The Sunday papers are slowly thickening again--the merchants near and far are starting to position themselves for Christmas or Merry Thanksgivoween as a Mike Thompson cartoon called it a couple of years ago. In addition to real news, not abstractions, that are impacting on our lives, we also have very active, if not slightly theatrical, political machinations at all levels clamoring for our attention.
Did you know, for instance, one of the people seeking the office of the President wants to galvanize babies at birth to minimize the recurrence of indefatigability at zero gravity. Another candidate is a Muslin. Hey, I kid you not. I read that stuff in a newspaper, or maybe it was a magazine or in a blog. Perhaps I saw it on TV, or heard it from a friend. Confused? Yeah, me too.
Samuel Clemens (think Rajah, without the haircut or the Senate sub-committee hearings), better known as Mark Twain once observed "A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes." In this Brave New World of instant messaging and Internet, a lie moves faster than a millipede on crack and a nano-second after double clicking on 'send', you can wound with a word or add an even more sinister meaning to when something this way wicked comes than the three witches could have ever envisioned.
The same Mark Twain noted, "There are lies, damned lies and statistics" and how delicious that the same channels of communication that can deliver imprecation and innuendo at the speed of smell can also help separate the wheat from the chaff in terms of assertions and contentions.
Do this right now, and then bookmark the url that's generated: go to Google and enter "Checking facts for the 2008 Presidential election". Sorry-I did it for you, so just click on it (yes, I know I have patience issues; I'm working on them). Here's the deal, whenever you learn, no matter the source (even your Mom) a new 'fact' with which you are less than familiar (example: 'Candidate A invented gravity' or 'Candidate B wrote all of Shakespeare's plays') go to FactCheck.org or one of the other sites you've bookmarked.
Trust but verify; excellent advice no matter on which side of the aisle you like to sit. Heck, when you were a camp counselor, you used it at bed check, right? Why not now? Don't let half truths get a toehold in anyone's dialogue-two half truths equal one whole lie (that's math, you know, which is a lot like science ). Don't assume because a TV talking head said it, it must be correct. Remember Joe Isuzu and Remember the Maine, but most importantly, don't forget they're two sides of the same coin. And both were media creations.
Because a story shows up on 'news' doesn't mean it is, okay? All ducks are birds but not all birds are ducks. If you cannot prioritize between the importance of a story on grain price supports or coverage of an eating contest-if both a story on Lindsay Lohan's mom and Sarah Palin's daughter seem about the same to you-if trying to determine which one, Obama or McCain, is the better free-throw shooter, is your next critical criterion, do us all a favor and stay home on Election Day.
I know Fox Sports and MLB ran it into the ground for baseball's All-Star balloting, but on November 4th, it matters, and all of us should be counting on each of us to put on our game face, pull our socks up, and make an informed decision. American Gladiators, Knight Rider and Hannity and Colmes will all be there even after the center pole is pulled out from the Big Top. Chris and Keith will be walking behind the parade of elephants while, I can only hope, being very careful for the first time in many years about what they're doing and where they step.
-bill kenny
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