Since Donald Trump became president of the United States, it may be an exaggeration to say that all hell has broken loose, but, then again, it may not be. The dismal education system in the U.S. is at risk of deteriorating further, under the direction of a wealthy Trump donor who knows nothing about public education. Regulations protecting the environment are already being eliminated. The Republicans are desperately trying to deprive 21 million people of health care, thus fulfilling one of their more bizarre campaign promises. And white supremacy has become fashionable again, strutting its stuff after remaining mainly (although not entirely) closeted for decades.
Officially-sanctioned U.S. racism, however, isn’t limited to the boundaries of the country. No, under Mr. Trump, it is being enshrined in the United Nations. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, one Nikki Haley, blocked the appointment of former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to lead the U.N.’s Libya mission. In her elegant way, she explained the decision at the recent AIPAC (Apartheid Israel Political Affairs Committee) convention: “So when they decided to try and put a Palestinian in one of the highest positions that had ever been given at the UN, we said no and we had him booted out.” She continued: “That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a nice man; that doesn’t mean he wasn’t good to America.” No, the fact that he was Palestinian disqualified…