Those who might hold the deluded belief new US President Donald Trump is showing leadership by banning, in a blatant and pathetic anti-Muslim move, citizens of seven countries from entering the star-spangled land of the free and home of the brave should consider a few facts.
Facts, not "alternative facts" – the chilling description Mr Trump's counsellor and communications guru, Kellyanne Conway, gives to lies.
Leadership is about asking one simple question – is this right? As in, is this based on facts and knowledge and in line with unassailable principles including fairness and decency? It is not about bastardry and incompetence and bluster, three unfortunate elements that marked the Trump regime after only a handful of days in power.
Mr Trump, who repeatedly targeted Muslims throughout his bombastic campaign, has temporarily banned people from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia and Sudan.
He claims to be doing this to protect his nation from Islamist terrorism. Really? A US conservative policy research group, the Cato Institute, points out that the combined total of Americans killed by citizens of the banned nations between 1975 and 2015 is ... zero.
Almost 785,000 refugees have settled in the US since the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York were destroyed in a monstrous act of terrorism on September 11, 2001, and not one of them has committed a terrorist act.
But 28 US citizens or green card (permission to work) holders have. Those responsible for the 9/11 atrocities came from four nations – Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Lebanon. None of these is on the banned list. And yet Mr Trump claims a need to prevent the sort of errors that resulted in visas being given to the 9/11 terrorists.
The President's ridiculous ban has enraged rational and compassionate people the world over, and has sparked protests across the United States, adding to the anti-Trump momentum seen in rallies across the nation last week against some of Mr Trump's other policies, particularly an anti-abortion edict.
National leaders including French President Francois Hollande, British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have spoken out against the ban. Why? Because they asked the question: "Is this right?"
And so it is more than disappointing that Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop are cravenly endorsing such a stupid, unfounded policy.
It is reasonable to suspect they have sold out their principles in the fear that were they to join the international chorus of condemnation, the volatile and thin-skinned US President would renege on his nation's agreement, given by his predecessor, to accept some of the refugees who have been cruelly languishing in Australia's disgraceful mandatory offshore detention centres on Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island.
Mr Trump reportedly gave Mr Turnbull a commitment during a 25-minute telephone conversation on Sunday that the deal will go ahead. Mr Turnbull won't tell the Australian people what was actually said. But it is logical to think he does not want to upset Mr Trump, as our Prime Minister is aware that his government's policy is widely seen as morally and legally flawed and is a massive waste of taxpayers' money.
The solution is not for our Prime Minister to fall into line with Mr Trump to keep him sweet. The solution is to bring the refugees to Australia, while setting up, in partnership with our neighbours, proper processing facilities throughout the region.
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