Too numerous to count
Dear editor:
“Too numerous to count.” This phrase can refer to the number of the stars in the sky, the grains of sand on the beach, and sometimes to characterize the number of Trump’s misrepresentations to the American public. This last characterization, of course, is unwelcome to some and seems to justify vilifying the reporters of such facts as the puppets of Satan.
According to one writer (Mr. Lloyd Hoffman, Sunday, Aug. 9), anyone referencing unassailable facts in an effort to enumerate President Trump’s misleading statements is serving Satan. First, in his letter to the editor, Mr. Hoffman criticizes Kate Jones (Thursday, Aug. 6) for relying on The Washington Post’s reporting of Mr. Trumps’ misleading statements because, as he says, that newspaper has no validity. He supports his argument by citing to former Gov. Huckabee’s belittling nickname for the Post; the “Washington Compost.” Apparently, for Mr. Hoffman, the former governor’s opinion transcends that of other mortals because he was a Baptist pastor (well, yes … decades ago before becoming a politician turned TV celebrity and multi-millionaire).
Next, Mr. Hoffman criticizes Ms. Jones for failing to cite her sources when subsequently conducting research to verify the Post’s reporting of Trump’s lies. But Mr. Hoffman himself offers nothing, other than an unflattering nickname, to support his maligning not only of The Washington Post, but the “great majority of news sources” available to the free world. Oddly, he seems to say that even if Ms. Jones had cited her references, he wouldn’t believe them because “(m)ature, discerning Christians know that all of the liberal mainstream news media are controlled by God’s enemy, Satan!”
I am not certain who among us is serving Satan when unsubstantiated attacks are launched against the free press. But I do believe that undermining the credibility of the free press for reporting incontrovertible fact is an attack on our democratic principles and constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. And because my Bible teaches me to love my neighbor, I decline to resort to it as a weapon to bludgeon my neighbor when he says something offensive to me. Ellen Carpenter Hot Springs