By Vincent L. Hall
Dorothy: “Do you suppose we’ll meet any wild animals?
Tin Man: We might! Scarecrow: Animals that eat straw?
Tin Man: Some but mostly lions and tigers and bears
Dorothy: Lions and Tigers and Bears?…Oh My!
You know the rest if you have seen the original 1939 version of The Wizard of Oz. It’s a certainty that Donald Trump, who was born a mere seven years later, is familiar with the story. But no one could have predicted Trump’s remix of this iconic line would be so far-fetched!
After winning over Joe Biden on what we boxing enthusiasts call a “TKO,” Trump, the internationally acclaimed heavy-weight “Champion of the Uncivilized World,” weighed in with a left cross that shook up the entire world.
“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump said during an answer to a question about immigration during a recent debate against VP Kamala Harris. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
Trump’s clarion call to the MAGA world was out for the whole world to hear. Haitian immigrants were allegedly stealing and ravaging animals, and it wasn’t Lions, Tigers, and Bears. It was Dogs, Cats and Ducks!
VP Kamala Harris peered in the other direction and laughed. Her plan to keep Trump on the defensive all night was working better than she and her strategists could have prayed for. Trump was punch-drunk, starry-eyed, and couldn’t get out of his corner.
The “Thrilla in the Philla,” as it had been billed by some (me), was officially Black history. We can safely add VP Kamala Devi Harris, DA Fani Willis, Judge Tanya Chutkan, and AG Letitia James to the list of “Black job” applicants.
Everybody in the world now knows that kicking a bully in the ass is a “Black Job!”
This latest marquee battle would be laughable, but anytime race or ethnicity is raised in America, some group of non-white citizens become instant victims.
The multi-talented singer/ songwriter/entertainer John Legend, a native of Springfield, Ohio, said as much. He performed at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last month and has been a long time outspoken critic of Trump, whom Legend called a “tried and true, dyed-in-the-wool racist.”
The Daily Beast summarized an IG video that Legend released.
“In his video, Legend addressed the challenges and ‘growing pains’ that his hometown has been experiencing with a recent influx of Haitian immigrants. He explained that the city’s population had been steadily shrinking over the past few decades because of a lack of opportunity and jobs—U.S. Census Data confirmed that the number of residents dropped from 70,718 in 1990 to 58,106 in 2020.
However, job creation has created a demand for a larger labor force that immigrants fleeing turmoil in Haiti are seeking to meet.
“There are plenty of reasons why this might be a challenge for my hometown, but the bottom line is these people came to Springfield because there were jobs for them and they wanted to work,” Legend said. “They wanted to live the American dream, just like your German ancestors, your Irish ancestors, your Italian ancestors, your Jewish ancestors, your Jamaican ancestors, your Polish ancestors.”
Legend called immigrants “hardworking” and “ambitious” and pointed out that they are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans—a 2023 Stanford University study found that immigrants are 30 percent less likely to be incarcerated than white U.S.-born individuals.
“They will assimilate and integrate in time, but it takes time,” Legend said. “So, I think all of us need to have the same grace that we would want our ancestors to have when they moved here with our Haitian brothers and sisters.”
However, extending grace to the Haitians who came to Springfield to fulfill a viable need is not likely to happen. Trump showed no grace for former Arizona Senator John McCain nor his own VP, Mike Pence.
Trump has no grace for the husband of Nancy Pelosi, who barely escaped death at the hands of a crazed lunatic. Donald Trump showed no grace or mercy for fallen soldiers and military heroes.
Last week, he brought Laura Loomer, a conspiracy theorist, to the 9/11 Memorial a year after she proclaimed that the whole incident was “an inside job.”
In the movie, the Cowardly Lion shows up no sooner than Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow shout out Lions, Tigers, and Bears in unison. The comical feline coward came out with a growl, but it was all show, no action.
Springfield has no reason to fear losing their Cats, Dogs, and Ducks to the Haitians in their community.
But if we re-elect that Cowardly Lion we had before, democracy will be the imperiled victim.
A long-time Texas Metro News columnist, Dallas native Vincent L. Hall is an author, writer, award-winning writer, and a lifelong Drapetomaniac.
