Opinions are great, everyone has them and even if they are poorly informed, we can’t create exceptions. The well informed may be easier for party conversation, but the misinformed are sometimes great provender for our social sharing. Truthfully, perhaps it is the misinformation and those who are so plugged into remaining misinformed that should be our highest priority of this silly season that is this election season. Everything, every single
Tree of Knowledge, something we should all be striving to grow
last thing flows from being well informed, knowledgeable and having fact-based information. Without a clear understanding of both present day, as well as the historical basis for decisions it is impossible to form well-informed opinions.
Do not get me wrong, I am not so presumptuous to believe that five (5) people given the same facts will arrive at the same opinion. In all likelihood, they will not. Each person, given the same facts will have still brought their own personal history, education and bias to the table prior to being presented with the facts. Based on these personal details, each person will form an opinion. If asked to solve a problem (non-mathematical), each person will apply their own skills and history to the solution, despite having been given the precise same facts.
However, you are not allowed your own facts!
It is that simple, there is nothing ambiguous about the above statement; or is there?
I will be damned if I don’t think there might be something wrong in the water we drink or the air we breathe these days, because it seems we are indeed allowed our own facts. It appears one can say anything, pull anything out of thin air and repeated often enough it becomes accepted truth.
Satire becomes Truth, repeated often enough.
Lies become Truth, repeated often enough.
Barack & Hillary working together to bring Socialism to America
Let us take a couple of my favorites as examples.
Barack Obama is a Socialist, or a Communist, or a Fascist, or practices Islam.
Well no, he is not a Socialist. In fact, he is a Centrist Democrat, a moderate. The following are Socialists.
| Name | Famous for | Name | Famous For |
| Hugo Chavez | President Venezuela | Friedrich Engels | Godfather of Socialism |
| Norman Thomas | Presbyterian Minister, Author, Activist | Helen Keller | Activist, Lecturer, Author |
| George Orwell | Journalist, Literary Critic, Author | Eugene V. Debs | Founder IWW, Social Democratic Party |
| Francis Bellamy | Author of the Pledge of Allegiance, Baptist Minister | Cornell West | Educator, Philosopher |
| Albert Einstein | Scientist | Bertrand Russell | Philosopher, Nobel Peace Prize Winner |
| Howard Zinn | Historian, Educator | Naomi Klein | Author, Activist |
| Karl Marx | Father of Socialism | John Dewey | Philosopher, Educator |
| Bernie Sanders | Mayor of Burlington, US Representative | Tommy Douglas | Baptist Minister, Premier of Saskatchewan |
The names in the table above are all admitted Social Democrats or Socialists, some are early versions some are still alive and working in their fields of expertise. There is clearly a wide base of knowledge in that group, everything from Philosophy, Science, Authors and Educators and oh my Politicians. Odd, I simply can’t find our current POTUS on the list, not because I decided I wouldn’t put him there either; no it isn’t that at all. It is for this simple reason:
YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED YOUR OWN FACTS!
Here is another fun filled falsehood.
America is a Christian Nation.
No, it is not. Never has been. Never was intended to be. There isn’t a single shred of historical evidence to support the statement. On the other hand, there is significant evidence to support the historical view the United States
of America was founded as a Nation that would be respectful and welcoming to all faiths and would be governed under Secular Law.
Another fun filled Fact:
Socialism ≠ Communism ≠ Nazism ≠ Fascism
These are all distinctly different political systems and in some cases economic theories. They are not the same. In fact, they have little to do with each other except in the minds of the ignorant.
YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED YOUR OWN FACTS!
We are in the silly season that is the Presidential campaign season. Thanks to the brilliance of SCOTUS we have the Citizen United ruling, making money talk and corporations people. Truth and Facts have taken a back seat to propaganda and outright lies. The problem is Citizen United was simply the Chocolate Sauce on the Sundae, since the 1980’s our public education system has been dumbing down our citizens so propaganda becomes the bar to climb over and it is a low bar indeed. Truth shouted on street corners is ignored in favor of the most egregious lie.
Both sides have their Pac’s, both sides have their defenders and both sides are able to distance themselves from these no holds barred swift-boaters. What should we do as responsible Americans? How do we distance ourselves from the garbage and educate ourselves on what is factual and best for our nation?
I will leave you with this, this is one of the lies, this is what the Conservative listens to and believe.
All I can say is you are not allowed your own facts!
QBG_Tilted Tiara 
I cannot abide the blatant ignoring of fact. I go back to my FF post: I only discriminate against the stupid.
Red.
Plain stupid or Blatantly Stupid? There is a difference you know!!
I am thinking I will allow just simple ole plain stupid to get away, they sometimes have table manners.
Love ya 😉
Only if you think it is acceptable to tuck the tablecloth in the collar of your tee shirt as a lapskin. 😉
While I havent a clue in your political arena Val, I don’t think it matters in which circles we mix in our political parties around the world, I think the one thing we can all agree upon is that we are Not allowed to know the Facts..
For if we did find out the FULL Facts behind our Politicians wheeling and dealings It may make our Hair Curl… And we wouldnt ever Trust another word spoken..
Not that I trust that many of them now! 🙂
Good to see you back on the band wagon of your own campaign for justice and rights Val..
