Politics and Society: The Ban!
Before Commenting (below) I want to present some actual statistics, or at lease those I could find with a relatively quick search.
Domestic Flights per day: 1.73 million.
Number of Muslim travelers affected by Trump's ban day1: 109 or 0.006% of travelers
From Wikipedia - the order suspended the entry of alien nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries — Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — for 90 days, after which an updated list will be made.[9] The order allows exceptions to these suspensions on a case-by-case basis. The Department of Homeland Security later exempted U.S. lawful permanent residents (green card holders).[10]
Restrictions by previous administration
Between 2015 and 2016, the seven countries listed in the executive order were placed on the list of "countries of special concern" by the Obama administration.[24], which meant that any person who has visited these countries after 1 March 2011 is ineligible for the Visa Waiver Program.
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States Government which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism, business, or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa.
Domestic Flights per day: 1.73 million.
Number of Muslim travelers affected by Trump's ban day1: 109 or 0.006% of travelers
From Wikipedia - the order suspended the entry of alien nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries — Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — for 90 days, after which an updated list will be made.[9] The order allows exceptions to these suspensions on a case-by-case basis. The Department of Homeland Security later exempted U.S. lawful permanent residents (green card holders).[10]
Restrictions by previous administration
Between 2015 and 2016, the seven countries listed in the executive order were placed on the list of "countries of special concern" by the Obama administration.[24], which meant that any person who has visited these countries after 1 March 2011 is ineligible for the Visa Waiver Program.
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States Government which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism, business, or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa.
7 countries listed
under ban
- Iraq (1.9% of world Muslims)
- Iran (4.6% of world Muslims)
- Libya (0.4%)
- Somalia (0.6%)
- Sudan (1.9%)
- Syria (1.3%)
- Yemen (1.5%)
- Total Muslims impacted worldwide by travel ban = 12.2%
Top 10 Muslim
Countries (by Muslim population total)
- Indonesia, 12.7%
- India, 11%
- Pakistan, 11%
- Bangladesh, 9.2%
- Egypt, 4.9%
- Nigeria, 4.7%
- Iran, 4.6%
- Turkey, 4.6%
- Algeria, 2.7%
- Morocco, 2.0%
Of all the counties
on the ban only Iran made the top 10, Iraq is 11th
The ban limits
refugee arrivals to 50k for 2017, and suspends the Admissions program for 120
days after which it conditionally resumes. Is 50k/year a drastic reduction? Here is some historical data to consider:
Let us be clear,
this is not a ban on Muslims, otherwise Indonesia, India, and Pakistan would
have been at the top of that list. Let us also be clear that Obama prohibited
individuals from the same nations listed in Trump's ban from being able to
travel without a Visa. What this is, is a restriction expansion over and above
what the previous administration has done, for the same reasons that Obama did
it. We cannot effectively vet individuals from the nations listed in most
cases. Trump is living up to his campaign promise but not going as far as he
could have (thankfully), and he points to Europe (recently France) as precedent
for the justification of the expansion
of restrictions.
All that know me
well know that I have many Muslim friends, and am not an Islamophobic person.
The truth behind this ban is that over the last decade or more the U.S. has
been carrying out covert military operations and outright bombing raids in
these countries. Something that most of us, including our conservative friends,
absolutely detest. When I talk to conservatives and actually listen many of
them supported Trump because they believed that he would discontinue the
Empire-building by military force (which I don't really agree with... that Trump will cease this that is), and that
Clinton would have continued it (Which I do agree with). It is now these
nations where anti-US sympathies run strong and terrorist recruitment is
ongoing.
I recently spoke
with a friend that has in the last 18 months left his job as a cop to go work for
the Department of Homeland Security, he told me that he wishes he did not know
what he knows now regarding their inability to vet refugee's. Now, while that
is no reason for us all to cower and live in fear of an imminent terrorist
attack, it may help to justify extra precautions by the Federal Government
who's primary purpose is to protect and defend its citizens. Do these
precautions cross a line? Good question, difficult to answer.
The presentation and
implementation of this executive order was very poorly handled, illustrating
the President's inexperience in such matters (and that of his cabinet), and his apparent Islamophobia. Even
still, the number of individuals held up (by my most recent search) was 109 out
of 1.7 million people that traveled or 0.006%. So one might just want to
consider that a good portion of the excitement has more to do with the war that
Trump has declared on the press, being that the media is excitedly reporting
this action when we did not even hear about similar (though more restrained)
actions by the Obama administration, no one accused Obama of being Islamophobic
(Though we are all pretty sure that Trump is, based on his campaign tweets).
The effectiveness of
the order. I think we can all agree that this will not likely stop many, if any
radicals from coming in. It is pretty easy to get here unlawfully. Furthermore,
most of the incidents here in the states have come from legal residents, not
foreign nationals. The radicalization is mostly home-grown and all this is
likely to do is give groups and organizations such as ISIS the propaganda they
need to recruit more deranged individuals both domestically and abroad.
The legal battles
challenging this order will likely outlast the duration of the
suspension, which would not have likely done any good in the first place and so
we go on spending tax-payer money in litigation over an ineffective policy that
only succeeds in illustrating just how divided this actually country is, and
therefore how vulnerable we are systemic collapse if given the appropriate push.
Another impact of this order is that hateful, wicked people will be (and have been) emboldened, going from grumbling under their breath to actions that effectively terrorize legal tax-paying and patriotic citizens of this great nation. A hypocrisy that is apparent to those of us that try and educate ourselves about Muslims, among others, but goes right over the misinformed heads of those that are quick to engage in bigotry and/or religious elitism. This is something we clearly need to combat, but we cannot face it with an air of condescension. Meaning that we can't combat misinformation with negative, or even hateful, talk. We have to use information, objectively, which means looking at all facts and not just those that fit into our progressive ideals.
Another impact of this order is that hateful, wicked people will be (and have been) emboldened, going from grumbling under their breath to actions that effectively terrorize legal tax-paying and patriotic citizens of this great nation. A hypocrisy that is apparent to those of us that try and educate ourselves about Muslims, among others, but goes right over the misinformed heads of those that are quick to engage in bigotry and/or religious elitism. This is something we clearly need to combat, but we cannot face it with an air of condescension. Meaning that we can't combat misinformation with negative, or even hateful, talk. We have to use information, objectively, which means looking at all facts and not just those that fit into our progressive ideals.
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-J