Sean Hannity fuels the far right’s paranoia

In her column, S.E. Cupp details the deceitful conduct of Fox’s commentator Sean Hannity (“The sad truth about Sean Hannity’s deceit: His viewers do not care” — April 18). At one point she states “viewers are not always getting facts along with his opinion.” That could qualify as one of the greatest understatements in recent memory. As she pointed out for a prolonged period of time, Hannity professed that Democratic National Committee staffer Seth Rich was murdered by Democrats without any proof to support the claim. Hannity continued this stance even after the parents of Rich virtually pleaded with him to cease and desist.

Cupp points out that Fox issues a pseudo disclaimer in that “we report, you decide.” It would seem, however, that to call yourself news and still perpetuate misleading and outright false information is not news, and certainly should not be regarded as such. You cannot say just anything and hide behind the First Amendment. When you say something that is untrue about someone, you are in fact violating their civil rights and are not protected by the First Amendment.

This is, of course, Hannity’s bread and butter. Feeding the paranoia of the far right is what fuels his ratings. The truth is simply brushed aside for the sake of ratings. And even after pointing out all that is wrong with Hannity, Cupp states that she knows and likes the guy. She says a lot about Hannity, and that statement says a lot about her.

Daniel Pupo, Orland Park

Farm bill takes food off people’s plates

As millions of families struggle just to get by, leaders in Congress are debating a bill that would actually take away food from people struggling to find work. If the 2018 Farm Bill passes, it would undermine SNAP (what we used to call food stamps) through a series of harsh new requirements that will change who’s eligible for the program.

Congress needs to know that so-called “work requirements” don’t work. Cutting people off from access to food doesn’t help them make ends meet, it just leaves them hungry. Our members of Congress need to say no to this farm bill, or any proposal that winds up taking food away from people who are struggling. Our communities deserve better.

Barbara Kopelman, Northbrook