12 January 2018

Cogito Ergo Non Serviam

Trump's Vulgar Tirade Reveals Racist Beliefs Yet Again

Donald J. Trump is a racist, and his business dealings and political actions demonstrate it. In his latest tirade during a meeting with a handful of US Senators, he referred to Haiti and the countries of Africa as "shitholes," and he said that he didn't want immigrants from those places, preferring Norwegians. This is just one in a long line of horrors regarding his inability to accept racial equality. Given that Monday is the US holiday that commemorates the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., it's a good time to consider Mr. Trump's unsuitability for his office.

Mr. Trump first emerged on the national stage along with his father in defending a case regarding the violation of the US Fair Housing Act. In brief, black and brown would-be tenants were denied access to housing they could afford because they were not white. The matter was settled with a consent decree. These are quite common on Wall Street. They consist of the defendant agreeing to pay some kind of compensation, not admitting guilt, and agreeing not to do whatever it is ever again.

He began his presidential campaign by announcing that Mexican immigrants were bringing crime and drugs into the country. His actual words were, "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." Note the certainty of their evil before the tardy addition of an assumption that not all are like that. There was no certainty to the latter, despite public and private statistics that show he has it backwards.

Furthermore, he called into question the impartiality of a federal judge who was born in Indiana. The judge's sin was having Mexican ancestry. Mr. Trump said the man could not be fair because of this in light of the fact that the administration wanted to build a wall across America's southern border.

Then, there was his ridiculous and embarrassing statements following the Nazi and Neo-Confederate march/riot which resulted in the death of one American citizen at the hands of another. Mr. Trump stated that both sides were to blame and that there were good people on both sides. This journal takes the view that good people don't march in support of Nazis. There was an entire world war about this.

In the latest tempestuous rant, he said in speaking of Haiti, El Salvador and Africa, "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?" He also said, "Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out." One will give the president the benefit of the doubt here and suggest he meant to remove them from the US rather than mean what the mafia means when someone is "taken out," that is, killed.

This is to say nothing of his policies: the Muslim ban, the end of DACA, etc.

The history of the American presidency is not one of unvarnished enlightened acceptance of all races in all places. Some of the first presidents owned black people, and Thomas Jefferson's writings on race are simply appalling. Andrew Jackson and others were vicious in their treatment of the first Americans such as the Cherokee and Apache. But simply because his predecessors held views that are unacceptable does not excuse him.

Mr. Trump presides over a multi-ethnic, secular Republic. It is difficult to believe that he can do that job effectively when he does not accept the equality of all Americans. As a man in his 70s, it is unlikely he will change his tune. However, the question is who is going to fall in line behind him and who does not. History, if not the voters, will judge the former harshly.

© Copyright 2018 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.