“Barack Obama bombed those majority Muslim nations, with no regard for human life, and his supporters didn't say a peep.”
Much has been made about Donald Trump's statements referring to African countries, El Salvador and Haiti, as "shit-holes." He allegedly made these statements in early January 2018. "Why are we having all these people from shit-hole countries come here?" Trump asked, according to various sources. It is not hard to believe that Donald Trump made these statements, especially when one considers his racist and xenophobic tainted past. He is the kind of openly racist and xenophobic president a great many white Americans adore. They have long harbored these kinds of sentiments about people of color; that’s a big reason why they voted for Trump in the first place. He wears his white supremacist values on his sleeve for everyone to see. These types of socially-regressive people are often associated with the Republican Party or as being conservatives. However, many Democrats and so-called "Liberals" support the notion that the aforementioned countries are "shit-holes," and their support of destructive policies proves it.
“Trump is the kind of openly racist and xenophobic president a great many white Americans adore.”
Whether liberals or Democrats come out and refer to countries like Haiti as "shit-holes," or not, is irrelevant when the policies they support treat those countries as so-called shit-holes. Democrats and Republicans, alike, have bombed developing nations for decades. They have also instituted nefarious sanctions on countries like Zimbabwe and Iraq, which have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, including children and elderly. When these policies were either being initiated or continued, Democrats (and their constituent followers) supported these pernicious actions without pause.
These facts are hardly debatable by anyone with an ounce of intellectual honesty. George W. Bush may have started the so-called war on terror and indiscriminate drone bombings, but it was Barack Obama who used drones to bomb several countries at a far higher clip than that of Bush. As a matter of fact, Obama committed more drone bombings in his first year in office than Bush did in eight years. Each of those countries that were bombed were treated like "shit-holes." A shit-hole is a place that is expendable and considered nothing more than waste. It is a place that is likened to excrement. When a nation is bombed with no regard to the human life within that country, or its infrastructure, does one really need to refer to it as a "shit-hole" if it is being treated as one?
“A shit-hole is a place that is expendable and considered nothing more than waste.”
Democrats and Republicans/conservatives, alike, have a long tainted history of treating so-called developing nations as shit-holes. For instance, the United States has treated Haiti as such for many decades. It was the racist Democrat president, Woodrow Wilson, who started the occupation of Haiti in 1915. This occupation lasted for 19 years thereafter. This was a tag-team effort between Democrats and Republicans. During this period thousands of Haitians were killed by occupying US forces. Subsequent to that occupation, the United States has supported brutal dictators, like the Duvaliers, and orchestrated the overthrow of democratically elected leaders, such as Jean Bertrand Aristide. The aforementioned actions are exactly how one would treat a country it considered a "shit-hole." It is exactly why the US government has done these types of things, not just to Haiti, but many countries -- mostly countries inhabited by people of color. Many Americans have supported this, either openly, or simply by their obsequiousness to the politicians they unconditionally support.
“The United States has supported brutal dictators, like the Duvaliers, and orchestrated the overthrow of democratically elected leaders, such as Jean Bertrand Aristide.”
The United States, under the orders of Ronald Reagan, supported and armed death squads throughout Central America, including in El Salvador. Countless people lost their lives with the complicit support of US politicians all the way to the White House. People had to flee the land they loved, simply to escape their human carnage being carried out by ruthless death squads called Contras. This is a brutal fact that many Americans seldom ponder, especially when it comes to their baseless and insensitive comments about immigrants from Central America. The US government has historically played a significant role in the destruction of several Central American nations.
It was hypocritical and pathetic to watch so many Americans, mostly liberals, pretending to be upset with US president Donald Trump's comments about African nations, Haiti and El Salvador. These people have had no qualms supporting Democrat politicians in their bombing campaigns, destructive sanctions or imperialist wars that have been imposed on these nations. Many of the politicians they support have done things that have starved these nations of humanity. Donald Trump is a dimwitted racist and xenophobe, however his words pale in comparison to the actions carried out by his predecessors, such as Barack Obama and George W. Bush. What is worse, banning people from majority Muslim nations or bombing those nations with drones, killing innocent civilians in the process? Barack Obama bombed those majority Muslim nations, with no regard for human life, and his supporters didn't say a peep before, during or after his destructive actions. What is worse, referring to places like Haiti and Libya as "shit-holes," or overthrowing their democratically elected leader -- as Bill Clinton did to Jean Bertrand Aristide -- or even bombing Libya mercilessly, thus killing tens of thousands in the process, as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton did? The answer to these simple questions should be obvious, however, sadly, to a great many Americans the answer is perhaps confusing.
“The US government has historically played a significant role in the destruction of several Central American nations.”
Many Americans have lost their sense of humanity while asserting allegiance to political parties and charismatic public figures within these parties. They have, in essence, sided with the destructive and evil actions of politicians rather than siding with their global neighbors, who are human beings with dreams, goals and aspirations, just like them. This trend must stop and it must stop sooner rather than later. A critical mass of justice oriented people, unified and organized, can make a huge impact in halting imperialist wars, imperialist economic policies, and imperialist sanctions. This can, and will, play a significant role in ensuring peace and humanity -- for ALL.
Solomon Comissiong (www.solomoncomissiong.com) is an educator, community activist, author, and Founder of the Your World News Media Collective (www.yourworldnews.org). Solomon is the author of Unapologetically Outspoken: Hip Hop Social Justice & Liberation. Solomon is also the producer of the documentary, Hip Hop, White Supremacy & Capitalism: Why Corporations Infiltrated RAP Music. He can be reached at: [email protected]
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