Brothers and sisters, I write this to you in confusion. I had to find a calendar, consult Google, go outside--I needed something to tell me we weren't in the early 1900's. Ted Freaking Cruz! This guy has done it. All throughout this presidential shenanigan, I have reserved my opinions, even amidst Donald Trump’s outrageous comments. But here I am, all thanks to recent statements by presidential candidate for the United States of America, Rafael "Ted" Cruz. Let us start this discussion by viewing the clip that made this post possible:
............WAIT, WHAAAAAT?
#ChrissyTeigenCringe
#NotEnoughPalmsInTheWorld
#WaitingForTheJKLOLLike
#ComeHaveASeatInHereTed
In all fairness, I will disclose that I didn’t watch the full interview, partly because I don’t like the guy and I suspect the conversation only went downhill and didn’t require my attention, so pardon my bias. But I will say my dislike is not entirely unwarranted. Brief example--rather than addressing the deficits that have led to his lagging performance compared to the Donald, his strategy has been to beg voters to vote for him simply because "we can't have Trump as president." This guy’s logic, or lack of, shows me he does not get it. Your approach is not working. You are not appealing to the people of America, and they are not voting for you because they lack faith in your capacity to lead, yet, you continue with the same proposals that garnered no support and simply latch "anything is better than Trump"? Come on man! This post is not to discuss voting or compare the candidates, but rather a critique of Rafael Cruz and more specifically, his statement from the interview—I will now abandon this portion and leave it to the comments section for anyone who feels eager to discuss some more.
Back to the video!
Rafael suggests that Muslim communities need to be patrolled and secured by police enforcement.
*Long sigh*
First off, what in the world is a Muslim community? Maybe because I live in Arizona I am unaware of the phenomenon of Muslim communities. But in my travels around the US, I have never seen a "Muslim Community." Are there areas with larger concentrations of Muslims? Sure, but a homogeneous Muslim community? I don’t think so. But let's agree to these Muslim communities. Rafael suggests these communities should be patrolled and secured, two very active terms that have no clear boundaries attached to their assertion.
*Another long sigh* Do I even need to go into the implications of what Raffy is suggesting? No? Well, I already have my rant prepared, so I shall explain. Raffy is suggesting that a group of AMERICANS (I'm assuming they are Americans since he says the war is with Islam and there are American Muslims) be monitored and secured separately from the other Americans (assuming homogeneous “Muslim communities”). I don't even want to continue explaining this because if you don't get where this is going by now, this conversation is obviously not meant for you. Friends, we are currently witnessing the approach of a slippery slope that poses a threat of dividing this nation, threatening our fellow citizens, and increasing civil tension. In the 1940’s Franklin Roosevelt ordered the relocation and incarceration of Japanese people, many of whom were American citizens. I am not well versed on the history of Pearl Harbor and the Japanese intermittent camps, but it does not take much depth to see similarities to the situation we are facing currently.
And if this is the future of American politics, if the majority of Americans side with Republicans and these are the policies and strategies that will be imposed, then I strongly urge my fellow Americans, especially Muslims, to become militant. They need to exercise the beloved second amendment. They must be prepared to defend themselves against, in the words of Ben Shapiro, a "usurpatious government"---one that is tyrannical and seeks to intervene on the civil liberties of its citizens. Malcolm X, one of the greatest minds to grace this planet and a personal inspiration of mine, said it beautifully “…when one is moderate in the pursuit of justice for human beings, he’s a sinner.” Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” My fellow Americans, be strong, use the constitution as your guide, and do not compromise an inch in protecting your civil liberty. I am sure Raffy will support this proposition seeing he is a constitutional purist, but I highly doubt that.
The fact that Raffy fails to see the hypocrisy, inconsistency, and lack of logic in his ideas, while proudly touting it as a sound solution and arrogantly attacking the Donald and every other person under the sun on how illogical they are, illustrates his cowardice and ineptitude. Part of me hopes it's an act because it would be a tragedy for his loved ones and those that have to associate with someone so blinded by their arrogance that they fail to see their flaws while simultaneously putting others down—pointing out the speck in others eyes while he has a log in his.
You might be thinking, why so harsh on Rafael Cruz? How about the Donald? Trump has virtually no political experience, just his words. He hosted a reality show and his status is essentially boiled down to businessman/semi-socialite. That is who Raffy is competing against. I am not concerned about the Donald. Is he to be taken seriously? Of course. As he has proven in the election thus far, he resonates with the American people and he has the potential to win. But like Pres. Obama said, the American people are smart enough to know the stakes associated with the presidency, and he trusts them not to elect a reckless person to that position (Trump could actually make a decent president, in my opinion, his brashness is all that bothers me, especially in a time where international tension is high.) Rafael, on the other hand, is an experienced politician. An elected official who should display better sense than what he is presenting. Yes, I am holding the bar higher and my critique is harsher towards Raffy. Why? Because this is his field, and he sucks at it. A socialite is beating him. "But they both have questionable propositions, the Donalds even worse", you say. Well, Rafael is a rat posing as a mouse while criticizing others of being rats. We all know what the Donald is, he even embraces it. Rafael, on the other hand, has a holier-than-thou, pompous attitude, and it does not sit well with me. This recent development only solidifies my perception of him.
To conclude my rant, I will part with a final word of wisdom for Mr. Rafael Ted Cruz. "Don't talk to yourself, don't talk ever again." - Kanye West
