Tag: Truth

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It is a fact, isn’t it. Not just some hopeful platitude uttered to sound like you belong while chatting in the fellowship hall after service. Not that this is how I think about it, at least not consciously. But now, given what has happened, maybe I’ve not truly believed it until now. His Word does […]

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Elon Musk Calls for the Truth in New AI

 

Last night I watched Elon Musk’s interview with Tucker Carlson. (The video is under eight minutes.) It was fascinating, enlightening, and hopeful. Until I realized how out of touch Musk must be with the Left’s determination to shape society to its own goals. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Cost of Lies

 

“What is the cost of lies?” This is one of the key concerns in the five-part 2019 miniseries Chernobyl. Some may remember the nuclear accident that occurred on Russian soil in 1986. If you have not seen the program, I highly recommend it as a universal, human warning. The story is told, much like Apollo 13: we already know the ending. But the narrative is so well told, it deserves its 96% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The viewer feels every character’s emotion.

Yet, the case of Chernobyl is not simply about a nuclear accident – as horrendous as that event was for the people who lived it. If I were to summarize the miniseries, I could do so in one word: lies. For those who know something of the old USSR or Soviet Union, you may remember that this was one of many totalitarian regimes during the 20th century. Like all dictatorial rule, those at the top want to keep everyone in line. Everything is controlled, even words. And the words used by the managers of the Communist regime were lies, lies to deceive, lies to cover up, lies to control.

Toward the end of the last episode, the main character, one of the key figures involved in the actual events, says this about his country,

Last Train

 

Seeing a mass of armed, uniformed men called into a movement by a single, laconic demand, one inevitably began to grow curious about the individuals that made it up. The outstanding property you discover, is the readiness with which he can change personalities. For example, follow a couple of soldiers off duty down the street, any street in Germany. You admire their bronzed, smiling faces and the way they walk loosely and gracefully as athletes. They’re completely human beings.

This is the story of an American student, working his way overseas in 1936 to visit Europe. The cheapest country for his cash is Germany, which just unveiled an interesting new government. Our student is curious and proceeds with the backing of a journalistic education and support of teachers and friends.

The excerpt is from The Last Train From Berlin by Howard K. Smith, copyright 1942. Let’s continue from the same book.

I Did It

 

I was exhausted. I had spent the afternoon with a hospice patient who loved to talk. A lot. And as an introvert, it takes a lot of energy for me to pay attention and stay engaged. With my depressed immune system, I don’t sit regularly with patients, since I don’t want to challenge my own health. But I was sitting in for another volunteer.

So I listened and chatted for three hours—straight. In the past, most hospice patients are not in a condition to converse, never mind for three hours straight.

27 Boxes

 

Have you heard that 27 boxes of “documents” were accidentally shipped to Mar-a-Lago that were supposed to remain at the National Archives? This is the first time I’ve heard about this — how about you, average Joe and Jane American citizen? Whoopsie-daisy! A boo-boo? A big boo-boo?  Trump shipped back 15 of the boxes but what about those last 12, and what was in the boxes he shipped back that is now concerning? This is confusing. We are hearing about classified this and declassified that, so what’s going on?

If there’s one thing I like, it’s old school. I like real books, real rock-and-roll, popsicles in summer, funny comedies that made me laugh before going to bed, and chalkboards. Remember chalkboards? I used to have to stay behind in grade school to clean the chalkboards with a big wet sponge. “Don’t forget to clean the chalk tray, and make sure there’s fresh chalk for tomorrow’s lesson.”

Well, Glenn Beck pulls out the same chalkboard and offers a lesson. He simplifies a curious but relevant timeline between the — whoopsie-daisy! — accidental shipment of documents from the National Archives, the events that took place after, and the raid on his home, Mar-a-Lago, while Trump was out of town. His former wife had sadly passed away and his family was in New York.

Don’t Believe the Polls

 

Year after year, election after election, we study the election polls with bated breath, hoping to glean optimism and reassurance from the results, even months ahead of time. And this year, with critical midterms in our sights, we hope that the Republicans will not only take the House but win a majority in the Senate.

The problem is that almost all of the pollsters are bought out by the Leftist media to support its agenda, so that we are not only discouraged by their results before the elections, but are brainwashed into believing that the future is dismal.

We Need More Whistleblowers

 

Identifying the truth from the Biden administration is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It’s probably even harder than that. Members of the administration, including Joe Biden, have no reservations about lying, mischaracterizing, and distorting information. Whatever information they give to the public is all for a good cause: increasing the power and influence of the Progressive Left. Truth is irrelevant; persuasion is the ultimate victory.

But lately, we may be seeing some employees of the government who aren’t as convinced as they once were that the cause is the priority. We’ve seen an increase of whistleblowers, calling out the Biden Administration, including their co-workers, supervisors and managers. Is it possible that employees are beginning to realize that there are benefits that are gained by reporting those who are deceiving the American public? Have they suddenly developed a conscience? Has the environment become more receptive to whistleblowers, who might finally have had enough of the collusion with bad actors? There are probably a number of factors at play, but I thought it would be worthwhile to learn why these people are coming forward, and determine if we can encourage more people to speak out.

One of the most recent whistleblower complaints was made to Senator Charles Grassley regarding the Hunter Biden case:

Member Post

 

Is faith a blind leap into the dark unknown? Is there a difference between historic and scientific truth? Do feelings have a place in belief? And according to M. Night Shyalaman, are there really only two views of the world? CLICK: https://bit.ly/3AIQElm Four, 2-minute videos explore the premise, “Ideas Have Consequences.” [These videos were shot […]

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Quote of the Day: Revolutionaries

 

“In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” – Eric Blair (George Orwell)

Today is Eric Blair’s 119th birthday, and this quote seems particularly apt for today.  Especially after watching the left and the mainstream media twist the truth in their reporting on Dobbs and Bruen, the Supreme Court decisions reversing Roe v. Wade and New York’s “may issue” law.

