Abu Hena :
Donald Trump, the Republican Party nominee for Presidential election on 8 November, is dividing the American nation along race, religion, color and class. He calls for a complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States and the “extreme vetting” of immigrants. He talks of reviving libel laws to make it easier to sue news organizations over critical coverage. He hurled an ethnic-tinged attack on a Federal Judge that raises questions about his commitment to an independent judiciary. And his incendiary nativism and bigotry has fuelled racial tensions and has induced inflaming far-right views on race .He treats the African-Americans as “separate but equal”, meets them in the African-American church and asks, “What do you lose by voting for me? “While campaigning for the election he is purposefully dividing America, the great nation, into opposing camps, spreading discord and dissention, disaffection and disunity among its patriotic citizens who live in harmony.
Identity politics as preached and promoted by Trump distorts the established truth that Americans are one nation. His campaign breeds contempt and discontentment and demeans the unforgettable words of the American icon, Abraham Lincoln: “Let us at all times remember all American citizens are brothers of a common country, and should dwell together in the bonds of fraternal feeling.”
In the United States, the freedom to hold any religious belief, or none at all, is considered a basic, or unalienable right. The government, or any public official cannot violate this right. Religious intolerance is unacceptable in a society where everyone has individual freedom. George Washington, Father of the Country clearly outlined the policy of the United States towards “the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations And Religions”, in these famous words: “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges, if by decency and propriety of conduct they appear to merit the enjoyment.”
In the case of West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943), Justice Robert Jackson delivered the opinion of the court in these words: “The very purpose of a Bill of Rights was to withdraw certain subjects from the vicissitudes of political controversy, to place them beyond the reach of majorities and officials and to establish them as legal principles to be applied by the courts. One’s right to life, liberty, and property, to free speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly, and other fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections… If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.” Contemptuous of the court’s verdict, Donald Trump, who has been accorded presidential treatment in some ways since his nomination, has prescribed what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion” and other “matters of opinion” and vowed to “force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.” What’s he talking about? He said, ” an ideological certification” would be required. He wants “fundamental rights” to be “submitted to vote” so that “they depend on the outcome of elections.” By doing so Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee has violated the First Amendment and has, thus, disqualified himself to be the President of the United States of America.
“Our constitution is color- blind”, wrote Justice John Marshall Harlan (1896) in a powerful dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson case, “and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens.” His words helped overturn the “Separate but equal” precedent in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education establishing the political rights of African-Americans. The court ruled: “In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law. The humblest is the peer of the most powerful. The law regards man as man and takes no account of his surroundings or of his color when his civil rights as guaranteed by the supreme law of the land are involved.” By his expressions and actions Trump has proved that he does not represent all Americans as a candidate for presidency. He pioneers the cause of a particular ‘core base ‘ and downplays others to please them. “If Trump should pivot on immigration or try to redefine amnesty, he will begin to lose support from his original core base,” warned Representative Steve King, Republican of Iowa, one of the most conservative voices on immigration in the House of Representatives. It proves he does not represent the American nation as a whole, but a section of it and does not hesitate to publicly humiliate them in order to keep the ‘original core base’ in good humor. While doing that, “He’s reducing a serious policy discussion to pep-rally vote and cheering the loudest for the team. It’s insulting, it’s dangerous. It’s unprecedented,” said Angie Kelley, the executive director of the center for American Progress Action Fund. “It’s not a small issue. It’s 11 million people,” Angie Kelley said.
Several times, Trump turned to the audience in what he told his host, Sean Hannity, was “like a poll”. “No.1 we’ll say, throw out,” Trump said. He calls the Mexicans “criminal aliens, rapists” as if all except the Mexicans are saints. He argues that immigration has sown chaos across middle-class neighborhoods. This is false. Research suggests that the recent surge in immigration has made America’s streets safe. He argues that the flood of immigrants is taking jobs away from unskilled native workers. This is also not true. Research shows that immigration has little effect on native wage. That’s because immigrants flow into different types of unskilled jobs. They tend to do jobs as maids, cooks, farm workers. Americans are not interested in such jobs. A report from the New American Economy found that immigrants accounted for 28 percent of all new small businesses in 2011.Between 2006 and 2016, over 40 percent of tech start-ups in Silicon Valley had at least one foreign-born founder. As Ted Hesson points out, The Atlantic, New York, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles account for 20 percent of America’s economic output, and in those places, immigrants can make up as much as 44 percent of the total labor supply.
All people in the United States have the basic freedoms and protections outlined in the founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The U.S. government, as established in the Constitution, protects the rights of each individual, without regard to background, culture, or religion. The Constitution establishes the U.S. system of representative democracy and outlines the inherent principles of freedom, liberty, and opportunity to which all citizens are entitled. When the Constitution and its ideals are challenged, as is being done now, citizens must defend these principles against all adversaries. Many American legal scholars and historians are of the opinion that Donald Trump threatens constitutional guarantees and American democratic traditions.
