Have you noticed how often, how persistently, the word “cruelty” is showing up in the news?
I was reading about the prison built in the Everglades by the State of Florida to house people being rounded up by ICE. Built in a hurry, it is made up of cages for imprisoning humans and tarps for walls that freely allow mosquitoes in, not to mention the elements of summer in Florida. People who have been imprisoned there have reported maggots in the food, a lack of clean water, denial of medical care, legal access, and other basic human needs. The ACLU declared this “state-sponsored cruelty” and filed suit. Thank goodness for the ACLU.
The setup is plainly sadistic. And Donald Trump apparently approved when he visited. This denigration is OK with him, but is it OK with you? Is that what we are now? Is this America? My mother served as a WAC in World War II. She often told us how relieved enemy soldiers were to be captured by the US military–as opposed to being captured by Russian soldiers, who would just kill them. Americans were known for being big-hearted, kind, and compassionate. I was so proud when she spoke of this.
Why is this abuse of fellow humans still standing? If we don’t protest, are we complicit? We might not be guilty of overt cruelty, but we are guilty of casual cruelty where we carelessly, with little empathy, maybe with a bit of superiority, blame the victim and shrug the thought aside. It’s a problem someone else can fix. Do you say to yourself, didn’t those illegals put themselves in this mess after all? It’s on you! Right?
Just type “cruelty Trump” into your search engine. Maybe the article title from the National Catholic Reporter will come up. It reads, “Silence in the face of Trump’s cruelty is complicity.” The headlines should be enough to make you weep. I hope so.
Marion O. Arnold
Easton
Matt LaMotte says
1) Although Prez Trump, once again, issued an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court, his administration – including himself – is/are subject to prosecution.
2) While Trump can wilfully disregard the rule of law, knowing he’s immune from prosecution in the US, his minions (Miller, Bondi, Hegseth, etal) are not.
Just sayin’…
Sharron Cassavant says
Thank you for writing this letter. You speak the truth. I’m 86 and unable to join street protests. I’ve written to MD senators about this issue but done little else. You’ve inspired me to join the ACLU. I allowed my membership to lapse years ago.
trudy wonder says
Thank you, Marion, for speaking out on this issue, and daring the rest of us to confront our core beliefs. If we don’t believe these conditions would be just for us were we or our family members to be imprisoned for any reason, then we shouldn’t be OK with them for others – for any reason.
Never forget that the only thing that separates us from many of these individuals is where in this vast world we happened to be born – something not-a-one-of-us had any control over. There but for the grace of God go we.
I honestly don’t know what’s worse: the cruelty of these conditions, or the glee with which certain administration officials manifest and talk about ICE’s faceless, terrorizing roundups (disappearings) and mass ‘detention’ camps. I’ll never accept this as living up the American ideal. I will always be repulsed by the very thought of it.
When we lose our humanity, we abandon the very things that make a stable society possible. History has never been kind to such perverse moments. I don’t expect it will end well for us this time, either.
Michael Davis says
I am glad more people are using the word “sadism.” The cruelty is not accidental. It is inflicted to such a degree that it has to be pleasurable to the people inflicting the pain. ICE agents and the whole structure from the White House down down to Alligator Alcatraz is design to inflict pain. And this is what Andy Harris supports.
mary dunlavey says
We already ARE weeping.
Bishop Joel Marcus Johnson says
It is unnerving to hear certain self-styled godly people applaud this sadism, claiming the prisoners should have known better. They might take a moment to remember that question of self-examination posed by Jesus: How can a man claim to love God when he does not love his neighbor?