Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Trump Proposes Barring All Muslims from Entering US — Even American Citizens
Ugh.
Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump wants to bar all Muslims from entering the United States.
In a statement from his campaign, Trump called for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the United States until elected leaders can “figure out what is going on.
When asked by The Hill whether that would include Muslim-American citizens currently abroad, Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks replied over email: “Mr. Trump says, ‘everyone.'”
Is it too much to ask candidates to read the Constitution before running for the presidency?
Published in General
Knucklehead.
Psh, citing the constitution is just a GOP establishment keeping the status quo. We need to shake things up!
Works for me.
Will this finally break the Trumpian spell? Prudent caution is one thing, throwing the 1st Amendment into the shredder (for starters) is quite another.
Where in the Constitution does it bar the US government from picking and choosing who can and can’t come in? For large periods of our history prior to 1965, this was in fact standard practice.
Edit: I missed the part about citizens abroad, so Mea Culpa on that one. I do however, think we should look at withdrawing citizenship from Islamist immigrants that have allied themselves with ISIS or Al Qaeda. If we can do it to ex-Nazis, I dont’ see why people that think blowing up the folks that give them baby showers should be exempt.
He’s also saying this would apply to Muslims who are American citizens.
So prior to 1965 standard practice of the US government was to bar US citizens of certain ethnicities from re-entering the country if they traveled abroad?
This guy is a clown right? Anyone who supports this has no business saying they care about the Constitution.
Listen, I hate all Muslims just as much as anyone else** …
but …
I feel like I was just having an argument with a couple of brick walls on the topic of whether Trump – even if he wasn’t a ridiculous, unserious, uniformed, and utterly despicable character – could ever possibly win a general election if he somehow managed to get the nomination.
So are the brick walls standing by this one?* Agree all you want with his position; I’m talking about winning a general election.
*[Editors’ Note: Again, focus on the argument, not the person.]
[I wasn’t referring to anyone specific! I should have said “I felt like I was arguing with a brick wall” but I didn’t because there have been multiple people, on multiple threads, saying similar things]
**sarcasm
American citizens that haven’t been convicted of a crime? So…if, for example, while he was still alive, Fouad Ajami had decided to visit France, and upon his return to NYC, you would tell him, sorry, you are refused entry to the US. Seriously?
So what you’re saying is you actually don’t give two figs about The Constitution. Good to know that some Conservative’s are just as feckless as liberals.
[Editors’ Note: Play the ball, not the man.]
That’s a pretty big – and perfectly reasonable – qualifier. But I think it is arguable how effective it would be. If we were capable of determining that, I think our goals in the middle east would be much easier to meet.
Or Salman Rushdie.
For all? Obviously not. If they’ve committed treason however, the US can try, convict, and deport. We’ve done it before.
I remind you that the Constitution is not a suicide pact.
Douglas, if you have a reasonable argument to make, don’t do it by aligning yourself with someone like Trump, who is clearly not making the same argument. I agree that we can take strong measures with war criminals, even if they are american citizens. But that’s a lot more “Abraham Lincoln” than “Donald Trump.” Conservatives need to do a better job of understanding the difference so that we can take this election seriously at some point before November.
If the Constitution doesn’t apply to its citizens in the worst of times then it is worthless.
Of course, but once again, you’re suggesting that ridiculously broad measures ought to be taken even if they could not possibly be effective. As Douglas pointed out, treason is still a crime, and folks with known ties to wartime enemies might very well be legally subject to some heightened scrutiny. If you increase that number by a ridiculous amount by expanding it to all members of the same race or religion, at that point, you’re doing just what our constitution rightly guards against.
The nuance really does matter.
Apparently not based on Hillary, Bernie, G.W. Bush, etc.
Please don’t let’s have Ricochet members defending this. It is unnecessary. We’re smart enough to make good arguments.
I think Jon posted this to elicit a chuckle and maybe an eye roll, not as an invitation for mass COC violation.
In light of the conduct of the Bush admin following 9/11 do you still feel the Constitution has worth?
If it is used to force us to allow the massacre of citizens by foreigners and foreign-sympathizing citizens then it is worthless, and soon will be tossed aside.
Ban on entry is far from the worst possible fate Muslims can face in the US. I remind you that Americans are not so different from other people that we will allow ourselves to be killed because we are told we must, especially by the same set of fools who have so misfought the present war.
Then maybe y’all should stop calling his supporters, idiots, lackeys, simpletons, etc. I understand if you don’t like Trump. Fine. But I’m tired of the “You’re a moron/traitor/feckless if you vote for this guy”.
I think in order for it to have worth members of the ideology alleged to have fidelity to the Constitution should actually defend it.
It would be easier to follow this dictum if his supporters didn’t fall for blatantly unconstitutional bigotry like this.
Too Long, Didn’t Read…
So if we leave out the part about American citizens and just limit it to non-citizens, do we still have to be outraged by the proposal to be decent people?
Oooo, he used bigotry. Throw in “wrong side of history” while you’re at it, and maybe start a NOH8-like tape-over-the-mouth campaign. Then you’ll have gone full-HuffPo.
[Editors’ Note: Ad hominem. Retaliation is not endorsed through the CoC.]
It appears that Trump is trying to find the Brick Walls’ breaking point.
(Ok, I’m done with the jokes now…)