Every November, we gather together for a solemn occasion: Remembrance Day. We dutifully put on our poppies, head to a memorial, and pay our respects to the dead. We thank them for fighting to keep us free from the worst kind of tyranny, and we promise to never allow that kind of hate to consume our world ever again.



The "hate" I'm speaking of, of course, were the Nazis and their allies. The Nazis corrupted democratic Germany, slowly eroding its laws and institutions before taking over and bringing about totalitarian government. They managed to do this by focusing their efforts on an intense campaign of racial and ideological scapegoating: every conceivable problem in German society was blamed on the Jews and socialists (no matter how ridiculous the claim), and the Nazis presented themselves as the only people strong enough to stand up to the "Jewish/Communist Conspiracy". This inspired fanatical loyalty from Nazi supporters, allowing them to push humanity to the brink with cruelty and hate.



Sound familiar?



Donald Trump is corrupting the democratic USA, slowly eroding its laws and institutions, and has multiple times shown... well, we'll say a certain fondness for totalitarian government. He's managed to do this by focusing his efforts on an intense campaign of racial and ideological scapegoating - every conceivable problem in American society is the fault of immigrants or Democrats (no matter how ridiculous the claim) and Trump presents himself as the only person in the world who can save us from these evil forces... inspiring fanatical followers who will believe whatever he says.



What's missing from Trump's resume is the one thing that made the Nazis such a horrifying influence on human society - unspeakable, unnecessary cruelty. Trump may talk like he's a dollar-store dictator, but he hadn't yet shown that sort of callous disregard for humanity.



Until now, that is.



On May 8th, 2018, the Trump Administration announced a zero-tolerance policy regarding illegal immigrants - if you cross the border with your family illegally, you are arrested, your kids are removed from your custody, and you are criminally charged while your children wait in detention centers indefinitely. You've read that correctly - because these migrants are being criminally charged and put through the court system, those kids could potentially remain in their cages an awful long time. Prior to this policy change, families were kept in detention together until they were deported. Both the Obama and Bush administrations rejected the idea of this "zero tolerance" policy as "unnecessarily cruel and inhumane". An accurate description, if you ask me.



Why would Trump do this? Two reasons - one, he hopes to blackmail Democrats into concessions on his pet projects, such as his useless border wall (most illegal immigrants arrive in the US as normal visitors, mainly via air travel). Pretty monstrous stuff, holding kids as political hostages, but the second reason is actually worse. You see, Trump also hopes to use this new policy as a deterrent - in other words, he hopes that the prospect of having their children taken from them and locked in a cage for an unknown amount of time will scare migrant families out of the country.



It is cruel enough to intentionally separate children from their parents, let alone indefinitely. But to engage in this cruelty as a means of political manipulation and intimidation of minority groups? That crosses a very important - and very dangerous - line. Once you completely disregard someone's humanity, well, you've stepped on to a very slippery slope.



We all argue about politics a lot, and immigration is no different. If you believe immigrations levels are too high and impact the economy, that's a debate that I'm happy to have. However, if you constantly demonize your opponents, if you constantly demonize a racial minority in your country, and then you intentionally separate families as a way of intimidating that minority group... well, you've crossed a very important line. Stephen Harper didn't do this. George Bush didn't do this. But Donald Trump? Of course he did.



Donald Trump is no longer a politician I disagree with. In my mind, he is now a baby-Nazi. He is a walking, talking insult to the sacrifice our ancestors made in World War 2 - except he's now brought that same sort of tyranny to our own shores. Keep a careful eye on this man folks - talk to people, make sure they understand what he's been up to - because rest assured, he will attempt to get away with whatever we allow him to. Talk to your family and friends. Argue with and inform strangers. Read everything you can, and make sure it is fact-checked (websites such as FactCheck.org offer this service for free). Don't base your opinions on Facebook memes - arm yourselves with real information.



It's time to honor our forefathers' sacrifice. Now is the time to guard our society against the racial hatred they fought against - before it once again festers and grows violent. Lest we forget.