A Special Place in Hell

Authoritarian Donald Trump tweets all kinds of personal insults at perceived enemies. We've become habituated to this diminution of his office. Now, administration officials are sinking to that same level. Over the weekend, trade adviser Peter Navarro blasted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on network TV, claiming there's a "special place in hell for him." Navarro, who has since apologized for his childish remark, was miffed at the time that  made Trump look weak on the eve of a historic summit with North Korean dictator Jim Jong Un.  But still I agree with Dante that there are indeed special places in Hell. I'd stick Trudeau in there for at least a day or two as a way of saying thanks for Justin Bieber. But Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have condemned themselves to Lucifer's Lair for a much graver sin.

Both of these so-called leaders have adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards immigrants who enter this country without the proper papers, and have separated an estimated 500 children from their parents thus far. In one instance, federal authorities ripped a child from her mother as she was being breastfed. While I agree that people should be discouraged from entering this count illegally, this sanction is cruel and heartless.

Mahatma Ghandi once said that "[a] nation's greatness is judged by how it treats its weakest members." Based on what is happening at the border, it's safe to say that Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions are hardly making America Great Again. They are instead poster boys for the Ugly American.

US Senator Jeff Merkley (D. Oregon) has actually claimed that children were caged at at least one facility. While I have a hard time believing that federal officials could be so monstrous, The Washington Post confirms that this has occurred, at least temporarily. Merkley was denied access at a second facility, where all the windows were blacked out.

Forcibly separating these children from their parents and stuffing them in cages with other children who speak no English has to be traumatic. I'd call it torture.

Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, the archbishop of Boston, believes in civil authority, but "I cannot be silent when our country’s immigration policy destroys families, traumatizes parents, and terrorizes children. The harmful and unjust policy of separating children from their parents must be ended." Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, echoes those sentiments. “Separating babies from their mothers is not the answer and is immoral,” he said.

"I think it’s disgraceful, it’s terrible to see families ripped apart and I don’t support that one bit,” says Rev. Franklin Graham, who is otherwise a Trump supporter and son of evangelical preacher Bill Graham.

Updated Saturday, 6/16/18, 1 PM: The LA Times has a very detailed story about exactly what is happening. In tis stories, homeland officials deny that that separated an infant who was breastfeeding, whie lawyers for the mother continue toinsist that is what has happened. It does appear that deceptive means are used to effect the separation, such as excuses that the child is being taken away for a bath, although again, homeland officials deny deception. the practice of separating children from their parents was initiated by Trump,and through May 31, a total of 1,995 children have been separated. Health and Human Services is currently housing over 11,000 children at 100 shelters in 17 states, and have actually created a soft shelter,derided as a tent city, for some undocumented minors. Reporters have been given a tour at one shleter, a former Walmart, but were allowed no interaction with the kids. At another facility, a caseworker quit and has claimed conditions are bad and have led to runaways and attempted suicide.