Community, Diversity, Sustainability and other Overused Words

Spineless Animal Page on Wikipedia Includes Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan

Page edited to include the House Speaker, who did not stand up to Trump on Immigration

House Speaker Paul Ryan did not stand up to President Donald Trump on his recent ban of immigrants from 7 majority Moslem countries. As an apparent consequence, he was listed on Wikipedia's Invertebrate page, as one of the world's spineless animals.

The page has Ryan listed below Horseshoe Crabs, but above "jellyfish, echinoderms, sponges and other worms."

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Invertebrate&oldid=762135165

Wikipedia has always been characterized by it's openness to all--anyone can be a Wikipedia editor. A vetted professional staff will, however, review all changes, often changing them back.

Wikipedia says that "Invertebrates are animals that neither possess nor develop a vertebral column (commonly known as a backbone or spine), derived from the notochord. This includes all animals apart from the subphylum Vertebrata. Familiar examples of invertebrates include insects; crabs, lobsters and their kin; snails, clams, octopuses and their kin; starfish, sea-urchins and their kin; and worms."

According to the Washington Post:"Facing intense criticism and dramatic news coverage of chaos and protests at airports worldwide, several congressional Republicans on Saturday questioned President Trump's order to halt admission to the United States by refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) were not among them.

Ryan was among the first lawmakers on Friday to back Trump's order, and his office reiterated his support on Saturday. "This is not a religious test and it is not a ban on people of any religion," said spokeswoman AshLee Strong.

Ryan and other Republicans defending Trump's actions faced criticism from Democrats, human rights activists and even some in their own party. Ryan's defense and McConnell's silence, some critics said, amounted to a moral failing that made them complicit in a humanitarian crisis."

Here's Ryan in December 2015 on candidate Donald Trump's proposed temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States: "This is not conservatism."

Contrast Ryan on Friday in the wake of Trump's executive order restricting refugees from entering the United States and stopping entry of all visitors from seven predominantly Muslim countries: "President Trump is right to make sure we are doing everything possible to know exactly who is entering our country."

 

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