Trump and the GOP - reply to Bruce L. Fowler

Bruce Fowler's letter (Review, Sept. 23) is full of misconceptions, diversions, and deceptions from lies spread by the GOP, Fox "News" and Donald Trump. Without other sources, Mr. Fowler doesn't have a chance to come to valid conclusions on any of the issues he presented. His letter is vaguely written to define "deplorables" and to avoid any direct accusations, but his intent is to confuse and obfuscate, like any true Trump follower.

(My numbering corresponds to Fowler's list.)

1. He alludes to the Benghazi attack and implies Hillary Clinton is to blame. Apparently, he missed the years of GOP investigations that wasted $7 million and found that there was no evidence of wrongdoing by either Hillary Clinton or Obama. However, the GOP was responsible for cutting funding that would have further secured foreign installations, including the Benghazi compound.

2. He mentions lying under oath without specifics but probably refers to the FBI investigation into Clinton's email usage while she was Secretary of State. During the GOP House investigation, FBI director James Comey, when asked by the committee if Clinton broke any laws, answered, "My judgement is that she did not." He also said, "We have no basis to conclude she lied to the FBI."

3. He alludes to the tarmac meeting by Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Bill Clinton. Accidental or not, Lynch went with the recommendation of the FBI Director Comey who concluded that no charges be brought against Clinton because no laws were broken.

4. Fowler hints that the Clinton Foundation is crooked. Records show that the Clinton Foundation never used $20,000 to buy a six foot painting of Trump for Trump, nor has it spent $258,000 to cover expenses from legal challenges against Trump. The Clinton Foundation also didn't spend $12,000 to buy an autographed Tim Tebow helmet for Trump. But records show that the Trump Foundation did.

5. Fowler mentions something about someone jeopardizing national security, but I can only come up with Donald Trump publicly inviting the Russians to hack into U.S. government computers.

6. Fowler backhandedly criticizes Colin Kaepernick for sitting or kneeling during the pregame National Anthem to protest "a country that oppresses black people and people of color."  Kaepernick also said, "There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder." Fowler doesn't like silent protests by black people and probably doesn't like public protests by black people either. He probably is just fine with white armed "sovereign citizen" crazies illegally occupying a national wildlife sanctuary though.

7. Fowler alludes to his dislike about prayer being banned in school and public places. It is not. Anyone can pray silently anywhere they please. The Bible also commands that prayer be kept private. What Fowler really wants is for the prayers of his religion to be forced on others, and the prayers of other religions to be kept silent or out of the country.

He says our country is in bad shape because Trump and the GOP says it is. The GOP and Trump want you to be afraid and they want you to believe that they are the only ones that can save us. So they fabricate non-existent dangers. Voter fraud (doesn't exist), terrorism (9/11 happened during the Bush years), immigration (our vetting process is long and detailed), the economy (it improved under Obama), unemployment (it went down under Obama.) Democratic policies that have worked for Obama will continue to work for Clinton even with continued GOP obstruction. Trump's policies are irrational, dangerous, and change from day to day.

For the country in general, the murder rate is down. Our cities are as safe as they have ever been. We're becoming less racist, less sexist, and more tolerant of diversity. And this drives Republicans crazy because it destroys their reason for existing. Hence, they lie about it to rally their base. 

Fowler's definitions of deplorable are accurate and describe Trump and his followers perfectly. And Mr. Fowler doesn't have to worry. I would never defile liberals by calling him one.

John L. Ferri
Towanda, PA

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