Believe, Trust, Then Verify

I can’t believe the number of emails I’ve received in response to my last editorial: “STOP The Canadian Death Panel Propaganda” (April 21, 2011).

Some of the letters I’ve received were angry, not so much for what I wrote, but because I took FOX News to task. AND TO ME, THAT IS VERY DISTURBING.

When people are absolutely committed to the word of a news media, ANY NEWS MEDIA, to the point that there is such a BLIND trust in what they say, write, show and report; it rings a very loud danger bell.

The FOX News viewers are very critical of what they term to be the LAME STREET MEDIA, and how they lie to their viewers, or bend the truth, or withhold the truth.

Patrons of Media like CNN, ABC, MSNBC and CBS think the same of FOX News. That FOX News is a merchant of Right Wing Propaganda regardless of FOX News’ slogan of being FAIR AND BALANCED.

My point is that NO media can be given Carte Blanche when it comes to disseminating the truth.

I personally do not waste much time watching, listening or reading the kind of stuff put out by the LEFT leaning media, and do watch a considerable amount of FOX News, because out of all of them, I too think FOX News is the most on target.

But, that doesn’t mean I accept whatever FOX News reports as God’s truth, since I’ve seen enough on FOX News that wasn’t nearly as accurate as people want to believe.

Remember the famous words of Ronald Reagan “Trust BUT Verify”.

Glenn Beck has repeatedly said on his show:

“Don’t believe anything you hear, see, or read . . . not even from me. Check it out for yourself.”

And even with Beck, I’ve seen and heard things from him that were not totally true, and/or were somewhat misleading.

I’m sure he didn’t mean to be inaccurate or mislead. But it happens.

And, as much as I believe that Beck has made INCREDIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS beyond measure in this war of cultures, Beck is 100% right when he encourages people to CHECK IT OUT FOR THEMSELVES.

I further think the reason why some people were upset with this last editorial of mine is because most people REALLY want to believe in FOX News.

They really want to hang onto FOX News as that anchor of truth and reliability in a world and country where truth and reliability are in very short supply.

But, blind belief in any media is a very dangerous practice, since everyone has an agenda. Remember one thing above all else. The PRIMARY objective of FOX News, like all media, is about making money. What follows from that is secondary.

In any war, the first casualty is always the truth. And make no mistake about it, we are not just at war, we are locked in a deadly battle with an implacable enemy from within that resorts to any tactic to win. ESPECIALLY DISINFORMATION.

The greatest tragedy to all of this . . . is that the enemy we face is composed of our neighbors, co-workers, employers, employees, friends and even family.

And our greatest weakness that we share on our side is that we can’t believe that these folk either believe in, or work for COLLECTIVE RIGHTS, or support those who do, rather than supporting INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS.

Whenever I have the opportunity to debate a member of my own family who is on the LEFT, it always blows me away at how their only argument seems to always come down to a guffaw coupled with a comment like: DON’T BE RIDICULOUS.

Or their best – “This person or that person is a joke, a clown, an idiot, or a racist” – NEVER EVER BEING ABLE TO EXPLAIN WHY.

And how “they” target Sarah Palin comes to mind as the perfect example.

A very sad reality is that most ordinary folk on the LEFT are not bad or evil; they are misguided people who are blind to the reality of the REAL difference between COLLECTIVE RIGHTS and INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS.

These well-meaning Liberals have been brainwashed, perhaps by a feeling of guilt for their own success, who feel unreasonably responsible for how others with less, live their private lives and raise their children in comparison to themselves.

More likely . . . they’ve been brainwashed by our LEFTIST World of Academia and a Propagandist Western Media.

So, when I write something that you might disagree with, that’s fine:

I’M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT. Or my perspective might be different from yours. So, not only do you have the right to question and challenge the things I write or say. It should be your obligation to do so for yourself.

But, when you get angry because I criticized something that I know is UNTRUE by any media, INCLUDING FOX News; you’re directing your antagonism in the wrong direction.

Remember how we got into this mess in the first place?

We unquestioningly trusted the integrity and objectivity of the media, for which we are now all paying the price.

THERE ARE NO SACRED MEDIA COWS!

There is no Audio Editorial Associated with this commentary.

Best Regards . . . Howard Galganov