I Cannot Believe People Still Don't Get It
When I was a senior in college, I was talking to my roommate about Donald Trump’s plan for a “Muslim Ban,” should he be elected president. I was assured by my roommate—and many others—that that could never happen. He’d never really be able to do it. I argued that even if he wasn’t going to enact a Muslim ban, the mindset was an absolutely toxic one to have in the White House, and people needed to be more vigilant about allowing him to come to power (i.e, people needed to actually vote and not protest because ‘both candidates are equally bad’). He called Mexicans rapists and murderers, and had a history of being an absolute racist, and if he came to power, it would open a door to the ugliest things we’ve seen in a long time.
Well. It’s July 4th, 2019, and there are babies in cages. These babies are immigrants. They’ve been separated from their parents and are being held in deplorable conditions, lawyers are arguing that they don’t need basic hygienic products , and 24 immigrants have died in custody during the Trump administration.
Muslim Bans were attempted in all countries except the one where the 9/11 terrorists came from, Trump is threatening to start a war with Iran, buddying up with dictators, and frequently calling journalists the “enemy of the people,” and laughing when they get body slammed.
Donald Trump is a toxic human being and we need to be vigilant.
People have said that we’re not supposed to compare Trump to Adolf Hitler, but we should absolutely be comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler. Because the Holocaust and its mass genocide didn’t immediately start with the gas chambers. It starts with public hatred and televised lies about one group of people, and blaming them for problems they really had no part in creating. It starts with separating children from their families, and keeping them separated from the rest of society. It starts with regular citizens turning a blind eye because it didn’t affect them personally.
Something is seriously wrong in this country, and we need to step up. I personally cannot believe that the treatment of actual human beings has become a political issue.
Humans aren’t illegal. They can’t ever be illegal. That’s not how it works. We want to brag that we’re the greatest country in the world? We need to start acting like it. Patriotism is not about standing behind the administration, it’s about standing behind the country. Detention centers filled past capacity where children have to sleep on the floors—most times with no blankets or pillows—is not what our country should stand for.
So how do we help?
I’ve done some research, and have found the following articles:
https://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/immigrant-children-border-crisis-how-to-help-20190625
You can also donate to RAICES, an organization dedicated to providing legal services to immigrants. Many children enter a courtroom by themselves, and need protection.
It’s July 4th, and to celebrate the ideals of freedom and equality that America was supposedly built on, it’s time to stand up and provide voices to those who may not be able to share theirs.
Peace, friends.
