Top 10 reasons not to vote for Donald Trump - Los Angeles Times
By: Jackie CalmesColumnist (Los Angeles Times)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The only challenge here was limiting myself to 10 arguments against Donald Trump (and one good reason to vote for Kamala Harris). So, drum roll, working toward No. 1:
10: As president, he violated his oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution."
Ask Mike Pence, who forfeited his place as Trump's ticket mate to Ohio Sen. JD Vance because Pence wouldn't violate the Constitution; Vance would. Even after leaving office, Trump called for terminating parts of it so he could regain power. No one should think he'd keep the oath if given a second chance, especially when the Supreme Court that he packed has ruled that presidents are virtually immune from prosecution.
9: He still won't say that he'll accept the voters' verdict.
And that is still unprecedented. Trump has gravely eroded Americans' faith in the elections that are fundamental to democracy. He lied after his 2016 victory in the electoral college that he lost the popular vote only because up to 5 million people voted illegally for Hillary Clinton. His efforts to flip his 2020 loss to Joe Biden got him criminally indicted, another first.
8: He will be held accountable for his alleged crimes as president only if he is defeated.
If reelected, Trump can order "his" Justice Department to bury the two federal cases that he succeeded in delaying past the election — the Washington trial for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election, and the case in Florida for allegedly making off with and hiding top government secrets. A third case in Georgia, state charges for attempting to subvert its 2020 vote for Biden, could well be shelved if he were back in office.
7: He'd be the first president with a serious rap sheet.
Trump has been found guilty or liable for sexual abuse, defamation, civil financial fraud and criminal business fraud to conceal a tryst with a porn star. He's also the first president to be impeached twice, justifiably. Character counts: Voters should not hire for president someone who wouldn't be hired by any private employer in the land.
6: He's unfit to be president.
Take it from scores of former top advisors, including nearly half of the 42 people who served in Trump's Cabinet. The early Cabinet members he once called "my generals"? James N. Mattis, H.R. McMaster and John F. Kelly all broke with their former commander in chief. Even those who back Trump have damned him: Former Atty. Gen. William Barr said Trump "shouldn't be anywhere near the Oval Office" and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley called him "unhinged." Let those two shape-shifters put party over country to vote for Trump. Voters shouldn't.
5: He's a threat to national security.
Trump is "the most dangerous person to this country," Mark A. Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says in Bob Woodward's new book. He's more likely to be seduced by murderous autocrats than stand up to them. He's poised to appease war criminal Vladimir Putin and reward Russia's lawless invasion by abandoning Ukraine. Woodward reports that Trump has had seven calls with Putin since leaving office, suggesting a treacherous willingness to undermine allies' support for Ukraine, Europe's security and U.S. alliances generally. He encouraged Russia to do "whatever the hell they want" to NATO members who miss defense spending targets. As Foreign Affairs reported: "His first term tested the transatlantic relationship — but his second would break it."
4: He doesn't know or care how to constructively address the nation's problems.
The most policy-ignorant candidate in memory, Trump turned to the extremists behind Project 2025 for a blueprint, though he denies it now. Deal maker? He lacks the attention span, grasp of details and spirit of compromise to enact bipartisan laws. In a Wall Street Journal survey, most economists predicted that inflation, interest rates and deficits would be much higher under his proposed tax cuts and tariffs than under Harris' policies. (And, no, Trump's tariffs wouldn't cut child-care costs.) He had Republicans kill an immigration bill to keep the issue alive for his demagogic campaign. His solution: "bloody" deportations of millions of migrants.
3: He'd further pack the federal courts with right-wing ideologues.
To confirm his picks, Trump would be helped, again, by what is expected to be a Republican-majority Senate. Again, he'd choose young nominees to serve for decades: "You don't put old in, because they're there for two years or three years," he said last week. The Supreme Court's far-right justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr., would likely retire so Trump could seat much-younger, like-minded replacements.
2. He's a pathological liar.
Trump's constant lies range from the relatively harmless to life-threatening. Residents of Springfield, Ohio, endured school and hospital closures amid bomb threats after Trump lied that Haitian migrants would eat their pets. Federal hurricane responders in the South were threatened after Trump lied about the Biden administration rescue effort. Local governments are spending tax dollars to protect nonpartisan election workers. Americans prominent and obscure have been forced to getsecurity against death threats after Trump's mendacious attacks. But more prosaically: Citizens should expect truth from their presidents.
