Dear Donald J. Trump Supporters:
By asking you to assault protesters, Mr. Trump is asking you to commit a serious crime for which you will very likely be held criminally liable. A ruthless billionaire with ever changing loyalties, except to money, Trump absolutely and positively does not care about you, your loved ones, your friends, or your livelihood. When you get in legal trouble on his behalf, he will use his powerful lawyers as a wall between you and himself so as to insulate him from any criminal responsibility. He will do whatever he needs to make sure that you, and only you, face the consequences of any crime you engage in on his behalf.
Look at the many people, including honorable veterans, whom he cheated out tens of thousands of dollars through his Trump University scam, which netted him around forty million dollars in total. Trump is only out for Trump and can not care less about you or your concerns. That is a fact; anyone who asks Americans to beat up other Americans in order to deny the victims the right to speak freely (as granted by the First Amendment) doesn't care about Americans or America. That is except when it benefits his own interests. Furtherm, anyone who aims to circumvent the constitution (by exploiting people's economic concerns, denying their constitutional rights, and awakening dormant prejudices) for the sole purpose of winning party nomination and the presidency is worthy of neither. That person does not deserve your support or your vote. Put another way, you should not risk your life or the lives of others on behalf of someone whose objective is to divide Americans based on race, religion, and ethnic heritage, in order to reach a political goal.
Do remember that America is already great, precisely because it doesn't condone divisiveness, violence, race-baiting, and other nefarious traits, which are central to Trump's character and brand. He may very well find himself someday in a world of legal trouble (especially if protesters are killed) for inciting violence, hatred, undermining public safety, and breaking the law. He would be accountable for such murders in the same manner with which California prosecutors held Charles Manson responsible for the Tate-LaBianca-Folger mass murders in 1969, even though the murders were committed by his followers (the Manson "Family"), not by Manson himself. Like the killers, Manson was convicted of the murders and is still serving nine consecutive life sentences in California and is likely to die in prison. A role styled on the Manson-family is not the role which you, Trump supporters, should accept for you, your families, and friends. America has come too far during its relatively brief but storied history. Do not turn the clock back to the days of violent conflict and public strife which permeated the era of Jim Crow Laws and struggle for equal civil rights for all Americans.
Trump is not only targeting Mexicans, Muslims, and more broadly non-caucasian immigrants; he is targeting viciously (and physically) anyone who disagrees with him. For instance, he mocked the physical disability of New York Times journalist Serge Kovaleski during a speech at a rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on November 24, 2015. Kovaleski has a congenital muscle control condition, arthrogryposis, which manifests most clearly in diminished control of his left arm movement. Trump did so because Kovaleski contradicted Trump's repeated claims that thousands of Muslims in Northern New Jersey were celebrating in the streets and on rooftops during the horrific 9/11 attacks. Another incident occurred only a few days ago, on March 8, when Corey Lewandowski, campaign manager for Trump, assaulted Brietbart blog journalist Michelle Fields. Fields was walking alongside Trump, getting ready to ask him a question about affirmative action and late Supreme Court Justice Anthonin Scalia, when Lewandowski grabbed her left arm firmly from behind and pulled her back and down, causing her to almost fall to the ground. The assault resulted in red marks on the inside of her left forearm. She has filed battery charges against Lewandowski, whose conduct is in congruence with the spirit and culture of the Trump campaign. Perhaps the charges should have been filed against Trump himself as well.
Both Lewandowski and Trump denied the incident ever happened and accused Fields of being "delusional" and "attention-seeker." However, the assault was witnessed by Washington Post reporter Ben Terris, who emphasized on several occasions that the assault did in fact happen and that it was Lewandowski who assaulted Fields, and not the secret service officer who happened to be walking just to the right and back of Fields. A second video of the incident surfaced recently and it corroborates Terris's account. Neither Kovaleski nor fields is Mexican and neither is Muslim or immigrant. Ironically, Fields' employer, Breitbart, which bills itself as a conservative blog, has largely been supportive of Trump and Fields herself said recently that Trump was her second choice after Sen. Ted Cruz. Trump and his manager just "happened" to be displeased with these two journalists.
If Trump is to become president, the level of destruction and mayhem which will spread throughout the country, which you love and hold so dear, will likely be far more consequential; the move towards a protracted, violent civil strife could be a real possibility. You do not want to be responsible for taking America, our beloved country, down that path. Step back and away from the abyss that is Donald J. Trump. Step back and away from this reckless, volatile, power-obsessed, mercurial, and unethical man. Do it for you, for your loved ones, for your friends, for your neighbors, and for your community. Do it for your country.
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Dr. Azzam Elayan / March 13, 2016
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