who let that thing in here
[from december 8, 2015, context: Trump starts winning primaries]
main post
This is officially not funny anymore. We have seen this pattern before many times. People are upset and scared. One person stands above the crowd, offering someone to blame, saying that we can make this country great again for red-blooded citizens like you and me if we just get rid of Them.
That's how it starts. But we know how it ends. When your grandchildren ask, "Why didn't anybody stop him?", what will you say?
first comment
That's the historical angle. Here's the empirical one: Muslim terrorists are not a major threat to this country. Statistically, if you are a US citizen, you will almost certainly die of physical illness. If not, if you die suddenly, it will most likely be from suicide or a car accident. Way down in the corner there is violence, of which terrorism is a tiny fraction. And guess what? Most terrorists aren't Muslim! It's less than 10%, depending on who you ask. So restricting Muslims is a terrible idea even just for that reason, least important of the three I'm laying out here. http://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/
second comment
Third and most important: ideology. 3a), Daesh (aka ISIS) depends heavily on the narrative that the West hates Muslims. We can prevent further radicalization by proving them wrong. 3b), what do you stand for? How do you make important choices? If you're a Christian, you're called to show Christ's love - to your neighbors, who as mentioned in my previous post are terrified right now, and to those who would call themselves your enemies. If you're an American, take some time this week to remind yourself what this country is about. Read the Declaration, the Constitution, the Bill, the Address. Freedom is scary. But it is something we have been willing to fight and die for. Trump is not. His cynical lack of faith that society can function without tagging and tracking people like cattle is fundamentally un-American. But I still believe in this country. I believe that our values can tell us what we should do, if we but have the courage to live up to them.
main post
This is officially not funny anymore. We have seen this pattern before many times. People are upset and scared. One person stands above the crowd, offering someone to blame, saying that we can make this country great again for red-blooded citizens like you and me if we just get rid of Them.
That's how it starts. But we know how it ends. When your grandchildren ask, "Why didn't anybody stop him?", what will you say?
first comment
That's the historical angle. Here's the empirical one: Muslim terrorists are not a major threat to this country. Statistically, if you are a US citizen, you will almost certainly die of physical illness. If not, if you die suddenly, it will most likely be from suicide or a car accident. Way down in the corner there is violence, of which terrorism is a tiny fraction. And guess what? Most terrorists aren't Muslim! It's less than 10%, depending on who you ask. So restricting Muslims is a terrible idea even just for that reason, least important of the three I'm laying out here. http://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/
second comment
Third and most important: ideology. 3a), Daesh (aka ISIS) depends heavily on the narrative that the West hates Muslims. We can prevent further radicalization by proving them wrong. 3b), what do you stand for? How do you make important choices? If you're a Christian, you're called to show Christ's love - to your neighbors, who as mentioned in my previous post are terrified right now, and to those who would call themselves your enemies. If you're an American, take some time this week to remind yourself what this country is about. Read the Declaration, the Constitution, the Bill, the Address. Freedom is scary. But it is something we have been willing to fight and die for. Trump is not. His cynical lack of faith that society can function without tagging and tracking people like cattle is fundamentally un-American. But I still believe in this country. I believe that our values can tell us what we should do, if we but have the courage to live up to them.