How could an individual or a country that constantly lectures the world on human rights take such crass and inhuman action?
President Trump banning people from certain countries entering the US has robbed millions of people of their individuality. They are no longer separate human beings with their own thoughts, principles, likes, dislikes, fears and hopes. It is treating them all as an amorphous mass of humanity, not worthy of the right to be judged personally by their deeds and words.
Being an Iraqi-born British citizen, I thought the ban would apply to me, but according to our foreign secretary I and others like me are now exempt. Wow, how generous, and what an achievement by our government! So now I am expected to feel grateful to be given my basic human right to be judged as an individual.
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but we are incapable of choosing where we were born. I can’t go back in time to instruct my parents to be elsewhere for my birth. In any case, they most likely would not be allowed to be in Europe or the US.
I thought that we had moved beyond assigning collective guilt, blame and negative characteristics on the basis of ethnicity, religion, or the color of our skin. It fills me with foreboding and anxiety that maybe humanity is entering once again into the darker ages of the past where people were condemned without opening their mouths or doing anything bad.
Please, let us not characterize values that should be common to all decent human beings as being British, American, European or from any other nation. This immediately creates division with everybody else put in the category of the “other”.
They are rights that every human deserves to have regardless of his/her ethnicity, origin or race. Refugees flocking to Europe escaping tyranny and wars share these values. Of course there will be some who are criminals, bigoted, hateful or worse, but the vast majority want to be respected and valued as human beings; they believe they could have that in the West.
Collective punishment should be abhorrent to anyone with a shred of decency. My spirit is lifted to see people of different ethnicities, religions, and color demonstrate and sign petitions protesting the collectivization of guilt inherent in these Trump executive orders. It has brought to the fore the other characteristics we humans have: tolerance, compassion, empathy, fairness and the burning desire to stand up to injustice and bigotry.
I am also heartened by Angela Merkel’s words: “The necessary and decisive fight against terrorism does not justify a general suspicion against people of a certain belief—in this case people of Muslim belief or people from a certain country…. [T]hat way of thinking is against my interpretation of the basic tenants of international refugee support and cooperation.”
We are empathetic beings and we must resist the temptation to block our empathy by the barriers of color, religion, ethnicity, or country of birth. Our humanity should trump (excuse the pun) such feelings. It is the stronger bond that binds us all to this fragile planet.
How could an individual or a country that constantly lectures the world on human rights take such crass and inhuman action?
Correct me if I’m wrong, but Obama had prohibited any entry of Iraqi citizens for 60 days (pretexting an incident involving 2 persons in Kentucky.)
Also, Obama did nothing to cancel the “Muslim registry” until after the Trump victory, and the current Trump “ban” is an implementation of an Obama ban.
Another lecturer on human rights and a Nobel prize to boot.
The offense seems to be only in the style and the words used. Not the policy.
Not 60 days but 6 months in 2011 by Obama Admin, and apparently kept hidden until 2 years later in 2013. Two
links below.
I voted for Bernie and in the general for Jill Stein. I don’t like hypocrisy either and these days on anti-War (and trade) seem to have more partners in Trump voters than in Establishment Democrats.But it’s worse than hypocrisy — I think it’s healthy for civil liberties groups to investigate and press (equally, no matter which party is in power) to make sure things are done legally, fairly, and with minimal infringement needed for public safety. But to have entire mainstream media and activists on “my” side, left side of the spectrum, focus 95%+ of their energy on t his and 5% or less on ending the Mass-Murder of Muslims our endless wars, regime change, drones, etc, which not only don’t keep us safe but make us less safe, and yeah, create new terrorist as people have been saying but now it’s even worse — bigger reason it’s making us less safe: Wikileaks Podesta emails reveal it’s not just “rich individuals” in Saudi Arabia and Qatar but the governments themselves, which we back, who arm and help ISIS…that’s what was in Hillary’s briefing, that that is true…
And on top of that our own government under Obama has been helping so-called “moderate rebels” who a) fight side by side with Al Qaeda and ISIS very often b) sell them weapons c) defect to them often too..and that’s on top of the fact the “moderates” are not, but in reality are brutal jihadists, like Al Zinki who posted a “selfie” video of themselves BEHEADING A BOY in Syria (his “crime”? Being suspected of defending his village or helping adults do so, against these monsters) In the video they ask the boy what’s his last wish, he says to be shot dead instead of slaughtered, these barbarian terrorists shout back “slaughter, slaughter! We are worse than ISIS” These folks were on the OFFICIAL (and “vetted”) list of so-called “moderate” groups…my and your taxes help them, outrageously..and State Dept would not promise, even after repeated questions from the few brave journalists in briefing, would not promise to end funding them!
