This is America. That means that people can and will argue about all sorts of things. It's called free speech. Currently, however, the country has gotten used to arguing about phony issues. The point used to be made that "facts are stubborn things", but lately, facts are irrelevant to many.
I was struck by this phenomenon again yesterday when the whole upset over the Indiana passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act came to the forefront. There is an enormous media campaign underway condemning Indiana for passing a bill that would allow individuals to refuse service to gays. The facts, of course, are that the bill does no such thing, but that seems not to matter. The argument is made by opponents, the media picks it up, and suddenly those in favor of the bill are labeled bigots and haters by those who really don't even understand the issue. I happened to see a short segment on Fox News yesterday in which two guests had a debate about the law even though neither one actually understood what the law said or what its effect on the people of Indiana will be.
It's the same thing we saw with the swap for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. President Obama had a big ceremony to welcome home this "hero". Obama brought out Bergdahl's parents who spoke Pashtu and quoted the Koran in the Rose Garden in joy that their son was home. One might wonder when was the last time that there was a Rose Garden ceremony for an American returning from fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq (this was the first). Obama then sent Susan Rice onto the nation's TV screens to tell us all that Bergdahl served with "honor and distinction", even though she knew that was false. The media replayed these moments again and again. The facts, however, were that Bergdahl was a deserter. He has now been charged with that crime (and others), but it took great courage for the Army to start that proceeding despite enormous pressure from the White House to paper over the crime. The president and those around him knew the truth about Bergdahl, but they still built him up as a hero because that served their purposes.
And how about the so to be signed deal with Iran? Obama knows that he is agreeing to something that guarantees that Iran will get nuclear weapons in the near future. He also knows that the agreement will unleash Iran from the sanctions which have helped stop the Iranians fomenting more terrorism across the world. But these facts don't matter. Obama portrays this as some sort of major positive accomplishment. Most of the media repeats these claims without even questioning them. Obama just says what he wants no matter what the facts.
Even in little things, the lies get accepted. Look at senator Harry Reid. The man gets "injured" on New Year's Day with broken ribs, broken bones in his face, especially around his eye, and with damage to his vision. He's also severely bruised with what looks like injuries from a beating. But then he tells us that he was exercising with an elastic band that snapped and caused all the injuries. The band must have been so elastic that it kept hitting him over and over in different places. But does the media investigate what really happened? Nope. They just buy into the story as Reid states it.
One of the most important parts of any democratic society is an educated electorate. People need to understand the facts so that they can make informed decisions. Otherwise, rational results cannot be achieved. Right now, we seem to be losing the battle to inform Americans of the truth. What is at stake is not the next issue or the next election; it is the very future of this country.
I was struck by this phenomenon again yesterday when the whole upset over the Indiana passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act came to the forefront. There is an enormous media campaign underway condemning Indiana for passing a bill that would allow individuals to refuse service to gays. The facts, of course, are that the bill does no such thing, but that seems not to matter. The argument is made by opponents, the media picks it up, and suddenly those in favor of the bill are labeled bigots and haters by those who really don't even understand the issue. I happened to see a short segment on Fox News yesterday in which two guests had a debate about the law even though neither one actually understood what the law said or what its effect on the people of Indiana will be.
It's the same thing we saw with the swap for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. President Obama had a big ceremony to welcome home this "hero". Obama brought out Bergdahl's parents who spoke Pashtu and quoted the Koran in the Rose Garden in joy that their son was home. One might wonder when was the last time that there was a Rose Garden ceremony for an American returning from fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq (this was the first). Obama then sent Susan Rice onto the nation's TV screens to tell us all that Bergdahl served with "honor and distinction", even though she knew that was false. The media replayed these moments again and again. The facts, however, were that Bergdahl was a deserter. He has now been charged with that crime (and others), but it took great courage for the Army to start that proceeding despite enormous pressure from the White House to paper over the crime. The president and those around him knew the truth about Bergdahl, but they still built him up as a hero because that served their purposes.
And how about the so to be signed deal with Iran? Obama knows that he is agreeing to something that guarantees that Iran will get nuclear weapons in the near future. He also knows that the agreement will unleash Iran from the sanctions which have helped stop the Iranians fomenting more terrorism across the world. But these facts don't matter. Obama portrays this as some sort of major positive accomplishment. Most of the media repeats these claims without even questioning them. Obama just says what he wants no matter what the facts.
Even in little things, the lies get accepted. Look at senator Harry Reid. The man gets "injured" on New Year's Day with broken ribs, broken bones in his face, especially around his eye, and with damage to his vision. He's also severely bruised with what looks like injuries from a beating. But then he tells us that he was exercising with an elastic band that snapped and caused all the injuries. The band must have been so elastic that it kept hitting him over and over in different places. But does the media investigate what really happened? Nope. They just buy into the story as Reid states it.
One of the most important parts of any democratic society is an educated electorate. People need to understand the facts so that they can make informed decisions. Otherwise, rational results cannot be achieved. Right now, we seem to be losing the battle to inform Americans of the truth. What is at stake is not the next issue or the next election; it is the very future of this country.
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