For the past 25 years I’ve had folks (usually on the left) tell me one of these days you’re gonna get threats for what you write.

And before anyone celebrates (which is its own problem) on either side, please note what I woke up to New Year’s Day was ALL coming from the right side of our increasingly messed-up political spectrum.

It all started with a column I wrote several weeks back about Mesa County’s most famous “political prisoner”, Tina Peters, and an intellectually lazy, right-wing pundit who decided to attack me personally by the name of Joe Hoft.

Joe Who? Never heard of the guy. Let’s just say after reading his defense of Tina while coming after me (along with many of his “fan base,” hence all the threats), I’ve found him to be a much less than average Joe even though his Amazon page describes him thusly:

“Joe Hoft is world-renowned for his important interviews with the most important figures of the day and his earth-shattering reporting backed by his knowledge gained from years of study, hard work and experience.”

For the record Joe, my inference about you being less than average is not an insult, it’s simply making a comparison about what you wrote versus what your Amazon page says about you, although my instinct says you wrote that tripe, not Amazon.

To digress for those of you interested, you can find Joe’s handiwork at joehoft.com. Look for the picture of Tina you may not recognize because she isn’t wearing prison garb along with this headline: Publisher at Tiny Colorado Website Labels Tina Peters a “Criminal” and “Political Penitentiary Populator, Peters the Great.”

Note here, that’s about all Joe’s “earth shattering reporting backed by his knowledge gained from years of study, hard work and experience” got correct.

Yes Joe, I did call Tina a criminal. That’s what one calls someone who’s been convicted in a court of law for crimes committed, a criminal. Folks who’ve committed crimes have no problem with the label. As for the alliteration and Russian emperor plays on words, those were just for fun. After all, doesn’t your idol, who is pushing the false Tina narrative you so blindly follow, like to use funny nicknames and play creatively with words? I would have thought you’d find those amusing.

Boy was I wrong. Just as you are. Let me help since your “earth shattering” efforts seem to be lacking here. Your idol is President Donald Trump who is pushing a narrative on Tina – to what ends I cannot decipher, because I can’t get my head around the cognitive dissonance required to understand it.

First off, Tina is NOT in a maximum-security prison. Secondly, Tina is not in jail for proving election fraud or for simply “preserving” election records as required by federal law. Finally, even the most ardent supporters of Tina in our “tiny” end of Western Colorado understand what Tina was convicted of, which were the actions and crimes she committed.

Here’s where you are wrong when it comes to who I am. You open with this doozy:

“Many liberals believe anything pushed to them by the corrupt mainstream media (MSM). They eventually reach a point where logic and facts hold no meaning. Their emotions at that point take over, and they become angry and belligerent when faced with the facts. They no longer search for the facts because it hurts their egos too much, forgetting that the truth will set them free. These people can not come to grips with the fact that the MSM is lying to them. This appears to be the case for a local writer of a small publication in Colorado, where Tina Peters lived. Craig Hall wrote an opinion piece in his small publication, and his ignorance of the facts is apparent as he rips Tina Peters, labeling her a “criminal” and “Political Penitentiary Populator, Peters the Great.” After years of believing the MSM lies, Hall himself has become a mouthpiece and parrot for the MSM. His recent opinion piece proves it. This shows how powerful the MSM propaganda machine has become, where a small percentage of Americans still believe everything the MSM pushes at them. This also highlights the danger of having media that can be easily manipulated and exploited to spread lies for small amounts of money.”

Now as a “world renowned, earth-shattering” reporter, you know none of what you wrote in that load of bull-pucky was true – unless you are referring to your followers.

Fact is, you did no “earth-shattering” investigating and just wanted to bully someone to make you feel better. I defy you, talk to ANYONE, left or right, who has read my columns over the past 25 years who would describe me as a liberal or part of the MSM. You’d have as difficult a time finding that as Tina did finding election fraud in Mesa County. None of it exists. I’ll skip over the whole “paid off” reference.

What does exist are the myriad, vile, angry, profane and vicious threats on my cell phone, work phone, email and website (and YOUR website) from your minions. Yes Joe, even death threats and threats against my children. All because I disagreed with you on “proof” regarding Tina Peters.

The only thing you proved is you and your followers can be just as evil as those you vilify. How proud you must be being “world renowned” for that.

In Truth and freedom.

Craig Hall is owner and publisher of The Business Times. Reach him at  424-5133 or publisher@thebusinesstimes.com