On the EDge: Zero tolerance for zero tolerance policy

June 25, 2018 Utah Channel 3

OPINION — Like the current administration, I, too, have a zero tolerance policy.

I have zero tolerance for putting children in cages and anybody who thinks it is OK to do so.

I have zero tolerance for the kind of racism that zealously persecutes and prosecutes people of color for violation of a law that is considered a federal misdemeanor. In the grand scheme of things, this barely rises above an infraction. It is a waste of time, money and energy. The law and order freaks, however, would put these people away in a federal penitentiary for life, or at least aboard the next bus back to Anywhere, Mexico.

I have zero tolerance for this culture of willful ignorance that is celebrated by the inglorious minds that would binge watch “Duck Dynasty” or “Honey Boo Boo.” The dumbing down of America was underscored on Nov. 8, 2016, and while ignorance may not be bliss, it has become preferred and encouraged by the D-listers who comprise the administration and communicate in monosyllabic grunts, groans and Tweets. There is no elegance, no grace, no subtlety, just jackhammered discourse that ends, usually, with the words “I have a right to believe whatever I want to believe!” You can see how this “facts be damned” attitude adds nothing to the national dialog or moves the process forward.

That’s why it was no surprise last week when the president’s base lined up to support the lies about the policy that landed more than 2,500 children in detention centers.

First, the Democrats were blamed.

It was wrongly claimed that they had passed legislation to allow such practices.

The thing is, if anybody from the president on down had done their homework, they would have realized that no such law exists.

They blamed a law dealing with minors who show up at the border unattended – no parents or guardians – on Bill Clinton. The problem, of course, was that the law was passed by a Republican Congress and signed by George W. Bush in 2002.

To take the heat off, he then accused Democrats of flaming up the controversy of children detainees as a means to divert attention from his obsession with Hillary Clinton and the crimes he claims she committed.

Then, of course, when all else fails, blame Obama.

Except, there was nothing to pin on him, either.

No, this was policy formed by John Kelly and Jeff Sessions and approved by the president who all represent a party that claims a lock on family values. It was supposed to be a bluff, a deterrent, if Sessions can be believed; a warning to parents not to try to cross the border illegally.

Except, it was never given a chance to work and the bluff turned into reality when border cops started using the newfound policy to snatch kids from their parents and send them to detention centers, some being flown great distances away.

I guess the party of family values only stands up for those values if the family is the same color and comes from the same WASP neighborhood. Otherwise, they are out of luck, out of hope and out on the street.

And, now, the party of family values is beginning to line up behind the president and his suggestion that these families are undeserving of due process – one of the tenets of freedom and liberty. Without the protection of due process, we can only inch back to a frightening time when justice was meted out by lynch mobs dedicated, of course, to upholding the law even if, as is the case here, it is simply a misdemeanor offense. It is neither fair nor just, but it is expeditious so the president can ensure that the millions he claims are crashing our borders are taken care of swiftly.

That’s why we find ourselves in the middle of a humanitarian crisis.

We have seen his misogyny as the president supports men forced to resign from seats of power for their abuses against women – Roger Ailes, Rob Porter, Bill O’Reilly, Roy Moore and others – calling them “good men.”

We have seen him rise up to support white nationalists marching to spread their racist hate in Charlottesville, Virginia.

This business about building a wall along the southern border is an insult to our Mexican neighbors. It is also economic folly. No congressional body is going to approve funds for such massive moral and economic waste.

There is the diplomatic crisis of rejecting longstanding allies – not only Mexico, but neighboring Canada and our forever friends in Europe, Asia and elsewhere – while sidling up to a couple of vicious strongmen in Russia and North Korea, one of whom wants to annihilate the United States with nuclear weapons, the other desirous of fulfilling Nikita Khrushchev’s promise to bury the U.S. One hoodwinked the president during their recent summit in Indonesia, schooling him in real world terms about the art of the deal. The other gifted him with social media shenanigans that placed the keys to the Oval Office in his hands.

Over the last week or so we have seen a lot of comparisons with the Nazi concentration camps, but the truth is, the United States had concentration camps of their own.

During World War II, Americans were whipped into a racist frenzy that resulted in thousands from the Japanese, German and Italian communities being sent to concentration camps in the United States.

There were no trials.

There were no appeals.

There were no sentences, the detainees were just placed in custody.

Today, Americans have been whipped into a racist frenzy that has resulted in thousands from south of the border being sent to concentration camps in the United States.

There were no trials.

There were no appeals.

There were no sentences. The detainees are simply being placed into custody to await the filing of charges (maybe) and adjudication (maybe.) And, they have been separated from their children who have been shipped God knows where.

All because of a misdemeanor violation.

Such is the price of racism and hate.

No bad days!

Ed Kociela is an opinion columnist for St. George News. The opinions stated in this article are his own and may not be representative of St. George News.

Email: edkociela.mx@gmail.com

Twitter: @STGnews, @EdKociela