Opinions, Mistakes, Lies

I got the same e-mail from two friends, listing facts I don't know. For instance, I never knew how many ridges are on a dime, or that butterflies taste with their feet. Now I believe these facts, because these friends wouldn't just make them up. What's the point? But the main reason I believe things they tell me is that, as far as I know, they have never lied to me before.

There are others that I would go outside and check if they told me it was raining. They are the "friends" in Facebook terms, that send me bogus e-mails. There are lots of ways to check a story to find out if it's true or a big lie. Call your library, ask the nice lady in the reference department. Call your Congressman's office. But if you send me a story, you are telling me that you believe it's true.

Instead, you tell me you got it from Rush, or Sean, or Glen, or somebody else you're on a first-name basis with. If I listened to your guys, I would know the truth about the government coming for your guns, your home, your horses. They would tell me about how our leaders are violating the (non-existent) 28th amendment, or the dreaded Agenda 27 of the U. N., whatever that is. 

The problem is that once you send me a lie and expect me to believe it, I can't believe anything else you say. I'm not talking about mistakes. God knows, I may tell you it's Tuesday when it's Wednesday, just because my pill dispenser got off on a wrong start this week. I forgive your mistakes as much as I hope you forgive mine. But don't lie to me. 

OK, you can tell me I look like I've lost weight. That's an opinion, based on a mistake, and I really appreciate it. You can say that you truly believe Obama is a Muslim. I will chalk you up as a racist, but that's your opinion. Tell me he created this gazillion dollar deficit since he took office, and that 's a lie, not an opinion. Tell me he has to follow the 28th amendment, and it's a mistake, unless you know better, then it's a lie.

By the way, I'm very glad we don't taste with our feet. It would make for a disgusting dinner party. And do you know where those feet have been?

Too much Anger

I don't understand where all this anger is coming from. I've lived through some decades of election year vitriol, and we expect that and shrug it off. Or we used to. Then we'd all cool off, have a beer, and plan how to change the world next time. Not now.

If you can't figure it out, I'm talking about the shutdown of the federal government. Don't tell me both sides are to blame. When I hear that, I know which TV network you watch. I'm worried that the inmates have taken over the asylum, the bonafide crazies are claiming victory over putting hundreds of thousands of people out of work, turning little children out of day care, and they're dancing around giving each other high-fives.

There are some people ignorant enough to think this is about health care. It's not. we already pay for health care for everyone who needs it, just not very well and not at all efficiently. I'm not insulting you if you are among these ignorant, which just means you are not well informed. If you want to be better informed, read more than one newspaper, listen to more than one radio or TV station, and ignore any of them that claim to be telling you The Truth. It's about a bunch of prima donnas who got elected in gerrymandered safe districts and are preaching to their little choirs that they know what's best for the country, not the rest of us who form the majority.

Notice I have not called you poor deluded souls dumb, just ignorant. Ignorant can be fixed with leaning. There ain't no cure for dumb. Dumb is voluntary, and is best pictured as the monkey sitting there with his hands over his ears, saying "Don't confuse me with the facts." If we want to let the crazies wreck the economy, put millions out of work, and change the way this country works, cheer 'em on. Otherwise, scratch your head and say "What would Reagan do?"