Third link below the two on Obama’s 6-month ban is from brave non-Establishment Democratic Congresswoman (and veteran) Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii who quit her vice chair at the DNC to expose how unfairly Bernie was treated and to back Benie..and who also met with Trump after Trump won..across party lines, to work together..she has a bill called the Stop Arming Terrorists Bill [3] how crazy that you need to introduce a bill to make that a law? But right now we still are…all for endless Regime Change and empire and oil and geopolitical control and lots of profits for insiders and for what Republican President, General Eisenhower called the Military Industrial Complex..insane, and must end, it must end for once and for all.
Rep. Gabbard just returned from a trip to Syria where she met with ordinary Syrians in the streets of major cities, including meeting with leaders of the peaceful opposition and ALL told her there are NO “moderate” rebels (see her eyewitness account at [4]), just terrorists. Saudi-backed jihadists very early on after the peaceful 2011 just started, began to take over, shoot police officers and commit other violence forcing a resonse from the Syrian government, while endangering the lives of the peaceful demonstrators, also directly brutalizing some of the peaceful demonstrators and opopsition, themselves, these jihadi groups backed by Saudis and Qatar and helped to smuggle weapons by Turkey (and short sighted idiots in Israeli and UK governments turning a blind eye and cheering for regime change even it it means in bed with the most extreme Islamic Jihadi terrorists on earth…don’t think we wouldn’t do that in the US too, foolishly, in 1980s, we armed the parent organization of Taliban (Taleban) as “clever” way to “get USSR, look how well that turned out??
There’s also Open Letter to Rep Gabbard from Syrians and Syrian Americans saying same, supporting her and saying there must be non violent dialogue between the Secular Syrian government and the peaceful opposition, and that there are no “moderates” just terrorists outside of that, see [5]
[1] http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-kentucky-us-dozens-terrorists-country-refugees/story?id=20931131
[2] http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2017/01/29/flashback-obama-2011-suspended-iraq-refugee-program-six-months-terrorism-fears/
[3] https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/video-rep-tulsi-gabbard-introduces-legislation-stop-arming-terrorists
[4] https://medium.com/@TulsiGabbard/the-syrian-people-desperately-want-peace-e308f1777a34#.aiboy6c7k
[5] https://gabbard.house.gov/news/in-the-news/open-letter-syrians-and-syrian-americans-we-thank-you-congresswoman-gabbard-your
Thank you for the trove of information.
Trump’s is 3 months [90 days] initially, hopefully then will end, Obama’s was 6 months.
3rd and last, my FAQ and complete text of the Trump 90-day Exec Order is here:
http://www.lesserevil2016.com/notmuslimban.html
If we give a damn about Muslim lives, we should join anti-war Trump voters and even cooperate with (as well as push and press) the Trump admin to end these insane “regime change” wars, end all arming of Jihadist terrorists (MOST of whose victims are fellow Muslims overseas, we only seem to pay attention when it’s the terrible but still much smaller number killed here in the West)…That should be the focus of 95% of our energy, not this 90 day act which should cause some concern, be monitored, have civi liberties groups press on etc, but that’s 5% and not the other way around, of our energies, if we care about ending the 100,000s Muslims we policies have and continue to slaughter…
I voted for Bernie and in the general for Jill Stein. I don’t like hypocrisy of the nearly complete silence over the SIX Month
“ban” (halt) by Obama…I know the media is going nuts to “prove” to us that this Trump action is “totally, totally, really, really different” but this 90-day one by Trump is not on Muslims, but anyone, of any religion, in 7 countries that Obama, repeat, Obama identified as posing risks..no wonder risks: we bomb the daylights out of, drone civilians to death, and ARM jihadist terrorists in some countries (Syria) and so we make it dangerous, and we must stop doing that.
I don’t want to make anyone’s lives harder than necessary but enough hypocrisy that this is infinitely worse. I’d rather we didn’t have to have even a 1-day halt, but I’d still prefer 90-days than infinite wars that kill 100,000s of Muslims, which is what GWB and Obama and Hillary have been doing.
I calculated that more than 7/8 of the world’s Muslims live in countries (the vast majority of Muslim majority countries) which are NOT on the list — again, Obama’s list is what this should be called, created under BO admin auspices. Less than 12.5% of world’s Muslims live in those 7 Obama-named countries that are in Trump’s temporary 90-day order. http://www.lesserevil2016.com/notmuslimban.html
Yes these will be hard facts for many fellow progressives to hear. and No, I don’t want to minimize it (I have spent hours and hours online speaking against Islamophobia, even though this order is not limited by religion but to the countries we have brutally done horrible things to that we must STOP doing to those countries..and as a result of which we have made it so there are terrorists there — I think over-blown, compared to Americans killed in auto crashes, gun violence, unsafe products, etc….but Americans are terrified and Trump, Republicans and be honest, even Demoratic politicians are afraid they will be blamed if just one terror attack happens.But the opposition party likes to oppose, whether it’s
I’ve worked hours one-on-one to try to de-program people I know with Islamophobic ideas..Like I said if we could stop all these wars without even a 1-day ban, great..but in the world we are today, I’d rather spend 95% of our activism on stopping the mass-MURDER of civilian Muslims in these wars, then, sure, spend 5% with civil liberties groups making sure everything done by Trump or Democratic leaders (state level) for that matter, is legal, fair, etc, and only that..
