Opinion: Trump’s Twitter response to the Barcelona attack was factually wrong and dangerous

To the editor: President Trump’s repetition of the false anecdote about Army Gen. John J. Pershing’s murdering of Filipino Muslims during the Moro insurgency, tweeted after the recent terror attack in Barcelona, is as dangerous as it is false. (“Trump shuns healing gestures, redoubling support for Confederate memorials and slamming fellow Republicans,” Aug. 17)

His account of Pershing successfully suppressing the Moro insurgency by killing 49 Muslims with bullets dipped in pig blood and allowing one remaining survivor to scare other insurgents is false on two counts. First, it never happened, and second, the Moro insurgency did not end for years after Pershing left the Philippines.

However, it is not the falsity of the stories that is most troubling; it is the aid and comfort his false narrative gives to our enemies. Trump continues to repeat this fabricated tale to demonstrate that he will not be constrained by the rule of law or morality when it comes to inflaming anti-Muslim sentiment.

By parroting the narrative of the terrorists — that America will randomly destroy, disgrace and defile Muslims — Trump gives license to those who act under the guise of religion when they randomly kill nonbelievers.

The fact that our commander in chief would cite a made-up massacre as military strategy is beyond embarrassing — it is dangerous.

Thomas J. Umberg, Villa Park

The writer, a former member of the California Assembly, is a retired Army colonel.

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To the editor: There are two sides to the attack in Barcelona. Even though the driver of the car plowed into crowds of people, we have to recognize that there are good people on both sides.

Islamic State is only responding to being oppressed by the Shiite majority in the region and the Americans. We need to understand this and be sensitive to the fact that there are many decent people who belong to Islamic State.

There are also many decent, good people who hang around Islamic State but don’t really embrace the ideology, and we are not being sensitive to them.

Michael Olson, Pasadena

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