Monthly archives: July, 2018

Synagogue Vandalized with Anti-Semitic Symbols: Will Donald Trump Tell Us There Are “Good People on Both Sides?”

vandalized synagogue, Nazi symbols, Indiana
vandalized synagogue, Nazi symbols, Indiana

Congregation Shaarey Tefilla in Carmel, Indiana, was targeted by vandals who spray painted a Nazi flag and other symbols on the property.

A synagogue outside Indianapolis was vandalized with anti-Semitic graffiti was discovered over the weekend.

From the IndyStar:

According to the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council, the vandalism occurred at Congregation Shaarey Tefilla in the 3000 block of West 116th Street in Carmel. The vandalism occurred late Friday or early Saturday and was discovered Saturday morning.

The crime scene remained intact and surrounded in yellow police tape Sunday morning. The graffiti, which comprised a pair of Nazi flags and iron crosses, was spray painted on two walls of a brick shed that surrounds the property’s garbage bin.

On the grass in front of one of the Nazi flags, there are apparent burn marks in two places, and a portion of the graffiti bears a black burn mark, too.

Will Donald Trump tell us there are “good people on both sides” again? Will Sarah Huckabee Sanders tell us, “Look, obviously the president disapproves of vandalism of any kind,” when, in fact, nothing is obvious about this president at all?

Except that he never comes right out and condemns Nazis.

Except that he “dog whistles” to the racists all the time.

Except that we honestly don’t know where he stands on race and racism, except that we do.

We know exactly where Donald J. Trump stands on racism. He tells us every time a brown child is separated from her parents, stripped from her parents, as they come to America seeking asylum.

Donald Trump has told us repeatedly where he stands on racism.

He stands with Fox News. He stands with Steve Bannon.

He stands as one of the leaders of the Alt-Right in America.

From the Human Rights Watch:

Claiming the “animals” comment is just about MS-13 is a semantic trick – don’t buy it. Trump’s policies put immigrants in the crosshairs; he is increasing deportations of deeply-rooted, hardworking people away from their homes, families, and communities. While claiming to protect us from dangerous gangsters, he makes it US policy to rip children from the arms of their parents in order to criminalize migrants and asylum seekers and break families apart through massive deportations. Americans should see through this ploy and reject the inhumane policies that Trump’s rhetoric serves.

We should see through all of his ploys. He is a dangerous, dangerous man.

We must #resist.


The Fear of Trump Among the Elderly

senior, man, fearful, sad
senior, man, fearful, sad

A man fearful, sad. (Creative Commons)

I don’t know if there’s anything so under-reported and so heart-wrenching right now as the fear of Donald Trump among the elderly. There is a grave terror, almost, of what Trump and the Trump Administration might do to the safety net supporting the vast majority of our senior Americans. This is across the board, although some are more fearful than others, depending on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, veterans, those with physical or mental disabilities — no one seems to consider herself or himself safe.

Had a conversation yesterday with a retired couple. They’re white, middle class, now living on a fixed income. But their fear is palpable. The rumblings among the GOP in Congress to gut or privatize Social Security, slash Medicare — these are real concerns for this couple.

I’ve heard similar fears expressed by older family members and friends. The revolt would be great and gray.

GOP governors have already hacked away at Medicaid, with Maine’s GOP Governor Paul LePage saying earlier this month “he would rather ‘go to jail’ than expand Medicaid programs without a long-term plan for substantial funding.” That’s a nice statement, and, on the surface, it sounds like responsible economics. But what is he doing to secure such sustainable funding? And what is the economic cost of people dying early or young because of lack of access to health care?

If we examine news reports, we find some coverage of Social Security, fears of what Paul Ryan might do to Medicare, but this anxiety our longtime residents feel about Donald Trump, is, I believe, under-reported.

And I hope some news organizations begin to take a closer look.


Insulter-In-Chief Can’t Do Simple Math

Donald Trump mocks disabled reporter
Donald Trump smug smile

Donald Trump, willfully ignorant.

Donald Trump flaunts his ignorance.

In Illinois, state representatives used to say that former-now-disgraced Gov. Rod Blagojevich governed by press conference. He would rarely speak with legislators as people, rarely talk policy. Instead, he would talk about legislators to the press, in the press.

He lived for interviews.

Donald Trump governs — if you could call it– that, by insult.

His latest, attacking Dems. All Dems, I guess, everywhere. But focusing on Congress this time.

First, Trump has a penchant to randomly capitalize words. And only he understands why and what he is trying to emphasize.

Here, he says:

Democrats in Congress must no longer Obstruct [sic] – vote to fix our terrible Immigration Laws [sic] now. I  am watching what is going on from Europe — it would be soooo simple to fix. Judges run the system and illegals and traffickers know how it works. They are just using children!

Let’s consider how un-presidential this word salad sounds. The New York Whiner hasn’t a clue — or willfully ignores — the facts. Many, many people trying to enter this country are asking for asylum, these “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Kyle Griffin of MSNBC’s @TheLastWord captures a portion of Trump’s willful ignorance:

Democrats don’t control Congress. The House voted on two immigration bills in June — neither had majority Republican support.

But, hey, why should math bother this President? Why get bogged down with facts when incendiary charges work so much better.


Trump’s America: 92-year-old Beaten with a Brick

Rodolfo Rodriguez
Rodolfo Rodriguez

Rodolfo Rodriguez, age 92, legal U.S. resident.

Welcome to America, Rodolfo Rodriguez.

Wait. Mr. Rodriguez is a legal United States resident, 92-years-young.

And a woman beat him because he looks, well, different. You know. Not like an “American.”

Okay, he’s not White.

Here’s the horrible news:

Rodolfo Rodriguez, 92, set out about 8 p.m. on Independence Day on his regular evening walk around his Los Angeles neighborhood, relatives told KTLA. But what happened next was anything but routine.

When Rodriguez bumped into a young girl while trying to pass her on the sidewalk near his home, the toddler’s mother shoved him to the ground and beat him in the face with a brick, police told the station.

After a passer-by stopped to record the incident on video and call police, four men ran up and began kicking Rodriguez while the child’s mother shouted at him, reported KCBS.

“Go back to your country, why are you here, bad things,” the witness said the mother told Rodriguez, who is a legal U.S. resident, according to the station.

Welcome to Trump’s America.

Why didn’t President Trump apologize for the actions of this White person? President Obama was called on the carpet each and every time a Person of Color allegedly did something inappropriate.

Why are things different now?

I wonder.