Besieged President Donald Trump is still in very hot water, since the beginning of investigations aimed at an impeachment process now reveal that in a discussion with his aides he suggested that migrants crossing the border should be shot in the legs "to slow them down" -- and the Rio Grande could be filled with poisonous snakes.
According to The New York Times, in temper tantrum provoked by news that migrants continued arriving at the US-Mexico border, Trump originally made these comments in March. But his advisors dutifully informed him that such actions would be against the law.
If this incident should not be so serious, it would be a very bad, bad joke. The most incredible thing is that he was speaking seriously, just as if he was living in a fantasy such as that in the Lord of Rings, or perhaps he really thinks that he can do as he pleases, without regard to the law. Trump probably thought: "The law? What's THAT?"
Even if that piece regarding the poisonous snakes seems to be a new "brilliant idea" of Mr. Trump, the suggestion of opening fire on migrants is not new. We should recall that irregular armed groups patrol the border, ready to open fire on those attempting to cross through areas not covered by Federal troops.
Sadly recalled in the United States are such terrorist groups as the Minutemen, Ranch Rescue, American Patrol and Barnett Brothers, clearly paramilitary groups that have opened fire illegally and murdered migrants and forced many of them to seek really dangerous points to cross the border. Uncounted numbers of migrants have been murdered by these armed hoodlums.
If ordering any group to open fire on unarmed, destitute, hungry civilians, whatever the excuse used, is considered as a crime, and this should be added to the charges being accumulated against Donald Trump towards his impeachment process.
By the way, Donald Trump has just put salt on his wound in claiming that if he is impeached there will be a civil war in the United States. True enough, the President has followers that will vote for him if he manages to be nominated for reelection.
His latest claim is that he is the victim of a coup attempt, aimed to snatch from the American people their power to decide, their vote, their freedoms, the Second Amendment, their religion, their Army, their Border Wall, and the rights that God bestowed upon them as citizens of the United States of America.
Quite a sinister mix of ideas, which underlie the concept of Manifest Destiny. According to Donald Trump, the American citizen has the right to use weapons against other human beings, while the Army and the Border wall are gifts from The Lord to allow them the fulfillment of the task of controlling and dominating the world.
