“THEY are not coming to this nation, if I am elected,” was one of Donald Trump’s promises made on his campaign trail and that the American president dutifully implemented, unlike many other of his disgusting promises, such as the Mexican wall.
Not surprisingly, barring citizens from seven (reduced to six later) Muslim countries from joining the US was one of the earliest decisions he made as president.
The president recently granted executive clemency to four Blackwater security guards convicted for the cold-blooded murder of 14 (17 according to the Iraqi version) civilians in Baghdad in 2007, an act denounced not only by the Iraqi people but also by many Americans, including Congressmen, in line with his parochial bent of mind that he has made no effort to disguise.
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Our blood is cheaper than water,” said a student from Baghdad, while retired U.S. general Mark Hertling called the pardon “regretful and shameful,” and added an apt rebuke: “Mr. President, shame on you! ”
Mr. Trump had two island reasons for pardoning those responsible for the crime in Baghdad’s Nisour Square: first, the victims must be predominantly Muslim; second, one of his close supporters led Blackwater. In his misplaced Christmas Eve generosity, this partisan streak runs through the 15 individuals he offered clemency to.
Legislators and others who admitted lying to federal prosecutors during the investigation into the suspected Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign are among the convicted felons he rescued from the effects of their crime. “A rights watchdog termed the three Congressmen pardoned by Mr. Trump as “most crooked.
The attitude of Mr Trump towards Muslims and his neighbours in Latin America smacked of religious bigotry and irrational racism, while his xenophobic outbursts often shocked the allies of his country in Europe, eroding the moral foundations of America’s claim to world leadership.
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Finally, on January 20, the Trump era will end, leaving the Democratic administration with the stupendous but ungrateful task of rehabilitating the reputation of America as an upholder of liberal, democratic ideals.
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