Letters: Russia brainwashed us into bad vote

Seventeen national security agencies concluded that Russia, at the direct instructions of Vladimir Putin, committed cyber espionage and used various forms of disinformation (propaganda), including fake news, tweets and social media posts, to influence our election. Propaganda is meant to dissuade, change people’s minds or brainwash them.

Hacking the voting machines is not necessary if the perpetrator has already persuaded voters to its point of view.

He has turned a relatively gullible populace into unquestioning followers. These gullible citizens include the media and our elected officials, who no longer question questionable actions and statements. Shame on us.

This story was originally published January 19, 2017 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Letters: Russia brainwashed us into bad vote."