"Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown..."

"...of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on!"

The day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt (a universally-praised Democrat) suspended naturalization proceedings for Italian, German, and Japanese immigrants. He required them to register, restricted their mobility, and prohibited them from owning items that might be used for sabotage, such as cameras and shortwave radios.

We were not at war with all Italian, German, or Japanese civilians at that time, just as we are not at war with all Muslims today. But FDR understood that we were at war nonetheless, just as Donald Trump understands that we are at war with radical Islamic terrorism today. We must always do what needs to be done in order to protect our country.

So don't feign outrage at Donald Trump when he proposes a temporary halt to Muslim immigration while we plan new and better ways to keep us safe; it's disingenuous and naive.

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