Such a Great Country, Such Nasty Bigotry
The night of the election, my iPhone screen shattered. The joke I like to make is that there was glass shattering on November 8th but not the kind we wanted.
There’s something symbolic about the shattered glass on my phone and it serves as a constant reminder of what could have been and, how abnormal our current circumstances are.
Very early on, I knew that Donald J. Trump was dangerous for America and had fascist tendencies. His views on people of color, immigrants and Muslims are abhorrent. His actions against women are despicable. His willful disregard for our Constitutional rights is well, fascist.
I was devastated by the election but I have channeled my anxiety, sadness, and anger into action. I tell anybody who will listen, ways in which they can resist. I have explained how dire the situation is to my closest friends and family, and I also organized that Betsy DeVos blockade at a local D.C. school with families and community partners.
I did all of that with a very shattered phone. I thought it was high time I get my screen fixed and after booking an appointment, I looked up to see Sean Spicer. I Googled him to make sure my eyes were not deceiving me.
I realized what an enormous opportunity it was to get answers without the protections normally given to Mr. Spicer. I was honestly quite nervous and wanted to come up with more cogent questions but did not have time to do so.
As someone that has lived in Washington, D.C. for nearly a decade, it is customary to give public figures their space. I’ve left Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor alone at a grocery store and have done the same for Senator Chuck Grassley on a train.
However, given what Mr. Spicer and his boss are doing to this country, I do not believe they are entitled to these norms and customs. Donald Trump and his Klan are openly trampling on the rule of law, our Constitution and our democracy.
When I confronted Mr. Spicer, I wanted to speak truth to power. It wasn’t until hours later that it was revealed to me that Mr. Spicer had said, “such a great country that allows you to be here,” to me.
https://medium.com/@Shreedom/such-a-great-country-such-nasty-bigotry-831eeea173cb#.poqz5kvn9
see NY Post article also
White House spokesman Sean Spicer was accosted by an Indian-American woman — who peppered him with questions about committing “treason” and working for a “fascist” like President Trump — as he shopped in an Apple store over the weekend.
The encounter has since gone viral after the woman who filmed it, Shree Chauhan, 33, claimed online that Spicer had made a racist statement to her, saying: “It’s such a great country that allows you to be here.”
“Unlike this administration, I do not believe in ‘alternative facts.’ I believe in facts. I do not believe in accusing someone of this level of racism, when if in fact it was not,” Chauhan wrote Sunday in a lengthy post on Medium.
“So I watched the video over and over again,” she said. “And his words were clear…’Such a great country that allows you to be here.’ That is racism and it is an implied threat.”
Chauhan, who lives in Washington, D.C., filmed the interaction with Spicer on Periscope Saturday night after spotting the White House spokesman in the store. She had been there getting her iPhone fixed and said she ultimately felt the need to “speak truth to power.”
“It is customary to give public figures their space…However, given what Mr. Spicer and his boss are doing to this country, I do not believe they are entitled to these norms and customs,” Chauhan explained.
In the clip, the self-described “eternal optimist” can be heard asking Spicer a series of questions, including “How does it feel to work for a fascist” and “Have you helped with the Russia stuff?”
“We have a great country,” the press secretary replies, while appearing to try to ignore Chauhan.
“Have you committed treason too? Just like the president,” she asks. “What can you tell me about Russia?”
It is after this barrage that Spicer delivers his allegedly “racist” remark, saying: “It’s such a great country that allows you to be here.”
Chauhan wrote on Medium that the response left her disgusted.
“I am still stunned by the boldness of having my citizenship threatened on camera,” she said. “I was not polite. But when does being impolite mean that I should be thrown out of the United States of America? The country I was born in, the country I was raised in, the country I love despite its flaws.”
Speaking to the Daily Mail about the video on Sunday, Chauhan shot down claims that Spicer could have been referring to the First Amendment rights of all Americans to exercise free speech when he made the comment.
“He’s the press secretary for the president of the United States,” she said. “Don’t tell me what he probably meant because he also works for this administration that has done all of these things.”
Chauhan went on to note how Trump has signed executive orders temporarily banning refugees and asylum seekers from predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and Africa.
