Wingnut letter in my local paper and my rebuttal

This is the first time I've responded directly to a piece of wingnut trash in my local newspaper. I guess it's the spirit of F9/11 and Michael Moore's attitude toward the press that is propelling me to speak out against this kind of hateful vitriol.

Here's the letter in question, from the NY Journal News (http://www.nyjournalnews.com)

Democrats irrational in attacks on Bush
(Original publication: June 29, 2004)

Democrats have lost their collective minds and sold out their party to America's left. How else to explain their irrational hatred of President Bush and their morbid fixation on the isolated incident at Abu Ghraib while virtually ignoring the grisly murder of Nick Berg by hooded terrorists, pan-Arab aggression and the corruption of the United Nations, led by France, a nation with an incurable Napoleonic complex, and her traditional enemy, Germany, which gave the world Adolf Hitler.

Now, for purely political reasons, America, the country that saved France from Germany in two world wars, is France's enemy and Germany her friend. Did anyone say a good deed never goes unpunished?

Sadly, America has as many domestic enemies as foreign ones. It is easy to dismiss the vicious attacks on Bush as campaign rhetoric, but how can we make sense of the warped image of America projected by individuals like Michael Moore and George Soros and groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the liberal media? Or Susan Sontag's brainlock? Writing in the New York Times, Sontag equated Abu Ghraib with the Holocaust.

Democrats who believe in God and country don't seem to realize they are voting against their way of life when they vote for a Democratic agenda that advocates a secular, one-world society in which international law supersedes American law.

Daniel DiGiacomo, Yonkers

And here's my rebuttal, which I just submitted. I'll let you know if it gets printed.

Dissenters are the True Patriots

There are so many factual and historical inaccuracies in Mr. DiGiacomo’s letter, one hardly knows where to begin. But I’ll focus on the obvious. Many people around the country – including Democrats, independents, and even Republicans – are angry beyond belief with President Bush because he lied his way into an unnecessary war that is now being paid for with the blood of America’s young men and women.

Weapons of mass destruction? Nonexistent. Al Qaeda ties? The 9/11 Commission stated that there weren’t any. Stopping Saddam’s torture of Iraqis? That went out the window with the exposure of torture and abuse not only at Abu Ghraib, but throughout the country. So tell me again, why exactly have over 800 of our young men and women given their lives in Iraq, Mr. DiGiacomo?

Mr. DiGiacomo also engages in a popular falsehood of the reactionary right by equating the Bush Administration with America. Our Founding Fathers would have begged to differ, considering the manner in which they elevated dissent to one of the highest expressions of patriotism. Many of us still believe in the views of our Founding Fathers despite the efforts of the reactionary right to intimidate us into silence with their predictable but baseless refrain of calling us “America haters”. Mr. DiGiacomo uses Michael Moore as an example of such an “America hater” – I wonder if he has even bothered to see his movie?

Anger with Bush stems from the fact that he has betrayed every good thing that America is supposed to stand for, and replaced it with a culture of fear, lawlessness, selfishness and hatred. But the tide is changing, thanks to the efforts of patriotic Americans like Michael Moore. It is becoming apparent that those of us who believe in the ideals of America embodied in the writings of our Founding Fathers, as opposed to mindless jingoism and nationalism, will no longer be silent. This is good news for America, but bad news for the reactionary right and its sycophants.

Christopher Harrison
Mt. Kisco, NY

So, whaddya think?

I hope they print it!

A very intelligent and measured response to the loony toon's diatribe.

Very well written Christopher.

:bounce:

letter you wrote!

Excellent! Congrats on a well-reasoned letter.

:toast:

Well done, hope they print it! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

You may want to edit out the personal info from this very public message board.

:toast:

So, let me get this straight -- we have a 2-party system, and both parties are supposed to be on the right? Oh, right, that would make it a 1-party system, which is what these fascists _really_ want.

:toast:

I may use portions of it to counteract wingnut letters to the Boston Globe, if it's OK with you.

the length of the original letter to a tee. I wonder if your local paper will print it in its entirety or edit it. Does the paper lean to the right? BTW - I used to live in Yonkers on Warburton Ave about 1/2 mile south of the Hastings border.

