A group of four black people in Chicago terrorize and torture a mentally disabled white man for up to 48 hours, screaming "F--- Donald Trump, f--- white people" and police refuse to immediately classify the action as a hate crime? Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said it was "just stupidity, you know, people just ranting about something they think might make a headline."

Sadly, when Cook County Circuit Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil denied the four bail, some apologists in social media suggested the tough stance was due to them being black.

This is yet another perfect example of the double standard in America. It seems hate crimes only work in one direction. I don't know about you but "F--- white people" sounds a little like racial hatred to me.

This was not the attitude during the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore on April 12, 2015. Gray, of course, was in possession of an illegal knife and on his ride in a police van when he somehow ended up suffering fatal spinal cord injuries. Black prosecutor Marilyn Mosby quickly went after all six police officers (three of which were black), charging the officer driving the van with second-degree "depraved heart" murder. The African-American community was whipped into a frenzy by the false narrative on cable TV news and went on a rampage, burning and looting businesses.

All of Mosby's charges were either dropped or met with not guilty verdicts in court.

You don't need to look far to find examples of double standard at play. Fashion designer Sophie Theallet has called for other designers to boycott clothes for our new First Lady Melania Trump. Yet when the "Sweet Cakes by Melissa" bakery in Gresham, Oregon, refused to make a wedding cake for a lesbian wedding, it was fined $135,000.

Hypocrites are on both sides of the aisle but the left seems overpopulated. The media applauded Hillary Clinton when she declared it would be unthinkable for Trump to challenge the results of the election ... but there was no outrage when Clinton joined Green Party candidate Jill Stein's fruitless recount effort in three states crucial to the winner. The recount resulted in 131 more votes for Trump in Wisconsin.

Folks, the left is unraveling because of Trump's election to the presidency, and it is sometimes humorous to watch. It's like watching the meltdown of a four-year-old when told they can't have candy in the store.

Sometimes it's not so funny, such as the disturbing video of a black Texas mom devastating her 7-year-old son by kicking him out of the house after he voted for Trump in a mock school election last November. "Bye Donald Trump lover," she tells her son on the video. She later told authorities that it was a joke; if that was a joke it was the most heartless prank a mother could ever pull on a child.

The media were abject apologists for Bill Clinton during his string of sexual scandals but went bonkers over a 2005 recording of Trump - released in the last days of the campaign as a November surprise - that exposed vulgar locker room talk. Clinton was excused for his conduct - even charges of sexual harassment by Arkansas state worker Paula Jones and the alleged sexual battery of Juanita Broderick - but Trump was excoriated for vulgarities.

It's not unlike the left's mantra of tolerance for all, especially when you're talking about members of the LGBT community and Muslims. But when you're talking about Christians, there is zero tolerance. It's fashionable to bash conservatives, especially when you're white. In an opinion piece for Thrive Global, TV show host Chelsea Handler blasted the 53 percent of white female voters for supporting Trump and bowing to their male overlords. She said they gave in to that "great female penchant for self-mutilation."

And if you're white and male, it's the perfect recipe for disparaging talk with no repercussions. Trump is the biggest target of all.

When Trump won the presidency, countless cities - Modesto included - saw groups of outraged individuals - mostly millennials - take to the streets in protest. It's unlike anything seen before in American politics. When Kennedy defeated Nixon in the 1960 election by only 112,827 votes, Republicans didn't take to the streets in protest. When Jimmy Carter became president, taking the presidency away from Gerald Ford, Republicans weren't out threatening to shut down Washington on Jan. 20, 1977. (I know because I was there as a 15-year-old). But there are threats of planned protests who will try to be there to spoil the celebration of the victors next week. They just can't handle that they lost. The protest against Trump is even being carried to the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

Things got really nasty in my social media circles this past fall. Originally a Ted Cruz supporter, I ended up supporting Trump as the last man standing for his policies over socialists Sanders and Clinton. Social media in the Benziger household got venomous when two gay family members suggested that Trump hated gays. I asked them to show me where Trump said anything hateful about gays and they conveniently backed off. I'm assuming that his opposition of gay marriage is what leads him to the claim of "hate." But does the left consider those who assail Christian values as hateful? Of course not.

I'm not a huge Trump fan. I think he runs his mouth far more than he should and his ego is really off-putting. But I think he has the potential to be a great president if he follows through on his pledge to take care of some serious problems in our nation. Illegal immigrants are flooding our jobs markets, driving down the cost of labor, adding to jails and burdening social and educational services. Regulations and taxes have choked business and sent American jobs overseas. Obamacare is an abject failure. America has been weakened by feckless foreign policies which have endangered Israel and brought us closer to war with Russia. And with Obama adding another $10 trillion to our national debt, more than all other presidents combined, our leaders have got to control spending.

In 2008 Obama said it was unpatriotic for Bush to add $4.3 trillion in new debt. In his eight years, Obama added $8.1 trillion for a grand total debt of $19.95 trillion.

But then again, that's just another case of the double standard

Democrats railed against Republicans for being obstructionists to Obama while they sharpen their spears for the Trump presidency. They condemned Republicans for refusing to act on Obama's appointment of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court while Chuck Schumer didn't want to see Bush's nominee confirmed a year and half before he left the White House; and now they're threatening to do the same to Trump's forthcoming pick, whoever he may be.

I was gravely disappointed in the outcome of the 2008 and the 2012 elections because I knew what it meant for our country. Alas, Americans have repudiated the last eight years by electing Trump. I'm willing to see what Donald Trump can do. Are you?

Do you have any feedback about this column? Let Jeff know by emailing him at jeffb@cerescourier.com. He will read it, promise.