to the perception that police can kill black men with impunity. In fact, since the creation of BLM, laws protecting police actually increased. But more and more departments require cameras and other ways to promote transparency and accountability. It's a net positive.
We were told during the campaign by those who admitted his bad behavior that he has growing up to do, maturing to do. What? These folks blasted Obama saying there was no on the job training at the presidency! Maturity to do? He's 70! That guy is ripe! When does the growing up begin? So far it's a tit for tat pettiness. I mean, he brought Ted Nugent to the White House. The guy is a troll.
I will try not to be cynical and say I am happy to see Paul Ryan, Marco Rubio and other national Republican figures call out Trump's shortcomings in this. Good on them. I hope more follow suit and do the right thing. Don't let bowing down to bigoted racists become a thing. Don't normalize their sick beliefs and behavior. The US defeated Nazis and the confederates, let's not allow them to destroy our country.
One of my proudest moments as the dad of a six-year-old was after watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I had asked Julian “Who was your favorite person in the movie?” He said quickly, “Fin.” I asked “Which one was he?” I expected him to say, “The black guy.” or “the brown guy.” He didn't. He said, “you know, he used to be a storm trooper and now he's a good guy.” I love that. Fin was a member of the Evil fascist side but left them for the side fighting oppression and evil.
Let's not allow the Dark Side take hold in our country. Don't allow them to become mainstream. Do what you can to really Make America Great Again.
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| Me, dad and my mom's cousin Christina. August 1984. |
If I had to pick a single song to be the soundtrack to this post it would be...
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