This hateful Muslim Ban must end now.

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Anne Frank would be a 77-year-old woman living in the United States today, but she and her family were denied entry to our country as refugees because of a fear of European immigrants during World War II.

This hateful, bigoted Muslim ban must be lifted. Refugees are some of the most hard working, patriotic people in America today. Denying them access to safety and opportunity in their time of need is the least Christian and most immoral act imaginable.

Right now there are hundreds of Syrian refugees in airports around the world who have undergone months of intense vetting and sold all their worldly possessions in order to purchase plane tickets for America but have now been stopped by Trump's Muslim ban.

International students throughout the United States are now prevented from returning home to visit family lest they be barred from coming back to America to finish their studies.

Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi won't be let into the United States to attend the Academy Awards even though he's nominated for best foreign language film.

This is an inhumane and unnecessary decision by a bigoted President who has never experienced poverty or violence in his life. It tarnishes America's position as a moral leader of the world. It is an embarrassment to Americans everywhere.

How I stand against the vile, intolerant, hateful speech and policy proposals of the President-elect (and how you can, too)

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You may have noticed if you follow me on any form of social media that I haven't been quiet about my opposition to the President-elect.

I can't be.

This is not a Democrat-Republican or liberal-conservative divide. Those who have known me for a long time or read this blog on a regular basis can attest that during previous Presidential campaigns, I have been far less vocal about my political positions, simply because I felt that Americans were faced with the choice of two serious minded candidates who were both more than fit for the office. 

While I certainly preferred one candidate over another, I did not think that either candidate was bad for America, and therefore, I did not feel the need to be overly vocal. 

In the case of Donald Trump, I believe that we have elected a fundamentally indecent man who has said vile, despicable things about enormous numbers of American citizens and proposed unconscionable policies that in many cases would violate the Constitution of the United States and the fundamental rights of American citizens.

I do not believe that he is fit for the office of President of the United States.

Since he will soon be the President, I have sought ways of personally counteracting his hateful speech, his xenophobic policy proposals, and the fear that he has instilled in so many of the people who I know.

If you are feeling powerless, hopeless, angry, or afraid, it's important that you take action. Doing something productive and meaningful will always make you feel better and stronger. I promise you.

So far, I have done this by embracing, supporting, and promoting the things that he he has stood against most often.

For example:

  • I have strongly supported my Mexican, Muslim, female, immigrant, and disabled friends and promoted their acceptance and success whenever possible.
  • We have purchased subscriptions to The New York Times and Slate Plus in an effort to support the journalists who will work tirelessly to hold Trump accountable for his words and deeds.
  • My wife and I have called Senators and Congresspeople in order to express our opposition to appalling Presidential appointments like Steve Bannon.
  • I have sought to engage in constructive discussions with reasonable people who voted for Trump in an effort to understand them better and promote a more positive, liberal agenda to them.
  • I have sought to bring the voices of the marginalized and the maligned to the Speak Up stage in order to allow them to be heard beyond the hateful speech of Trump and his surrogates.
  • I have shared, endorsed, and proliferated news stories and other bits of media that stand against the Donald Trump's racist, misogynist, religiously intolerant, and xenophobic speech and policy proposals.

This holiday commercial for Amazon, starring an actual priest and imam, is exactly the kind of thing that I am talking about. It offers a beautiful message of religious tolerance, inclusion, and understanding. It has also incensed the religiously intolerant and xenophobic supporters of Donald Trump (especially when it aired during NFL games last weekend), so sharing it whenever possible warms my heart.

I'll do what I can, whenever I can, to stand against Donald Trump's vile and hateful speech and unconscionable policy proposals. Sometimes this simply means embracing and sharing the opposing voices.