This letter started the exchange:
(Published August 3, 2018)
Trade War
Farmers helped elect Donald Trump to be president, As president, Mr. Trump initiated a trade war that hurt farmers. Now, he is spending $12 billion taken from taxpayers to help the farmers.
Exactly which drawer in the lunacy bin should this be filed under?
Francis x. Archibald
Central Haven Drive
Mt. Pleasant, SC
Another reader/writer chimed in:
(Published August 7, 2018)Making Deals
In response to the article in the Aug. 3 paper titled "Trade war," how about filing it under the luxury bin next to the move by President Barack Obama to send two planeloads of cash to Iran for the release of one Army deserter.President Donald Trump, however, was able to get three men released from North Korea without spending a dime. Who was the smart one in these deals?
Perry Jones
Pimmit Place
Ladson
I countered with this:
(Published August 10, 2018)
The claim in the Aug. 7 letter to the editor, "Making Deals," that President Obama sent planeloads of cash to Iran for one Army deserter is inaccurate.
CNN reported at the time (January 2016) that five men were released, including an American journalist in a prisoner swap. The money coincidentally sent to Iran was theirs and had been held by the United States since the Reagan administration.
It was publicly announced in the United States and only became part of anti-Obama conspiracy theories six months later when Iranians started the rumor. This was covered by fact checker Snopes.com.
Francis X. Archibald
Central Haven Drive
Mount Pleasant