Crazy, but we’re doing the opposite, 95% of energy on that…and 5% or less on stopping the mass-murder of Muslims…
If you really care about Muslims and others affected, it’s dead obvious which should be the majority of our energy, activism, speaking out, media coverage…and we have it BACKWARDS…
So the hypocrisy is only part of it…A 6 months “ban” (halt) in 2011 by Obama Admin, and apparently kept hidden until 2 years later in 2013. Two links below, [1] and [2] on that either and these days on anti-War (and trade) seem to have
more partners in Trump voters than in Establishment Democrats.But it’s worse than hypocrisy — I think it’s healthy for civil liberties groups to investigate and press (equally, no matter which party is in power) to make sure things are done legally, fairly, and with minimal infringement needed for public safety. But to have entire mainstream media and activists on “my” side, left side of the spectrum, focus 95%+ of their energy on t his and 5% or less on ending the Mass-Murder of
Muslims our endless wars, regime change, drones, etc, which not only don’t keep us safe but make us less safe, and yeah, create new terrorist as people have been saying but now it’s even worse — bigger reason it’s making us less safe: Wikileaks Podesta emails reveal it’s not just “rich individuals” in Saudi Arabia and Qatar but the governments
themselves, which we back, who arm and help ISIS…that’s what was in Hillary’s briefing, that that is true…
And on top of that our own government under Obama has been helping so-called “moderate rebels” who a) fight side by side with Al Qaeda and ISIS very often b) sell them weapons c) defect to them often too..and that’s on top of the
fact the “moderates” are not, but in reality are brutal jihadists, like Al Zinki who posted a “selfie” video of themselves BEHEADING A BOY in Syria (his “crime”? Being suspected of defending his village or helping adults do so, against these monsters) In the video they ask the boy what’s his last wish, he says to be shot dead instead of slaughtered,
these barbarian terrorists shout back “slaughter, slaughter! We are worse than ISIS” These folks were on the OFFICIAL (and “vetted”) list of so-called “moderate” groups…my and your taxes help them, outrageously..and State Dept would not promise, even after repeated questions from the few brave journalists in briefing, would not promise
to end funding them!
Third link below the two on Obama’s 6-month ban is from brave non-Establishment Democratic Congresswoman (and
veteran) Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii who quit her vice chair at the DNC to expose how unfairly Bernie was treated and to back Benie..and who also met with Trump after Trump won..across party lines, to work together..she has a bill called the Stop Arming Terrorists Bill [3] how crazy that you need to introduce a bill to make that a law? But right now we still are…all for endless Regime Change and empire and oil and geopolitical control and lots of profits for insiders and for what Republican President, General Eisenhower called the Military Industrial Complex..insane, and must end, it must end for once and for all.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard just returned from a trip to Syria where she met with ordinary Syrians in the streets of major cities, including meeting with leaders of the peaceful opposition and ALL told her there are NO “moderate” rebels (see her eyewitness account at [4]), just terrorists. Saudi-backed jihadists very early on after the peaceful 2011 just
started, began to take over, shoot police officers and commit other violence forcing a resonse from the Syrian government, while endangering the lives of the peaceful demonstrators, also directly brutalizing some
of the peaceful demonstrators and opopsition, themselves, these jihadi groups backed by Saudis and Qatar and helped to smuggle weapons by Turkey (and short sighted idiots in Israeli and UK governments turning a blind eye and cheering for regime change even it it means in bed with the most extreme Islamic Jihadi terrorists on earth…don’t think we
wouldn’t do that in the US too, foolishly, in 1980s, we armed the parent organization of Taliban (Taleban) as “clever” way to “get USSR, look how well that turned out??
There’s also Open Letter to Rep Gabbard from Syrians and Syrian Americans saying same, supporting her and saying there must be non violent dialogue between the Secular Syrian government and the peaceful opposition, and that there are no “moderates” just terrorists outside of that, see [5]
[1] http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-kentucky-us-dozens-terrorists-country-refugees/story?id=20931131
[2] http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2017/01/29/flashback-obama-2011-suspended-iraq-refugee-program-six-months-terrorism-fears/
[3] https://gabbard.house.gov/news/press-releases/video-rep-tulsi-gabbard-introduces-legislation-stop-arming-terrorists
[4] https://medium.com/@TulsiGabbard/the-syrian-people-desperately-want-peace-e308f1777a34#.aiboy6c7k
[5] https://gabbard.house.gov/news/in-the-news/open-letter-syrians-and-syrian-americans-we-thank-you-congresswoman-gabbard-your