“He could’ve said, ‘Such a great country that allows dissent,'” she told the Mail. “There’s a lot of way that could’ve been said. To have someone who speaks for the president of the United States tell me to my face that I shouldn’t be here and I was born here — that is a real thing.”
Chauhan added that she’s feared for her safety since the day Trump was elected.
“I woke up the day after the election in fear of what would happen to someone like me. And we’ve seen what happened,” she said. “We’ve seen what happened to Indians.”
Earlier this month, a 39-year-old Seattle resident of Sikh heritage was shot by a man who reportedly shouted “go back to your country” just before pulling the trigger.
Weeks before that incident, a pair of Indian engineers were targeted by a Navy veteran who told them the same thing before blasting away at them. One of the men ended up dying and the other was wounded.
“They’re gonna spin it however they want, but there is a palatable fear that people have in this country and it is warranted,” Chauhan said. “On a regular basis, Mr. Spicer consistently defends the actions — and I believe unconstitutional actions — and lies on behalf of this administration.
“Spicer has the protection of the podium when he’s in the press room,” she added. “I didn’t have time to sit there and ask questions I would ask if I was a reporter…Maybe having someone like a regular person ask those questions instead [of reporters] — that might work.”
http://nypost.com/2017/03/13/how-does-it-feel-to-work-for-a-fascist-woman-confronts-spicer-in-apple-store/?utm_source=maropost&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nypdaily&utm_content=20170313
I don't have words to appreciate this courageous woman. The weak Malayalees who voted for Trump the fascist should go and draw some courage from watching the video .
Shame on all Trump supporters
.ഈ സ്ത്രീ ഇവിടെ ജനിച്ചു വളർന്നതാണ്. എ ട്രൂ അമേരിക്കൻ.
അവരുടെ കമന്റ് ഈ രാജ്യം നൽകുന്ന അഭിപ്രായ സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യ അവകാശത്തിന്റ പരിധികൾ ലംഘിക്കാതെയാണ് പറഞ്ഞത് . എന്നാൽ ഒരു ഇന്ത്യക്കാരി എന്ന നിഗമനത്തിൽ നിന്നുകൊണ്ടാണ് സ്പൈസർ അവരോട് മറുപടി പറഞ്ഞത് . "ഈ രാജ്യത്തിന്റെ മഹത്വമാണ് നിന്നെ ഇവിടെ ജീവിക്കാൻ അനുവദിക്കുന്നത്' എന്ന് പറയുമ്പോൾ അവിടെ മുൻവിധിയും വിവേചന ചിന്തയും അടങ്ങിയിരിക്കുന്നു. കൂടാതെ അയാൾ അമേരിക്കൻ എന്നതിന് ഒരു പുതിയ നിർവചനം കണ്ടെത്താൻ ശ്രമിക്കുകയാണ് അമേരിക്ക ജാതി-വർഗ്ഗ-വർണ്ണങ്ങളുടെ വൈവിധ്യതതയിൽ കെട്ടിപ്പടുത്ത രാജ്യമാണ്. മേഫ്ലവർ എന്ന കപ്പലിൽ ഇംഗ്ലണ്ടിൽ നിന്ന് ബോസ്റ്റണിൽ വന്നിറങ്ങിയ യാത്രികർ ആദ്യത്തെ കുടിയേറ്റക്കാരായിരുന്നു. അവരോട് ഈ രാജ്യം വിട്ടുപോകണം എന്ന് നാവ്കോ ഇന്ത്യൻസ് ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ടിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ ഇത് ഒരു കുടിയേറ്റ രാജ്യം ആകുകയില്ലായിരുന്നു. ഇവിടെ ട്രംപ്. അയാളുടെ പ്രധാന ഉപദേശകൻ സ്റ്റീവ് മില്ലർ സ്പൈസർ തുടങ്ങിയവർ വിവേചന ചിന്ത വച്ച് പുലർത്തുന്നവരാണെന്ന് ഞാൻ പറയാതെ നിങ്ങൾക്കറിയാം. പക്ഷെ ട്രമ്പിന് വോട്ടു ചെയ്യാത്തവരെക്കാൾ അയാൾക്ക് വോട്ടു