THE ISSUES

There are many critical issues threatening the well being of our country today and, of course, its citizens. You and me. And, more than 325 million others who are as confused and concerned as most of us.

We will, regularly, present a timely and important issue for your thoughtful consideration, and explore it to the best of our ability by means of articles, events, your input and discussion. Together we will search, consider, discuss and explore to see if we can find a way that serves the majority our nation's citizens in their pursuit of well being and happiness.

And, you are invited and welcome to suggest an issue for research and discussion by our readers. Just email us through the CONTACT US button located at the bottom of each page.

Oh! Before we get started, a few simple and necessary rules that I will follow to get the most participation, and the most value from your input.

I will respect your right to your opinion, regardless of my position.
I will not insult you for any reason.
I will not judge you as a person based on your preference or opinion, whether or not I share it (dangling participle, with apologies to my 5th Grade English teacher, Mrs Fields).
I promise not to browbeat anyone, or in any way attempt to convince you to change or adopt a position or opinion.
All I ask of you is the same consideration and courtesies in return.
Thank you, in advance.

I want this image to represent...

ISSUE #1 Who Do You Trust?

The Threat to FREEDOM of the PRESS, FREEDOM of SPEECH & Your FREEDOM of CHOICE

In every country whose citizens are governed by a dictator, communism or other form of totalitarianism , it is found and necessary that the mass media, newspapers, television, radio, magazines and now, the internet, are all controlled by the state, for obvious reasons. To be successful, rule-by-force requires consistent, focused, one-story (theirs), one way communication that supports the government's ideology, agenda and their actions (laws, restrictions, enforcement, etc). Any dissent, all contradicting stories, information, opinions or possibilities, no matter how true or plausible, are banned, forbidden, censored, by force as needed.

In every totalitarian society, from the time of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt to Kim Jong-Un's dictatorship of The Democratic People's Republic of North Korea today, the spreading of truth is like planting the seeds of dissent and discontentment, a feared and formidable threat to their rule and control over their people. Hitler's, Fascism. The Soviet Union. Uganda's, Idi Amin. Communist China today. Truth is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. War and revolution are, clearly, the fastest way to control the mass media. But, how does a dishonest organization (ideology) gain control of a nation's mass media without the people realizing it? Without firing a shot? And, without them knowing it? Actually it's easy, as Hemingway once wrote, "Gradually, then suddenly."

It starts with using the media to spread lies and their story. Then, it moves to influencing editorials and the selection and spin of which news is reported, first with advertising dollars, then a steady, increasing degree of ownership of the newspapers, the television and radio stations, the internet, until they have enough control to change the rules. And, enforce them as they see fit.

But, you may ask, "How could we not see it coming?" Well, in the past, far more people were skeptical and questioned what they were told; especially about issues of importance to them. They did their own research, asked direct questions and used skepticism and common sense to form their opinions and beliefs. As the Information Age progressed, more channels of news and knowledge were born to deliver the news far and wide. Radio and television, in particular. After some time, many of these new channels of news often proved to be mostly unbiased and trustworthy. So much so that people began to relax their skepticism and questioning. Thus began the giving up taking personal responsibility for what they believed, to the widespread trust and belief of what was reported by the media. "Hey! I read it in The Times!" "So and so said it on the 10 o'clock news."

And, in the early years of radio and television, when many of the newspapers, radio and television were owned by small, independent mom and pop businesses, there was enough balance, diversity and openness to deserve much of the trust people placed in the news and views that were being reported at that time. Edward R. Murrow. Walter Cronkite. 60 Minutes. Ted Koppel. Then, slowly, the trustworthy sources of mainstream news and commentary were acquired, purchased by powerful interests, in a coordinated effort to filter and control the news. Very effectively. Biased views, incomplete news, spin reporting. And, out the window went unbiased, trustworthy news. Fast forward and welcome to 2020, the Age of Fake News and Selective Information.

At about the same time these powerful interests were acquiring our formerly trustworthy sources of information, a new form of media was born. Social media was originally planned to be the unfiltered exchange of information among people in shared groups. MySpace. Facebook. Twitter. YouTube. Then, not surprisingly, those sites evolved to include commercial interests. And, that was okay; no problem there. Yet.

That is, until lots of people began expressing their political concerns on social media about what was being reported by the mainstream media. Questioning and challenging media news and views. And, questioning what was being reported as factual, trustworthy news, in the only forum people have available to them. And, getting noticed. Getting noticed by the politicians and the elite wealthy who control mainstream media.

The truth? The whole truth? And, nothing but the truth?

As the questioning and challenging grew, the controllers of mainstream media knew they had to act, had to slow, then silence the skeptics. Those same powerful interests that control the major news sources, quickly gained significant monetary, legal and political influence and, in many cases, control of each American's ability to voice his or her opinion on social media about the issues most important to them. Censored! Selectively, that is. If the owners or influencers behind social media do not agree with a posting or position, and consider it sufficiently detrimental to their cause and interests, no matter how well researched, logical and plausible it may be; Censored!

As a result, we are continuously bombarded with false, biased and incomplete 'news', on both sides of the political aisle, by a managed, political media whom many people take and mistake, without hesitation or question, as the truth. Citizens giving up freely, without a fight, their right AND responsibility to decide the truth for themselves. As such, the people of America are now divided, and find themselves at political, social and humanitarian extremes, by what we've been told by the now biased, and untrustworthy media. And, many people believing without question, what they are told by the controlled media. An older and wiser, former mentor of mine once told me that, "Whenever you hear widely differing versions about the same event, conditions or occurrence, the truth almost always likes somewhere in the vast wasteland between the two extremes."

Caveat emptor...

So, who DO you trust? Who CAN you trust? Who WILL you trust?

Well, there is no doubt that, I am responsible for what I choose to believe.

Perhaps, we can seek to better and more fully understand all positions, before taking a stand.

Perhaps, we can be skeptical about controversial things we hear.

Perhaps we can be open minded.

Perhaps, we can question what we're shown and what we are told.

Perhaps, we can use common sense* in our decision about that which we choose to believe.

Or, perhaps, some will just choose what they want to believe, even if it may not turn out to be so, because they want to believe it. Because they want it to be so. Even if it isn't. So, who will you trust?

Common Sense: "sound and prudent judgment based on practical knowledge and a simple perception of the situation or facts."

Common sense will not always provide the truth, or the best answers to our most important issues. Common sense, however, can provide effective, penetrating questions to clear out smokescreens that obscure what is, and what we need to know.