I attended Sept. 7’s “True the Vote” meeting at the Village Hall but was disappointed that it was nothing more than a “conspiracy theories” rant.

For 90 minutes, a former Acorn employee accused President Obama, members of his Cabinet, past Democratic presidents and state officials, and several nonprofit organizations of participating in or sponsoring massive voter fraud.

I was disturbed that the speaker portrayed blacks as dupes who willingly registered falsely for “$5 or some crack,” negatively stereotyping her own race and missing the irony when she later thanked the Republican Party for paying her legal bills.

Haven’t we had enough of these self-important storytellers who assert that they know what others won’t tell you? Why do we continue to listen to preachers of hate and suspicion, to another paid anti-Obama activist? Haven’t we had enough after a decade of blaming the government, Muslims, immigrants, gays, liberals, etc.?

What I did learn about “True the Vote” would cause me to question their objectivity as poll watchers. If you believe that people are basically evil, then I guess you’ll find a home in “True.”

But beware of perpetuating a history of voter intimidation in North Carolina that included poll watchers after the Civil War and, as late as 1990, the Republican Party mailing postcards to homes in mostly black precincts, warning them that the possible consequence of improper voting was a jail term.

If you believe, as I do, that people are basically good, then why not seek out “others” and help them to register correctly and vote, even if they don’t support your candidates?

After all, aren’t we more concerned that too few people vote? I for one would rather see this election decided by a large voter turnout than by those who are intimidated away.

Chuck Minichiello

I attended Sept. 7’s “True the Vote” meeting at the Village Hall but was disappointed that it was nothing more than a “conspiracy theories” rant.

For 90 minutes, a former Acorn employee accused President Obama, members of his Cabinet, past Democratic presidents and state officials, and several nonprofit organizations of participating in or sponsoring massive voter fraud.

I was disturbed that the speaker portrayed blacks as dupes who willingly registered falsely for “$5 or some crack,” negatively stereotyping her own race and missing the irony when she later thanked the Republican Party for paying her legal bills.

Haven’t we had enough of these self-important storytellers who assert that they know what others won’t tell you? Why do we continue to listen to preachers of hate and suspicion, to another paid anti-Obama activist? Haven’t we had enough after a decade of blaming the government, Muslims, immigrants, gays, liberals, etc.?

What I did learn about “True the Vote” would cause me to question their objectivity as poll watchers. If you believe that people are basically evil, then I guess you’ll find a home in “True.”

But beware of perpetuating a history of voter intimidation in North Carolina that included poll watchers after the Civil War and, as late as 1990, the Republican Party mailing postcards to homes in mostly black precincts, warning them that the possible consequence of improper voting was a jail term.

If you believe, as I do, that people are basically good, then why not seek out “others” and help them to register correctly and vote, even if they don’t support your candidates?

After all, aren’t we more concerned that too few people vote? I for one would rather see this election decided by a large voter turnout than by those who are intimidated away.

Chuck Minichiello

Carthage