On November 21, 2021, the Daily Sentinel published an article titled “Ficklin denies anti-Semitic leanings,” that examined statements and outrageous, unfounded claims made by Republican Colorado House Representative District 55 candidate Cindy Ficklin in her social media posts.
Ficklin’s writings included anti-semitic tropes about prominent Jews being “monsters in the shadows” who “control all the banks in the world.”
In other misinformation, Ficklin claimed that immunologist Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to the United States and Director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was working with Bill Gates in a nefarious capacity to control mask mandates and use of drugs like hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19, when such drugs are not approved for that purpose by the Food and Drug Administration, and unadvised use of them has caused life-threatening problems like heart arrhythmias, kidney injuries, liver failure and other dangerous conditions.
Retired local attorney Joseph Breman wrote a letter to the editor (LTE) to the Sentinel in response to Ficklin and the 11/21 article that he shared with us, and that unfortunately may not get printed in the paper because it exceeds the Sentinel’s word number requirement.
But the letter is quite articulate and has great merit in its entirety, so I will print it here (with very light editing):
The November 21 article exposing media posts of Republican House Candidate Cindy Ficklin nauseated me.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a respected Christian theologian, imprisoned and murdered by the Nazis, posed the question of which was a greater challenge to good: evil or stupidity. Reading Ficklin’s posts brings his writings to mind.
Ficklin recites evil, anti-Semitic tropes that formed the underpinning of Nazi genocide. In an interview she gave to the Colorado Times Recorder (posted 10/29/21 – which Ficklin commented post-interview was fair) she goes further. She opines that the government’s response to Covid “is intended to crush the economy to usher in ‘The New World Order,’ code words, tropes, used by the Nazis. Ficklin seems obsessed with the power of some prominent Jewish men and families, also claiming that Bill Gates is part of the Rothschild family and Dr Fauci sits on the Gate’s Foundation’s Board as well heads the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – she links them all, along with George Soros, in the plot to destroy America.
The Gates Family Foundation Board has eight members, Fauci is not one of them. Francis S. Collins, M.D. heads the NIH and Gates certainly has no DNA that links him to the Rothschilds. Ficklin does not allow facts to get in the way of falsehoods.
Ficklin pleads she cannot be anti-Semitic as her last name is “Paschal,” which she claims is Hebrew for “Passover.” The Hebrew word for Passover is “Pesach,” not “Paschal.” Webster, defines “paschal” as a Latin-based adjective meaning “of or relating to Easter” then “of or relating to Passover” – holidays in both Christian and Jewish settings. Anti-Semitic lies using tropes have a designed purpose for an intended audience. Her attempt at cover is, at best, stupid and is akin to one saying, “ I cannot possibly be a Democrat as my last name is Bush.” There is no pass for promoting evil lies for any reason, let alone the inane assertion that her family name proves her innocence.
Ficklin recently wrote “I produce the post from a myriad of sources, I may or may not take the time to also source it.” She continues, “I don’t use scholarly research in my posts because…” Really? She says her posts lure real estate clients because some like what she posts, while confessing her intellectual irresponsibility. When confronted with the evil done by her posts, she is loathe to remove them or apologize.
Be reminded that she is running for public office.
Silence when encountering any form of bigotry makes one complicit. A Pennsylvania judge, before whom I often practiced, cautioned attorneys that appeared to always represent alleged drug dealers: “People who lie with skunks often take on their odor.” The observation is applicable, as Ficklin’s actions reflect directly on her supporters, business relationships and the Republican Party.
Evil vs. stupidity (add irresponsibility)– which is the greater challenge to good? You decide!
Joseph Breman,
Grand Junction
Where Tina lurks, evil exists.
Cindy–I know you read this, you narcissistic buffoon.
Please consider letting us look at the reference letters that were written on your behalf regarding your “candidacy” for “PhD” at your “school.” (A Capella is horse dookie, and you know it. Paying for a PhD pretty much means it’s not a PhD. And your grammar alone tells us you are NOT earning a legitimate PhD because no legitimate PhD program would allow you to pass with your spelling skills, let alone your incoherent rambling.) I’m dying to know who wrote on your behalf–and what they said. I think that they’re unqualified. I think you’re unqualified. And I’m terrified you’re going to do to district 55 what Lauren “L-Bo” Boubert is doing to Mesa County.
Further, I’d love to know what you think the people you got elected to the school board are going to do when someone approaches the Strip Club security guard or the Beauty School Director for career advice. Imagine your son asking them for career advice. What would you do?
Ecclesiasticus 21:5, Cindy. Pray.
“Lying is a defiance of the truth. Bullsh**ing is a wholesale dismissal of the truth.”
Brené Brown
Anne:
Thank you for sharing this. This man’s words resonate deeply with me in regards to my feelings towards Ms. Ficklin. She has ZERO place in a public office.
Mr. Bremen’s views reflec the views of many people in this area. That is why I thought to publish the letter.
“ Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless. Neither protests nor the use of force accomplish anything here; reasons fall on deaf ears; facts that contradict one’s prejudgment simply need not be believed – in such moments the stupid person even becomes critical – and when facts are irrefutable they are just pushed aside as inconsequential, as incidental. In all this the stupid person, in contrast to the malicious one, is utterly self satisfied and, being easily irritated, becomes dangerous by going on the attack. For that reason, greater caution is called for when dealing with a stupid person than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reasons, for it is senseless and dangerous.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison