I try to avoid posting about politics. I mean, this is an art blog, not a politics blog, right? But I think speech-writing and oration is a form of art, and this issue is extremely important to just ignore.
Khizr Khan addressed the 2016 Democratic National Committee. The Pakistani-American attorney lost his son, Army Captain Humayun Khan, who prevented a suicide bomber from entering the Baqubah base in northeast Baghdad in 2004--a true American hero.
Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump has made some strong statements regarding banning and preventing the entrance of Muslims during the past year.
Khizr Khan, with his wife, Ghazala, at his side, took the opportunity before the DNC and American public to confront and asked Donald Trump:
He vows to build walls, and ban us from this country. Donald Trump, you're asking Americans to trust you with their future. Let me ask you: have you even read the United States constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy. [he pulls it out] In this document, look for the words 'liberty' and 'equal protection of law'.
Donald Trump turned to Twitter, played the victim card and rebutted Khizr Khan's comments, "This story is not about Mr. Khan, who is all over the place doing interviews, but rather RADICAL ISLAMIC TERRORISM and the U.S. Get smart!"
He went further and questioned why Ghazala stood silent behind her husband, during an ABC interview, "His wife … if you look at his wife, she was standing there. She had nothing to say... She probably, maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say."
Trump's supporters and even his campaign spokeswoman turned to the Internet and news channels to defend the Presidential candidate.
Theodore Shoebat and Walid Shoebat accused the attorney of writing an article in the early 1980s promoting the defense of OPEC and being involved in introducing Islamic Sharia Law in the U.S. The Shoebats even went further to accuse Captain Khan, the American war hero, of being a Muslim martyr and being a double agent for the U.S. and Al-Qaeda.
Katrina Pierson went on Wolf Blitzer's The Situation Room to defend Donald Trump and his comments regarding Khan. Defensive, Pierson asked Blitzer, "But just out of curiosity, what exactly is Mr. Trump supposed to be apologizing for, just so that I'm clear?"
Resorting to the Shoebat's article, Pierson stated, "If you watch that interview, Wolf, it came up because of the reports that he was discussing that it come out about Mr. Khan having this fee for service of bringing in Muslims and writing laws or law briefs for Sharia Law. How is that a far fetch assumption?"
Speaking of far fetch assumption, Ms. Pierson did insinuate that--although, this occurred in 2004 under President George W. Bush's administration--President Obama and Secretary Clinton are to blame for the death of Captain Humayun Khan, "It was under Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton that changed the rules of engagement that probably cost [Captain Humayun Khan] life. So, I don't understand why it's so hard to understand why Donald Trump was confused about why he was being held responsible for something he had nothing to do with..."
PERSONAL OPINION: I have to say this is an absolute embarrassment. This wouldn't have gotten this "out of control" had it been a better qualified presidential candidate and campaign staff. To continuously be on crisis management must be exhausting to his campaign.
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