ചെയ്യാത്തവർ ഇവിടെയുണ്ടന്നുള്ള സത്യം ധരിച്ചുകൊണ്ടുവേണം അഭിപ്രായം എഴുതിവിടാൻ. ട്രമ്പിനും ആ വിവരം അറിയാം. അത്കൊണ്ടാണ് അയാൾ മൂന്നര മില്ല്യൺ കള്ള വോട്ടുകൾ ഡെമോക്രാറ്റിസണിനു കിട്ടിയെന്നു ഇടയ്ക്കിടെ വിളിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞുകൊണ്ടരിക്കുന്നതു. ചുരുക്കം പറഞ്ഞാൽ ഇവിടെ കുടിയേറ്റ വ്യ്വസ്ഥികളെ തച്ചുടച്ചു ഒരു വെളുത്ത രാജ്യം കെട്ടിപ്പടുക്കാം എന്നുള്ള അയാളുടെയും അയാളെ പിന്താങ്ങുന്ന വർഗ്ഗീയ വാദികളുടെയും ആഗ്രഹം സഫലമാകുകയില്ല. ഈ ചെറുത്തു നിൽപ്പിൽ അമേരിക്കയിലെ വൈവിധ്യമാർന്ന സമൂഹം ഒന്നോടെ ഉണ്ടായിരിക്കുമെന്നുള്ളതിന് സംശയമില്ല
ബോബി യെ പോലെ ഉള്ള ആണ് കള്ള , മനുഷ സ്നേഹം ഇല്ലാത്ത പുരോഹിതരെയും രാഷ്ട്രീയ കാരെയും വളര്ത്തുന്നത് .. വളരെ പ്രശംസ അര്ഹിക്കുന്ന ഒരു മാന്യ വനിതയോട് നാട് വിട്ടു പോകാന് പറ യു വാന് നിങ്ങള് ആരാണ് ?
What an embarrassment for Obama supporters!! Their Speculation that Trump was a tax dodger was proved baseless like all their claims.
Every single thing under current POTUS is getting better and better. Employment, Stock Market, Illegal border crossing. He is straightening whatever harm Obama did to this great country.
Obamacare too may go in few weeks. Then real rewarding employments will increase much more. Currently jobs like wall painting, car wash, store clerk etc remains here for citizens as offshoring happens for every good paying job.
Let us analyze Jimmy’s argument and see how much truth is their
What an embarrassment for Obama supporters!! Their Speculation that Trump was a tax dodger was proved baseless like all their claims.
“Leaked Return Shows Trump Paid $38 Million in Taxes in 2005 Documents were obtained by DCReport.org and revealed in conjunction with MSNBC’s ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’. Trump never released the Tax returns but it was leaked and Trump is agreeing with that. He was falsly claiming throughout his campaign that he was a successful business man with multi billion dollars asset. His son once claimed that money was pouring in from Russia. So, Jimmy, don’t get excited for him because the two page tax return doesn’t reveal anything. His Tax returns are with Putin and he is going to use Trump as his American Puppet.
Every single thing under current POTUS is getting better and better. Employment, Stock Market, Illegal border crossing. He is straightening whatever harm Obama did to this great country.
When Obama left office, the economy was in good shape and the unemployment rate was 4.8%. Trump mocked the unemployment rate as false and claimed that it was 46% but now he turned around and claims that the unemployment is down because of his BS. It is just like someone denying the hard work of their parents and contribution to their comfort and claim that everything was achieved by their own effort.
Obamacare too may go in few weeks. Then real rewarding employments will increase much more. Currently jobs like wall painting, car wash, store clerk etc. remains here for citizens as offshoring happens for every good paying job.
