Dear Editor,

     I feel the need to call out what seems to be hypocrisy in Issue 51 of this year's Mountain Ear. I find it ironic that the paper containing an article on political disinformation also had a letter to the editor containing an example of the same. These accusations of the current administration allowing criminals into the country and stealing FEMA funds – am I wrong to say this was published without substantiation, against the paper's policy? 
    I would like to provide some clarity on what I believe to be intentionally misleading; the total 13,000 noncitizens “includes individuals who entered the country over the past 40 years or more,” many who are already incarcerated in facilities other than those managed by ICE. This fear mongering does nothing but alienate and vilify the approximate one million legal immigrants who entered the US last year. 
    FEMA aid is also a hot topic due to the impact of hurricanes Helene and Milton. While it is easy to laugh at theories of the government controlling superstorms, it is again divisive and misleading to claim that funds are empty because they were diverted to other social services. Not only is FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund separate from their Social Support Program, a comparison of their 2024 budgets show that the SSP's budget is around 1/100th that of FEMA's. It is rich to hear these complaints from conservatives while Trump himself threatens to withhold wildfire aid to California.
    I do not agree with many of the policies the Biden administration has. I do not expect Harris to do anything other than uphold the status quo. It pains me to see so much deadlock in our politics, while this divide in views increases with every year. I only hope that the fabric of our community can remain whole with open and honest communication. To the reader, I do not wish to impress my own viewpoint on you, or tell you who to vote for. I only ask that you as well as The Mountain Ear consider the motive behind the information presented to you, and what backs it up. 
 
For the Editor:
https://www.factcheck.org/2024/09/trump-vance-wrong-about-illegal-immigrant-murderers/
https://ohss.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-09/2024_0906_plcy_lawful_permanent_residents_fy2023.pdf
https://www.factcheck.org/2024/10/trumps-false-claim-of-stolen-disaster-relief-funds/
https://www.fema.gov/disaster/recover/rumor/hurricane-rumor-response
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-threatens-california-withhold-aid-water-fire-rally-1235132731/

 Respectfully,

Joseph Zieg

Nederland