by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
Donald John Trump, the son of one of New York's better known racist landlords, is using his undeserved perch atop the federal government to do his daddy proud. The younger Trump who barely manages to tolerate America's poor, disabled, and LGBT communities, has almost no qualms at all about leveling his attention-seeking wrath at our citizens of color.
After referring to the Nazi's and Klansmen who marched for white power in Charlottesville as "fine people," and complaints that too many "animals" were coming into the US from "shithole" countries while too few good (white) immigrants were coming from places like Norway, and pardoning racist Joe Arpaio for flouting the orders of a federal judge, it was fairly apparent that Trump's comfort zone was firmly embedded in the intolerant right-wing of America's Caucasian population. The pairing of "Trump" stickers and MAGA caps with Confederate flags quickly became commonplace.
Donald Trump knew who his most rabid supporters were, and he took great pains to conflate their (and his) bigoted views with official US policy.
Two "presidential" actions this week highlight Trump's increasing comfort with stoking racial tensions in America. First, since Trump's "exoneration" by his own appointed Attorney General in the Russia probe, he now apparently feels free to renew some old grudges. In addition to his recent attacks on the deceased John McCain and a new threat to destroy the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), he has also fired up his long-smoldering animosity toward the American Territory of Puerto Rico.
Trump and Melania showed up in hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico well after the storm had passed, and he showed his empathy for the disaster victims by tossing rolls of paper towels to weary Puerto Ricans - and then doing everything he could to slow US assistance to the island and to plot ways to redirect money designated for storm relief to building his vanity wall across parts of the US southern border.
Now that Trump is finally out from under the cloud of the Mueller probe (he thinks), he can again focus on ways to insure that the poor and worn down people of Puerto Rico remain that way. In recent days Trump has been bellowing that the Puerto Rican government has mishandled money set aside for the recovery, and he wants aid to the US Territory stopped. Unspoken is his continuing rage toward San Juan's mayor and the island's Governor because of their criticism of the federal government's lackluster response to the storm's devastation - and the fact that on the whole Puerto Ricans are not as white as Norwegians.
Much of Trump's overall focus in life is geared toward getting even with his critics, and if he can do that while paying homage to his father's racism, well, that's just gravy!
Yesterday Trump's racism again flared when he took to Twitter to interfere in a criminal case in Illinois, one that had a high racial profile. Jussie Smollett, a black actor, was charged with sixteen counts related to setting up a phony assault on himself and making a false police report. All charges were dropped this week by Chicago prosecutors. Some felt that the decision to drop the case was the result of "celebrity justice," or a widespread belief that the law often works differently, and favorably, for celebrities.
Dropping the Smollett case created a certain amount of public outrage, and Trump smelled blood in the water and attacked on Twitter:
Celebrity justice was not a problem when Trump let "America's Sheriff" Joe Arpaio walk away from penalties related to a federal crime, but Old Joe is white. Black Jussie Smollett, on the other hand, is "an embarrassment to our nation."
Racism used to be subtle and often below the radar of public perception, but under Trump it is becoming fashionable, emblazoned on tee-shirts, bumper stickers, and public policy. It is a social wedge, one that has divided us as a nation since the first blacks were brought to America's shores in chains - and Donald Trump is doing all that he can to sharpen that wedge and drive it deeper, and deeper, and deeper.
Jussie Smollett still denies the crimes of which he is accused, but if he did stage a hate crime against himself, that act will probably put an end to his career as an actor. It will also serve to lessen the credibility of very real crimes and injustices that occur to citizens of color in the United States on a daily basis.
If Jussie Smollett did those crimes and tried to game the justice system for the sake of publicity, he is indeed an embarrassment. Too bad for him, and for us.
However, when it comes to being a "national" embarrassment, no one tops Donald John Trump. He represents the absolute worst about us - writ large. He is petty, and petulant, and steeped in racial intolerance. His daddy would have been very proud indeed!
