Outrageous?

Submitted by Peter Chew (United States), Dec 12, 2015 at 12:25

I agree that Trump's formulation was outrageous. That isn't enough, in my mind, to dismiss it out of hand. (See separate comment "Unworkable?" for what I see as the biggest problem - which also applies to the formulation "Ban Islamists".)

Still, I am grateful, as I think Dr. Pipes is, to Trump for bringing this issue to the forefront. Predictably, Trump's hyperbole has unfortunately provoked hyperbole from many of the other presidential candidates and leaders ("unhinged", "fake hair", "quite simply wrong", "leader of a lynch mob"), but I liked Ted Cruz's response best: simply "that's not my policy".

But Trump won't be getting my vote anyway because he has lied in other (related) areas. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I would remember if "thousands" of Muslims in New Jersey had celebrated 9/11. Thousands in the Middle East, maybe. A handful in NJ, maybe. But not thousands openly celebrating in the USA, let alone New Jersey. The details matter!

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