This will be a short post.
Yesterday, Sayfullo Habibullaevic
Saipov was taken into custody, having been
suspected of committing what officials are calling a terrorist act. He is
alleged to have used a rental pick-up truck as a harrowing killing tool. Saipov
is believed to have plowed down the victims as they navigated a crowded bike
path along the Hudson River in Manhattan. According to news reports, the
suspect had handwritten notes pledging his loyalty to the Islamic State terror
network.
Saipov is a 29-year-old native of Uzbekistan. The Uzbek
national has been in the United
States since 2010. He has a Green Card, entitling him to permanent residence.
Records indicate he lived in Paterson, NJ, and in Tampa, FL, before moving to
New Jersey.
Near the end of the attack, Saipov smashed into
a school bus, jumped out of his truck and ran up and down the highway waving a
pellet gun and paintball gun and shouting “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is
great.” He was shot in the abdomen by a police officer.
After being detained, the suspect was taken into custody by the New York Police
Department. According to an
ABC News report, Tuesday's
terror attack resulted in
at least 8 deaths and 11 injuries. The attack produced
what is being characterized as the deadliest terrorist attack in this country
since September 11, 2001.
One of President Trump’s first initiatives was
to attempt to issue a Muslim Ban. The idea was bandied about as a top policy
promise during his campaign, It was perhaps his second most well-known promise,
following the Wall, which he lobbied for right out of the gate. There were 7
countries on the initial travel ban list. They were:
Iran
Iraq
Libya
Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Yemen
After an intra-administration debate, a few legal
setbacks, and a torrid national discourse, the list was revised slightly as Iraq
was removed. The 7-nation ban became a 6-nation ban.
The debate continued, as did the legal
wrangling, and national debate. On September 24, the administration revealed a
revised 8-nation ban. One of the main upshots from this iteration was that two
nations, Iraq and Sudan, were removed. The 8 nations cited in the current ban include:
Chad
Iran
Libya
North
Korea
Somalia
Syria
Venezuela
Yemen
The tenor of the national debate surrounding
the travel ban focuses largely on the fundamental argument about whether
emphasizing "the other" is the best and most desirable way to keep Americans, and
by extension, America, safe. Donald Trump and his disciples contend that it is
indeed the only way. A number of other national thought leaders, ranging from
Barack Obama to John McCain, believe that it is not. Walls and bans, and the
universal distrust that make those devices our tools of choice, will not make
us safe.
Mr. Saipov is Exhibit A of that truth. While
early accounts indicate he is an Islamic State sympathizer, his country of
origin, Uzbekistan,
is not included on any variation of the so-called Travel Ban. Moreover, even if
it were, Saipov has been in the U.S. for over 7 years, and already has a Green
Card, which means he can make America his permanent residence.
This bit of irony will not reshape the debate.
Perhaps it should…but it certainly won’t. It may even cause the Trump Regime to
once again reshuffle the Travel Ban. While that would be an unfortunate
outcome, given the tendencies of this administration, it simply cannot be
considered beyond the realm of possibility. One thing we know is that, Travel
Ban, notwithstanding, yesterday there was in… “New York City: Terror on the Hudson!”
Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.
To subscribe,
click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home
Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated
space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break
It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.
Consult the links below for more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment