To the Editor,
In limbo dancing, going low is a good thing, but not when writing a political column, especially when that column is disguised as a civic service. In the Aug. 20 Bronx Times Reporter edition, the COMACTA mouthpiece criticizes President Biden for using “incendiary language” which is sowing division in the country.
This claim begs the question, why didn’t the columnist offer the same condemnation when Trump used inflammatory and derogatory language on a near daily basis? Wasn’t divisiveness the hallmark of the Trump presidency? Biden’s long political career has been characterized by consensus building and he is respected as a conciliator, in sharp contrast to the demeanor and character of the 45th president.
The writer attempts to whitewash the GOP voter-suppression movement as innocent and not “in any manner, discriminatory or racist” despite its focus on disenfranchising unlikely Republican voters. Even more alarming is the Republican effort to usurp the power of local election officials. In such a scenario, partisan Republicans could skew an election in their direction and subvert the will of the voters by controlling the process in Democratic counties.
The extreme right-wing columnist also implies that Biden should be prosecuted for “incitement to riot.” That was not a misprint. Biden — not Trump — should be charged with urging supporters to riot. This despite Trump’s provocative statements on Jan. 6, when he urged the insurrectionists to “stop the steal” and stated in his quaint fashion, “This is the most corrupt election in the history, maybe of the world.”
The suspension of disbelief, requiring the total avoidance of critical thinking or logic, is necessary to accept this faulty premise. The columnist wants the reader to join him in his journey through the looking glass. I urge all readers to disavow this voyage to fantasyland and to analyze and evaluate information in an unbiased manner.
Pasqual Pelosi