1. He was not, and would not be, a president for all Americans.
Not MAGA? Not worthy. Trump talks of withholding disaster aid from blue states. He assails Democrats, other domestic critics and the free press as "the enemy within," subject to possible military action.
Finally, the bonus, a positive reason to vote Harris. She's not only among the most experienced applicants for the job ever, but also: She's not Trump.
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Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye. Bullseye.
I only need one. Traitor.
Yep.
And he can't dance.
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Both sides are filled with people who hate, are filled with contempt and self-righteousness.
Do you want to comment on the article or do you want to instigate?
The article is not about the assassination attempts.
JBB's comment certainly leads to that question. 'Bullseye' has been identified by Democrats as a call to political violence.
Clean up on 3.1 for no value.
Is there a dart war on the horizon?
You got me, you should answer as you're always on point.
www.nytimes.com /2024/10/19/us/politics/trump-vulgarity-pennsylvania-rally.html
At a Pennsylvania Rally, Trump Descends to New Levels of Vulgarity
Michael Gold 6-7 minutes 10/19/2024
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The G.O.P. nominee repeated crude insults, and his supporters relished each moment. But the display could alienate swing voters.
Former President Donald J. Trump on Saturday spewed crude and vulgar remarks at a rally in Pennsylvania that included an off-color remark about a famous golfer’s penis size and a coarse insult about Vice President Kamala Harris.
The performance, 17 days before the election in a critical battleground state, added to the impression of the Republican nominee as increasingly unfiltered and undisciplined. It comes as some of Mr. Trump’s allies and aides worry that Mr. Trump’s temperament and crass style are alienating undecided voters.
It was unclear if the outbursts and insults were an expression of his frustration as the campaign grinds on or of his reflexive desire to entertain his crowds. At her own events on Saturday, Ms. Harris called attention to Mr. Trump’s temperament and his tendency to “go off script and ramble.”
Mr. Trump opened his speech at the airport in Latrobe, Pa., with 12 minutes of reminiscing about the golfer Arnold Palmer, who grew up in the Western Pennsylvania town and for whom the airport was named.
His monologue culminated in lewd remarks about the size of Mr. Palmer’s penis. Moments later, Mr. Trump gave the crowd an opportunity to call out a profanity. He went on to use that four-letter word to describe Ms. Harris.
“Such a horrible four years,” Mr. Trump said, referring to the Biden-Harris administration, as he surveyed the crowd of hundreds of people in front of him. “We had a horrible — think of the — everything they touch turns to —.”
Many in his audience — which was mostly made up of adults but included some children, infants and teenagers — eagerly filled in the blank, shouting, “Shit!”
Minutes later, Mr. Trump urged his supporters to vote, telling them that they had to send a crude message to Ms. Harris: “We can’t stand you, you’re a shit vice president.”
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With Election Day nearing, Mr. Trump’s advisers billed Saturday’s speech as the start of his efforts to make a closing argument to voters. But the choice to open his rally with a long story about Mr. Palmer — one of the few topics Mr. Trump spoke about at significant length without veering off on tangents — set a curious tone.
“This is a guy that was all man,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Palmer, who died in 2016. “This man was strong and tough. And I refuse to say it, but when he took showers with the other pros, they came out of there, they said, ‘Oh, my god, that’s unbelievable.’”
As the crowd reacted, Mr. Trump chuckled. Later, he said, “I had to tell you the shower part of it because it’s true. What can I tell you? We want to be honest.”
Mr. Trump has always enjoyed shocking people, and in addition to cursing volubly, he enjoys talking about sex and men’s and women’s looks.
But in the past, he had refrained, for the most part, from being overtly crude publicly as a candidate or as president. Now, however, as he makes his third run for the White House and has become visibly angrier since Ms. Harris joined the race, there has been a notable uptick in such behavior, especially in the campaign’s final weeks and days.
