Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff. 

By Britt Nelson

How can a voter make an informed decision about the current presidential candidates when most of the information coming out is nothing more than slander, mass media bias, and stolen emails defaming Catholics, effectively burying any real information about the difficult issues facing the United States of America today?

Since the Oct. 9 second debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, the accusations are flying fast and furious at a fevered pitch; and the America voter is the ultimate loser. Just as soon as CNN’s Anderson Copper asked Trump if he had ever sexually assaulted a woman and he denied it, three women suddenly appear with sordid tales of Trump assaulting them by kissing and groping them years ago – one on an airplane, one in an elevator and other during a beauty pageant – with their stories appearing on the front page of the New York Times, and then reported over and over by the mainstream media leaving Trump backed into a very dark corner of denial.

Trump claims the incidents never happened and are completely false. He is threatening legal action against the New York Times for slander and defamation of character, but the Democrats are dancing in the streets on Saturday Night Live. At this point it doesn’t matter if these accusations are true or not. They are being reported as if they were true. None of these new accusations about old events have surfaced before. These accusations are clearly politically motivated to damage Trump.

One apparent result of these negatives coming out against Trump is that he is slipping in the national polls, but just how accurate are these polls? Time will tell.

Meanwhile, WikiLeaks has released many, many more emails coming from Clinton campaign staffers including campaign manager John Podesta that mocked numerous groups including Catholics and Southerners while portraying Hispanics as “needy Latinos.” Plus the Clinton campaign emails ridicule supporters of former Democratic opponent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders as “self-righteous” whiners and scorned CNN anchor Jake Tapper as ‘a d..k,” according to a news story from the Washington Times published in Real Clear Politics.

On Oct. 19 the third and final presidential debate will be held in Las Vegas and moderated by Chris Wallace from FOX News. He is the son of the late, great Mike Wallace formerly with CBS’ 60 Minutes. The moderators from the first and second debates have all been accused of favoring Clinton in their questioning of Trump. Will Chris Wallace follow suit? Just who is Chris Wallace?

Wallace, 69, a father of four children, has been at the forefront of national political news since the 1960s. For Wallace, his big-time journalism career began when his step-father Bill Leonard, then president of CBS News, hired him to be an assistant for news legend Walter Cronkite during the 1964 Republican National Convention which nominated the controversial Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater who later lost to Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson.

This debate is the first time a moderator from Fox News has been selected for a presidential debate. Since 2003, Wallace has been the host of the highly respected FOX News Sunday. Previous to 2003, Wallace worked with ABC News for 13 years, according to Wikipedia.

For Wallace this debate will define his career and long-term legacy. He grew up living with news legends. His time in the moderator’s seat has arrived. The Fox News motto of “fair and balanced” will be in the world spotlight. During the debate’s 90 minutes, it’s Wallace’s duty to show America what “fair and balanced” means, and that won’t be easy with Clinton and Trump going for each other’s throats.

Las Vegas is one of the premiere entertainment capitals of the world. The selection of this location known for show girls, gambling, drinking, prostitution and general debauchery must be an attempt to create a circus-like atmosphere that will probably benefit Trump more than Clinton. This debate should have occurred within shouting distance of the White House, not in ‘sin city.’

What happens in Las Vegas will not stay in Las Vegas. Not this time.

About the Author

Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.