CRUZ: The character question

I attended Ted Cruz’s meeting here in Coeur d’Alene. I spoke with several individuals also attending and asked one simple question: “What is Ted’s first name?” None of them seemed to be able to tell me.

I then looked at the people who spoke to introduce him. First was Norm Semanko. This is the same individual with a house payment of over $3,600 per month who was $19,000 behind when his mortgage company began foreclosure actions against him.

Later, a second individual spoke of Senator Cruz’s father immigrating to America with hopes for his family to have a better life. He made no mention of the fact that he moved to Canada, where Ted was born, or carried dual citizenship for years before deciding to run for president. Finally Ted Cruz spoke and at one point vowed not to criticize his opponents, only to do so in the next breath.

My father once told me you can tell a man by who he hangs around with, or what he does when nobody is watching. It’s called character. And for anyone who might be interested, “Ted’s” real name is Rafael Edwards Cruz. Why does he hide it?

DAVID E. OLSON

Coeur d’Alene