“The deeper question is this: would you have our border patrol starve infants who are being held in detention?” Jeffrey Sharpe shares a poignant reminder that false information, even in the local opinion page, can be destructive to the fiber of our nation.
Readers rely on the Salisbury Post to print factual information. A quick Google search shows that statements in the letter “Media covering for Biden”(May 19) are inaccurate. Although the disclaimer “letters are the sole opinion of the author” appears on the Opinion page, it is easily overlooked. Please use care in selecting letters, and provide guidance about questionable statements.
The writer describes a misleading report that aired on Fox “News.” It has been debunked by several fact-checking sites. In a broadcast of the Hannity show, Rep. Cammack stated the pictures her office has been circulating come from a border patrol agent (no further information given). As Hannity interviews Cammack, video runs in the background. First, there is a side-by-side picture. On the left side, three shelves of products are shown. Baby formula is on only the center shelf. Cammack states the picture is from Ursula Processing Center. The right side, Cammack states, is “here at home.” It shows a five-shelf unit about half filled with formula. This is the same picture Cammack tweeted recently. The interview continues with Cammack talking about “pallets of baby formula.” The background video shifts to shots of cardboard cartons stacked several layers high. Source of this picture is unidentified. One thing is clear — this is not baby formula!
The stacked boxes contain “Nido,” a powdered milk product not recommended for children under 1 year of age. These details could be missed by anyone whose attention is on the interview. Was the deceptiveness of the video editing intentional? You decide.
The deeper question is this: would you have our border patrol starve infants who are being held in detention? The federal government has long been required by law to provide detained people, including infants, with sufficient food and water. Isn’t that what any civilized people would do?
Jeffrey Sharp