Mr. Trump, why stop with banning Muslims?

"Donald J. Trump statement on preventing Muslim immigration

"(New York, NY) December 7th, 2015 -- 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 is going on. According to Pew Research, among others, there is great hatred toward Americans by large segments of the Muslim population. Most recently, a poll from the Center for Security Policy released data showing '25 percent of those polled agreed that violence against Americans here in the United States is justified as a part of the global jihad' and 51 percent of those polled, 'agreed that Muslims in America should have the choice of being governed according to Shariah.' Shariah authorizes such atrocities as murder against nonbelievers who won't convert, beheadings and more unthinkable acts that pose great harm to Americans, especially women.

"Mr. Trump stated, 'Without looking at the various polling data, it is obvious to anybody the hatred is beyond comprehension. Where this hatred comes from and why we will have to determine. Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people that believe only in Jihad, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life. If I win the election for President, we are going to Make America Great Again.' -- Donald J. Trump"

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There you go. Clear and simple. If we don't like something, let's ban it. So simple. So pure.

So wrong.

Surely, if Americans believed banning anything could, by itself, produce something good and worthwhile, we would have banned -- really banned -- assault rifles a long time ago.

But here's what you should be afraid of. Very, very afraid. Mr. Trump's religious attack on Muslims is likely to be endorsed by millions of red-blooded, God-fearing, lay-down-your-life-for-your-country Americans.

This column is being written on Monday night, hours after Mr. Trump released his "statement on preventing Muslim immigration." If you are reading this on Friday, as you should, you may already know how Mr. Trump is doing in the polls. My guess: His favorable numbers will go up.

That's what we should be very, very afraid of.

I don't want what I am about to say next to sound just plain goofy. But, following Mr. Trump's logic, I would like to issue a statement of my own. This is the "Joe Sullivan statement on preventing Anglican immigration."

Maybe you don't know what an Anglican is. An Anglican is a member of one of many national Christian denominations tracing their roots to the Church of England. In the U.S., these Anglicans are known as Episcopalians.

From what I know about Anglicans -- since I am one of them -- they are a bunch of bloodthirsty killers who would gladly smash your skull if you put up a fight. How do I know this? This is what the British army and navy did during our Revolutionary War. Those Brits showed up on our shores and tried to squash our rebellion of independence. They killed and bombed and maimed countless freedom-loving Americans who thought they had a God-given right to make their way in a new nation dedicated to liberty and justice.

What fools they must have been. Those revolutionary Americans, I mean. They must have thought the king and his ilk in the old country would just let all those colonies slip out of their grasp without a whimper. Instead, the British sent trained soldiers in fancy uniforms with modern rifles and plenty of ammunition. They sent bombs too.

A sizable number of those British terrorists were -- you guessed it -- Anglicans.

It ought to be as clear as the nose on Mr. Trump's face that you never know what an Anglican will do next. They are a real threat with 80 million of them spread around the world, probably setting up training camps and radicalization centers.

Until we are able to determine and understand this problem and the dangerous threat it poses, our country cannot be the victims of horrendous attacks by people who believe only in war and dominion, and have no sense of reason or respect for human life.

I borrowed that last bit from Mr. Trump's very own statement. He said it so well, and I thought I was worth repeating.

Seriously, folks, if we support one part of our Constitution, the one that says we have the right to own outrageously destructive firearms, don't we have to support the other parts, including the one that says this nation believes religious freedom is vital, imperative and deserving of unwavering defense?

Mr. Trump says he wants to be president. Fine. He has a right to follow that career path. But making statements on "preventing Muslim immigration" sends a sorry message. It makes me think Mr. Trump wants to be president of some Americans, but not all of them. Certainly not those he knows so little about.

Joe Sullivan is the retired editor of the Southeast Missourian.