Letters to the editor July 25
Politically motivated
Two weeks after the attempt on the life of Donald Trump, authorities have yet to determine the would-be assassin’s motive. What little is known suggests that he was an emotionally troubled young man with easy access to military grade weapons – an MO that we’ve seen tragically replicated in dozens of mass shootings in recent years.
Why then is the media, from The Daily Inter Lake to The New York Times, obsessed with the false notion that the attempt on Trump’s life was politically motivated? In its July 21 edition, the local newspaper headlined its cover story on the topic as “Voters hope political rhetoric cools after rally shooting.” The entire story was predicated on the misleading assumption that there was a political motive behind the assassination attempt.
Highlights of the report included an interview with a local guy wearing a MAGA cap and blaming the incident on “Democratic rhetoric” which he believes, without providing any evidence, “was completely responsible for this.” Congressman Ryan Zinke, known for using divisive rhetoric, having once called Hillary Clinton the anti-Christ, commented that we should just take a deep breath and cool down.
The Inter Lake doubled down on this fallacious theme the following day in a reprinted NYT editorial that stated, “Americans received a sobering reminder on Saturday of the threat that political violence poses to our democracy.”
Ascribing a false narrative to the Trump situation is both wrong and dangerous. While political violence is a serious and growing threat, until otherwise supported by actual evidence, this incident was clearly not politically motivated.
— Mark Holston, Kalispell
A fast one
It appears that the Democrats just got caught trying to pull a fast one on the nation.
It’s becoming clear that their plan all along was to hide Joe Biden’s failing health until after the inauguration, then have him resign quickly and turn the country over to Vice President Kamala Harris.
How this all will play out at the party convention in August and in November remains to be seen. But Americans do not like to be deceived, as Japan learned to their immense sorrow after Dec. 7, 1941.
— Andy Palchak, Kalispell