Re: Arthur Black’s column ‘Demagogue Trump stirs fear’ (The NEWS, Jan. 19).
Black: “He (Trump) is not the first oaf to run for public office (Rob Ford, take a bow)…”
Ford was elected as a Toronto councillor three times and once as mayor. In his 2014 re-election bid, due to a scandal and ill health, he withdrew. But, he was elected councillor for his old seat.
Trump mouths off in non-politically correct manners. Yet, debates in the U.S. presidential race revolve around issues he brings forward.
Black: “He has insulted Mexicans.”
He was responding to the change in Mexican immigration. The U.S. Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act requires local governments to report to U.S. federal departments on all illegal aliens. Many cities enacted “sanctuary policies” that instruct its employees, including police forces, not to report. This act has allowed many good Mexicans to live in U.S. without fear of deportation. But, it inadvertently opened the door to allow Mexican criminals to also live there safely.
Trump on China: “They’ve taken everything. One of the greatest thefts in the history of the world.”
It was given to them. When China opened its doors, U.S. companies responded. Some retail outlets pushed the process forward by having China supply U.S. consumers with cheap products. U.S. manufacturing suffered.
Black: “Here is a fun fact: since 9/11 an average of 30 American citizens have been killed by terrorists each year. That’s about the same number that are annually killed by collapsing furniture.”
That is citizens killed in the U.S., excluding the military. Terrorists have killed thousands of other nationalities including six Canadians in Burkina Faso.
Not being addressed is the problem of the fusion of Muslim and western cultures — the difference between sharia and secular law. Look for Trump to bring up these issues.
Joe MartinQualicum Beach