Trump PAC spokesman says Japanese internment is precedent for Muslim registry

Megyn Kelly on Wednesday admonished a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump who invoked Japanese internment camps as precedent for a proposed registry of Muslims.

On Fox News' "The Kelly File" program on Wednesday night, Carl Higbie, a former Navy SEAL who is a spokesman and cochair of Great America PAC, a super PAC that supported Trump's candidacy, argued in favor of the registry, which he compared to World War II-era Japanese internment camps.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who is reportedly a "key member of Trump's transition team," told Reuters on Tuesday that policy advisers to Trump were considering creating a registry of immigrants who come to the US from Muslim countries in response to terrorist attacks committed by Islamic extremists.

"We did it during World War II with Japanese, which you know, call it what you will, may be wrong," Higbie said, eliciting a sharp response from Kelly.

"You know better than to suggest that," Kelly said. "That's the kind of stuff that gets people scared, Carl."

"I'm just saying there is precedent for it," Higbie replied.

"You can't be citing Japanese internment camps for anything the president-elect is going to do," Kelly fired back in a raised voice.

http://www.businessinsider.com/megyn-kelly-Muslim-registry-2016-11

The US Supreme Court case that affirmed and upheld the Japanese internment camps, was Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. 214 (1944).  I will always remember the words of Justice Black, denying that racism was afoot, then in the same sentence blatantly citing racism as a justification.

Justice Hugo Black wrote:Korematsu was not excluded from the Military Area because of hostility to him or his race. He was excluded because we are at war with the Japanese Empire, because the properly constituted military authorities feared an invasion of our West Coast and felt constrained to take proper security measures, because they decided that the military urgency of the situation demanded that all citizens of Japanese ancestry be segregated from the West Coast temporarily, and, finally, because Congress, reposing its confidence in this time of war in our military leaders—as inevitably it must—determined that they should have the power to do just this.

It's an argument that we still hear with these Black Lives Matter police shootings and profiling: We're not being racist, we're just focusing on black people.  It's amazing what lengths that people will go to avoid the label of racism, yet openly use race as the criterion.  You have to wonder, what do they think racism is?

Anyway, my comment on the Higbie assertion is: What is surprising about this, when you have heard Trump say that POWs are losers, generals are rubbish and Mexicans are rapists?  Moreover, military people are the last ones to concern themselves about rights.  Now we are hearing pundits on TV and elsewhere say that we should not take Donald at his word...that all politicians walk back their extreme positions.  Putting aside the fact that this admits he was lying about the pillars of his platform, it is also a betrayal of his base.

We should not be placated by those who say Trump will soften his stance in these areas.  First, he has not said that.  Second, he has unleashed a malignant fervor of hatred and racism that once started, cannot be contained.  I would be critical of anyone in the media who says, he didn't mean that.  You walk back bits and pieces, but not an avalanche.

Why does someone always point out that my posts aren't surprising?

Avenging Bae wrote:Why does someone always point out that my posts aren't surprising?

It's a connection or link.  You are such a smooth poster, that one feels that s/he is in conversation with you.  "I'm not surprised" or "you can say that again..." are phrases that are agreeable, yet lend to furthering the conversation.

You should be flattered.  Now eat your vegetables.  

Original Quill wrote:

Avenging Bae wrote:Why does someone always point out that my posts aren't surprising?

It's a connection or link.  You are such a smooth poster, that one feels that s/he is in conversation with you.  "I'm not surprised" or "you can say that again..." are phrases that are agreeable, yet lend to furthering the conversation.

You should be flattered.  Now eat your vegetables.  

I'm not surprised you said that

Avenging Bae wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

It's a connection or link.  You are such a smooth poster, that one feels that s/he is in conversation with you.  "I'm not surprised" or "you can say that again..." are phrases that are agreeable, yet lend to furthering the conversation.

You should be flattered.  Now eat your vegetables.  

I'm not surprised you said that  

Yes, you are particularly bad with your brussels sprouts.

Get a room boys