Editorial — Please! No ‘Trumpism’ here!

July 26, 2016 · 0 Comments

Sadly, we were in receipt the other day of an emailed letter sent to Dufferin-Caledon’s MP David Tilson and MPP Sylvia Jones.
Apparently in reaction to the Bastille Day carnage in Nice, France, in which a large rented truck killed at least 84 men, women and children on a street where traffic had been prohibited during a fireworks display, the letter went on to adopt much of the strange blend of fear and racism that seems might make Donald Trump the next United States president.
We decided against accepting an offer to publish the letter, preferring instead to let readers know some of its more troubling contents and to respond to them.
The writer said events in Nice had prompted him to speak, adding, “I encourage friends, relatives, and all Canadians to do the same. We have reached the ‘enough-is-enough’ stage. It is no longer satisfactory or acceptable for our prime minister to say ‘Canadians are shocked’. We are not shocked! Nor are we even surprised by these ongoing despicable acts. I am sick and tired of consoling words, flower tributes and teddy bear monuments. It is time for action!”
The action would include NATO declaring war on terrorism and Canada spending more on the military. “I am particularly calling on Canada to lead, to get tough and eradicate these cowardly ‘religious’ zealots, properly vet new immigrants, especially from Muslim countries.”
The writer also called for “much stricter monitoring of mosques” and for “moderate” Islam to speak up: “Why are you so afraid to confront terrorism IF it is in your midst?”
The CBS news program 60 Minutes Sunday included an interview Lesley Stahl had with Donald Trump and his newly picked running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
During it, Trump said that as president he will “declare war” on ISIS and get NATO to play a leading role. But he denied that his “war” would involve sending more than a few U.S. troops, claimed he had opposed the Iraq war and when told Pence had voted for it, responded that his running mate was entitled to have made a few mistakes. (But not Hillary Clinton, who also voted for the invasion.)
As usual, not citing evidence to base his claims, the Republican candidate attributed the terrorist atrocities in Belgium and France to a failure of the Obama administration to have enough spies abroad, saying his “war” would involve sending a lot more agents.
Another Trump route to making “America great again” is to build walls — a physical one along the border with Mexico and trade walls under the guise of “free” trade, based on an assumption that relatively tiny neighbours Canada and Mexico out-bargained the U.S. negotiators.
As we see it, Trumpism already abounds in the U.S. The current flow of Syrian refugees is barely a trickle, the nation of 320 million having set a target of 10,000 by next September, by which time the Canadian government and sponsors will likely have brought in 40,000.
The Trump “solution” is to go much further, by cutting off all such immigration, on grounds some of the refugees might have terrorists concealed in their midst.
Well, with 30,000 Syrian refugees now in our midst, how many terrorist acts have we witnessed since our change of government?
To put it another way, is it a coincidence that France, with its law restricting Muslim costumes, has been hit so hard while Germany, with 400,000 Syrian-refugee immigrants, has escaped the horrors?
Our prediction: If Donald Trump occupies the White House and carries out his promises, the U.S. will be targeted even more than France.