Steve Earle (8-18)

To the editor,

My gosh it's hard to believe that L.J. Siden can possibly be serious in his letter of Tuesday, Aug. 17. Revisionist is hardly the word to describe his accusations. There must be another, though I am at a loss to find anything nearly appropriate. What has he/she been drinking/smoking ? Off Siden goes right at the start trying to blame the Tea Party's, conservatives, Fox News and Rush Limbaugh for all the racial crap that has been flying all over the place.

Now look, anyone who has payed the least little bit of attention knows that the Obama "team", and he himself, began playing the race card early and often in his campaign. He used it against the Clinton's and anyone else who opposed him or them. It has been a staple of Democrat's and liberal's tactics for decades now, so enough with the righteous indignation already. Oppose the health care plan and your a raciest. Oppose the huge stimulus plan and your a raciest. Oppose illegal immigration and your a raciest. Oppose cap and trade and your a raciest. False accusations and claims of wide spread racism in the tea parties has been a full part of Siden and his friends attacks against that organization. So far Siden has managed to identify one tea party leader who can be said to have crossed the line. Hardly the commendation of an entire grass roots movement which he and others on the left were seeking from day one. Then he has the nerve to say he isn't trying to condemn all tea party people. Oh yea, since when?

His favorite whipping boy, Fox News, took another beating from him, though he managed to distort the facts as they often do on the left. In the Shirley Sharrod case he claims Fox led the media charge, which is hardly the case. Shirley had been cashiered (forced to resign) hours before the first reference to the story was aired by Bill O'Reily, after 8 p.m. It had already been picked up by other outlets before then but O'Reily did screw up and admitted it the next day and apologized on air. (Something seldom seen on national networks.) Next, Siden tries to compare the black uniformed NBPP thugs lurking outside a voting place with legal gun owners carrying holstered fire arms at tea party rallies and town hall meetings. Only a slight difference here Siden. It's a felony to attempt to intimidate voters by words or actions, both of which these goons were doing as the reports and tapes show are true. It is perfectly legal for lawful gun owners to openly carry firearms in public, when not at polling stations of course. The NBPP is few in numbers, which shouldn't excuse a crime. (Bonny and Clyde didn't have vast numbers of gang members as I recall) Moreover, the NBPP members are clearly a racist hate group, proved by words and deeds, before and since. Legal gun owners in the U.S. account for less then 0.2-percent of violent crimes according to FBI and DOJ statistics. I guarantee even Siden would be safer at a NRA gathering then he would on any street in any city in America.

Let's speak a moment about J. Christan Adams, who Siden describes as a Republican activist. Is he really? Well, he admits to be a Republican. He's a lawyer who worked in the Justice Department. Do those things disqualify him from a reasonable consideration to his claims? Siden himself questions if there was truly a person who instructed JOD lawyers not to pursue black against white civil rights cases. I don't know but shouldn't we find out before Siden's friends sweep it under the carpet?

Glen Beck seems to really inspire Siden's ire. Strange, as Siden has stated in the past that he never watches Fox News. I can't guess where he gets his information, perhaps the Huffington Post? Wherever, something which sticks in Siden's craw is Beck thinking that Obama has a deep-seeded hatred of whites. That just has to prove Beck is a racist, except that Beck provides reams of reasonable, though circumstantial, evidence that such is the case. It cannot be proven either way but it is not unreasonable for people to come to that conclusion based upon Obama's words and actions over the years — something the Huffington Post and other left media sources don't address or play down. No wonder Siden has the mind set he does, he only hears and reads what his masters want him to know.

Steve Earle

Hill