NORTH CAROLINA–(ENEWSPF)–June 14, 2016. As Donald Trump prepares to travel to North Carolina, editorial boards across the state called for Americans to come together and take responsible, decisive actions to keep the homeland safe, and rebuked the presumptive Republican nominee for his dangerous and divisive response to the tragedy. Key excerpts are below.
Charlotte Observer Editorial: “It feels almost disrespectful to focus on Donald Trump in the aftermath of the most horrific mass shooting in American history. Why give credence to his outlandish statements when there is so much to be said about the victims, terrorist threats, LGBT hatred and sane limits on gun ownership? Two reasons: Trump could be the next president of the United States, and his reaction in the biggest moment of the presidential campaign so far laid bare just what a poor leader he would be. And perhaps even more importantly, Trump’s rhetoric and policies are more than offensive – they’re dangerous because they play right into ISIS’s hands. Trump made a bizarre – even for him – insinuation on Monday: That President Obama identifies with radical Islamists and was complicit in the Orlando attack….His refusal to distinguish between Islamic terrorists and peaceful Muslims provides exactly the fodder ISIS hopes for. ISIS portrays Western efforts to combat its extremism as a war on the entire religion. Trump makes that propaganda believable to would-be recruits….A smarter response? Focus our attacks on ISIS, not all Muslims. Teach today’s children to respect one another, regardless of whom they love. And, for goodness sake, pass laws that would prevent an FBI-investigated terror suspect – or anyone else – from legally purchasing a military rifle capable of killing a large number of people as quickly as possible.”
Raleigh News & Observer Editorial: “In the hours following the massacre early Sunday in an Orlando nightclub, President Obama – who has had to address the nation too many times after incidents of terror and gun violence – again showed the nation what a president must do and how he must do it in order to lead and unite….The president did not pander to the right wing, which has acted as if the most important thing in the world in the battle against terrorism is for Obama to use the term ‘radical Islamic terrorism.’ Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican president nominee, again displayed his willingness to stir fear and hate, actually calling on Obama to resign because he refuses to demagogue the Muslim issue. Trump, of course, already has called for a ban on Muslims immigrants – about as practical as his proposal to deport all immigrants in the country illegally. In one more test of his capability of leadership, Trump failed miserably. For her part, Democratic presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton supported the president’s sentiments and also endorsed more gun control.”
Doug Clark, Greensboro News & Record: “Donald Trump is turning my stomach….Trump is full of pompous self-congratulation since the Orlando massacre. Yesterday, he Tweeted: ‘Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!’ The congrats? Well, if he doesn’t want it, why did he bring it up? He just wants everyone to know he deserves it for being ‘right.’ About what? That there are terrorists who want to kill Americans? I’d say most of us figured that out on 9/11, if we didn’t know it before. But Trump wants to use another tragedy to puff himself up. So what’s his answer? Get tough! Block Muslim immigration! (Mateen was born in the U.S.) Put pressure on ‘Muslim communities’ that must ‘turn in the people who they know are bad – and they do know where they are.’ Trump knows that, how? And what should we do with people who are ‘bad,’ but Americans, before they commit any crimes?”
Source: http://www.hillaryclinton.com