In rallies, in interviews and on social media, he has seemingly relished deploying off-color language that politicians shied away from in another era. He has reposted racially and sexually charged insults of Ms. Harris on his Truth Social website, and he has done little to dissuade or calm crowds that have chanted profanity about the people with whom he has grievances.
This week, Mr. Trump was speaking at a Catholic charity event and standing mere feet from the Archbishop of New York when he swore while insulting Bill de Blasio, the former mayor of New York. “He was a terrible mayor,” Mr. Trump said. “I don’t give a shit if this is comedy or not.”
Mr. Trump often uses a variation of that word to allude to the four criminal cases against him. “I won’t say it, because I don’t like using the word ‘bullshit’ in front of these beautiful children,” he said in June at an event at a megachurch in Arizona, where the crowd began chanting it in unison, to Mr. Trump’s glee.
It was one of several recent acknowledgments from Mr. Trump, including one in Latrobe, that his profanity had the potential to offend. Mr. Trump has often told his crowds the story of a letter he received from Franklin Graham, the evangelical leader, urging him to clean up his language.
“I wrote him back,” Mr. Trump said on Saturday. “I said, I’m going to try to do that, but actually, the stories won’t be as good. Because you can’t put the same emphasis on it. So tonight, I broke my rule.”
Many of those who attend his rallies reflect his attitude in their apparel, wearing shirts, baseball caps and other clothing with vulgar expressions, many of which are aimed at Ms. Harris.
In Latrobe, Mr. Trump eventually shifted to his typical campaign themes. At one point, he insisted his election might bring about “America’s new golden age.”
It was a rare moment of optimism in his speech. Mostly, Mr. Trump continued to use dark, at times violent, rhetoric to describe the Biden administration, the American economy and illegal immigration, which he once again spoke of as a military invasion.
clean up on 4.1
11. As PotUS he would be the voice and face of the USA on the world stage. Projecting an irrational, loose-cannon, vindictive, bullying, sleazy character for our nation.
12. He would abuse the powers of the presidency to satisfy his desires rather than honestly work for the good of the nation.
13. He would further solidify the cult-like abomination that was once the GOP.
14. He is too old and already shows cognitive decline.
15. J.D. Vance would be next in line for the presidency.
16. He thinks too highly of his own opinion ('I know more than ...') and fails to leverage the expertise of wise, experienced advisors.
17. He will surround himself with sycophants who will enable his many bad ideas (e.g. gratuitous tariffs).
#15 might be one of the better reasons not to vote for Trump. Vance is connected to a group of tech oligarchs and "thinkers" who are fundamentally anti-democratic. Trump is deteriorating mentally and psychologically and probably physically to such a degree that is questionable whether he could finish a term.
The Vance is worse than trump chorus already revving up.
A near impossible task.
OK then.....
Give us 10 logical and valid reasons for voting for Harris and Walz.
Democrats Are Miserable People (And They Deserve To Be)
“…logical and valid…”
Not in your lexicon. Any list, any item would be dismissed and only serve to show the fear and ignorance and hatred so pervasive in every single response.
So, not worth having to try to explain why the choice is simple only to have simpletons attempt to justify their fear and ignorance and hatred.
Shall I compose your response? It is also so simple and predictable and meaningless in the repulsive point of making demands rather than making informed judgments…as making informed judgments on 1-100 things is the main reason to vote for Harris/Walz…
She sounds wonderful (assuming someone agrees with your opinion on the reasons). Makes one wonder why the dems bounced her so quickly in 2020.
Is Trump fit to be PotUS? If so, explain why.
Is Harris fit to be PotUS? If not, explain why.
The really funny thing is some appear to think questions like that are going to change anyone’s mind here. That said, the more the liberal cabal here bags on Trump, the more I realize he’s the right choice.
Thanks for that.
I don't like either one but they are both fit to be president as in they are both mentally capable.
Who thinks that?
Constantly screaming at the sky seems to have the adverse effect some are hoping for.
And there you have it. A declaration that Trump is fit to be PotUS. Even in light of his recent statement that he would consider using the US military against political opponents. Just fucking amazing.
What would it take for you to find someone unfit for the presidency? What has Trump not done at this point that would cross your line of unfitness for the most powerful office on the planet?
Only because he is. If he isn't fit maybe someone should have him declared mentally incompetent.
