Regarding Dan Neumann’s letter Feb. 9, I noticed that many of his “facts” minimize what happened Jan. 6 and since. He believes only “excessively shrill voices” on the left have escalated the rhetoric about what happened that day. It is now commonly accepted by those who watched what happened that day (except those who get their news from OAN, Newsmax, and a certain local radio station) that the actions taken by the rioters were an attack on our democracy, seditious and violent. How could you watch the happenings at the Capitol and not be sick and heartbroken over the events of that day? And make no mistake - the flags flying that day were not those of liberal organizations.
He claims that the National Guard was quickly mobilized - not true; the National Guard was not deployed for more than two hours after the riot began. In fact, Mr. Trump resisted calls to deploy the guard.
A full timeline and events related to the deployment of the National Guard is available at FactCheck.org (Farley, Robert. “Timeline of National Guard Deployment to Capitol.” factcheck.org, 1/13/21. www.factcheck.org. Accessed 2/11/21). Because of this delay, law enforcement was outnumbered by the rioters. One-hundred forty Capitol Police officers were injured, including 15 who were hospitalized, and 56 DC Metro Police officers were injured. One officer was murdered by the rioters, and two officers subsequently took their own lives in the days after the riot. While we don’t know specifically why, we do know they were working at the Capitol that day. So much for the respect and support the right wing claims to have for law enforcement and the “thin blue line.”
Mr. Neumann also claimed he did not recall reports “that the violent protestors were armed in any way.” If he truly did not hear these reports, it’s easy to believe he’s not looking for the information. I easily found a report by Reuters (Heath, Brad and Sarah N. Lynch. “Arrested Capitol rioters had guns and bombs, everyday careers and Olympic medals.” reuters.com, 1/15/21, www.reuters.com. Accessed 2/11/21).
Mr. Neumann accuses a “left-wing cable outlet” of mischaracterizing an incident that took place in Minneapolis May 29, 2020.
He makes reference to a reporter from MSNBC news standing in front of a burning building and “characterizing the riot as ‘mostly peaceful.’” I found the video of this incident by searching on Google (Mr. Neumann could have done the same.) What Ali Velshi of MSNBC really said was this: “This is mostly a protest. It is not, generally speaking, unruly.” This is very different than “mostly peaceful.”
Mr. Neumann also wrote about the double standards of the liberal media. Let’s talk about double standards on the right. Before Mr. Trump was nominated as the Republican candidate, Lindsay Graham was shown on video calling Mr. Trump a “race-baiting, xenophobic religious bigot,” and “the world’s biggest jackass.” In fact, he didn’t even vote for Trump, instead voting for the third-party candidate (Leibovich, Mark. “How Lindsay Graham Went From Trump Skeptic to Trump Sidekick.” nytimes.com, 2/25/19, www.nytimes.com. Accessed 2/11/21). After the 2016 election, Lindsay drank the Kool-aid and became one of Trump’s most ardent supporters. And it goes on. Mitch McConnell refused to keep the Senate in session so Trump’s second impeachment trial could begin before he left office. After Trump left office, Republicans were frequently heard claiming you can’t impeach a president after he’s left office (this claim has been widely disputed by presidential scholars and the Congressional Research Service).
There are many more examples of the double standards and hypocritical behavior practiced and reported by the right (ever heard of Bill Clinton?), but this is, after all, only a letter to the editor. Academics will have volumes to write about the behavior of everyone involved in the Trump administration and those on the right who reported on it.
Mr. Neumann, if you want to call out abhorrent double standards in reporting, don’t get your news only from right-wing media. Research the story at several outlets to help you discern the truth from propaganda. I think you’ll find this approach enlightening.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.
