Perhaps best exemplifying the charge of left-leaning news organs manipulating the news to best fit their particular agenda would be the case of Betty Rivas. As it turns out, the US citizen of Mexican heritage has been on the receiving end of death threats for appearing onstage with GOP presidential contender Donald Trump.
As reported by Jessica Chasmar of The Washington Times, and also by Sean Mooney of KVOA (of Tucson AZ.), both on Mar. 22, 2016, the husband and wife restaurateur team of Jorge and Betty Rivas have taken threats of physical violence as well as rather vile personal insults due to Mrs. Rivas appearing rather briefly on stage with Trump at a recent campaign rally held in Tucson, Arizona. However, reporter Sam Reismanthe of the usually left-leaning Mediaite.com news portal described the personal threats of violence against the Familia Rivas as merely a case of them being “harassed”.
As naturalized citizens and also the owners of Sammy’s Mexican Grill in the small town of Catalina just outside of Tucson, the Rivas’ obviously takes the responsibility of being informed voters quite seriously. Jorge is originally from El Salvador, Betty from Mexico. As reported, Mrs. Rivas has attended both a Trump rally as well as one held by Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders.
But the difference in her attendance in the two very different campaign stops is that Mrs. Rivas was asked by Trump to appear with her on stage, however brief. Sporting her homemade sign proclaiming “Latinas support D. Trump” Betty certainly got the attention of the GOP frontrunner.
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“Surprise to me, he said, ‘I love you darling,’” Mrs. Rivas said. “Donald Trump is a little funny, and he said ‘C’mon, c’mon,’ and I go up and say ‘Hi’ and that’s it.”
However, caught on video was a very smitten Donald Trump. For his part, Trump said to the Mexico native, “I love you, darling! Come on over here. Get her up here. I love her. I’ve fallen in love. Melania, I think I’ve fallen in love with her!”
With her brief appearance on stage hitting both news rooms and social media, it was then the hatred and threats were directed at them hot and heavy. As Chasmar reported, “The bad messages came today. In the morning it started when I come here to the restaurant,” she said. “The phone is ringing, stupid things only.”
The Washington Times reporter also noted, “ABC News reported that the phone rang several dozen times during an interview with Mrs. Rivas, with many people calling the family racists and threatening their business.” But Mooney of KVOA reports “word of her Trump appearance soon spread on Facebook and the comments followed. Many called for a boycott of her business, Sammy’s Mexican Grill in Catalina. Other comments were more threatening. And then the phone started ringing at her restaurant, hundreds of calls that included threats of violence.”
When asked if she regretted making the sign and going onstage, “not at all,” she replied. “I haven’t done anything wrong; I have the right to say what I’m thinking — I can go listen to Hillary, I can go listen to Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, because I’m within my right. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Messages left on Sammy’s Mexican Grill Facebook site range from messages of support to messages of hate. Examples include:
- Vivek Saxena — As an East Indian who knows all too well what it feels like to be harassed for daring to base my decisions on reason and logic — versus on emotional identity politics-based nonsense — I just want to salute you for taking a stand against the ignorance. #StayStrong!
- Sarah Lopez — Freedom never tasted so good!
- Ivan Ruiz — ESTE LUGAR ES UN ASCO… SALEN RATAS Y CUCARACHAS EN LOS BURRITOS Y TACOS… SUS EMPLEADOS SON UNOS GROSEROS Y RACIASTAS Y APARTE SUS FRIJOLES SON FALSOS JAJAJAJA JAJAJA MANDENLE UN MENSAJITO A LA VIEJA DUEÑA DE ESTE LUGAR….. [Translated: Ruiz accuses the Rivas’ of having rats and cockroaches in the food; the employees are racists; somehow serving fake beans; and lastly, the owners are guilty of being elderly.]
- Pablo Cano – Ya nunca mas vamos a ir a comer en esta cochina restaurant porque la duena es racista [Translated: Let’s never again go to eat at this filthy restaurant because the owner is racist.]
