I don't want to contribute to the lack of fairness and balance in this world. Mostly I share opinions here in my spot. But today, I have to share a fact: President Barack Obama is not the first president to be somewhere other than Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day. This falsehood is all over the web, and being fueled by conservatives (either directly or simply by choosing not to diffuse the rumor). Here I could list the places past Presidents have spent Memorial Days, the different places they have gone to honor fallen soldiers. But, the teacher in me won't let me do it. (Similar to how I struggle with telling children how to spell a word...it's better for them to look it up themselves.)
Am I a fan of President Obama? Nope.
But you know I'm not a fan of any politician. Not one.
I'm not a fan of distorting facts to support opinions either. That mentality does nothing to improve the caustic tone running rampant in our country. Honesty really is the best policy. And there is far to little of that policy practiced today.
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I agree. My post today is the same. Everyone tries to skew the facts to fit their agenda. There are no facts any more in media. Just spin.
Where can you go to find the truth? I've heard Wikipedia is safe . . . ;)
I think between Snopes (sometimes I think they lean a little left), and Wikipedia you can dig down and get to the truth...because you add in your own common sense. There's another site similar to Snopes, but I can't think of it right now. It's helpful as well.I'm not editing this, hope I haven't mistyped each word! :)
You are so right! And I can't stand when either side parses and skews things to make a case for their respective agendas.
I am so disenchanted with each and every politician that I don't even know whom to vote for anymore.
It's ridiculous.
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I was just going to comment on Snopes. I like going to them when I get one of the circulating emails "proving" anything. I like that they link to their sources, so you can verify their research.
I am tired of all media news! Can't seeem to get an unbiased account - something is always the Presidents fault (it doesn't seem to matter which President).
i wish i had time to watch the news, but more b/c i feel stupid when i have zero idea what's going on, even if it's not an accurate idea i still like to have an idea. when i was in college i had a teacher tell us about who owned which station, etc., etc. i was SHOCKED that the news might all just revolve around making money and a small number of people's opinions. i still think of that every time i watch the news, and it makes me hesitate to believe everything i hear;-)
There is too much spinning and slanting of the truth in the media today, I don't think they even know what truth is anymore- let alone how to tell it. And yes Snopes does lean to the left, but factorfiction leans to the right- where's a girl to go?
Thank you Jess! That was the site similar to Snopes that I couldn't think of yesterday. There is another one as well called TruthorFiction. I really do love Snopes because (like Jessica mentioned) they seem the most thorough with referencing sources.
So maybe the recipe is to check out Snopes, factorfiction, TruthorFiction, and Wikipedia. Surely that plus a healthy dose of good ol common sense could get us to the truth? I think the only other option is burying my head in the sand like an ostrich. ;)
Amen, my dear. Very well said.
I actually heard that rumor and checked in on it myself. You are right.
I also received some anti-Obama emails last week and I checked on them as well. And as much as I hate to admit it, they were false too.
Do people just come up with this crap and send it out? Isn't it bad enough that we can't believe anything that the slanted media says and now we are doing it to ourselves?
It sucks.
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