Funny how some choose to believe when an accused "serial liar" says something they want to point out as truth.
Do you wish to opine about why Kamala was bounced so fast in 2020 and now is a queen? I even supplied an article for you.
The article gave ten reasons not to vote for Trump. You gave another 5. The Trump fans here have no response other than that we have TDS. Its pitiful.
I must have missed it. I don't recall anyone saying it was TDS
To engage, in a socially-safe environment (i.e. not with family and others we must live with), those who irrationally support / defend Trump to maybe get a decent explanation for WTF is going on in their minds. Also, to vent.
You never explain how Trump is fit to be PotUS. This is the only PotUS in our history who has engaged in fraud, coercion, lying, and incitement in an attempt to thwart the peaceful transfer of power by violating the CotUS and US law while disenfranchising the electorate.
What would it take for you to find someone unfit for the presidency? What has Trump not done at this point that would cross your line of unfitness for the most powerful office on the planet?
A feeble dodge. Being fit for the office of the presidency does not strictly mean mentally competent (which for Trump is also a question).
Since when do rational members of the electorate consider a traitor fit for the presidency? When did we decide that it is fine to elect a vindictive prick who has stated that he would consider using the US military against political opponents?
Another declaration with no supporting details. Just more bullshit.
Clean up on 6.2 for no value
So your contention is fitness = not mentally incompetent?
Talk about lowering the bar.
And it still had to be lowered further for Biden.
They hold the former 'president' to no standard(s) whatsoever
Not Really.
The starting point is that a candidate is fit until he is proven to be unfit. The burden of proof is on the people that contend a candidate is unfit. That subjective bar has not been reached for millions. Asking for proof of fitness is just a weak dodge.
To paraphrase Justice Stewart “I'll know it when I see it”
As far as millions are concerned it is the overriding factor since the rest is subjective.
Maybe rational members of the electorate are not buying into the colloquial meaning of the word traitor since it is just opinion.
Maybe people recognize hyperbole when they hear it.
every word of your comment is ridiculous
And with all the information / fact available, you conclude that Trump is fit to be PotUS.
Yet you have no argument countering the fact.
Thank you for the in depth analysis and reply
Yes, because no one has proven that he isn't to the standards needed for myself and millions of others. What some give are valid ( and some not so valid) reasons not to vote for him. They do not mean he is unfit.
It is not a fact, just the opinion of people that are looking for ways to make sure Trump is not elected. For some reason they can't just say here are the reasons not to vote for him, they have to raise it to the level he is not fit. Must have learned that while trying to protect Biden against the same calls of unfitness. It is a lame tactic that most forks see through.
Yeah, we know, you hold that Trump is fit because you claim nobody has proven otherwise. So you do not care that he tried to steal the 2020 election, or that he would use the military against political opponents, or that he plans to impose gratuitous tariffs in a brain-dead misguided concept of increasing revenue without raising domestic prices, that he is a vindictive scoundrel, pathological liar, malignant narcissist, ...
Or as the Times put it:
Your comment offers yet another example of what I have observed ... it really does not matter what Trump does, his supporters are engaged in major league confirmation bias and will defend and support him no matter how abysmal his character and how outrageous his wrongdoing.
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Correct
Once again you attempt to put words in my mouth to try and prove a point. Not a very good tactic, shows weakness in your argument. What I actually said "What some give are valid ( and some not so valid) reasons not to vote for him. " That is not a statement of someone that doesn't care, it is the statement of someone that is not calling him unfit, which seems to be very important for some.
I am not going to try and convince you that your observations are not your observations. I will say sometimes people see what they want to see even if it is not there.
Is Trump fit to be PotUS?
Do you read my posts? Why ask a question that has been clearly answered more than once? Are you just trying to deflect from my comment or is there another reason? That last one is rhetorical, I already know the answer.
Your answer is YES, you believe Trump is fit to be PotUS.
You will not state it so clearly (always tossing in wishy-washy language) but it is obvious that is what you are claiming.
Trump supporters clearly do not care how unfit Trump is ... they support the GOP candidate literally no-matter-what.
Then why do you keep asking Again and Again?.
I responded "Only because he is." to the statement "A declaration that Trump is fit to be PotUS."
