Donald Trump is getting some super valuable policy ideas from supporters at his rallies:
"Why aren't we putting our retiree, our military retirees on that border or in TSA, get rid of all these 'hibby-jobbies' they wear at TSA -- I've seen them myself?" Cathy Chevalier of Hudson, New Hampshire asked Trump, referring to the head coverings worn by some Muslim women.
Trump did not provide a definitive answer, responding, "Okay, you know, and we are looking at that, and we are looking at that, we're looking at a lot of things." It was unclear if Trump's answer was referring to hiring more military retirees or getting rid of TSA Muslim employees who wear the hijab.
Let’s let the bigotry speak for itself, because it sure does speak loudly. There’s also more than a little ignorance on display there. For one thing:
More than 25 percent of TSA’s total workforce has prior military experience and as the military’s drawdown continues, the armed forces are expected to separate a million service members over the next several years. TSA is committed to reaching that talented pool by supporting the employment of veterans.
For another thing, there are nearly 6,000 self-identified Muslims in the U.S. military. So it’s entirely possible for someone to be Muslim and a veteran and a TSA worker (though numerically there probably aren’t a ton of people in all three categories). Not that a Muslim-American should have to serve in the military to be exempt from bigotry—and not that serving in the military would likely be enough to exempt a Muslim-American from “hibby-jobby”-type suspicion and fear.