Citizen Journalist
Donald John Trump, the son of one of New York's better known racist landlords, is using his undeserved perch atop the federal government to do his daddy proud. The younger Trump who barely manages to tolerate America's poor, disabled, and LGBT communities, has almost no qualms at all about leveling his attention-seeking wrath at our citizens of color.
After referring to the Nazi's and Klansmen who marched for white power in Charlottesville as "fine people," and complaints that too many "animals" were coming into the US from "shithole" countries while too few good (white) immigrants were coming from places like Norway, and pardoning racist Joe Arpaio for flouting the orders of a federal judge, it was fairly apparent that Trump's comfort zone was firmly embedded in the intolerant right-wing of America's Caucasian population. The pairing of "Trump" stickers and MAGA caps with Confederate flags quickly became commonplace.
Donald Trump knew who his most rabid supporters were, and he took great pains to conflate their (and his) bigoted views with official US policy.
Two "presidential" actions this week highlight Trump's increasing comfort with stoking racial tensions in America. First, since Trump's "exoneration" by his own appointed Attorney General in the Russia probe, he now apparently feels free to renew some old grudges. In addition to his recent attacks on the deceased John McCain and a new threat to destroy the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), he has also fired up his long-smoldering animosity toward the American Territory of Puerto Rico.
Trump and Melania showed up in hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico well after the storm had passed, and he showed his empathy for the disaster victims by tossing rolls of paper towels to weary Puerto Ricans - and then doing everything he could to slow US assistance to the island and to plot ways to redirect money designated for storm relief to building his vanity wall across parts of the US southern border.
Now that Trump is finally out from under the cloud of the Mueller probe (he thinks), he can again focus on ways to insure that the poor and worn down people of Puerto Rico remain that way. In recent days Trump has been bellowing that the Puerto Rican government has mishandled money set aside for the recovery, and he wants aid to the US Territory stopped. Unspoken is his continuing rage toward San Juan's mayor and the island's Governor because of their criticism of the federal government's lackluster response to the storm's devastation - and the fact that on the whole Puerto Ricans are not as white as Norwegians.
Much of Trump's overall focus in life is geared toward getting even with his critics, and if he can do that while paying homage to his father's racism, well, that's just gravy!
Yesterday Trump's racism again flared when he took to Twitter to interfere in a criminal case in Illinois, one that had a high racial profile. Jussie Smollett, a black actor, was charged with sixteen counts related to setting up a phony assault on himself and making a false police report. All charges were dropped this week by Chicago prosecutors. Some felt that the decision to drop the case was the result of "celebrity justice," or a widespread belief that the law often works differently, and favorably, for celebrities.
Dropping the Smollett case created a certain amount of public outrage, and Trump smelled blood in the water and attacked on Twitter:
"FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago. It is an embarrassment to our Nation!"
Celebrity justice was not a problem when Trump let "America's Sheriff" Joe Arpaio walk away from penalties related to a federal crime, but Old Joe is white. Black Jussie Smollett, on the other hand, is "an embarrassment to our nation."
Racism used to be subtle and often below the radar of public perception, but under Trump it is becoming fashionable, emblazoned on tee-shirts, bumper stickers, and public policy. It is a social wedge, one that has divided us as a nation since the first blacks were brought to America's shores in chains - and Donald Trump is doing all that he can to sharpen that wedge and drive it deeper, and deeper, and deeper.
Jussie Smollett still denies the crimes of which he is accused, but if he did stage a hate crime against himself, that act will probably put an end to his career as an actor. It will also serve to lessen the credibility of very real crimes and injustices that occur to citizens of color in the United States on a daily basis.
If Jussie Smollett did those crimes and tried to game the justice system for the sake of publicity, he is indeed an embarrassment. Too bad for him, and for us.
However, when it comes to being a "national" embarrassment, no one tops Donald John Trump. He represents the absolute worst about us - writ large. He is petty, and petulant, and steeped in racial intolerance. His daddy would have been very proud indeed!
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