Letter to Editor: An Abundance of Cruelty

Have you noticed how often, how persistently, the word “cruelty” is showing up in the news?

I was reading about the prison built in the Everglades by the State of Florida to house people being rounded up by ICE. Built in a hurry, it is made up of cages for imprisoning humans and tarps for walls that freely allow mosquitoes in, not to mention the elements of summer in Florida. People who have been imprisoned there have reported maggots in the food, a lack of clean water, denial of medical care, legal access, and other basic human needs. The ACLU declared this “state-sponsored cruelty” and filed suit.  Thank goodness for the ACLU.

The setup is plainly sadistic. And Donald Trump apparently approved when he visited.  This denigration is OK with him, but is it OK with you? Is that what we are now?  Is this America?  My mother served as a WAC in World War II. She often told us how relieved enemy soldiers were to be captured by the US military–as opposed to being captured by Russian soldiers, who would just kill them. Americans were known for being big-hearted, kind, and compassionate. I was so proud when she spoke of this.

Why is this abuse of fellow humans still standing?  If we don’t protest, are we complicit? We might not be guilty of overt cruelty, but we are guilty of casual cruelty where we carelessly, with little empathy, maybe with a bit of superiority, blame the victim and shrug the thought aside. It’s a problem someone else can fix. Do you say to yourself, didn’t those illegals put themselves in this mess after all? It’s on you! Right?

Just type “cruelty Trump” into your search engine. Maybe the article title from the National Catholic Reporter will come up. It reads, “Silence in the face of Trump’s cruelty is complicity.” The headlines should be enough to make you weep. I hope so.

Marion O. Arnold
Easton