Nunes and Russian interference: Letters to the editor, Aug. 28, 2020

Senate report bad for Devin Nunes

Constituents in Rep. Devin Nunes’ 22nd Congressional District got some critical information last week that should be useful in judging the incumbent Republican candidate. The Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee approved on a bipartisan 14-1 vote a 1,000-page report on Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

It contradicts, with mountains of evidence, almost everything Nunes has said on the subject. Nunes, without evidence, argues that Ukraine meddled, not Russia. The report firmly concludes Russian interference was — and is — no “hoax.” The report confirms the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies and the Mueller Report on Russian interference. It traces the debunked Ukraine meddling theory advanced by Nunes to a career Russian intelligence officer. Russians are floating several false stories, the report found, as part of a classic misdirection campaign to cover their crimes.

Nunes supports the same narrative pushed by Vladimir Putin, the guy who pays bounties for U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan and has opposition leaders and dissidents murdered.

Nunes refuses to answer questions about his role in promoting the Ukraine fiction. He refuses to hold town halls. He decries the “deep state,” whatever that is. He scorns the free press. All useful information in judging a candidate up for election.

Wants candidate with high integrity

Yesterday (Aug. 1) I received two pieces of campaign literature, disguised as requests for my opinion with my response likely going into a political database. Previously, I received similar individual requests on July 24th, 27th, and 28th (“second chance”). All of these mailings were “prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense.” One brochure, received yesterday, states “A New Year’s Resolutioh For The Left And Never Trump: Apologize to Devin Nunes.”

I vote for both Republicans and Democrats, as well as candidates from other parties, depending on who I think will serve the people they represent equitably. I suggest that the honorable Devin Nunes apologize to me and other taxpayers for spending our money on his campaign; I assume his opponents do not get taxpayer money for their campaigns.

I would also encourage all voters in District 22 to observe from where candidates get their contributions and how they spend it; vote with this information in mind. We need the best representative with the most integrity like never before.

Federal census must be done properly

The administration’s plan to cut the census count Oct. 31 deadline to Sept. 30 is a decision that will hurt all Americans. If the Census Bureau doesn’t have the time it needs for a thorough enumeration of households that didn’t respond on their own, people experiencing homelessness, and people who live in transitory locations such as RV parks, the historic undercount of harder-to-reach populations — including rural communities, low-income households, people of color, American Indians living on tribal lands, immigrants, and young children — will get worse.

This president continues to show that he does not care about taxpayers, as we have already spent almost $16 billion on the 2020 Census. Now is not the time to throw away that investment by rushing key census operations and forcing the Census Bureau to produce an unfinished census of unacceptable quality.

States, localities, and the American people must live with the results for the next 10 years, so we have to get the census right.

Not-so-heartfelt thanks to Newsom

You have proven President Trump’s reasoning and actions are correct, at least as far as the quotation from Oscar Wilde goes. “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” By attempting to withhold federal money from cities that make their own choices on handling the coronavirus instead of bowing to your “one answer fits all” edict, you have duplicated President Trump’s policy of holding federal money from states with sanctuary cities. Oh, wait, that is exactly what one city did when it declared itself a sanctuary city for business. Well, you’ll never be President Trump’s equal, but the imitation of his actions is flattering..

A further comparison comes to mind: How many business owners would there be if the chances of failure were 1-2%? How many gamblers would flock to the casinos if chances of winning were 98-99%? Or, put another way, could California make money from its Lotto if customers won 98-99% of the time? Lucky us if we could find a doctor who guaranteed proven results of 98-99% success. Oh, wait, we have that. Death by coronavirus in Fresno and Madera counties is less than 2%

Does the math justify your actions?

This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Nunes and Russian interference: Letters to the editor, Aug. 28, 2020."