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Postmortem On The Election:
A Sikh-American's Perspective -
Janam Da Firangee,
Sikhi Mai Mangee
Part IV

FATEHPAL SINGH TARNEY

 

 

 





Trump wrote, “In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.”

This claim on Trump's part is completely untrue. Moreover, he will not even consider that anyone voted for him illegally – only for Hillary Clinton. Trump is not content with winning the presidency, he feels compelled to falsely claim that he won a majority of voters.

Hillary's vote total continues to increase and is now over the 2.5 million mark ahead of Trump's. He lied during the campaign and continues to do so despite promises to begin acting ethically and presidential. 58 percent of eligible voters actually voted in the presidential election this year which is among the lowest percentages in all the world's democracies. This is a very sad commentary.

The top national security adviser to Trump is a retired lieutenant general who has said that Islam is not a religion but a cancer than must be eradicated. There are over two billion Muslims in the world and they are getting close to becoming one of every three people on the planet. This general has managed to offend and alienate all of them making no distinction between those having nothing to do with terrorist organizations acting in the name of Islam plus those who are victims of radical groups. There is no difference, according to this key adviser to Trump, between a devout, honest, hardworking Muslim, whether in Minnesota, Indonesia, India, or Morocco, and the extremists of the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Al-Shabaab, Boka Haram, etc.

This is the mentality that is coming to the White House in January.

Allow me to add this: many Americans are impressed with this adviser to Trump because he is a retired three-star general. I am not always impressed with high military rank. In Vietnam, I encountered a few lowly enlisted men who were very intelligent and ethical, who had enormous respect and sensitivity for the local Vietnamese people and contributed greatly to the war effort. At the same time, I encountered a few commissioned officers who were total idiots whose attempts at leadership were toxic to say the least and whose approach to our South Vietnamese allies was of total condescension.

I'd like to repeat some points I have made in previous internet posts. First, I happen to be an admirer of that young Sikh thrown out of a Trump rally for trying to defend Muslims and Islam. Allow me to pose three rhetorical questions.

Did Baba Nanak fear that his close association with Bhai Mardana would make everyone think he, too, was a Muslim?

Did Guru Arjan’s friendship with Saeen Mian Mir lessen his status as a leader of a religion separate and distinct from Islam in the face of increasing hostility from the Mughals?

Did Guru Tegh Bahadar's martyrdom to protect the religious freedom of another faith group - Hindus - make him a Hindu in the eyes of everyone on the subcontinent of that time?

Recently, I had a very heart-to-heart discussion with a close friend, a person of conscience, who has for years, been critical of Muslims who, he claims, have not spoken out against the terrorists. I reminded him of the mullah in Pakistan who spoke out against the brutal beheading of the Jewish-American journalist Daniel Pearl in his country. This mullah was killed right outside his madrasa a day later. Many other Muslims have also spoken out against terrorism as well - often at great personal risk.

I then told him stories I had often heard from my Italian grandparents when I was a youngster. Italian-American shopkeepers and other poor day-laborers were forced to pay protection money to Mafia henchmen on a regular basis. It was common knowledge in these immigrant communities who the Mafia were, but no one was willing to inform on them for fear of retaliation. One of my grandfathers told me that if a person were to go to the authorities, it would not be he that was punished, but a loved one: a daughter or granddaughter who would be killed or disfigured.

How can I criticize Muslims without keeping the history of my own ethnic group in mind? Therefore, I share that history with readers here.

During the campaign, Trump claimed to be anti-elitist and a populist. However, so many of his appointees were born into wealthy families, attended select, private schools and amassed even larger fortunes after their schooling. Scholars have claimed that it has been common practice for the wealthy to be heavily involved in politics – not only as financial contributors to campaigns, but in holding important positions in government.

Trump hasn't changed anything. Is Trump really ‘draining the swamp’ by appointing billionaires and generals to the highest positions in government? Trump claims that billionaires who became richer and richer are in the best position to help the economy.

Are people who have made personal fortunes, often through questionable means, all of a sudden patriotic and altruistic and good for the country? Moreover, as a combat-wounded veteran, it hurts me to see generals who have had great military careers, far more distinguished than mine, now subservient to a man who conveniently avoided military service during the Vietnam war.

Let us also not forget that it was Trump who insulted the generals as well as insulting the intelligence of the American people by saying that he knew more about ISIS than these generals did. Yes, a number of generals supported Trump and great numbers of common people voted for him.

Here is a quote from the late and great journalist, H.L. Mencken. It is quite relevant here:

“No one in this world, so far as I know -- and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me -- has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.”

One journalist has written that Trump’s inaugural spectacle will set a new standard for the pay-to-play politics that he campaigned against. Those giving $1 million or more toward the $75 million gala will get privileges including an “intimate dinner” with Vice President-elect Mike Pence and his wife; a candlelight dinner with an appearance by Trump, Pence and their wives. Those “next-caste” individuals who can only afford $250,000 will get an “intimate policy discussion and dinner with select Cabinet officials.”

Any ‘low-caste’ white, rust-belt blue collar workers on the guest list?

Slowly but surely, Republicans, who once opposed Trump have made the pilgrimage to Trump Tower in much the same way as devout Muslims go on the Haj to Mecca. Those in the “Never-Trump” movement who have not made the pilgrimage and their obeisance to Trump have remained silent.

I reiterate what I have said in several posts: I am a registered Republican, but in no hurry to get in line to figuratively kiss Trump's ring now that he is president-elect. I am pleased with Nikki Haley's appointment as U.N. Ambassador and also pleased that she is proud of her Punjabi and Sikh heritage, but let us end the latter discussion there. If she finds it politically expedient to declare herself Christian and this ingratiates her to Trump, let her deal with the consequences.

Trump's victory does not mean that the end justifies the means. His despicable campaign words and deeds and scorched earth tactics should neither be forgiven nor overlooked.

Trump is not supportive of women and minorities merely because of some recent political appointments. His inner circle consists of ‘white’ men on the far right. His V.P.'s long-term goal is to end the separation of church and state and create a Christian theocracy.

The founding fathers of this great country would be horrified.

Career politicians do not keep their promises, but Trump, in my view, is not the answer. Trump reminds me of the deras and babas in Punjab.

Someone once said: “Because following a baba is easy, there is no need to study or understand the scriptures, or the Bani of Gurus, all you have to do is hand over all your worries to the baba, and he takes care of everything.”

Isn't this comparable to all the Christians who blindly support Trump while disregarding what their Bible teaches? I find it astounding that so-called God-fearing Christians could support a person who has said that he could assault  women by grabbing their most intimate parts simply because he is rich and famous.

I remind readers of what Trump has said about America and its problems, “I'm the only one who can fix it!”

Sikhs and all other Americans, beware!

Some Christian supporters of Trump, and I emphasize, some, have even gone into the realm of absurdity and blasphemy. One Christian pastor, for example, has said that were Jesus to have run against Trump for the presidency, he would have still voted for Trump. This is lunacy and not only Christians but all Americans should be frightened at its implications.


December 9, 2016
 

Conversation about this article

1: Mohan Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), December 09, 2016, 8:29 PM.

The bell of the shameless illusionary queen rings in both worlds. [Bhagat Kabir, GGS:476]

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A Sikh-American's Perspective -
Janam Da Firangee,
Sikhi Mai Mangee
Part IV"









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