To the Editor,
Once again, misinformation designed to support ultra conservative talking points is the primary focus of the far right columnist. Readers should consider the positions of the ideologue for what they are, a collection of reactionary biases supported by distortions, dubious sources and fallacious reasoning.
For example, this week the author falsely implies that progressives favor open borders. Misrepresenting an opponents’ position so that it is easier to attack is known as the “straw man fallacy” and the columnist consistently uses this sleazy technique to support his moth eaten and dangerous ideas, which include the continued use of fossil fuels and the denigration of any effort to save the planet by forcefully addressing climate change.
The far right extremist also repeated the conservative fabrication that immigrants bring disease when they enter the U.S. According to Dr. Paul Siegel, the director of the Center of Humanitarian Health, “There is no evidence to show that migrants are spreading disease.” He continues to debunk the author’s contention stating, “That is a false argument that is used to keep migrants out.”
Who is in a better position to decide this question, feckless Frank or a famed healthcare professional?
The allegation that immigrants are responsible for increased criminal activity, another conservative shibboleth, is demonstrably false. The Cato Institute, no friend of progressive thought, has studied this question and reports that in Texas the highest rate of criminal activity is actually perpetrated by native born Americans, not immigrants, whether legal or illegal.
The conservative frontman continues his allegiance to the conservative gospel by applauding the absurd idea that parents have a right to control the curricula of public schools. Some parents do not believe in evolution, does this mean that modern science cannot be taught? What if other parents believe that the earth is flat? The purpose of education is to foster critical thinking, not to reinforce the beliefs of the students’ household. If students cannot distinguish between reality and fantasy, how can our democracy survive, how will they make informed decisions in their life and in the voting booth?
All voices, whether progressive or conservative, have a right to be heard in our great country, but adherence to blind ideology is a danger that should not be foisted on the readers of the Bronx Times and Bronx Times Reporter.
Pasqual Pelosi
