Hey, Trump:
The Judicial Branch
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(2017 Feb blog post)
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This page on Trump's 'full-of-holes'
seven-Muslim-countries 'ban'
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INTRODUCTION : When some judges (esp. in Washington state) put an injunction on Trump's executive order 'ban' of Muslims from 7 (seven) Muslim-majority nations, Trump tweeted that judges (and the court system) would be responsible if there were ANY attacks in the U.S. by Muslims in the U.S. Trump tweeted this in spite of the fact that he did not include many of the Muslim nations that could be considered the most dangerous --- for example, Saudi Arabia, from which almost all of the 9/11 attackers came --- and Indonesia and Pakistan and Nigeria, three of the most populous Muslim-majority countries on the planet --- and Bangladesh and Mali and Nigeria, three countries in which Muslims have been perpetrating horrible violence on non-Muslims. Need I mention Turkey and Egypt and Algeria and Sudan --- other very Muslim-populous countries. And many (about 30) others. (See below.) Trump's exact tweet was:
Just cannot believe a judge If something happens blame him and court system. People pouring in. Bad!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Here is a list of the seven countries that Trump proposed to temporarily ban --- and he plans to eventually 'vet them extremely'.
The vetting link above says: Homeland Security Secretary " John Kelly has stated that the temporary ban is important and that the DHS is developing what 'extreme vetting' might look like." In contrast to this puzzlingly short list, here is a list of the Muslim-majority countries --- in order by percent of the population that is Muslim (those with percent higher than 50) --- and with total Muslim population shown: |
Muslim-majority Percent Muslim
Country Muslim Population
---------------------- ---------- -------------
Mauritania 100% 4.1 million
Maldives 100% 309,000
Afghanistan 99.8% 29.0 million
Tunisia 99.8% 11.1 million
*Iran 99.7% 74.8 million
Western Sahara 99.6% 528,000
Morocco 99% 32.3 million
*Yemen 99.0% 24.0 million
Tajikistan 99.0% 7.0 million
*Somalia 98.9% 9.2 million
*Iraq 98.9% 31.1 million
Mayotte 98.8% 197,000
Turkey 98.6% 74.6 million
Azerbaijan 98.4% 8.7 million
Niger 98.3% 19.5 million
Comoros 98.3% 785,000
Algeria 98.2%-plus 40.4 million
Palestinian Territories 97.5% 4.3 million
Saudi Arabia 97.1% 25.4 million
*Sudan 97.0% 39.0 million
Djibouti 97% 853,000
*Libya 96.6% 6.3 million
Uzbekistan 96.5% 26.8 million
Pakistan 96.4% 178.0 million
Senegal 95.9% 14.5 million
Kosovo 95.6% 1.5 million
Gambia 95.3% 1.6 million
Mali 95% 15.6 million
Jordan 93.8% 6.3 million
Turkmenistan 93.3% 4.8 million
*Syria 90% 20.8 million
Egypt 90% 73.8 million
Kyrghystan 88.8% 4.9 million
Oman 87.7% 2.5 million
Indonesia 87.2% 204.8 million
Bangladesh 86.3% 8.8 million
Guinea 84.2% 8.6 million
Cocos (Keeling) Islands 80% less than 1,000
Qatar 77.5% 1.1 million
United Arab Emirates 76.0% 3.5 million
Kuwait 74.1% 2.6 million
Sierra Leone 71.5% 4.1 million
Kazakhstan 70.2% 8.8 million
Bahrain 70.2% 866,000
Brunei 67% 295,000
Malaysia 61.4% 17.1 million
Burkina Faso 60.5% 11.2 million
Lebanon 59.7% 2.5 million
Albania 58.8% 1.8 million
Chad 58% 7.8 million
Bosnia-Herzegovina 50.7% 1.7 million
Guinea Bissau 50% 705,000
Nigeria ~50% 93.8 million
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If anyone wants to concentrate on the most Muslim-numerous countries rather than those with the highest Muslim-percentage, here is a sort of the above table by Muslim population: |
Muslim-majority Percent Muslim
Country Muslim Population
---------------------- ---------- -------------
Indonesia 87.2% 204.8 million
Pakistan 96.4% 178.0 million
Nigeria ~50% 93.8 million
*Iran 99.7% 74.8 million
Turkey 98.6% 74.6 million
Egypt 90% 73.8 million
Algeria 98.2%-plus 40.4 million
*Sudan 97.0% 39.0 million
