It’s one, two, three strikes you’re out for decency in America

— David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Readers of these pages might have noted that a number of our writers have a Texas connection, which is why even from my New Jersey living room I tuned in last night to the ballgame between the Chicago Cubs and my beloved Houston Astros.

But this isn’t a story about baseball — that would seem out of place on a web site devoted to bringing about the downfall of President Donald J. Trump. This story is about the death of decency in America, brought about by Trump and his hateful followers.

During last night’s game, Chicago Cubs outfielder Albert Almora rocketed a foul ball into the stands, striking a child. Almora instantly dropped to his knees in anguish as the tiny girl’s father rushed her up the stadium steps to seek medical attention. The girl was later hospitalized, her condition at press time unknown.

Houston’s “leading information source,” the tepid Houston Chronicle, published photos this morning of the incident, which brought the game to a momentary halt. The photos showed shock and dismay on the faces of fans and players alike. After reading the story and not finding information on the child’s condition, I did something I knew I should not do: I clicked on the comments and saw this:

Without mentioning the president’s name, Trump’s fingerprints are all over that comment. An injured child, apparently Latina, screaming in the arms of her dad, but a soulless reader focused instead on that father’s alleged “criminal history.”

It was Trump who railed against immigrants and asylum seekers during the 2016 presidential campaign. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” he said, and America elected him anyway. Now Trump throws children into cages — children not unlike the precious injured child in the photo — and his supporters cheer.

The comment had already generated two Likes early this morning when I hastily took a screen shot before reporting it. A part of me hates to give it more publicity than it deserves, but the comment proves an important point: Even during a potentially tragic incident like this, a segment of the population — the “Rightthinkers” — are first checking skin color.

It’s been called the American pastime and, whether or not you’re a fan, it must be said that baseball has forever been entwined with our society and even helps define it. It’s a society now tainted by a president who has reignited the fire of racism to the point that his supporters don’t see an injured child and her worried father, but vermin to be exterminated.

Some will say that baseball is just a game and that Houston’s Minute Maid Park isn’t Auschwitz. But where in history have we seen attitudes like that before?

Sad beyond belief.