Hate Piece in the Hamilton Spectator

Vincent J. Curtis

1 Feb 24

RE: The death of truth and justice. Op-ed by Wayne Poole. The Hamilton Spectator 26 Jan 24.

“Is it fear, ignorance, racism, personal gain, or misplaced beliefs that motivate people to support Donald Trump?” With that opening question, Mr. Poole engages in hate speech.

I support Donald Trump for president of the United States. I think he’s precisely the man the United States needs as president right now, and there are perhaps 75 million Americans who agree with me.  The Spectator was gracious enough to, in September, 2016, publish an op-ed by me explaining why Trump was not the evil man portrayed in mainstream American media; that he wasn’t a racist, he was a New York City liberal.

But Mr. Poole accuses me of being a racist because I support Donald Trump.  He speculates I have something personal to gain out of my support for Mr. Trump, or that I have fears of some sort.  Wayne Poole has never met me, or met millions of other people who think Donald Trump should become the next United States president; but, unmet, he contemptuously dismisses them, and me, with words expressive of hatred.

Poole next asks, “why would a decent, rational human being do so?” He speculates that decency and rationality are in short supply in certain quarters. Mr. Poole says in that paragraph that I, who support Trump, is not decent and is not rational.  These are again contemptuous dismissals expressive of his hatred.

Poole continues, “Trump is supported by white supremacists because they are likeminded in their racism….” As I explained in the 2016 article, Trump is a New York City liberal without a racist bone in his body, but supporters of Trump are white supremacists and racists, according to Mr. Poole.  That would be me Poole is accusing. Poole has no basis for making those accusation again me; and this is yet another example of a burning hatred he expresses throughout the article against people he doesn’t know and has never met, who think Trump should be the next president.

Poole continues, “…the evangelical right, who cut a deal with the devil, in exchange for overturning Roe vs. Wade….” The devil here would be Donald Trump, and Poole’s contempt for, and hatred of, evangelicals makes its first appearance at this point.

Poole continues, “Trump is not a Christian, yet much of Trump’s support comes from the religious right.  To support Trump is to deny Christian values and embrace hypocrisy.  As a semi-literate religiously illiterate bully, Trump has no understanding of love, empathy, compassions, forgiveness, or any of the traits that define Christianity.”

Well, Poole doesn’t know Trump’s private religious beliefs, but Trump certainly respects Christianity and Judaism.  Poole has no access to Trump’s private thoughts, and cannot know if Trump has understanding of love, empathy, etc., or not.  Poole’s claim that “to support Trump is to deny Christian values” is merely an expression of hatred, and also quite in error for Christians believe to “render onto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and render onto God that which is God’s.” to say nothing of redemption and forgiveness of sins.

Poole’s allegations that Trump is semi-literate and religiously illiterate, that he has no understanding of love, empathy, compassion, forgiveness, or any of the traits which define Christianity are quite obviously either untrue or go without evidence, and are simply expressions of Poole’s hatred of Trump and of those who support him, like me. Poole does, however, seem to expose that he himself is not a Christian.  That makes it easier for him to despise and express hatred towards Christians, especially members of the Christian “right.”

Poole next makes allusions to indoctrination, brainwashing, people susceptible to manipulation; to dictators, cult leaders etc. influencing or controlling us. These allusions are intended to cast imprecations against those who support Mr. Trump, like me.

Mr. Poole next brings us Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a famously courageous German theologian who spoke up against the Nazi regime before and during the war, and was finally killed by the Nazis.  Why would Poole need to explain Bonhoeffer’s fate at the hands of the Nazis unless he meant to imply aspersions against those who support Mr. Trump, like me? Oh, “Today’s evil is Trump and his acolytes…” I would be a Trump ‘acolyte,’ and being so, Poole hatefully condemns me as evil. “Only morally bankrupt citizens could support such a morally bankrupt candidate.” Well, 75 million people proved to be morally bankrupt in Poole’s eyes in 2020, which is an expression of hatred against nearly half the American population.

“Donald Trump is liar in chief.” “U.S. history is steeped in fascism.”  “Sheep-like they dutifully line up behind this narcissistic sociopath.” Poole’s expressions of hatred for Trump and those who support him is getting tedious and repetitive, but the seething hatred he feels is on full display.

The article by Mr. Poole is a work of hate literature, and I demand its retraction.

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A copy of this was e-mailed to Mr. Paul Berton, Editor-in-Chief and to Mr. Howard Elliott, last seen as Editorial Page Editor and Managing Editor (hoping someone checked his mailbox), on Thursday, February 1^st and received no response. On Monday morning, February 5^th, I called Mr. Berton at his office number during business hours and left a recorded message, giving my name and number.  As of the evening of February 9^th, I received no reply.