Steve Troup of Rumford wrote a diatribe about “political rhetoric, hypocrisy, half truths and lies…” and then proceeded to mislead us himself (May 25)!

He stated that Bush won 38 states and Gore won 12 states in the 2000 election. Republicans and conservatives might believe this and I know that they live by the maxim that if you mislead enough times it will become truth, but this is too much!

A quick check of the 2003 World Almanac shows that, in fact, Gore won 20 states and the District of Columbia for 266 electoral votes to Bush’s 30 states and 271 electoral votes. Gore won the popular vote 51,033,894 to Bush’s 50,459,211.

It is my opinion that if Bush’s brother hadn’t “fixed” the Florida vote and the Supreme Court hadn’t decided to “appoint” Bush president we wouldn’t have G.W. Bush in the White House!

In my opinion Bush was not legitimately elected president!

I simply don’t understand how the editor can allow letters to the editors to be printed that contain false information and facts. If someone puts forth an opinion that’s one thing, but when a writer issues facts and figures that mislead that is another thing.

Judson R. Duncan, Monmouth