They came from Ukraine, very shortly after the turn of the 20th Century. They worked hard, learned to speak English, built a family and a successful business, and became proud, law-abiding U.S. citizens.

And if I’m not mistaken, Mr. Trump, your paternal grandparents were German immigrants, and your mother came from Scotland.

But we’re all garbage . . . right?

WRONG!

Our forebears — yours, mine, and those of every other person in this country who is not full-blooded Native American — all came from somewhere else. And they built this country, creating the diverse wonder that is the United States of America.

And if you think that the U.S. today is “like a garbage can for the world” [Kate Sullivan and Kaanita Iyer, CNN, October 24, 2024], then perhaps you are the one who should leave. Because the rest of us aren’t going anywhere.

*. *. *

Yes, those were Donald Trump’s words this week at a campaign rally in Arizona. And more:

“We’re a dumping ground. We’re like a garbage can for the world. That’s what’s happened. Every time I come up and talk about what they’ve done to our country I get angry and angrier. First time I’ve ever said garbage can. But you know what? It’s a very accurate description.” [Id.]

Of course, he’ll tell you he’s talking about today’s immigrants — not those from the last three centuries. He hollers about murderers, rapists, people from insane asylums, and Haitians who supposedly eat their neighbors’ dogs and cats. And he wants to deport them all — tens of millions of them — because they all have “bad genes.”

He seems to forget those early settlers from England who included convicts sent to work as indentured servants in the Colonies. There were even a number of criminals among our so-called elite ancestors on the Mayflower. What a wonderfully selective memory he has.

So I say again, Mr. Trump: That exit door is wide open. You are free to leave any time you decide that this country — you know, the one that made your fortune for you and voted you into the White House eight years ago — isn’t to your liking any longer. Perhaps Russia or China would suit you better.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/26/24