Editor, Manteca Bulletin,

I had to smile to myself after reading the letter (“When you take things out of context”) on July 31 by Dean Meeuwse. On the very next day, I got to smile again when a second letter was published supporting our friend Dean. This one was from Robert Fennell. Robert suggests we all stop watching the national news and “switch channels”. What he actually means is watch FOX NEWS and only listen to Republican leaders. How about this Bob, get off the couch and do your own research? In this age of almost instant fact checking, it is a shame Bob and Dean haven’t been able to absorb the concept.

Dean brings up an English teacher who was a stickler about taking things out of context, which he blames Democrats as the guilty party, calling it “Fake News”. I also had an English teacher who agreed with that but was more concerned about embellishing the facts. The class our friend Dean must have missed because he goes on to do exactly that.

He also might have missed Trump’s remarks a few days ago when speaking to “First Responders”, He said, “I was down there also. But I’m not considering myself a first responder. But I was down there. I spent a lot of time down there with you.” He also claimed he lost hundreds of close friends on 9/11, which was also a lie, Trump never attended one funeral. What kind of “close friend” skips their funeral? But that’s more than embellishment — that is just plain lying.

It’s normal for a known and proven liar. Wonder if Dean can spin that into something “out of context”?

Embellishment #1: Dean claims after Trump told the “Squad” to go back to where they came from, Trump actually told the “Squad”: “When they fix the problems there, come back and fix our problems”. Dean claims that part was never reported. Here is what Trump said via Tweet: “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!”. This was all over the news, complete and intact, nothing taken out of context or missing as our friend Dean claims.

Embellishment #2: Dean claims Trump told Rep. Elijah Cummings “To straighten up Baltimore”. Trump never said that, here is what Trump said, again via Tweet: “Rep, Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men & women of Border Patrol about conditions at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous. His district is considered the Worst in the USA...…” He also added: “As proven last week during a Congressional tour, the Border is clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded. Cumming District is a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place”. Our friend Dean must not understand what the term “Fake News” actually means.

But Dean wasn’t done, in a previous letter in response to claims Democrats would bring Socialism to this country, I stated that forms of Socialism are already here, listing a few examples, such as Medicare, Welfare and the biggest of them all Social Security, which even has Socialism in its name. I didn’t even mention the trillion dollar Wall-Street bailout, the trillion in oil and gas subsidies or the billions to farmers after suffering losses brought on by Trump’s tariffs. Dean never brought any of that up, did he?

However Dean was quick to suggest, wrongly, that Social Security was not a form of Socialism. I suggest our friend Dean, do some research. If he simply askes the question “Is Social Security a form of Socialism”, this is what he will find repeatedly in one form or another:

“Because the American government plays such a dominant role in the U.S. Social Security system – deciding how much and when employees and employers pay into the system, how much individuals receive in benefits when they get them, and preventing almost everyone from opting out – it seems fair to call the Social Security program a form of socialism. The program requires workers and their employers, along with self-employed individuals, to pay into the system throughout their working years. The government controls the money they contribute, and decides when and how much they get back after – and if – they reach retirement age.”

It’s in the name Dean, it’s in the name . . . .

Larry Baca

Manteca