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We have a 24/7 classical music station, via public broadcasting, and on late Sunday afternoons, a wonderful program comes on.  It highlights young classical musicians from all walks of life.  They sheepishly talk about their influences, inspiration for the piece they are presenting (sometimes written by themselves), while sharing their culture and challenges. The host […]

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Anecdotes Are Not Facts: Tell That to the Left

 

Recently I had a conversation with a friend with whom I rarely have political conversations. They generally don’t end well. In this situation, I was able to make my point without ripping out my hair, but I’m sure my friend found our discussion deeply unsatisfying. I found, however, that I became much clearer about the mindset of the Left, to which she belongs, and although it was discouraging, it was revealing. What was that clarity?

The Left believes that anecdotes, particularly their personal experiences, can be generalized to life. And I don’t think there’s a way to talk them out of that belief, because it is central to their worldview.

‘Quid Est Veritas?’ Biden Unveils Ministry of Truth

 

The Biden administration is creating a group to counter “disinformation” and “misinformation.” It will be led by a woman who repeatedly pushed both.

The Department of Homeland Security appointed Nina Jankowicz to head the group. Her previous job title was “disinformation fellow” at the Wilson Center, a title that seems a bit on the nose. While at Wilson, she frequently offered false narratives about Hunter Biden’s incriminating “laptop from hell” and Trump’s involvement with Russia. One might even call it misinformation.

On October 20, 2020, the AP interviewed Jankowicz who insisted the laptop was a non-story:

Trust No One, Trust Not Even Yourself

 

We are facing a massive crisis of trust in America, with good reason.

After vast amounts of lying and gaslighting by the media and government, along with plenty of sketchy news sources, we are in the realm where even people on the same side don’t have any common sources.

Ukraine’s War Is Our War

 

In case your blood pressure just took a leap, I’m not saying that we should be standing alongside Ukrainians fighting against the Russians. I don’t think anyone in their right mind thinks that’s a good idea. But as I watch their war unfold and analyze what is happening, more and more their war is beginning to sound more and more like the “war” we are experiencing in our own country. If you get past the cultural and structural differences comparing the relationship of Ukraine and Russia, and our own Communists who are finally admitting who they are, with patriots who love this country and its founders, the similarities are eerie.

The United States has been fighting a civil war, but we’ve only recognized that truth in recent years. The seeds for war were being planted by the political Left at all levels of our country right under our noses: government, education, and the corporate world. But we either ignored the signs or didn’t bother to notice them. Worse, we may have seen them, but in our own arrogance, we assumed those doing the work of the Left were nutcases and were no threat to the country.

We made the same assumption about Russia and Ukraine. We chose to ignore Putin’s actions and words, believing Putin was just reminiscing, and assumed that Ukraine’s difficulties were not our difficulties.

Quote of the Day: Truth

 

“The further a society drifts from the truth the more it will hate those who speak it.” – Eric Blair (George Orwell)

We certainly saw that illustrated this week in Canada. Lying has become reflexive there among those in government. Rather than engage in discussion with the Freedom Convoy, the Liberal politicians there instead choose to lie about it. They are violent.  When you push for examples you get explanations that they are not violent yet, but they will be. Or they have violent potential. To undercut support they claim – with negligible proof – the truckers are Nazis or Confederate sympathizers or White supremacists or (most risible of all) Trump supporters.

Silent No More

 

If you were beaten and bullied as a child, if you lived for nine years in constant fear of being tortured or killed, if you and your family fled your home, losing everything, and were forced to live in a tent, would you call yourself ‘lucky’?

I used to be somewhat ambivalent about the “celebration” of Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27; in one sense, I felt it was important to remind the world that six million Jews and six million other folks were killed by the Nazis and their enablers. The phrase, “Never Forget” is embedded in my psyche. On the other hand, I wonder if this particular memorial day serves as a devastating reminder to many people—survivors and their families–who want to forget that horrific time. And ironically, I also wonder if it is an irritant to those people who experience resentment or even hatred toward the Jews, exacerbating their negative perspective.

Still, Abraham Pizam is the man described at the beginning of this post by a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel. Today he is the founding dean of UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. He survived the Holocaust and gave a presentation at the January 27 event about his own experience. It was the first time he had spoken publicly about the Holocaust. Here’s a report on part of what he shared:

Quote of the Day: Truth and Fiction

 

“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” — Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar, Mark Twain

Ain’t it the truth. All you have to do is look at the news today. If in 1960 someone had written a science fiction novel about the 2020s with even half the things that are going on today his editors would have laughed at the draft when they encountered it on the slush pile. The world would lock down for a respiratory virus with a 1% fatality rate? Get outta here!  That will never happen. The FBI would be colluding with a major political party and the New York Times to subvert justice? That’s wacko conspiracy theory territory. Big Brother would not come from the government but rather from public sector technology companies? That idea’s kinda out there, isn’t it?

While We Were Sleeping

 

The alarming thing has nothing to do with health or elections or wars. The alarming thing is the control of lies. It would be nice if we could eliminate all the lies and have nothing but truth left, as that would clear a lot of things up. The problem and what makes it the alarming thing is, who gets to decide?

YouTube announced it is removing accounts it considers to be providing misinformation. It could be right, and maybe it is misinformation. If it is, it should be removed, or should it? I think it probably has a right under its terms of use. But should it remove information, even if it’s proven to be bad information?