Take Me To Post Comment Form I have written 3 letters in response to Right Wing letters to the Editor, none have been published for whatever reason. The following is a compilation of those letters and the last letter I submitted:
Editor, Manteca Bulletin,
The political leanings of this paper should come as no surprise, it has always leaned precipitously to the right, however, is it just me or have those leanings become even more severe since the new Publisher took over? Take the Opinion page for example, over the last few weeks, I have counted seven or eight published letters to the editor from well known Right Wing advocates but not one published response from the other side. I say published because I know for a fact letters have been written, I have written two, this is my third.
Except for a couple of Political cartoons, most other published pieces have been from Right Wing journalists such as Pat Buchanan and Phyllis Schlafly. Then there is the Bulletins online "Other Views" blogs, where at one time, every letter to the Editor was published thereby giving individuals a chance to debate their contents. Now none of these letters appear anywhere. Could the Bulletin be transforming itself into the Fox News of Manteca? Just saying...
1. My count of letters from the Right, start with two from the local Right Wing leader (Democrats are 'party of death') and (Harmer not a Pelosi puppet). Now everyone is entitled to voice their opinion but they must be careful to describe it as such and not imply it to be fact. At least not without backing it up with a reliable source. Mr. Aquila fails to do this with the regularity and reliability of the Nuclear Clock.
In his first opinion piece, he makes several ludicrous claims against Obama and Democrats as a whole, from planning on "...sterilizing the entire population by adding infertility drugs to the nation's water and food supply." to "...passing a law that criminalizes having more than two children, similar to the one child policy in Communist China." Note the 'Communist' reference, a common Aquila 'guilt by association' ploy. All of his claims of fact carry no reliable source, as most ludicrous claims tend to do.
2. In his second opinion piece, Aquila claims Democrats have been "...drinking swamp water." if they believe Jerry McNerney is a moderate and not just a Pelosi puppet. Why, because McNerney has voted for "...Pelosi's agenda of communistic ideals of government control of the people." Note again, the 'Communist' reference and also note again the failure to explain why he believes Pelosi's agenda to be of '...communistic ideals'. He simply assumes everyone should take his opinion as fact.
Mr. Aquila was not the only one tossing their opinions around as fact. One follower noted that this was not "..just Democrats versus Republicans. The battle is good versus evil and liberty versus socialism/Marxism, slavery, and serfdom." (Battle is also about liberty vs. socialism) Aug 1. Sounds like someone else has been dipping into the 'swamp water' behind Aquila's back.
3. Another writer attacked the Obama Stimulus Package as having "..collapsed the country.". Funny but I haven't noticed that. And I find it strange that the writer failed to mention, as reported in this paper, how the Stimulus Package affected Manteca to the tune of around $10 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds (Stimulus). This includes all the freeway beatification projects around the city, the $1.4 million to hire four additional police officers for three years plus several other projects including some funds for the proposed transit station at Moffat and Main. Like many of the nations Republican lawmakers who voted against the Stimulus, I bet the writer was first in line at the ribbon cutting ceremonies taking credit for the whole thing.
4. Our old friend Mr. McComas was hard at work as well, trying with all his might to blame Democrats for everything gone wrong with the economy. (When are Democrats going to start taking responsibility) Aug 22. According to Mr. McComas, "In the summer of 2006, the country was fully prospering." Hmmm... wonder if Mr. McComas cares to explain then, why the Republicans lost two major elections in a row due mostly to, according to voters, the economic status of the country? Now McComas wants us all to believe we should go back to those 'grand ole times of yesteryear'. I say, thanks but no thanks, what say you?
5. Another McComas piece attempts to declare war on Islam. That is unless "All Muslims declare loudly and back it up with action that they are for peace.." An impossibility he is well aware of. He makes several untrue statements about Islam, one that "The Muslim Community" wants to kill anyone who is not a Muslim. Another goes like this: "If you leave the Muslim faith, you are murdered.". Those are but two examples. He then attempts to show the brutality of Islam by reminding us how different factions of the Muslim faith kill each other at will, forgetting to mention how Christians have and still do the same, remember the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland?
He makes another statement, ludicrous at best, He wonders why the "Muslim Community" has not apologized to him for the 9/11 attacks. His reasoning, of course, is because all the Terrorists involved in the attacks, were Muslim. This is like wanting an apology from the Jewish Community for the killing of Christ. Then after all the guilt by association tactics, he writes this: "A prejudiced bigot is a person who has judged a person before knowing who they are and is intolerant of any opinions other than their own narrow view." Isn't that exactly what he has done?
6. This attack on Islam brought out more lunatics from the Religious Right (Where does this leave a faithful Christian?) and (Another perspective on Muslims) Aug 29. One of these Bible thumpers gives us his own interpretation of his own Bible and asks us to follow along, the other chastises us for '...not giving respect for the Bible by not reading it'. Both give us what we are all supposed to take as facts about the Muslim faith. Apparently both have studied the Koran in such depth as to claim expertise in the matter. Both would make McComas proud.
7. Yet another follower attacks Social Security claiming everyone needs to bone up on Social Security history, then fires off his own version with no viable sources. (What really happened to Social Security) Aug 22. Of course Democrats are responsible for everything wrong with the program, now I get Social Security and I haven't noticed anything wrong but according to the writer, Democrats made changes to Social Security when "..allowed immigrants to bring their family members here without having to worry about the financial costs." Presumably because once here, all the sponsors had to do was claim they couldn't afford to care for them and Alacadabra! Social Security would take over all costs. Really? Then the writer claims we should privatize the program. Guess he forgot about the Wall Street failures that would have wiped out everyone's 'Privatized' Social Security. Great Idea buddy! Aren't you glad clearer heads prevailed?
8. Finally the best one was from a well known Aquila follower who had a plan for securing the Mexican/American border. (Solve racial profiling: Give border land to Indians) Aug 5. When I first read this to my wife, who is by the way, of American Indian heritage, we could hardly contain ourselves. Having just returned from a visit to Indian Land in New Mexico, it was even more hilarious. Here this guy wants to solve the border problem by establishing yet another Indian Reservation, two thousands yards wide, then move American Indians into the strip of land and tell them they can live there if they secure the border. Gee the Indians would be ever so grateful, don't you think? Now who did Aquila say was drinking swamp water?