During this time of crisis, some have cited Pearl Harbor. That citation does have validity but, I’d like to remind people of another event in World War II that we should remember.
I remember as a kid being taught about the US internment camps. Citizens of Japanese descent were forcibly rounded up and imprisoned during World War II. US citizens were imprisoned simply because of their ethnicity. It was an act of fear and stupidity and it diminished us.
I’ve been reading news that this ugly bigotry is on the rise again. People are being singled out for harassment and attacks by stupid, cowardly fools because of skin color, clothing or religious beliefs, real or imagined.
A lot of folks are asking themselves what they can do to help the country now. I’ve decided that my job is to stop this kind of hatred, if and whenever or wherever I see it, and to offer support to my local Muslim community.
Diversity is strength. Anyone who attacks that, is no patriot. Salaam. Shalom. Peace.
Bullshit, the Japanese internment was not that bad of a thing. It was necessary, and probably saved many of their lives from dangerous elements (rednecks) in the US. They had food and medical facilities, schools, newspapers, weddings and entertainment. It wasn’t any dream vacation, and many of them lost their property and businesses. But on the other hand they were not forced into slave labor. Their children were not made into “comfort girls.” And to my knowledge we didn’t gas any of them and bake them at 450 until done. War is war, yes we are a melting pot nation, and during normal times everyone is innocent until proven guilty. However passenger jets being piloted into buildings containing tens of thousands of people and our government doesn’t equate to my standard of normalcy.
The first thing I would do is rescind any visa’s issued to any people coming from known terrorist countries. I would immediately and forcibly deport all out of status foreigners, no more appeals processes and standard procedures, just a nice big boot in the rear. Shutting down the borders, and I mean shoot to kill shut down. No rounding up the Mexicans and giving them a ride back to Mexico to try again, I mean helicopter gun ships blowing them into Gila monster food. The sheer number of illegal immigrants is a cover for the dangerous infiltrators, when we start killing them they will think twice about trying to come, lowering the noise floor. Canada’s border will get the same treatment, plus we already know that the majority of terrorists are coming out of there, if they can’t do a better job of securing their points of entry we can annex them and do it ourselves.
Secret police searching your house? Detaining you without provocation, or because you look like you might be associated with a terrorist? Go for it. Someone called in a bomb threat to a school in NY after the WTC collapsed, I heard they intend to give him 25 years, why so lenient? It is time to make examples, America is a wounded rabid bear with a bad attitude and a taste for blood, bring on the meat.
Now wait a minute. You and I have known each other a long time. What if we we’re to go to war against France or Switzerland tomorrow?
You’ve got a French-sounding last name, how well do I really know you, eh? Sure you claim to be the at least third-generation, native born but how can we trust that? What’s the story, eh, Pierre?
I’m completely joking of course.
And not that it will ever happen. It’s suspicious how selective we are in applying this internment camp rule. We didn’t lockup many citizens, even of recent immigration, of German or Italian descent during WWII. Primarily because they were white. We singled out the Japanese because their facial features made them easy to pick out. It was racism plain and simple.
While it is entirely true that Japanese-Americans were not enslaved or exterminated while in these camps, many of their homes and businesses, which they bought and paid for, were repossessed unfairly and without due compensation.
And one of the most heavily decorated units in the US military during WWII was composed of Japanese-Americans. Many of them said they fought so hard and sacrificed above and beyond because they wanted to prove their loyalty.
Look, please understand, that I am not saying that we shouldn’t use the police to search for and prosecute known terrorist cells in the United States. I am not saying that we shouldn’t increase the rigor of our immigrant screening processes to shut out known criminals.
But just yesterday I saw a clip on the news where some stupid kids that were shouting insults from their expensive sportscar while outside a mosque. Sikh cab drivers are being threaten or even beat up. Death threats are being phoned to innocent people, who just happen to be Persian, Arab or Muslim. This kind of hysteria I want no part of. It’s not the ideal I pledge loyalty too.
