PTI Photo: Parents of the slain Srinivas Kuchibotla

Have you no shame, sir?

We all heard you say on the campaign trail.  “I am a big fan of Hindu and I am a big fan of India.”  We heard you tell us that the United States and India will be “best friends.”

You’re nothing but a so-called big fan, and a so-called best friend.  Sad!

I hoped that I was wrong about you when you said those things about our community.  Of course, I wasn’t wrong that you just wanted to score cheap political points without the  work.  I take zero pleasure from that.  But it’s not too late.  You can still prove your commitment to our community.  You can still act like a leader in a time of crisis.

Cut to America, 2017.  This land is your land, this land is my land…The Great City on a Hill, where people from around the world aspire to come to, work in, learn in, fall in love in, create a family in, form friendships in, and contribute to the great ideals of humanity’s leading light…

Cut to America, 2017.  Two Indians, Srinivas Kuchibotla and Alok Madasani, were shot in cold blood at a bar in Olathe, Kansas by Adam Purinton on February 22nd.  A third victim, Ian Grillot, tried to intervene and was also shot in the process.  Grillot is a real American hero, standing up for the rights of his fellow men in an act of bravery worthy of America’s highest civilian or military honor.  Kuchibotla is dead.  Madasani and Grillot are recovering from gunshot wounds.  Purinton is a racist murderer who deserves all of the pain and suffering the criminal justice system has to offer.  Oh, and there’s also the ignorance thing: the two initial victims aren’t even Middle Eastern, which is what Purinton thought they were.

THIS IS UNDOUBTEDLY A HATE CRIME DIRECTLY CORRELATED TO THE IRRESPONSIBLE ANTI-IMMIGRANT, ANTI-MUSLIM, ANTI-MIDDLE EAST POLICIES AND RHETORIC COMING FROM DONALD AND HIS STAFF, like so many other incidents in our current epidemic of hate crimes going on around the country.  Two Hindus and an American hero are collateral damage in a war of irresponsible rhetoric and broken toys.  Our president influenced and emboldened the Navy veteran Purinton to pull the trigger with a thousand lines of bigotry.

The White House response was a whitewash, typical of the cowards in Occupy Oval Office.  Minister of Information Sean Spicer bravely crouched into a defensive stance, like he does every other day of this new regime: “Obviously, any loss of life is tragic, but I’m not going to get into, like, to suggest that there’s any correlation I think is a bit absurd. So I’m not going to go any further than that.”

That’s all you have to say?  Of all things, absurd is the word that comes to mind?

How dare you!

We could’ve been proven wrong in so many different ways, without even getting an apology.  Donald had so many opportunities to earn our respect.  Donald could have done a joint statement with Indian Prime Minister Modi, promising that he would do everything in his power to make sure justice is done for America’s “best friend.”  He could have reached out to a crying mother to express sympathy, sorrow, and an ounce of humanity- or a grieving widow who is (understandably) literally afraid to even be in the United States.  He could have invited flesh-and-(literally)-blood American hero Ian Grillo to the White House, or visited him at the hospital.  He could have flown to Olathe to soothe a decent midwestern community that feels violated and ashamed by this incident.  He could have gone on TV to express outrage at a murder in cold blood on his watch, at a time where he decries the crime and “American carnage” all around us; and yet we hear nothing from Donald but whining about the media and lying about how many holes of golf he plays – or MAKING UP terrorism in Sweden or Bowling Green when there is a real terror attack in front of his face.  He could have looked the world in the eye and told us that violence not only against Indians, or Arabs, or Hindus, or Muslims, or immigrants of any type is unacceptable; instead, not a peep or a tweet out of Donald.   The silence is deafening.  

We all hear Donald now.

If this is how he treats his best friends, I can’t imagine what he would do for the rest of you.

Donald, why don’t you just be honest for once, and tell us point blank that you don’t give a fuck about us?  I’m speaking as an AMERICAN here, for ALL AMERICANS.

Mahanth S. Joishy is Editor of usindiamonitor

P.S.: Former US President Barack Obama’s statement after the Wisconsin Sikh Temple Massacre of 2012, when he ordered American flags to be raised at half-staff.  I will never forget what a real friend to Indians looks like.

Michelle and I were deeply saddened to learn of the shooting that tragically took so many lives in Wisconsin. At this difficult time, the people of Oak Creek must know that the American people have them in our thoughts and prayers, and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who were killed and wounded. My Administration will provide whatever support is necessary to the officials who are responding to this tragic shooting and moving forward with an investigation. As we mourn this loss which took place at a house of worship, we are reminded how much our country has been enriched by Sikhs, who are a part of our broader American family.