The Speech…… you may never hear from President Trump

On June 22 2020, vandals entered the India Palace Restaurant in Santa Fe New Mexico and destroyed the place, adding hate-filled scribblings all over the walls.  The Santa Fe Police Department has classified it as a hate crime and estimated damages to be over $100,000.  The owner of the restaurant, Bajit Singh, is actually a Sikh.  He is a member of the same religion as Balbir Singh Sodhi who was murdered in front of his convenience mart in Mesa, Arizona on September 12, 2001 because he “looked like a terrorist.”  Sikhs are distinguished by the turbans they wear.      The Sikh religion  teaches that there is one God, that men and women are inherently good and are equal before God, that everyone has direct access to God, and that the way to become closer to God is to be of service to our fellow human beings.

Notable among the obscenities, racial slurs, and references to ISIS painted on the walls of the India Palace, was the phrase, “Trump, 2020.”   I believe in leadership.  I thought to myself, “These criminals, these haters, actually think President Trump would approve of their behavior.  They are throwing their support behind his campaign.”    I found that shocking and frightening and thought to myself, “No president could ever link himself to such a hate crime.” 

Use THIS LINK  to view the pictures of the damaged restaurant and judge for yourself

I believe that words, either written or spoken, are very important. I believe that leaders can change the course of society by the words they speak, and so in the spirit of peace, I ask President Trump to prove me wrong.  Please Mr. President, make these words that follow here be the speech you give to Americans next week.  Please.

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July 4, 2020

Here is the speech you will never hear from President Donald Trump.

By William J. Babin

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My fellow Americans,

No, I am not really addressing all of my fellow Americans. As your President, I only want to speak to those who are filled with hate.    And you know who you are.  You are afraid of anyone and anything that is different than you.  You are scared that someone different than  you will take your job or marry your daughter.  You are scared of someone like Bajit Singh, owner of India Palace in Sante Fe NM.  Bajit’s  dark skin and turban strike fear in you.  In your ignorance you have mistaken his turban, his beard, and his dark skin as the signs of membership in ISIS.  That’s what you wrote on the walls. Isn’t it?   That same kind of ignorance led to the murder of another humble Sikh,  Balbir Singh Sodhi, in Arizona right after the 911 attacks.   Frank Silva Roque, seeing a bearded, dark-skinned man wearing a turban, got out of his car and shot Balbir dead on the sidewalk of his convenience market.

So let me ask: “Do any of you who destroyed India Palace know Bajit Sing?  Do you know anything at all about him?”    We all know the answer to that question.   I’m sure you know as much about Bajit as Frank Roque knew about Balbir.   And that is nothing! As long as your heart is filled with fear, you will never be happy.   And when you feed that fear by hanging around others who are also afraid, it becomes easier and easier to strike out with your hate and hurt others.  That is a hate crime.  That is what you did to the India Palace restaurant.

That is not how I, Donald J. Trump,  think.  That is not the America I live in.

And I want to say loudly and clearly, YOU CANNOT COMMIT A HATE CRIME AND USE MY NAME. 

You broke into the India Palace restaurant in Sante Fe New Mexico, destroyed the place, wrecked the livelihood of a good family, and covered the walls with hate speech, racial slurs, and MY NAME.  You cannot do that!

I was not with you at that time.

 I do not condone your beliefs or your actions.

And  I will not be dragged into your twisted world of hate. 

So go back there and take MY NAME off of your dirty work. 

I know that I have at times stoked the fires of xenophobia and hatred for political gain, and I apologize. I have often given the impression that I welcome the support of racists, so let me be clear: racists and white supremacists have no place in the party of Donald Trump or in my politics.

Now, my fellow Americans, all the others who work hard every day, loving their families, helping their neighbors, building communities based on respect, honor, tolerance, and integrity, I want to thank you.  I know that these trouble makers are really only the few, and YOU are the heart of America.

Please do not be discouraged by this example of hate.  Please be strong in your faith that love and kindness and respect and tolerance and cooperation are the building blocks of a GREAT America, that GREAT AMERICA I promised you in 2016 when I ran for President.

Please know as MLK said,   “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

YOU are the light of the world.   Keep shining brightly.  Be the beacon of hope. Go to the streets and demonstrate for peace, respect, tolerance, and justice.

I will be there, in line with you, carrying our flag.   I will carry OLD GLORY for you as we march into a new era of prosperity, cooperation, peace, and justice for all. There is no place for hate in America.

Copyright 2020, William J. Babin, All Rights Reserved