Facts are slippery things to Newspaper guys. The local paper printed this oped by a lefty whose thesis depended on the idea that threats against Obama have increased 400%.
duluthnewstribune.com
And for part of his first year in office, Obama was receiving 30 death threats a day, a 400 percent increase over the number of threats President George W. Bush was receiving. The Secret Service has attributed some of this to the fact that Obama is our first black president.
This was printed on Martin Luther King day.
In the comment section I posted that this was a lie and as proof I pointed out that the director of the secret service testified before congress last month that there has been NO increase in threats and provided a link to a mainstream press story on it.
That lead to the following EMAIL (from latest to earliest) exchange with the Editorial page editor.
----- Original Message -----
From: Frederick, Chuck
To: Me
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 11:55 AM
Subject: RE: threats against obama
Noted. But Kessler, in his book, offered an entirely different analysis as fact. That sort of discrepency happens all the time, creating the need for public debate and public conversation. Again, I implore you to write a letter to the editor to present a different set of facts from what has already been published. I encourage you to be a participant in the public debate over the issue. It's certainly an interesting one.
Have a great day,
Chuck
From: Me
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 11:50 AM
To: Frederick, Chuck
Subject: Re: threats against obama
You are wrong. It is NOT a matter of opinion. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan presented it to Congress as a FACT. Not his opinion - the authoritative Obama administration official statement of fact. And if you or anyone could show that Sullivan lied to Congress about this the administration would have a first class SCANDAL on its hands.
----- Original Message -----
From: Frederick, Chuck
To: Me
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 10:35 AM
Subject: RE: threats against obama
Inaccurate, according to whom? According to which source? The accuracy of the claim seems quite debatable. In other words, a matter of opinion. Thanks for your time anyway.
Chuck
From: Me [mailto:dmanfred@charter.net]
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 10:33 AM
To: Frederick, Chuck
Subject: Re: threats against obama
In my opinion since you published the inaccurate information in your paper is YOUR duty to set the record straight.
----- Original Message -----
From: Frederick, Chuck
To: Me
Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 8:14 AM
Subject: Re: threats against obama
Sounds like the increased threat claim has its roots in the Kessler book. Different people will believe the two different claims. I'd encourage you to write a letter to the editor to present the other side that the threat want elevated. You certainly have it well documented. I appreciate the digging you've done. Thanks.
Chuck
Sent from my Blackberry Wireless Device.
----- Original Message -----
From: Me
To: Frederick, Chuck
Sent: Thu Jan 21 07:24:49 2010
Subject: Re: threats against obama
Then you have a REAL story because if what this columnist wrote is true then the head of the secret service lied to congress:
At a congressional hearing into the White House security breach that took place last week, when Tareq and Michaele Salahi "crashed" the White House state dinner, Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan said the current threat level against the president is normal.
"The threats right now ... is the same level as it has been for the previous two presidents at this point in their administrations," Sullivan said.
Hope that clears it up.
cbsnews.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Frederick, Chuck
To: Me
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 11:48 AM
Subject: threats against obama
Your comment about the accuracy of death threats reportedly made against President Obama, as reported in a column published in the News Tribune Monday, was forwarded to me. The column was produced by our wire service and I'd need to contact them to double check facts and for their determination to publish or not publish a correction. That said, I did a bit of checking, made a couple of calls, and it seems a new book by Ronald Kessler, called "In the President's Secret Service," reports that threats against President Obama are 400 percent higher than the number of threats President George W. Bush had been receiving. Some of the threats have been publicized but many, many others have not because Secret Service fears even more threats, including copycats. That could explain why other sources -- especially those who, unlike Kessler, aren't insiders -- dispute the numbers reported in Monday's column and in Kessler's book. I hope that clears it up. Feel free to contact me if you have any other concerns.
Chuck Frederick
Editorial Page Editor
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