Ugly Racism

I’m writing your editorial page to vent my displeasure with the Santa Barbara News-Press over its front page photograph and headlines claiming everyone in the photograph apparently is an “Illegal Alien.” I would like to know if the News-Press actually queried every person in that photo for their individual citizenship status. If I’d been there that day and had my photo on the front page with the big headlines of “Illegal” over my head, I would be more than livid. I think most anyone else would be as well.

I’ve had the News-Press delivered to my front door for almost 40 years. Today I am canceling my subscription. I am a retired police officer who served this community for over 20 years. I’m also a veteran of six years in the U.S. Navy and three tours during the Vietnam War. I’ve recently grown more and more dissatisfied with the obvious right wing agenda of the Santa Barbara News-Press. The News-Press prints 99 percent of articles written by right wingers such as Andy Caldwell, the Creators Syndicate, Hoover Institute, and op-ed writers from Fox News. All of these are right wing “stink tanks.” I call them stink tanks because all they do is criticize and come up with no new answers or agendas that help all of this country or all its peoples. They want to continue the failed policies of the last Republican (GOWP … Grand Old White Party) administration that led this country to the brink of collapse. Of course, they don’t want to talk about that. They want more wars, to allow more of the wealthy to clear the table of your money through financial deregulation and subterfuge, to control a woman’s vagina, to allow public prayer in school, and more of their style of religion infused in our government. That’s the real conservative agenda.

The demonization and vilification of any “group” of people such as what the News-Press did is offensive. Hitler used the newspapers as a tool to demonize and vilify a group of people in the 1930s. He used front-page drawings of Jews in ugly juxtaposition with inflammatory headlines to blame all Jews for all of Germany’s problems, and, of course, we know most non-Jewish German people bought into it. Just like the racists in America’s Republican party are doing. What’s next News-Press? A call for extermination? Maybe just torturing instead.

Before another writer writes in to thank me for my military and police service, save your wasted breath. You’re not welcome!