Loved the read even though I hardly knew any of those on your lists
Sending you a Thought or two as I move on to read the previous post
Sue
I suspect politicians are the same all over Sue. I also suspect there is a degree of ideologues that step up to the podium to follow them, no matter where we are, what continent or nation. What I don’t think though is there is any nation so torn apart as the US is today. I follow other nations, many have racial problems, many have religious issues, many have gender inequalities and bias.
But none that I know of are actually attempting to take their nation backwards in time.
Some of course are refusing to move forwards, refusing to progress. But none are trying to rip rights already given away from those who are members of society.
I agree all politicians lie, it is the only way they can stay in office. But today, in this time in this nation it is worse than I have seen in my lifetime. It is blatant and ugly.
Facts are available, but we as a nation have bought into the idea that apathy is best. We have lain back opened our mouths like baby birds and begged to be fed.
We are pitiful.
Yes we have stopped standing up for our given rights, And I’ve often commented to hubby, what ARE they spraying in the Air and putting in our water to keep us like Sheep as we follow blindly what is being put out ..
I know from seeing our own UK reactions a couple of years ago to the increases in Petrol Fuel taxes to see them nearly double we just sit back and let it happen..
And then vote them back in power…
The only consolation I think I can give, is that I know the big towers of power are set to crumble .. For little by little by little Val people like you and me are going to put two and two together and start and revolt..
Then the only problem is.. we have another crisis on our hands.. ( this is why they want your Gun rights revoked ) they know what is coming..
People want their Freedom Back.. and if you knew what lay behind the governments real intentions, you would want your Freedom..
Love and Blessings to you from a Dreamwalker who knows nothing but Feels much in her ‘Knowings’ of intuition of the world and it has to CHANGE…
Love Sue xx
No one here wants gun rights revoked. They can’t afford the fallout from the NRA!!
Revolt? To much apathy in our citizens, except the ones who want to take the country backwards. I am so sad.
I don’t remember but when did the news becomes so biased in the political process? I don’t watch Fox News. It’s tainted with Tea Party rhetoric. I’d opt for being a socialist any day than buying into what they call news.
I don’t watch Faux either, I cringe when Dearly Beloved even turns the station on to watch sports. As for alignment to a particular party, I have always aligned Independent Progressive. I believe in facts, they are available if we are willing to dig for them, there are some truth tellers out there though they rarely make it to any media.
She was run out of Canada a while back…
Was she tarred and feathered first?
Val,
I feel your passion erupting directly from my computer ..
& I love it. xx
But I can’t stand Coulter! Boooooooooooooooooo
I am truly tired of hearing some of the nonsense spewed forth as the “truth”. It is amazing, it really is. I use to think Ann Coulter was fascinating, like a Cobra. Now I just think she is frightening.
Good for you, Val. Can I please slap Ann Coulter? Please?
Of course you may, but careful she has all those friends you know. I am afraid they might hurt you for leaving a mark on their talking Barbie doll.
Very well said, Valentine! It is such a disgrace on both ends of the sender and the receiver who blindly accepts.
It is indeed, disgraceful. But it really started with our education system that has so systematically worked to dumb us down, strip us of our ability to critically think.
A well-written post! I get tired of people spreading misinformation and believing whatever someone tells them. I could not watch all of the Ann Coulter video! Keep speaking out, Valentine.
I don’t blame you for not watching the entire video, I chose it though for the content of ‘misinformation’ and the delivery. As a nation we continue to accept half truths and complete lies without even questioning their source. It is this that has begun to send me over the edge, even reasonable people repeat it.
Well said. I get frustrated to read something that’s put out as “fact” when it is nothing but opinion. An example is the new health care law. Many people are quick to trash it, but yet, when they are told of some of the provisions in it, they say, “Oh, well, that’s actually a good thing. I didn’t realize that was in there.” (I’m basing this on conversations I’ve had with people, and yes, this is my opinion, not fact. And I’m also not saying I agree with everything in the health care plan but am using it as an example. 🙂 ) It’s okay to voice opinions, but one needs to make sure to differentiate these from facts and to do some background research first.
Carrie that is a great example!! I have had similar discussions more than one time.
Some random tidbits of thoughts about this post.
First of all, listening to Ann Coulter is against my personal constitution, so I was unable to watch the video.
This post reminds me of a lot of things. Of a friend who loves to spout off opinions that are contrary to the facts. He’s a piece of work.
In a similar message about science, I wrote something like this: Just because one disagrees with science doesn’t make science wrong.
Great point about the bias each of us bring to the table. Interestingly, which influences where we put President Obama on the ideological continuum.
You are correct, science isn’t wrong simply because we disagree. Just as our personal bias cannot be brought to the table when solving a math problem. I have family members who spout opinion as fact, it is part of what led to this particular bit of ‘opinion’.
Ann isn’t one of my favorites either, but she is one of the influence’s that others listen to and repeat ‘facts’ from. That particular bit I have heard repeated, often.
Our bias does indeed influence how we see the world, however we still are not allowed our own facts. I stand by this.
Thanks for commenting and reading Frank.
How do I love this? I couldn’t possibly begin to count the ways!
I am glad Deb, just my little rant of the day. I have them now and again.