My nephew Randy stopped by on Wednesday, the day after the election, and joked that now that Donald Trump was elected I'd have plenty of blog material for the next four, maybe eight years. But I told him no, that I wanted Donald Trump to be a good successful president for all our sakes. I told him that I had less-than-zero desire of becoming a professional Donald trump critic and that I hope I don't have to be. In truth, turning into a daily Jeremiah would surely grind down my spirit. In truth I don't even want to write about politics all for a while. I want to think and write about other things for a while. Some happy, uplifting things would be nice. And yet here we are, only three days after Donald Trump's election and already reports of violence and intimidation against Muslims, Hispanics, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community have made the news. Yesterday in Royal Oak, Michigan a group of white middle school students chanted "Build The Wall! Build The Wall!" in the school lunch room. Also in the days following the election: A man came up behind a student at San Jose State University yanked off her head scarf, then quickly ran off. A high school student in Redding, California, posted an online video of himself handing letters with the word "deportation" written across the top to students of color. The student said he thought the video was funny. And the Ku Klux Klan has announced that it will hold a 'victory parade' in North Carolina in December because, according to the headline of the Klan's website, "Trump's race united my people." And these are only some of the stories that have made the news so far. I ran into the mother of one of my piano students in Kroger's yesterday afternoon and she told me with a worried expression that in her child's school a white youngster told a black youngster that now she was going to have to start sitting on the back of the bus. The white youngster thought this was a funny joke. The black youngster not so much. President-elect Trump, you've announced that upon taking office your first priority would be health care, second would be immigration, and third would be jobs. But I'm telling you that you need to re-designate those priorities to second, third and fourth place, and make your first priority stopping the new hatefulness that, let's be honest, your nasty campaign rhetoric has wrought. But you can't even wait until you take over the Oval Office to do this. This is an urgent situation that is already out of control, and you need to handle it right now, today. You need to make an immediate national appearance and in strong words call for an end to the vicious insults, harassment and attacks against Muslims, Hispanics, and others of foreign background or descent, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community by persons who call themselves your followers and who now feel empowered by your victory to persecute others. You must insist that you do not stand for or condone such behavior, that you are not on the side of persons who commit such behavior, that you and your supporters condemn it and that you and your supporters stand firm against racism and bigotry. You must denounce the Ku Klux Klan and warn them not to dare to use your name in a victory parade because you are not, not, not, any ally of theirs. You must reiterate over and over the message of your victory speech that it's time for us to come together as one united people and work together, Americans of all races, religions, and backgrounds - and include here genders and orientations - to unify our great country. You must assure all Americans, ...you must assure us all that, contrary to what some people in this country might believe today, you will be a great civil rights president. And then be one. References:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/10/us/post-election-hate-crimes-and-fears-trnd/index.html http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-updates-trail-guide-kkk-trump-north-carolina-1478822255-htmlstory.html
2 Comments
Kevin Martin
11/12/2016 06:56:40 am
Well said Patty. We need peace and tolerance from all sides.
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Patti
11/12/2016 11:56:20 am
Yes, Kevin, you're 100% right about that. The problem is,though, that the anti-Trump protesters aren't likely to settle down as long as they believe that Donald Trump's victory is going to continue to empower racists and bigots to commit hate crimes and acts of meanness and harassment against those they feel are now vulnerable. All the more reason for Trump to, not only disown acts of racism and bigotry, but assure the protesters that he intends to be a strong civil rights president and to stand for enforcement of the laws that protect the rights of all human beings, whatever their race, origin,gender or orientation to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In other words, he needs to bring them over to his side by being on their side.
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