I responded "Yes, because no one has proven that he isn't to the standards needed for myself and millions of others. What some give are valid ( and some not so valid) reasons not to vote for him. They do not mean he is unfit." to the comment "And with all the information / fact available, you conclude that Trump is fit to be PotUS."
I responded "Correct" to the statement "Yeah, we know, you hold that Trump is fit because you claim nobody has proven otherwise."
There is nothing wishy washy or ambiguous to any of those responses.
Again I have to ask do you read and try to understand my posts? Is there something else you are trying to accomplish? Either way I do not feel the need, desire or inclination to clarify myself for a fourth time when once should and would have been enough for most folks
I think it would be more accurate if you said Trump supporters clearly do not care how unfit some folks believe Trump is. I have confidence that if folks believed he was unfit they would not vote for him ergo those voting for him believe he is fit. Maybe some feel unfit is just an extension of threat to democracy some are trying to sell.
While I am sure that is true to a certain extent of both parties I also believe some Trump voters are voting for Trump for other reasons. Maybe they believe the good outweighs the bad. Maybe they feel the country is going in the wrong direction and Kamala would try to turn it left faster. There are all sorts of reasons people vote for someone other than partisanship. Might as well get used to it.
You will not state that Trump is unfit clearly (always tossing in wishy-washy language) but it is obvious that is what you are claiming.
Trump supporters do not care how unfit Trump is ... they support the GOP candidate literally no-matter-what.
See 6.2.39
It is all right there in easily understandable language.
It includes the words yes, correct and he is
Why would I state that clearly or at all if it is not what I believe?
I think most rational Americans expect Trump supporters to want the same things for America that they do and try to present to them all the facts that prove Trump monumentally unfit which are many. I think this is where the disconnect is. Trump supporters do not want the same things the majority of Americans want for America. They have been convinced through rightwing media and mountains of misinformation that everyone on the left is evil and lying and can't be trusted so anything they say, any facts they present can't be trusted and should be thrown out the window without even so much as a glance. They don't want a normal politician as we've had for decades both on the left and right. They believe that those politicians have destroyed "their America" by moving away from the openly anti-lgbtq policies of the past, moved away from the time when bullies in school were what made kids 'tough', moved away from the institutional racism and unspoken segregation and discrimination in our communities, supported higher education that many Trump conservatives see as evil indoctrination because it no longer teaches kids gays are from the devil and the bible is the only source of facts and truth.
I think trying to convince a Trump supporter of his unfitness for office is a lot like a real estate agent showing a home to someone and giving them all the details about how great the home is and all the features and the fact it's close to a good school district and the buyer turning around and saying "Yeah, yeah, you can stop there with the sales pitch which was nice and all, but I'm just planning on buying it to burn it down for the insurance money". The majority of Americans, the rational Americans who actually want to support and improve on the system we have are trying to argue with folk who have an agenda that is the polar opposite, their objectives for America could not be more different which is why we have the massive divide we are faced with today and complete inability to reason with those on the other side.
“Maybe some feel unfit is just an extension of threat to democracy some are trying to sell.”
Tramp [sic] has spent a lifetime selling himself.
At what cost? Peddle your bullshit, your bibles, your steaks, your fries, your university, or whatever your brand du jour to those willing to pony up…but don’t for a second think peddling our Constitutional rights are in any way comparable nor in any way acceptable.
Some understand the difference, and tragically and to our collective detriment, some never will. He is already wearing the martyr mantle proudly.
Back to the end of democracy claim?
“Back to the end of democracy claim?
And just who denied, continues to deny, and will deny again his potential election loss?
For centuries, we have been unique and an inspiration in guaranteeing a smooth transition of democratically established power.
Until…
Did democracy end?
IT's not about what's right or what's fair. These right wing populists are all about social justice and taking down what they call "woke" policies. It's about control and if they have to burn it all down to take control they will do so as the ends justify the means.
“Did democracy end?”
No, it did not.
But listen if you care, to his words, his actions, his promises should he somehow, in what could become a dystopian future, be once again elected.
Elected with no regard for our people, no understanding of our history, and no respect for our Constitution. Only revenge and retribution and a reviling self-serving attempt to destroy anything and anyone who dares not walk in lockstep.
