It occurred on February 19, 1942, following the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan two months earlier. President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, "with the stated intention of preventing espionage on American shores." What the order actually did was one of the greatest atrocities committed by the United States in its history: the internment of more than 120,000 Japanese Americans. Canada followed our lead first, then Mexico and several South American countries did too. According to The History Channel, in the U.S., "Anyone who was at least 1/16th Japanese was evacuated, including 17,000 children under age 10, as well as several thousand elderly and disabled residents."  I understand the ignorant temptation as it existed then, as many did in real time. That same ignorance is being openly refreshed and rebooted today following the terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel, and the full-scale war that has followed in response. Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate, Ron DeSantis, did not equivocate in his racist perspective on Sunday, saying, the United States should not take in any Palestinian refugees if they flee the Gaza Strip because they "are all antisemitic," according to the Associated Press. He also appeared on "Face the Nation," expanding his hostile comments, by adding, "They teach kids to hate Jews, the textbooks do not have Israel even on the map. They prepare very young kids to commit terrorist attacks. So, I think it's a toxic culture." In this ignorant rant, he makes the error of using "they" as the unspecific villain, failing to differentiate people in any discernible way.  Those hateful comments seem different than those made in a letter Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN03) sent to the U.S. secretaries of state and homeland security on October 8th. In it, Banks requests that Israel's admission to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program be expedited for the purpose of "removing an extra hurdle for Israeli citizens looking to travel to America during this uncertain time." Admitting Israel to the program had been announced on September 27th, but would not take effect until November 30th.  Of course, I support the request Banks made in his letter. However, on the same day he sent the letter, he posted this question on X: "How many Hezbollah and Hamas sympathizers have illegally crossed our border in the last three years?"  The contrast is important because it represents the early stages of governmental leaders choosing cultures, or people, many of whom are victims themselves, of suddenly deserving different levels of humanity from America. Not only is that rhetoric dangerous, but it's also un-American.   Connect with Michael Leppert Visit michaelleppert.com to read the full post and links to any resources or articles mentioned. Twitter @michaelleppert  Facebook at Michael Leppert  

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