Morocco 99% 32.3 million
*Iraq 98.9% 31.1 million
Afghanistan 99.8% 29.0 million
Uzbekistan 96.5% 26.8 million
Saudi Arabia 97.1% 25.4 million
*Yemen 99.0% 24.0 million
*Syria 90% 20.8 million
Niger 98.3% 19.5 million
Malaysia 61.4% 17.1 million
Mali 95% 15.6 million
Senegal 95.9% 14.5 million
Burkina Faso 60.5% 11.2 million
Tunisia 99.8% 11.1 million
*Somalia 98.9% 9.2 million
Bangladesh 86.3% 8.8 million
Kazakhstan 70.2% 8.8 million
Azerbaijan 98.4% 8.7 million
Guinea 84.2% 8.6 million
Chad 58% 7.8 million
Tajikistan 99.0% 7.0 million
*Libya 96.6% 6.3 million
Jordan 93.8% 6.3 million
Kyrghystan 88.8% 4.9 million
Turkmenistan 93.3% 4.8 million
Palestinian Territories 97.5% 4.3 million
Mauritania 100% 4.1 million
Sierra Leone 71.5% 4.1 million
United Arab Emirates 76.0% 3.5 million
Kuwait 74.1% 2.6 million
Oman 87.7% 2.5 million
Lebanon 59.7% 2.5 million
Albania 58.8% 1.8 million
Bosnia-Herzegovina 50.7% 1.7 million
Gambia 95.3% 1.6 million
Kosovo 95.6% 1.5 million
Qatar 77.5% 1.1 million
Bahrain 70.2% 866,000
Djibouti 97% 853,000
Comoros 98.3% 785,000
Guinea Bissau 50% 705,000
Western Sahara 99.6% 528,000
Maldives 100% 309,000
Brunei 67% 295,000
Mayotte 98.8% 197,000
Cocos (Keeling) Islands 80% less than 1,000
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I have marked the 7 'Trump ban' countries with an asterisk. Their total population adds up to less than that of Indonesia --- their total is about the same as the population of Pakistan. Note that neither Indonesia nor Pakistan is on the 'list of seven' --- two countries with many instances of Muslim terrorism. If you want a table sorted in some other way (for example by Muslim percent of world population or Muslim percent of world Muslim population), I will leave that to someone else to compile. I think these two tables should do for most considerations of the 'U.S. more-thorough vetting' matter. --- Note that a quick glance over these tables indicates that Trump's 'list of seven' is dreadfully inadequate to properly protect the country. That 'list of seven' leaves a hole (figuratively) big enough to drive an explosives-laden truck through. Trump and his crew are proudly proclaiming that he is doing what he promised --- banning and extreme vetting of Muslims. BUT it is all 'political posturing'. There are too many exceptions to the Trump 'Muslim ban'. The United States would be on the order of 'only ten percent safer' with the 7-country ban. (Compare the population of 'the seven' --- about 180 million --- to the total of 1.8 billion Muslims on Earth.) Most of the people who voted for Trump will probably fall for his claims. But anyone who looks at these lists --- compared to his 'list of seven' --- can see that his boasts are empty. Trump is perpetrating a 'political scam' --- like the one in which he promised West Virginians that he will restore their coal mining jobs. (More on that 'scam' in another blog post.)
More on the Muslim countries A 29 Jan 2017 article at FoxNews.com points out that "White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on Sunday defended President Trump's order to temporarily ban immigration from seven mostly-Muslim nations -- and deflected criticism over countries like Saudi Arabia and Pakistan not being included in the ban." and "In the wide-ranging interview 10 days into the Trump administration, Conway also attempted to explain why such countries as Afghanistan, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were not included in the ban." Her explanation (again quoting the FoxNews article): "She said Trump is privy to intelligence reports that critics and others have not seen and suggested the list could change." Those must be some really poor intelligence reports. Besides, it is well-known that Trump does not read intelligence reports. He flies by the seat of his pants. Note that some of the Muslim countries, that have been 'given a pass' in Trump's executive orders, have been guilty lately of some atrocious acts of violence against non-Muslims.