Should he win, we shall see if the dream and promise ends or not.
What I find most interesting is that they want to take credit for all the good America has done in the world since FDR (a Democratic President many conservatives despise) chose to involve us in WW2 while at the same time, they want to try and burn down the system that actually did all that good. Of course, they believe for some weird reason that they should get credit for all the good while the progressives and liberals and those who've fought for civil rights should be blamed for anything bad and the supposed moral decay of our nation. But there again is the stark contrast between rational Americans knowing that being more aware of racial and other injustice makes us stronger and is NOT any sort of 'moral decay' and those who believe that treating Americans who don't love, pray or look like they do with dignity and equality is corrupting our nation and making us somehow 'weak" which is why they rally to the call of charlatan populists like Trump who claim they can 'Make America Great Again' which translates to "Make America Racist, Sexist and white evangelical Christian only" again with everyone else getting second class citizen status again and for gay jokes and racist jokes to be acceptable again in most social circles.
That's what Trump supporters most desire which is why they can't be swayed by any facts and reality of those different than them standing on equal footing. To them that's reverse discrimination against white evangelical Christians. How dare gays and people they have labeled 'sinners' think they are Trump supporters equals, it's offensive on the face of it to them and only Trump understands them and takes their side so it doesn't matter what he does, it doesn't matter what crimes he's committed, all is forgiven for their racist white Christian gladiator who 'tells it like it is' in their minds. The majority of Americans are disgusted by Trump but that only makes his supporters more fervent and feel more like they're in some sort of exclusive club. But of course, the first rule of White Club is you're not allowed to talk about White Club so you'll never hear them actual spell it out for you, they'll just claim "nobody's proven Trump unfit for office" even in the face of the mountains of evidence that would convince any rational person who hasn't already bought into and drunk the rightwing conservative Christian cool aid.
did he make that choice? I thought Japan and Germany made that choice for us.
We hear the rationalization, which strikes me as self deluding , that he didnt do anything bad in his first term so what is everyone afraid of.
Uh, he tried to steal the election and overthrow the government during his first term. Somehow to Trump followers this doesnt count.
There were many conservatives here in America who wanted us to side with Hitler and Germany never directly attacked us so going to war in Europe certainly was a choice though after Pearl Harbor Japan pressured Germany and Italy to declare war on us. As for going to war with Japan they did indeed attack us and thus gave FDR no choice but to join the war in the pacific.
1939 Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden which was billed as a "Pro American Rally ." It was, in fact, a rally in support of Hitler and fascism. I've no doubt Trump and his allies would have been in attendance had they been alive or old enough to attend at the time. Perhaps Trumps father would have attended if he hadn't been arrested at a KKK riot 12 years before.
When Nazis Took Manhattan : Code Switch : NPR
In 1927, Donald Trump’s father was arrested after a Klan riot in Queens - The Washington Post
So you were wrong then.
For your own edification, you should also know opposition to entering the war was was very strong on the left as well (at least before June 1941). Hitler and Stalin were allies recall and socialists supported their friend until Hitler invaded Russia.
Take for instance, the Keep America Out of War Congress, which consisted of composed of 6 pacifist groups apart from the Socialist Party of America : The Peace Section of the American Friends Service Committee (ALSC), Fellowship for Reconciliation (FOR), World Peace Commission of the Methodist Church, American Section of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WIL), National Council for the Prevention of War (NCPW) and the War Resisters League (WRL).
Not at all though perhaps you misconstrued my original comment. I do find it amusing that you took one sentence out of what I wrote to try and make hay out of while ignoring the bulk of my point which still stands. Conservatives want to take credit for Americas successes while dumping any blame on Democrats and the left for what hasn't gone right over the last 80 years. America is successful and great because of our diversity, because we have fought to do what was right for all Americans even if it took us half a century to accept that lgtbq Americans, minorities and immigrants were no different and deserving of the same rights as anyone else. What the MAGA crowd want is to take us back to when they were the only ones large and in charge, when you could openly discriminate against those who didn't look like, sound like, pray like or love like the WASP's that were in control of most States. But please do keep ignoring my point and trying to deflect and distract with semantics, it basically makes my point for me.