America claims to be a country of Christian values. Those who laid foundation for it, was really translating the vision of Jesus. (I was naked you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison you visited me…..Mathew 25). He wanted to take care of the sick and he introduced Obama care; He visited prison and released hundreds of prisoners locked up for years for using drugs once ….. There are many such actions of Obama can be related to Christian values. But, 80% of the Christians voted for Trump claiming that he is sent by god to undo Obamacare and save this nation. Franklin Graham, Jerry Falwell Jr., Pat Robertson and including many Malayalee phony Christians voted for Trump. Republicans tried to undo Obamacare 66 times and at the end Supreme Court upheld it with the help of a conservative judge appointed by G.W. Bush. Now, the Obamacare is introduced as Republican Affordable care act and causing division among Republicans. Tea baggers don’t like it and also some Republican Governors and senator who took advantage of it and already introduced it in their state. It is very important to note that many people who voted for Trump is covered by Obamacare. It is futile attempt to educate Trump followers because majority of them cannot think and understand. But this is an attempt to condition your brain.
Anthappan, lack of knowledge in US system makes you think all these. Every single thing you are posting is idiotic and does not make any sense. Let us just take one point what you have written...
“He was falsly claiming throughout his campaign that he was a successful business man with multi billion dollars asset”.
A tax return and asset statement is not same. One may have billions of assets. He/She need to show them in tax return ONLY IF he/she cash them.
Say I have 1 billion$ worth shares. I need not show it anywhere. Show the dividend received or when I sell those shares, that is it.
Your another point was Trump never paid any taxes. That also was wrong. Looks like Trump paid more in taxes, and at a higher rate, than both Obama & Sanders.
Shocked? Again, my intention is neither to correct you nor to make you change. You believe in your thought processes, remember, no one can save you other than YOU Anthappan.
Obama wanted insurance companies to make money. Nothing more. He was never bothered about COST or CARE. Obama did not understood food on table is more important than health insurance.
Reality is, Obamacare got this much enrollees as it was doing highway robbery. Penalty for individuals and business too? Just to avoid penalty people enrolled in it.
AHCA is much better than ObamaCare.
If you want it, purchase it, pretty simple. The American way!!
If you cannot afford it, and qualify, get on Medicaid/Medicare.
Why your are getting upset when Anathappan is telling the truth. Your problems is that you don't have sense. People without sense are most of the Trump supporters
Kishore- Affordable care act and Obama care act are same. Republicans want to belittle the AHCA and they called it Obama Care. Now the same people are fighting against the New bill introduced by GOP (Learn things properly before your open the mouth and spit out stupidity)
Splendid!! CNN poll had predicated huge victory for Obama policy continuation & Hillary in power. The same CNN poll also said, "People without sense are most of the Trump supporters".
All were 100% against the reality. Now it really make sense, why you talk like this….
You did not even read the comment Democrat alias Antappan. Please understand ACA & AHCA are 2 different things.
Also show some courage in write with your own name.
When it is a direct attack on a profession, I do not want to be a part of that type of discussion. Let Obamalover Democrat and Anthappan continue. I rest my case as my discussion is purely on merits and not based on making fun on working class.
ACHA has many definition -
American Cutting Horse Association
American College Health Association
Affordable Health care Act (Obama Care or ACA)
Read this part and learn who has alias name Kishore the fraud. The news below is about your secretary of State Tillerson alas Wayne . Trump used to call people with alias name and it is not a surprise that he appointed Tillerson as secretary of state. There is a chance for you also in his administration.
For those who live in this country to think deep even though you voted for a racist con man.
Trump seemed to run away from his accusations that President Obama wiretapped his phones.
Intelligence com.chair stated there are no evidence of wire trapping.
Russian spies charged in massive hack of 500 000 000 yahoo accounts -says US Dept. of Justice.
Trump's budget will have major cuts to EPA
Scarborough accuses trump of leaking his own taxes- apparently to divert public attention from his Russian relationship.
FBI director briefs to Senators on Russian involvement.
3 more GOP votes can stop trump health care plan which will benefit less than 2% the rich & the drug companies. 24 million will loose health coverage, it will be hard for middle class working people to afford health care.
Federal judge in Hawaii blocked trump's travel plan
Republicans are getting concerned about trump's Russian relationship.
Russian spy ship is patrolling US east cost- but no comments from trump, but he is attacking rap musician
more on the wy