Something borrowed, something new
Thank you so much for putting the story in. [“Local officiant offering free weddings in response to Trump administration,” Dec. 2, 2016] It will be an honor to serve all couples who fear their rights may be in jeopardy. And my mother told me when I was a child to always stand up for what you believe in. So I am standing up and standing proud to serve all who need my help.
Alan Katz
Long Beach
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Fake hate?
A wave of fake hate crimes is sweeping our nation, and I believe we are the latest victims here in Long Beach and Signal Hill.
Last month, The Washington Post reported a Muslim woman fabricated a story about, “her physical attack as well as the removal of her hijab by two white males!who made comments about President-elect Donald Trump and Muslims!one of them wearing a white ‘Trump’ hat.” An NBC affiliate in Chicago reported on fake hate letters signed #Trump, which turned out to be fabricated. Recently, two Jewish Northwestern University students created fake hate crimes by painting swastikas and “Trump” on a church. These fake hate crimes have one thing in common: they are overtly racist, and they liberally invoke Trump’s name.
Every week, there are a plethora of new fake hate crimes. These fake hate crimes are aimed to divide our country into two categories: Democrats and xenophobes.
The “hate letter” published in last week’s Signal Tribune reeks of fakery to me for the following reasons:
1. It follows the same MO as the other fake hate crimes, in that it commingles hatred with Donald Trump. The hate letter refers to Donald Trump five times in 10 sentences. That’s a bit much.
2. It says, “[Trump] is going to do to you what Hitler did to the Jews.” I have never seen a Trump supporter compare Trump to Hitler. On the other hand, my Facebook feed is filled with liberals comparing Trump to Hitler.
3. The letter originated in California. California doesn’t exactly strike me as a bastion of racism. Could a person who is upset at the election outcome be responsible for planting a false flag? Absolutely.
In addition, the words in the letter raged with hate, yet the handwriting was neat, bubbly, and written in perfect horizontal lines despite the paper not having lines on it. Similar letters from the same source were sent to mosques throughout the country. Anger is congruent with impulsiveness and lack of control; in contrast, this letter was part of a planned and coordinated attack.
The result of the attack was hate directed at Trump supporters. Maybe that was the point.
Whoever wrote the hate letter is despicable. Whether the hate was real or not, the author harmed our Muslim community’s sense of belonging. I want to assure the Muslim community that we love you. You are a vital and cherished part of our community. We are all Americans, and our diversity is the fabric of America.
Matthew Simmons
Signal Hill