[Writer was elected MP in the Bangladesh Parliament in 1996 and 2001]
Donald Trump, the Republican Party nominee for Presidential election on 8 November, is dividing the American nation along race, religion, color and class. He calls for a complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States and the “extreme vetting” of immigrants. He talks of reviving libel laws to make it easier to sue news organizations over critical coverage. He hurled an ethnic-tinged attack on a Federal Judge that raises questions about his commitment to an independent judiciary. And his incendiary nativism and bigotry has fuelled racial tensions and has induced inflaming far-right views on race .He treats the African-Americans as “separate but equal”, meets them in the African-American church and asks, “What do you lose by voting for me? “While campaigning for the election he is purposefully dividing America, the great nation, into opposing camps, spreading discord and dissention, disaffection and disunity among its patriotic citizens who live in harmony.
Identity politics as preached and promoted by Trump distorts the established truth that Americans are one nation. His campaign breeds contempt and discontentment and demeans the unforgettable words of the American icon, Abraham Lincoln: “Let us at all times remember all American citizens are brothers of a common country, and should dwell together in the bonds of fraternal feeling.”
In the United States, the freedom to hold any religious belief, or none at all, is considered a basic, or unalienable right. The government, or any public official cannot violate this right. Religious intolerance is unacceptable in a society where everyone has individual freedom. George Washington, Father of the Country clearly outlined the policy of the United States towards “the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations And Religions”, in these famous words: “The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges, if by decency and propriety of conduct they appear to merit the enjoyment.”
In the case of West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943), Justice Robert Jackson delivered the opinion of the court in these words: “The very purpose of a Bill of Rights was to withdraw certain subjects from the vicissitudes of political controversy, to place them beyond the reach of majorities and officials and to establish them as legal principles to be applied by the courts. One’s right to life, liberty, and property, to free speech, a free press, freedom of worship and assembly, and other fundamental rights may not be submitted to vote; they depend on the outcome of no elections… If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.” Contemptuous of the court’s verdict, Donald Trump, who has been accorded presidential treatment in some ways since his nomination, has prescribed what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion” and other “matters of opinion” and vowed to “force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.” What’s he talking about? He said, ” an ideological certification” would be required. He wants “fundamental rights” to be “submitted to vote” so that “they depend on the outcome of elections.” By doing so Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee has violated the First Amendment and has, thus, disqualified himself to be the President of the United States of America.
“Our constitution is color- blind”, wrote Justice John Marshall Harlan (1896) in a powerful dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson case, “and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens.” His words helped overturn the “Separate but equal” precedent in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education establishing the political rights of African-Americans. The court ruled: “In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law. The humblest is the peer of the most powerful. The law regards man as man and takes no account of his surroundings or of his color when his civil rights as guaranteed by the supreme law of the land are involved.” By his expressions and actions Trump has proved that he does not represent all Americans as a candidate for presidency. He pioneers the cause of a particular ‘core base ‘ and downplays others to please them. “If Trump should pivot on immigration or try to redefine amnesty, he will begin to lose support from his original core base,” warned Representative Steve King, Republican of Iowa, one of the most conservative voices on immigration in the House of Representatives. It proves he does not represent the American nation as a whole, but a section of it and does not hesitate to publicly humiliate them in order to keep the ‘original core base’ in good humor. While doing that, “He’s reducing a serious policy discussion to pep-rally vote and cheering the loudest for the team. It’s insulting, it’s dangerous. It’s unprecedented,” said Angie Kelley, the executive director of the center for American Progress Action Fund. “It’s not a small issue. It’s 11 million people,” Angie Kelley said.
Several times, Trump turned to the audience in what he told his host, Sean Hannity, was “like a poll”. “No.1 we’ll say, throw out,” Trump said. He calls the Mexicans “criminal aliens, rapists” as if all except the Mexicans are saints. He argues that immigration has sown chaos across middle-class neighborhoods. This is false. Research suggests that the recent surge in immigration has made America’s streets safe. He argues that the flood of immigrants is taking jobs away from unskilled native workers. This is also not true. Research shows that immigration has little effect on native wage. That’s because immigrants flow into different types of unskilled jobs. They tend to do jobs as maids, cooks, farm workers. Americans are not interested in such jobs. A report from the New American Economy found that immigrants accounted for 28 percent of all new small businesses in 2011.Between 2006 and 2016, over 40 percent of tech start-ups in Silicon Valley had at least one foreign-born founder. As Ted Hesson points out, The Atlantic, New York, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles account for 20 percent of America’s economic output, and in those places, immigrants can make up as much as 44 percent of the total labor supply.
All people in the United States have the basic freedoms and protections outlined in the founding documents, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The U.S. government, as established in the Constitution, protects the rights of each individual, without regard to background, culture, or religion. The Constitution establishes the U.S. system of representative democracy and outlines the inherent principles of freedom, liberty, and opportunity to which all citizens are entitled. When the Constitution and its ideals are challenged, as is being done now, citizens must defend these principles against all adversaries. Many American legal scholars and historians are of the opinion that Donald Trump threatens constitutional guarantees and American democratic traditions.
[Writer was elected MP in the Bangladesh Parliament in 1996 and 2001]
