Bigot in Chief

   It's time to call out this president for what he is -- a bigot.

   Today, he said "big decisions" will have to be made about the cost of rebuilding Puerto Rico and helping to save the lives of the 3.5 million American citizens living there.
   In a desperate plea for help, the mayor of San Juan said publicly, "We are dying." But the president waited nearly a week after Hurricane Maria devastated the island before agreeing to send federal help, and has yet to ask Congress to appropriate more funding for disaster relief.
   And when he finally did, he hinted it was the island's own fault, because the Puerto Rican government was nearly bankrupt. Now he says there are "big decisions" to be made about sending aid.
   Don't hold your breath waiting for such "big decisions." Typically, when a government official uses phrasing like that, it means he opposed to doing anything.
   Meanwhile, there is little food or water, no communications, and most hospitals have been destroyed.

   Given his history of keeping out immigrants, building a wall to keep out Mexicans, and barring members of a certain religious faith from entering the country, there is only one conclusion to be drawn: The current president of the United States of America is a bigot.
   True, Puerto Rico is "an island in the middle of a big ocean, surrounded by lots of water," as the president put it. (Who knew? Any American with an adequate elementary education, that's who.)
   It's also true that there are no roads leading directly to the island, so it's difficult to get trucks there, as the president also noted. (Again, who knew? Clearly, he did not.)
   That, however, is no excuse for not sending relief. Haiti is also on an island, surrounded by an ocean, but that did not prevent the U.S. government from immediately sending relief when an earthquake struck.
   Perhaps it has not yet sunk in to the president's thinking that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, and its people are American citizens. But the people there are predominantly Hispanic, and considering the president's past attitudes toward people of Hispanic heritage, this only reinforces the conclusion that this president is guilty of anti-Hispanic bias, in addition to the bigotry he has shown to other groups.
   The island of Puerto Rico is essentially destroyed, and it will take years to recover and rebuild. Meanwhile, its people face the difficult choice of attempting to survive even as they seek help in rebuilding a nearly destroyed commonwealth, or to leave.
   But where will they go?
   That's an easy one to answer. They can go the mainland U.S., since they are American citizens and many have family already established throughout the country.
   Moreover, while residents of the island cannot vote in federal elections, once they establish residency in any one of the 50 states, they can register and vote. And many members of their extended families, friends and relatives already here will remember the attitudes of the president, and will vote accordingly.
   Word travels quickly, and victims of discrimination have long memories.