Letter - Incendiary comments promote hate

To the editor:

Anyone who read Marv Jensen’s piece in the July 9 issue of Echo Press without being amused must have no sense of humor. The piece should have evoked some anger too. Mr. Jensen starts out his partisan bashing by quoting some Bible verses. Namely, the verses “beware of false prophets” and “judge not and you will not be judged.” He even suggests to people, “Go to your local church and listen to a sermon of love, forgiveness and tolerance.”

Then Mr. Jensen commences to pass judgment himself. He takes a shot at the Tea Party movement, and then he goes on to bash Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, accusing Governor Palin of quitting to avoid ethics charges. He accused Michele Bachmann of “advocating armed rebellion against America.” And it gets worse.

Perhaps the most irresponsible statement was as follows: “Can the Tea Party be considered patriotic when they hate the United States government and three-fourths of the people that are American citizens?” What is the basis for making such an insulting statement? There are no bases in fact, but the statement is made as though it is factual. It is one thing to express opinions, but these statements are no less than libel and slander with no supporting evidence. Maybe Mr. Jensen should start practicing what he preaches. Maybe, too, the Echo Press editorial staff should review items like this more carefully. It is not just opinion. It is incendiary commentary that promotes hate.

Jerry Haberer

Sioux Falls, SD

Tags: opinion, letters, haberer