Kellyanne Conway does a lot of the evasive dancing around the issues that Trump raises --- and you can bet that her answers to the above 'why not on the list' questions would just result in more evasive verbal-dancing around --- and loud bloviating over journalists' attempts to point out inconsistencies in her bloviating. Trump's business connections in Muslim countries It has been public knowledge that Trump has business connections in quite a few Muslim countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia) --- countries that he has left off of his 'list of seven'. I will simply provide some web searches. You can find cases of the connections yourself.
One example business connection is that a Malaysian businessman is a partner with Trump in a hotel in Vancouver, Canada, that was opening in Feb 2017. According to a 2017 Feb 15 story in the Financial Times (www.ft.com) : Joo Kim Tiah, the son of one of Malaysia's wealthiest tycoons, sat on stage in the summer of 2013 as his new business partner [Trump] announced their plans for a C$360m luxury condominium-hotel project on Vancouver's most prestigious downtown thoroughfare. If Trump is going to let business deals put huge 'holes' in his 'extreme vetting', then HE is HUGELY endangering the country. It will NOT be the court system of the U.S. that is significantly endangering the country. CONCLUSION I guess it looks like I am 'urging Trump on' --- to do 'extreme vetting' of even more people. No ... I am not ... although I AM concerned about people who do not believe in the 'Freedom of-and-from Religion' section of the U.S. Constitution. I do not believe people who want a theocracy (Muslim or otherwise) should be allowed to be citizens (or residents) of this country. They could not possibly be expected to 'swear to uphold the Constitution'. I am for 'reasonable vetting' --- and 'improved vetting' if needed. However, I have multiple concerns including:
When you look at the list of about 50 Muslim-majority countries above, one comes to the realization that trying to do 'very thorough vetting' of ALL travelers into the U.S. from those countries is going to be a very expensive process. A lot of extra manpower and facilities will be required. And there are still more countries --- Muslim-minority countries --- with significant Muslim populations, from which terrorists could come. (Someday I may extend the list-of-countries by-Muslim-population above, to show essentially all countries with more than a few thousand Muslims in their population. This would extend the list of countries that deserve as much 'Muslim vetting' as 'the seven countries' to about 100 countries.) And yet Trump is calling for draconian tax cuts. And a build-up of the military. And making more nuclear weapons. Are we going to have another 'go to war while cutting taxes' scenario --- like in the Bush years? Is that combination really going to make America stronger and greater, in the long run? --- or even in the short run? Sad to say, there needs to be a cost-benefit analysis of any new 'improved vetting' process. Compromises must be made. I don't think Trump has the patience for that. --- When you consider the Obama years (2008 - 2016), in which there were relatively few Muslim attacks within the U.S., and when you consider all the Muslim countries and all the travelers of various kinds coming from those countries, it seems that the various U.S. departments and agencies (Homeland Security, Immigration, local police, etc.) have done a surprisingly good job. It seems that Trump's disruptive implementation(s) of his 'Muslim ban' executive order(s) is going too much in the direction of 'assume everyone is guilty until they are proven innocent' --- and treat them like they are guilty --- 'from the git go'. Trump is treating thousands of travelers like crap in order to find relatively few bad apples. There has to be a better way --- a more respectful way --- a way that is, at the same time, an effective way. There needs to be a careful implementation of 'improved vetting' --- of travelers and potential immigrants. There probably can be some improvements in vetting of travelers from Muslim countries --- better techniques, better procedures, more consistent application of procedures. HOWEVER, those improvements should be done with careful consideration and careful planning. There was no sign of that in Trump's first months in office. --- Another of my concerns is that there are likely to be many instances of 'unnecessary roughness' --- and even brutality --- directed toward some of the detained travelers --- because, just as there police departments throughout the U.S. that are populated with police that should not be police, there are people in the immigration and homeland security ranks who should not be in positions that require considerable self-control and civilized responses in some tough situations. There needs to be
in assembling the people who will be implementing an 'improved vetting' process. And there needs to be a clear message to those people who are 'processing' travelers and immigrants --- that abuses of non-violent travelers is not to be tolerated. People (federal government workers or other workers) who abuse (bully) travelers for no good reason should be terminated quickly. Failure to do so can lead to a scary police state in which no one is safe. SUMMARY In a few words: Mr. Trump : 'Vet' ALL (Muslim) travelers, from ALL (Muslim) countries, equally. There should be NO exceptions for countries in which you have potential business projects. |
Does this pilot sound like a mature adult?
Or a petulant baby?
Can this man be trusted to (almost unilaterally)
devise a new immigrant policy?
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