A gentleman from the Islamic Center of Long Island made some statements in the Williston Times that I would like to address and expand on.
He stated that Trump’s “Muslim Ban” had hurt him financially, hurt his family relations, caused psychological damage and fueled Islamophobia throughout the world. He also claimed that Trump hurt “minority folks.”
Pardon my short review of history that most Americans are aware of. I feel it is necessary to bring these comments into perspective.
On Feb. 26, 1993, a bomb exploded in the garage below the World Trade Center. Six people were killed and 1,000 were injured including
firefighters and police and emergency medical services workers. The actions were carried out by Radical Muslim terrorists The perpetrators were caught and put on trial. All were found guilty.
In 2001, two planes flew into the World Trade Center, one plane flew into the Pentagon and one plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after heroic passengers fought back.
Almost 3,000 Americans died that day and over 1,400 have died since from diseases related to working at Ground Zero in the aftermath. The guilty party consisted of radical Muslim Terrorists who all died in the attack. The trial for men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks is set for 2021.
After Obama became President he pulled our troops out of Iraq and the void was filled by a vicious group of radical Muslims who called themselves ISIS.
Day after day, we read of the atrocities they committed, beheadings of Americans that they filmed and then gave to the media and to the internet. Three Hundred Americans left the USA to go and fight with ISIS, 12 came back and one plotted a terrorist attack that was discovered in time to be stopped.
In 2015, Obama signed a visa waver into law that designated Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan , Libya and Somalia as areas of concern. These countries had to meet additional requirements to come to the USA because they were Arabs.
In 2011, Obama passed a 6-month ban on refugees from Iraq. The war in Iraq with ISIS was still going on when Trump became President.
Because of the continuing dangers from Muslim extremists both here and abroad, Trump continued strict restrictions on people who wanted to come to America from those same countries.
All Muslims were not banned from traveling here. It is regretful that this man’s family, and probably others, felt mistreated by these precautions but the welfare of all Americans, including his family, takes precedence over individuals in a time of war.
A phobia is an irrational fear. Any Islamophobia is based on the actions of real people and not on Trump’s act to protect this country. Minorities did not suffer under Trump, they prospered.
Unemployment for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian and Native Americans, people with disabilities all reached record lows
Poverty rates for these same groups reached record lows, Income inequality fell by the largest amount in over a decade, wages rose fastest for low income and blue-collar workers-a 16 percent pay increase and African homeownership increased from 41.7 percent to 46.4 percent.
He increased monies to black colleges and instituted prison reform and created the First Step Program.
Trump said we would have a vaccine in November and miraculously it appeared just a few days after the election. The first shots were given in December. He did not lie about it.
I heard several people talk about COVID as a kind of flu in the beginning before all the facts were known. Trump is not a medical man and it was Fauci that told us that masks were not needed. He was the one advising Trump on the medical issues.
It was not until April that the CDC told us we should mask up.
You will not find me defending Trump when he is out of line but continuing distortions and giving no credit when it is due does not serve any of us well.
Buyers remorse is setting in already as thousands are losing their jobs, free speech is under attack and our country is on the verge of being overrun. Wake up America.
I wrote a letter two months ago about this election being about policies not personalities and it fell on deaf ears. Now the piper is going to be paid by all of us.
Gayle Palmer
Williston Park
