Michael Bresciani
Twenty percent of Trump followers OK with slavery - - A return to darkness?
By Michael Bresciani
After the long battle against slavery in England led by William Wilberforce, the British Parliament passed the "Slavery Abolition Act of 1833." Only 30 years later President Abraham Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation to abolish slavery on January 1, 1863. It would seem that no more was needed, the two greatest nations in the free world had spoken – no more slavery!
But racism and bigotry was never completely buried in the United States. Years of mistreatment of blacks gave rise to the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's and the emergence of prominent figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King.
The dark and troubling legacy of the KKK and other racist groups of the time all but fell into obscurity. (Perhaps!)
The perceived obscurity of racist organizations has ended with a vengeance since the emergence of the Trump campaign of 2016.
While those who oppose Trump are uncovering many of his suspect dealings such as the "Trump University" scam, the renewed interest in racist and white supremacist movements has only to do with Trump's supporters. It is a warning signal about what kinds of adherents Trump is drawing to himself.
In the Obama campaign of 2008, writers and journalists rushed to give warnings of Barack's strong ties to Alinsky, Marxism, and socialism, which history confirms – fell on deaf ears. Will Americans tune into the warning signs about Trump before it is too late and all that is left is to deal with another 4 to years of a self-absorbed narcissist who may, after all, make Obama look pretty good by comparison?
This is the question of the year!
Evidence of intolerance for black Americans by Trump supporters had its debut in a North Carolina Trump rally where protestor Rakeem Jones was slugged in the face by 78-year-old John McGraw, who later was quoted for saying, "The next time we see him, we might have to kill him."
Long before the incident in North Carolina, the January YouGov/Economist poll showed the results of Trump supporters when asked if they supported or disapproved of Lincoln's executive order that freed all slaves in the U.S. Shockingly, 1 in 5 said they disapproved of the order.
The fact that 20% of Trump's followers would like to see slavery continue should say something to many Americans, including Christians, anti-racists, civil rights organizations, and most of all – black Americans.
Activities on white supremacist websites is reported to be on the rise since Trump became a candidate, and the spike is attributed to Trump's willingness to openly disregard specific groups or to target them for special exclusions.
Writers Nat and Nick Hentoff said in an article entitled "Trump's free-speech wrecking crews" – that it is Donald Trump's willingness to enter the fray with remarks that add to the tension at his rallies.
"Trump has made a deliberate point of stopping to narrate the expulsions, whipping the crowd into a frenzy by singling out the protesters for abuse and ridicule, while suggesting that they should be treated roughly. He has fed these people to the angry crowds like a zookeeper feeds red meat to hungry hyenas."
Narrowly escaping charges of inciting a riot in NC and drawing more violent types of characters to himself daily should be warned against with all vigor as these are a preview of things to come under a Trump administration.
Few listened to the warnings in 2008 – there is still time to wake up.
Deaf ears and hardened hearts are not the way to heal a nation after the prolonged insult of the Obama administration. To wit:
"He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." (Jn 12: 40)
© Michael Bresciani
March 19, 2016
After the long battle against slavery in England led by William Wilberforce, the British Parliament passed the "Slavery Abolition Act of 1833." Only 30 years later President Abraham Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation to abolish slavery on January 1, 1863. It would seem that no more was needed, the two greatest nations in the free world had spoken – no more slavery!
But racism and bigotry was never completely buried in the United States. Years of mistreatment of blacks gave rise to the Civil Rights Movement of the 60's and the emergence of prominent figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King.
The dark and troubling legacy of the KKK and other racist groups of the time all but fell into obscurity. (Perhaps!)
The perceived obscurity of racist organizations has ended with a vengeance since the emergence of the Trump campaign of 2016.
While those who oppose Trump are uncovering many of his suspect dealings such as the "Trump University" scam, the renewed interest in racist and white supremacist movements has only to do with Trump's supporters. It is a warning signal about what kinds of adherents Trump is drawing to himself.
In the Obama campaign of 2008, writers and journalists rushed to give warnings of Barack's strong ties to Alinsky, Marxism, and socialism, which history confirms – fell on deaf ears. Will Americans tune into the warning signs about Trump before it is too late and all that is left is to deal with another 4 to years of a self-absorbed narcissist who may, after all, make Obama look pretty good by comparison?
This is the question of the year!
Evidence of intolerance for black Americans by Trump supporters had its debut in a North Carolina Trump rally where protestor Rakeem Jones was slugged in the face by 78-year-old John McGraw, who later was quoted for saying, "The next time we see him, we might have to kill him."
Long before the incident in North Carolina, the January YouGov/Economist poll showed the results of Trump supporters when asked if they supported or disapproved of Lincoln's executive order that freed all slaves in the U.S. Shockingly, 1 in 5 said they disapproved of the order.
The fact that 20% of Trump's followers would like to see slavery continue should say something to many Americans, including Christians, anti-racists, civil rights organizations, and most of all – black Americans.
Activities on white supremacist websites is reported to be on the rise since Trump became a candidate, and the spike is attributed to Trump's willingness to openly disregard specific groups or to target them for special exclusions.
Writers Nat and Nick Hentoff said in an article entitled "Trump's free-speech wrecking crews" – that it is Donald Trump's willingness to enter the fray with remarks that add to the tension at his rallies.
"Trump has made a deliberate point of stopping to narrate the expulsions, whipping the crowd into a frenzy by singling out the protesters for abuse and ridicule, while suggesting that they should be treated roughly. He has fed these people to the angry crowds like a zookeeper feeds red meat to hungry hyenas."
Narrowly escaping charges of inciting a riot in NC and drawing more violent types of characters to himself daily should be warned against with all vigor as these are a preview of things to come under a Trump administration.
Few listened to the warnings in 2008 – there is still time to wake up.
Deaf ears and hardened hearts are not the way to heal a nation after the prolonged insult of the Obama administration. To wit:
"He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." (Jn 12: 40)
© Michael Bresciani
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