Leaping Over the Line

I'm not really anxious to write about Donald Trump (R-Trump Towers) every day, or even often.  And I don't suspect that most people want to read about him here that often.  But what this megalomaniac has done with his fascistic, racist rantings is too profound in its impact on giving them foundation in the U.S., as well as to cause concern no doubt in foreign nations seeing him as the leading Republican candidate -- not to mention given aid and comfort to the enemy, Islamic extremists, proving their point to potential converts about the hatred of others towards Muslims.

Trump seemed to have just crossed the tipping point, though he's been heading there for a long time, what with calls to register Muslims in a database, proposals to watch Mosques, ridiculing physical frailties, and excuse beatings at his rallies, as on Monday he called for keeping all Muslims out of entering the United States, not just to immigrate, but even to visit -- and not just foreigners, but even Americans citizens whose religious beliefs are Muslim and are abroad and want to return home.  Keep them out.  Keep them all out.

One wonders about the next logical extension.  If all Muslims are the enemy to Donald Trump and his supporters, and therefore can't enter the United States, then what about Americans who are Muslims and already in the country.  Why wouldn't he propose expelling them, or arresting them?  Or what about putting some identifying sign on them, like say a yellow crescent, that would fit nicely.  It worked well in Germany in the 1930s.

Irrational, hate-filled fear carries its own impenetrable empty void and force shield.  It creates its own Black Hole, imploding in on itself where even what's being cried for can't actually exist, something he and his unthinking supporters have failed to grasp.  Calling for Muslim databases and Muslim mosque-watching and prohibiting Muslims from entering the United States isn't some little, racist, fascistic law to simply pass.  In all its blind efforts to supposedly "protect America," it does the very opposite, violating pretty much every precept of the First Amendment of the Constitution.  It's hard to imagine what part of "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" such suggestions don't bulldoze on their very face.  You can't miss it.  It's the very first Amendment.  Right before even the one about guns.

I understand that people reading this who support Donald Trump won't like the inference that they themselves support positions that are fascist and racist.  That's a fair reaction.  If one doesn't like being described as someone who supports fascist and racist positions, though, there's a simple resolution.  Don't support positions that are fascist and racist.

No matter how scared one is and thinks it's good for America -- it's not.  It's fascist and racist.

The thing is, we've reached the point where calling Donald Trump's ravings fascist, racist, un-Constitutional,
un-American, crazy, pathetic and more has pretty much lost a lot of impact, because that's been clear for a while.  And further, this is no longer about Donald Trump.  It's about his 30-ish or so percent of supporters in the Republican Party.  And it's about the image of America to the world.  And it's about that whole aid-and-comfort thing to the enemy.

As I've said, I don't think Donald Trump will get the GOP nomination, though I don't remotely dismiss the possibility.  (And it's not like a Dr. Ben Carson -- who is not getting the nomination -- or Ted Cruz is all that impressively better.)  But it's largely moot because so much of the damage has been done.

And I repeat, as well, the Republican Party did this to itself.  And the rest of America are being force to deal with the collateral damage and clean up the mess.  But the GOP has intentionally so deeply driven its base to fear and hate almost anything that is different and to distrust science and facts and realty that they have brought the Trump Effect on themselves.  And when a third of a party supports a candidates who is spouting fascist, racist hate, and other candidates bring that percentage up higher, it's next to impossible not to describe that as an identity of today's Republican Party.  Not "the" identify, but a central part of the core base.

And until the Republican Party leadership and, for the moment, the non-racist, non-fascist, horrified members of the party accept that reality and figure out a way to reclaim itself, it will be a party complicit in destroying itself and ripping the fabric of America.

I believe very strongly that it will right the ship.  I don't trust that it will.  And so you watch and respond.  Always.

​Never again.  For everyone.