Trump's Latest Dangerous and Stupid Immigration Policy

There are some who ascribe political motivations to Donald Trump's announced plan to establish a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States." Some say that it was a brilliant attempt to establish even more of a contrast between President Obama and himself after what was largely considered one of the weakest and ineffectual speeches of Obama's presidency. Others say that it was an attempt to situate himself to the right of Senator Ted Cruz on immigration issues on the same day that a poll showed Cruz ahead in Iowa.

Let's say it's not a strategy or some form of political triangulation. Maybe he just means it. I think sometimes we're always reading into every move and utterance from a candidate as if they're playing three dimensional chess. But sometimes maybe they just mean it. I can't look into Trump's mind or heart so I'll just take him at his word.

I think it would be different for Trump to say that we're halting immigration from certain countries but that's not what he is saying. A Trump presidency would set a dangerous precedent that would allow the U.S. government to prohibit the immigration of people of a certain religion. Look, I believe that America has the right to a secure border. I believe the country has a right to control who comes in. But a government that makes religion a litmus test for citizenship is a dangerous one. It doesn't seem to me that anyone concerned with limiting government power can support this policy or Trump's candidacy.

I know that we live in a dangerous time. But most times are dangerous times. But it's how we act in dangerous times which define us.

And I know sometimes people are all ok with someone else's ox being gored. But if we're being serious, tell me there's no chance that a future left-leaning administration would use that same power to prevent certain Christians from entering the country. It would.

Unfortunately, it seems to me that Trump and Obama share a certain hubris and it is my belief that a Trump presidency would be every bit as harmful to the country as the Obama presidency has been. Neither acknowledges any limit to the power of the office. When two Muslim radicals used assault weapons to kill people in San Bernardino, Obama's idea is to ban assault weapons while Trump's is to ban Muslims. Presidents and governments should be at least a little wary of banning.

On top of all this, I don't believe Trump's latest policy idea would even be effective because radicalized Muslims seeking to destroy the United States could simply declare themselves to be not Muslim. Seriously, what's the litmus test? How do you prove someone's a Muslim? Ask them to draw a picture of Mohammed? Trump is now saying we ask them. Oh, that'll do it, right? That policy will be great at effectively stopping very honest radical Islamist terrorists but no others.

In an earlier anti-Jeb Bush ad, he criticized Bush on immigration and advised Americans to "forget love" when establishing an immigration policy. Now he wants us forget logic too.