Donald Trump says President Obama should resign because he won’t say “radical Islam.†Abraham Lincoln made a similar refusal, based on his stance that secession is constitutionally impossible. During the Civil War, Lincoln steadfastly spoke of people “in rebellion†against the authority and government of the United States, refusing ever to call them “secessionists.†Likewise, recognizing that “radical Islam†could be construed as defining the religion of Islam itself as the problem, Obama chooses other words, steadfastly defining terrorists as perverters of Islam, not mainstream adherents.
In contrast, Trump’s blunderbuss attacks on all Muslims are exactly why the Islamic State and other jihadist groups have featured him in their videos — not because they fear him, but because Trump’s ignorant bloviating serves as a useful recruiting tool for them.
Obama’s thoughtful word choice employs distinctions that Trump might not grasp, but, as Lincoln and Obama have recognized, a president¶¶Òõap words can have profound consequences.
Karl Yambert, Lafayette
Calling something by a different name will not make it go away. It is not a strategy.
Seven and a half years years of naming radical Islamic terrorism anything but have not made it go away.
Demonizing the NRA and calling Donald Trump a bigot every time the news unfortunately proves him right have not worked either.
Time for a new strategy, one not focused on political correctness and name-calling.
Steve Baur, Westminster
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