Further BTW - guys like DiGiacomo would be shocked, SHOCKED to learn that there's nothing illegal about *hating* America, even if you're an American citizen. But - as you rightly point out - it's Bush people hate, not America.

Near the intersection of McLean and South Broadway.

Sterling Ave., just off McLean Ave. and Bronx River Rd. Her parents still live there.

Yonkers is an interesting place. South Yonkers is predominantly black/Latino and poor, and East Yonkers is more white and working/middle class. Despite the fact that the two areas aren't separated that much from each other, economically speaking, it is an EXTREMELY divided city, politically and racially.

a few streets down (Lawrence), it's pretty much a ghetto. A street up (Rumsey), it's Wonder Years. My street is a total hodgepodge.

In my wife's area, it's totally Irish/Italian, and there's a pretty nasty racism that you can notice lurking right beneath the surface. My wife tells me that a lot of it goes back to the school busing to integrate Yonkers schools.

So, I'll be interested to see if they print my entire letter.

Nevertheless, if they call me to see if they can run with it, I'll ask them straight out at that time.

See my other post IRT my familiarity with Yonkers....

At 650 Warburton Avenue

Especially effective is pointing out that Bush is not America, no matter how desperately and irrationally the RWers wish it to be so.

Good luck and keep us posted. :hi:

I definitely approve it! :)

Thanks for taking the time to write such an eloquent response. I may 'borrow' some of your letter when I respond to the freepers I inadvertantly run into. Well written!

Well written, finely put. Simply an extraordinary counterpoint that leaves the original point in disgrace.

it's great that you let them know that the old "shut up and take it" just isn't going to fly anymore ...

great letter ...

points from Freepville. You had an excellent response - I hope they print it.

God, I love to read letters like yours!!! They inspire me through these tough times!!!

Keep up the good work. Maybe you ought to consider becoming a rapid responder. I've been doing it for a couple of months and got about a dozen letters published in various newspapers--last week the Philadelphia Inquirer and earlier this month the York (PA) Post-Dispatch.

If you respond to articles in the newspaper, you also become acquainted with local journalists.

Then again, a fellow rapid responder has gotten nasty write-ups on right-wing blogs. Your name does get out there, so you need some guts.

... about 10-15 minutes to write, including the read-through afterwards and some minor tweaks here and there.

I'll have to think about it. How exactly does one become a rapid responder?

Go to http://rapidresponsenetwork.org/volunteer.shtml
I started when it was Dean RapidResponse, but it's since become generically left/Democratic/Anybody but Bush/etc.

You will probably want to work with your state group as I do.

Thank you for expressing what we all feel!

I hope the paper prints it.

I'm seeing FH-911 tonight in Pleasantville (Jacob Burns Center)

:kick:

It's quite an amazing movie. I wonder if the shows are still sold out. They were all through the weekend, at least the prime-time showings.

To be honest, I want to go see it again.

Well written and poignant letter.

Way to go. This is what we all have to do every chance we get, especially those of us who live in the so called "red states" or in smaller towns. We need to let the people in these towns know a lot of their neighbors are vehemently opposed to the right-wing takeover of our country. :toast:

You address his ignorance with facts, what a shame the RWer's have been so brainwashed. I applaud you and keep us updated on its publication.

:bounce:

Check the rules for letter submissions.

>>So tell me again, why exactly have over 800 of our young men and women given their lives in Iraq, Mr. DiGiacomo?

This line is directed at Mr. DiGiacomo. The letter may not be admitted because of rules preventing the address of letters to individuals.

IOW, you have to attack the message, not the author.

It's different to say "Perhaps Mr. DiGiacomo could explain why over 800 of our young men..." than to ask a direct question of Mr. DiGiacomo as you did.

I got an op-ed piece rejected by one paper because I addressed a specific individual.

An excellent letter. If it doesn't get printed, you may know why.

My two cents.

If I don't get a call tomorrow, I'll revise it with your recommendation and resubmit.

I'm at least glad that someone is looking at my letter with a slightly more critical eye. :D

... in the next couple of days.

Score another one for the good guys! :bounce: :toast: :beer:

I'm sure it will make more than one person think!

And nice news that it is going to get published.

and every other good adjective I can think of!!