In a panic driven climate like this, it’s very easy for some politician to pass some law that all Arabs or muslims should be put into camps or racially profiled, “for their own protection.”
I’m sure the Nazis made the same rationale back in the early thirties.
Sure, this is the United States. It will never happen here, right? But the news I saw yesterday, just sickened me. Now in this time, we should be gathering together. We should be fearless and confident. We should be drawing on the strength of all our people. Our citizens shouldn’t live in fear just because they drive a cab and wear a turban. Or worship at a mosque.
Okay I am ranting and I know you aren’t a racist. And I am not angry with you dude. I am just worried that we might loose control in this heat and passion. We must not become the thing we hate.
Hmm. I don’t know. It’s way too early in the morning and I am beginning to rant, miscommunicate and miss the point. Perhaps I should take these entries down.
And actually, I did some news yesterday that made me very proud and grateful to be a part of this country.
Just a few days ago, there was a mosque in Northgate were there was a hate crime. But then suddenly, the surrounding community, many of whom were white, gathered around the mosque and condemned the hate crime, carried placards praising diversity and religious tolerance, sang songs of support and laid flowers at the doors, inside and outside the mosque.
It was a beautiful moment. I felt at that time, that if we keep this kind of wisdom, no one can defeat us.
Duh, I am not saying that the moronic general public should be harrasing people that look Arabic. I’m saying that if you are trying to catch Tuna you don’t look in every body of water on the planet (just to maintain some stupid facade of political correctness.) These terrorists are muslims who come from the middle east, only an idiot wouldn’t be looking at those communities for them. Racial profiling? You bet, so the fuck what? I am not saying that we should discriminate against them, or shoot everyone in a turban, however enforcing current immigration laws, even if it was disparately against that community, seems prudent given the circumstances.
To refute your contention that I wouldn’t like it if I was racialy profiled, I say bullshit. If Switzerland attacked the US I would completly understand the FBI investigating me, racially profiling me, or detaining me if they felt it was in the interest of National security. As for warring with France, well I don’t think that the US is alturistic enough to rid the world of the French scurge.
And as for the Japanese internment camps, I am not ashamed of what the US did (other than the confiscation of property.) As I said before, the camps probobly saved many Japanese from the stupid vigalanteism that you complain about. Sure it was an act of fear, justifyable fear though. It was not stupid, the Japanese followed their emperor unflinchingly, you do not know if some of the internees may have indeed sabatoged our war effort.
BTW, I believe we did intern some Italians and Germans as well.
And what’s with the fucking censorship? If I want to say fuck, it should say fuck. What bullshit.
Baka,
I think that I’ve raised some valid, but perhaps unpopular, points. I’m sticking by them. You’ve raised some excellent points too.
However I don’t think your points invalidate much of what I’ve said so far. Being vigilent against racist and religious hysteria doesn’t weaken the processes of increased security in this country. In fact I’d argue that it increases security. We can restrain and condemn the stupidity of the general public while at the same time improving the ability of police to find and arrest the real bad guys. Even President Shrub agrees with me.
As for the censorship, read the FAQ.
Mr. Farlops: If you are who I think you are ….
Mr. Farlops, you backpacking, blues-loving, rubber chicken stretching lovegod. I knew you were very deep, but I had no idea you could be so graceful and creative in expressing it. Is this your job or are you just sportin’ about? I won’t add to your wise words on the quick bigotry of our rabble, other than to say, “If we didn’t have stupid rednecks, who would we get to say ‘you want fries with that?'”
I just hope President Shrub (Did you coin that? I like it!) doesn’t start WWIII with a bunch of stupid moves.
I never got a chance to say that I really appreciated you being our roadie last July. It’s always fun to have you around. What I have read here will give us much to talk about next time I see you. My dad (and yours) would have been thrilled and impressed.
That is, if you are who I think you are.