Okay. This was a day filled with drama and chaos even by Trumponian standards. It began at sunrise as in a rather incoherent tweet, Mr. Trump questioned his own administration’s support for a controversial bill (FISA) to reauthorize the government’s ability to conduct foreign surveillance in the U.S. Mass confusion broke out among lawmakers for about an hour and a half, but after a second backpedaling tweet, the bill was approved. Then, came the confusion over whether or not a tentative agreement had been reached concerning DACA. And now the day ends with some absolutely vile comments Mr. Trump came out with during a meeting with Republicans and Democrats to discuss this possible bipartisan immigration deal. For my friends who don’t live in the U.S., DACA is a program issued under President Obama by executive order. It protects immigrants who were brought to this country illegally as children. Several months ago Mr. Trump disbanded the program, saying that President Obama had exceeded his authority. In March, these Dreamers will have to start leaving the country unless an agreement is made. So, during this meeting late this afternoon, Senator Dick Durbin was explaining to him that part of the proposal would end the visa lottery program in exchange for Temporary Protected Status for countries such as El Salvador. (BTW, earlier this week 200,000 Salvadorans who have been here since 2001 were told to start getting their affairs in order because starting next year they’re being deported.) Senator Durbin was going through the list of TPS countries which would be covered when Mr. Trump apparently grew frustrated when he learned this deal would include immigrants from Haiti and African countries. He questioned why he should accept immigrants from “shithole countries” instead of people from countries like Norway. “Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out.” Now obviously Mr. Trump’s blatant racism shouldn’t come as a surprise to any of us. This is the man who referred to Mexicans as rapists and drug dealers during the campaign. This is the man who dodged condemning the white supremacists and neo-nazis in Charlottesville. This is the man who instituted a Muslim ban. And last June during a meeting with his national security team, he vented about the slowness in fortifying the borders. Reading from statistics put together by his equally racist aide, Stephen Miller, he complained about Haitian immigrants, saying: “ They all have AIDS.” In regards to immigrants from Nigeria he said: they would “never go back to their huts.” While the White House has denied he made those particular statements, despite numerous confirmations from sources in the room, no one is denying what he said today, although who knows what “alternative facts” Minister of Propaganda, aka White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will present tomorrow. Indeed, reports are coming out saying that he and his minions believe his atrocious comments will play well with his base.
That Mr. Trump did this at the beginning of the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, makes it even more sickening. And tomorrow marks the eight year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti. As I watch the talking heads on CNN right now calling Mr. Trump’s comments “racist statements”, or “racially charged”, they also seem to be hesitant about calling him a racist. Well, I have no such hesitation. The message from this administration is clear. If you’re not white, you’re not welcome in this country. Mr. Trump is a blatant racist which has been proven time and time again, going back to his days as a landlord in NYC. Journalists and Americans need to stop tiptoeing around and acknowledge that we have a RACIST leading this country! I know I’ve said this before, but I am ashamed and embarrassed to be an American. I wish to God I could offer an apology to every single person who is being detrimentally affected by his words and actions.
America has always been “great” in part because of its rich tapestry made up of immigrants from different countries bringing their education and skills and culture with them. So many have made such incredible contributions.
People like John James Audubon, painter, naturalist, and ornithologist. He was born Jean Rabin in Les Cayes, Saint Domingue (later Haiti).
Viter Juste, The Haitian-born American community leader, activist and businessman. He’s considered the father of the Haitian American community in Miami.
Danielle Laraque-Arena, also born in Haiti. She’s the first female President of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University.
Representative Mia Love, the first black female Republican elected to Congress. Born Ludmya Bordeau to Haitian parents.
John O. Agwunobi, born in Scotland to a Nigerian father and Scottish mother. He’s a notable pediatrician and public health professional.
Kimberly Anyadike, whose parents immigrated from Nigeria. Born in 1994, she’s a pilot who completed a transcontinental flight at the age of fifteen.
Salvadoran Francisco Machon Vilonova who wrote his most well known novel Ola roja in San Francisco. The book is about the indigenous populations in El Salvador who were massacred in the Matanzana of 1932.
Salvadoran fashion designer Francesca Miranda, whose designs are sold all over the world and have been worn by many celebrities.
Obviously the list is endless.
Unfortunately, all this Irish/Catholic/Jew can do, is call and email politicians, vote, and pray to God that this country wakes up and sends him packing in 2020. We deserve better.
By Hook Or By Book 
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