Be Passionate About the Truth

[gottaB]

Friends,

It has begun. We must brace ourselves for an onslaught of disinformation more insidious and destructive than any that the world has seen. This is not hyperbole. This is not an argument about who in history is responsible for the vilest crimes, or the most hateful propaganda. This is about people who in the very moment you read these words are scheming to decieve the public, who will spend hundreds of millions of dollars to deprive us of just representation, who seek to wrest control of our governmental institutions and hand them over to theocrats and looters so corrupt and wanton in their pilferage the Sun King himself, were he privy to it, would rise from the dead just to blush. The scale of the havoc they would leave in their wake cannot be known with certainty. However, their conduct to date does not suggest that they are guided by a strong concern for the consequences of their actions, and it would be unreasonable and in fact grossly irresponsible to presume that another four years under their rule would not be destructive to our democracy, to our humanity, and to our planet.

Arm yourselves with the truth, for it is the surest defense against iniquity. Do not settle for half-truths, for those will be exploited as weaknesses by our enemies. If you have uncertainties, if you find yourself in doubt, let yourself be in doubt. There is no harm caused by withholding judgement, and regarding new information with a skeptical eye. So arm yourselves with truth, and do not accept into your thinking conclusions drawn from fallacies and common abuses of rhetoric. Know the ways of disinformation so as to studiously avoid them.

Does this come across as pendatic to you? Theatrical, perhaps? Good. That means you're probably wiser than I am. I have never been above being fooled. I'll tell you all, there was a time when I doubted the existence of the vast right wing conspiracy. I thought it was one woman's pathetic attempt to deny the reality of her situation. I was wrong. I was dead wrong. The brazen deceptions of the Bush administration have led me to investigate the nature of right wing spin and ideological maninuplations. In the course of my awakening, it has become painfully obvious to me that the zone of treachery is not confined to a Grover Norquist kaffeeklatch, or to lies and whispers at the OSP. No, there is indeed a farflung network of agents united in a single, undemocratic purpose, and dealing in a common currency of falshoods and betrayal. I call that a conspiracy.

Can I get a witness? Can I get a witness to the vast right wing conspiracy?

Friends, the subject of betrayal is a difficult one for us, we who value differences of opinion, who thrive upon them. I want to say loud and clear that I support and encourage dissent. I empathize with those in the peace movement, the gay rights movement, the environmental movement, the civil rights movement, the labor movement--all of the causes that find allegiance in the Democratic Party, and give it its vitality. There is however a limit to my empathy and that is the truth. Differ with conventional wisdoms and Democratic talking points, differ with positions and claims, but when you part ways with the truth in order to make your point or garner sympathy for your cause, I will not abide it.

Please, do not think this about impugning the motives behind any dissent, because there are myriad just reasons for opposing an orthodoxy, and the establisment of agreed-upon facts is not without complications and ambiguities. For my part, however, I will let it be known that while the purest of motives may be driving a person to say untrue things like "the Democratic nominee supports the White House doctrine of pre-emption," there are many others with impure motives who will make that same argument in order to suppress turnout among Democratic voters, or to convince independent voters that the Democratic nominee is untrustworthy, inconsistent or otherwise unqualified to lead.

In the environment we are in, any untruth can rise to dominate the next news cycle, or become the foundation for a meme that has no purpose but to deprive us of our franchise. I won't take that lying down.

I am not the most diplomatic of souls. That is hardly an observation which needs to be keep secret from me. Indeed, if you think my zealousness veers towards the politically disasterous, then my words are especially aimed at you. I implore you to be as passionate about the truth as I am, and to find a way to express that diplomatically--before I stumble onto the scene and make a mess of it.

There is an idealistic side to my plea, and a pragmatic one. Take your pick, but don't miss the point. Do not tolerate deceptions, because they will be turned against you eventually. Hold yourself to a high standard of honesty and integrity in reporting facts and making arguments, because substandard rhetoric will be exploited by your enemies.


Thanks,

gB

[blm]

1. *applause*

Standing O, in fact.

[JohnnyFianna1]

2. I agree n/t

[Dying Eagle]

3. Very good

Have you ever run for congress?? you should.

[gottaB]

4. thanks, but too many skeletons

or demons, or ghosts. I don't even bother trying to keep the door shut. They have free reign.

[blm]

5. heheh...I always said if I ran for office and was attacked

for my past, I'd turn it on my opponent - "So sorry that you did not have the opportunity to live as colorful a life as me. You obviously have much still to learn."

Badabump.