To the editor:
The July 25 issue of the Brown County Democrat included a letter titled, “Beware of what seems too good to be true.” This letter was submitted for publication from a Brown County lady and was a smear directed at Liz Watson, a very astute and well qualified fifth-generation Hoosier candidate from Bloomington, who has the courage to run against Trey Hollingsworth and all of his and his father’s out-of-state money. This is no personal attack on the writer, because I don’t think that personal smears are what letters to the editor should be used for.
I will say that I couldn’t disagree more with her letter, as she used it to denigrate not only Liz Watson but large swaths of people simply because they don’t agree with her political ideals. The letter was very divisive, and it saddened me to think that the current occupant of the White House has lowered the social interaction bar so much that his supporters feel uninhibited from resorting to name-calling and classism.
This type of letter is partially the result of a several-year effort by the Russians to weaponize social media, as has been shown by all of our intelligence agencies. The Russian goal is to tear down our democratic political system.
The writer called this letter a response of “Hoosier honesty and civility.” I am a Hoosier and a Brown County resident and I would never have considered this letter to be Hoosier honesty and civility that a “sensible person” would have submitted for publication.
The issues the letter brought up were mostly based on the assumptions she offered. She then attacked these assumptions as if they were true. I think when discussing issues, it is best to deal with facts, not assumptions, and I think when collecting facts, we should be sure of our sources.
Harry Hopkins, Axsom Branch Road
Send letters to [email protected] by noon Thursday before the date of intended publication. Letters are the opinions of the writer. Letters must be signed by the author and include the writer’s town of residence and a contact number in case of questions.
Only one letter every two weeks, per writer, to allow for diversity of voices in the opinions section. Please be considerate of sharing space with other letter-writers and keep your comments concise and to the point. Avoid name-calling, accusations of criminal activity and second- and third-hand statements of “fact.”
