Thank God for the ACLU and the two women judges who last night managed to put a stay on Trump/Bannon's excutive order banning Muslims from seven countries. It is worth noting that none of the seven countries on the list have been implicated in a single action of terrorism against the United States.
Muslim countries with which Trump does business, like Saudi Arabia (from which 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 hailed) were not included in the ban.
Nor was there any ban on white males from Charleston, North Carolina, or Newtown, Connecticut. Thought I'd throw that in.
Travelers from the seven countries holding valid green cards were included in the ban, and were not allowed to re-enter the United States until the stay was issued last night. By then, many passengers had been put on planes back to where they traveled from.
At airports across the country, people gathered to protest the fascist order. In New York City, someone drove a van with several little girls in hijabs out to the airport so they could see that they were supported, it was not all hate.
At dinner last night, before the courts challenged the constitutionality of the Muslim ban, I said to my friend, "People keep marching yet Trump keeps issuing these insane executive orders and no one who can seems willing to stop him." She said, "It is important for us to gather and show the world that we don't agree with those orders." She's so right.
When I got home my cousin called me from DC with the news that the ACLU had brought suit and a judge had put a halt on Trump/Bannon's Muslim ban. She said, "We're fighting! Oh, I'm so happy, we're fighting!"
There is so much to fight at every turn. This morning I learned that while people marched yesterday, Trump installed Bannon, the unelected white nationalist, to a permanent seat on the National Security Council. With the same executive order he removed from the council the nation's top intelligence person and top military person, relegating them to "invite only" status. We did not vote for Bannon and yet he seems to be running the president like a wind-up toy.
I'm exhausted, but by no means down for the count.
And meanwhile, Bush's puppet master, Dick Cheney, has harsh words to say about Trump. CHENEY!
ReplyDeleteWho will stop this monster and his evil henchmen? Who?
This morning the Canadian news was talking about "the wall". There was a man born in Mexico, living here in Canada, that was so articulate and intelligent. He was so calm and polite saying in such a nice way that Trump is off his rocker and made a promise that he had no way to actually follow up on. I wish I had got his name because I would have posted it. It wasn't just the impossibility of building a wall but about the fact that Mexico is one of the US allies. And 80% of people living in the US are living there legally and contributing to the betterment of the US.
ReplyDeleteAs for your overwhelm, just focus on what's really important. That is all you can do.
" . . . so articulate and intelligent." If I had a dollar for every time someone used those words to describe me . . . Whites were forever telling me how different I was from most Black people. As if they knew all Blacks. My reaction upon hearing or seeing those words in any context is like picking at scabs: unintentional and painful.
ReplyDeleteI forgot what this post is about! Sorry. So many images flashing before me. I always enjoy your posts. You give me food for thought and self-examination.
Now I remember why all this hurts so much. Immigrants vs Slavery. Divide and conquer. There are many sides behind every issue. http://atlantablackstar.com/2017/01/24/historic-womens-march-controversial-black-women/ Sometimes I show up here seeking . . .
Ouch. I didn't even *think* the words you are accusing me of saying. His being articulate intelligent were not "he's intelligent, articulate AND from Mexico". It was about an intelligent and articulate man living in Canada that is from Mexico and his views about building a wall. It was about a man who in a two minute interview had more class, insight and knowledge that the president. The only reason his country of origin was even mentioned was because the interview was about the impact on the Mexican people. I am sorry that my words came across as offensive but they absolutely had nothing to do with your interpretation.
DeleteAh, sweet friends, how wound tight we all are by this awful new reality. I know without a doubt that neither of you meant any offense at all. Limner, I know what you're saying, of course. Who can forget when Joe Biden said of the young senator Barack Obama, "He's clean, he's articulate, he's bright." A lot of people took offense, as if Biden was saying it was a surprise to find a black man who was those things, but Biden didn't really mean it to come off that way, at least not consciously, and if he was responding to unconscious cues, well, I think we all do at times. Thank God Obama didn't disqualify him from being his VP because of that comment, because what a powerful brotherhood they subsequently forged. My point, I suppose, is that while I understand how you, Limner, heard those words "articulate and intelligent," I'm quite sure that's not what you, Birdie, meant by them. Thank you both for being here, all of us in conversation, all of us seeking the ground on which we can stand together, against the true dangers rising before us. I so appreciate you both.
DeleteWhatever you do, please try not to be exhausted. A commenter on another blog I read posted this article, which may help with what you are feeling: https://medium.com/the-coffeelicious/how-to-stayoutraged-without-losing-your-mind-fc0c41aa68f3#.4i5ixu5n5
ReplyDeleteAgain you have said how I feel. To borrow an Australian term, I have been gobsmacked by the naked grab for power of this administration -- with no regard for the fact that they (it's not just T***p) have violated the Constitution and the basic value system of the US. I think some of why we feel so disoriented is that while we may have been prepared to have people in the White House who did not agree with us, we did not expect to see someone capable of torching the country and what we stand for. We will, however, overcome.
ReplyDeleteThank God for judges, courts, checks and balances and the ACLU. I'm so glad we donated to them and we'll donate more. This is the scariest time I recall ever living through, even compared to post-9/11.
ReplyDeleteExcept that some of the border agents chose to ignore the judge's order and continued to execute Trump's ban. Whether out of ignorance of the law, fear or loyalty to Trump is moot, but it's all a tad concerning.
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