Re: “Consequences of Trump’s racism fall differently on powerful, powerless,” The Post-Standard, July 21, 2019:

As a regular reader of your publication I’ve become used to your Left leaning views and those of your chosen letter writers. Although I disagree with most of your, and their opinions, you have an absolute right to them.

However, on Sunday, July 21, you treated your readers to the most intellectually and factually dishonest article you have published in as long as I can remember. It was submitted by assistant professor of political science and doctoral degree holder Jonathan Parent, of Le Moyne College in Syracuse. His article accuses President Donald Trump of racism based on a tweet referencing the four freshmen Reps. Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley. The professor claims that Trump said that they should “go back “ to the countries they came from. The professor adds (predominantly non-white ) to score some race-baiting points, it appears. These are the professor’s words, NOT the President’s ! On page E-4, you printed the president’s tweet and nowhere is the word “countries “ to be found. It’s apparent that the professor suffers from TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome ). So much so that he interjects words that are not there.

The president said, “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.” Is the professor, or anyone else, aware that Rep. Omar is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, whose overall crime rate is 109% higher than the national average? Or that Rep. Tlaib is from Detroit, Michigan, whose violent crime rate is highest of any city in the state, quadruple the state’s crime rate, and accounts for 47% of all murders in the state? Or that Rep. Ocasio-Cortez represents Bronx/Queens, NY, whose violent crime rate is nearly triple the state average, and higher than most communities of all sizes in America?

What the president said, and he’s got a good point, is that before getting in everyone’s face and bad-mouthing America at every opportunity, “go back “ and help the people you were elected to represent. Then come back and we’ll talk. Making this a race issue is disingenuous and designed to promote a personal agenda. It borders on hilarious that in skewering the Republican Party, the professor uses as an example of racism, former Sens. Robert Byrd and Strom Thurmond, two Democrats!

The professor attempted to make a point about the powerful vs. the powerless. In his classroom he has the power and his students (who spend tens of thousands of dollars to be there ) are the powerless. Is this what passes for college education these days? Maybe some refunds are in order.

Maybe over summer vacation the professor might visit the Le Moyne College Library and research the word “calumny.“ He might find that he has a change of heart.

Fred Bossong

Jamesville