Before I begin, this isn't about partisanship. It's about a dangerous game being played out by the President and when he does, it's our responsibility to call him out. So far, many people have beat me to the punch. But here's a re-cap.
The President is getting desperate. Any time a politician makes things up it's not a good sign. Doubly so when it's POTUS.
President Obama along with Vice-President Biden claim the United States Chamber of Commerce is essentially funneling foreign money into the 2010 campaign. When all else fails, blame everyone but yourself.
The Columbia Journalism Review called out the President in this article, documenting what is a fake scandal. You know, the stuff fairy tales are made of. Make believe.
Claims vs fact according to the Columbia Journalism Review:
-The source of the President's "facts" was a left-wing blog that broke the basic journalism rule of assertion without attribution. It's fancy talk for "making things up."
-Then in an embarrassing exchange between Bob Schieffer of CBS News and White House Advisor David Axelrod, Schieffer asked for proof of what the administration claimed about the Chamber. Axelrod came up short. Way short.
-The Associated Press says flat out there is no evidence to support the administration's claims.
An administration that makes things up to frighten the electorate is an administration in trouble. Ultimately this is a huge insult to the very people the President is sworn to serve and protect. The President believes that if you "evade the truth" about something often enough, people start to believe it. Some sadly do. Most do not.
In a word, it's shameful and an example of all that's wrong in government that puts power and greed above the best interests of the people.
In a word, it's shameful. It's also dangerous to the very freedoms this nation was founded upon.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"
Showing posts with label Bob Schieffer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bob Schieffer. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Bob Schieffer on 'Net Nuts
The great thing about the Internet is pretty much everyone has access to it. The bad thing about the Internet is pretty much everyone has access to it.
Remember the old saying that a lie gets half-way around the world before truth gets it pants on? That quote is often attributed to Winston Churchill, some say it was Mark Twain. Either way, it's a point well taken. The Internet just speeds up the process.
This was all the subject of this commentary by Bob Schieffer of CBS News this past Sunday. Schieffer is "old school" and as a Texan, he talks plain. He makes the point that "Ignorance Travels Fast on Internet." He was reacting to the recent poll about people's perception of President Obama's religion. I won't weigh in on that debate, but do agree with many of the points Schieffer makes about the danger of believing everything you read or see on the Internet.
Schieffer isn't the first person to make the point that the Internet provides a platform for a lot of misguided folks who use the Internet to validate their own misguidedness. Shari Julian, a Texas psychologist says, "When you have a venue for ventilating rage, your belief in that rage is ratified. It increases their belief that their behavior is acceptable. Their behavior is applauded, seconded. In that case, it's scary. It does seem to roll and escalate."
You can pretty much post the most outrageous things about anyone or anything on the Internet. There are lots of websites that provide the platform for you. It's all protected by free speech and the folks who run these websites defend themselves by saying they're essentially a digital book-shelf and not responsible for the content of the books on that shelf.
To be fair, the Internet is an incredible source for information, research and news. But as Ronald Reagan famously said, "Trust but verify."
Just like a good journalist, seek out more than just one source for information. Just because it's on the Internet doesn't make it true. Be especially aware of anonymous posters. Anyone who posts a thought, idea or opinion anonymously makes what they say about as worthless as spit.
Imagine if John Hancock had signed the Declaration of Independence as "FreedomGuy76?"
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"
Remember the old saying that a lie gets half-way around the world before truth gets it pants on? That quote is often attributed to Winston Churchill, some say it was Mark Twain. Either way, it's a point well taken. The Internet just speeds up the process.
This was all the subject of this commentary by Bob Schieffer of CBS News this past Sunday. Schieffer is "old school" and as a Texan, he talks plain. He makes the point that "Ignorance Travels Fast on Internet." He was reacting to the recent poll about people's perception of President Obama's religion. I won't weigh in on that debate, but do agree with many of the points Schieffer makes about the danger of believing everything you read or see on the Internet.
Schieffer isn't the first person to make the point that the Internet provides a platform for a lot of misguided folks who use the Internet to validate their own misguidedness. Shari Julian, a Texas psychologist says, "When you have a venue for ventilating rage, your belief in that rage is ratified. It increases their belief that their behavior is acceptable. Their behavior is applauded, seconded. In that case, it's scary. It does seem to roll and escalate."
You can pretty much post the most outrageous things about anyone or anything on the Internet. There are lots of websites that provide the platform for you. It's all protected by free speech and the folks who run these websites defend themselves by saying they're essentially a digital book-shelf and not responsible for the content of the books on that shelf.
To be fair, the Internet is an incredible source for information, research and news. But as Ronald Reagan famously said, "Trust but verify."
Just like a good journalist, seek out more than just one source for information. Just because it's on the Internet doesn't make it true. Be especially aware of anonymous posters. Anyone who posts a thought, idea or opinion anonymously makes what they say about as worthless as spit.
Imagine if John Hancock had signed the Declaration of Independence as "FreedomGuy76?"
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"
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