Think! Or who will think for you?

I just got back from a meeting and the guy next to me made it known that he thinks that Maryland Governor O'Malley "is a jerk". He also said that President Obama "is a jerk". He had no reason for this feeling that he could express. All through the meeting, he kept kibitzing and turning to me for a laugh and approval. I'm afraid that I thought that he was the "jerk".

I recently got a call from a friend wanting me to buy Glen Beck's latest book. I glanced through it at WalMart today and it did not impress me. I have always thought that Beck was a bully. Of course, this is my opinion, and it could be a misconception. But, just listen to how he talks. He does sound to me like a bully. Recent statistics that I have heard about Beck from Ed Schultz indicate that Beck could be losing his sponsors and his audience because of what he says. In fact, Schultz says that his show now has more listeners than Beck's has.

Of course, Rush Limbaugh's audience is very large. I tried to listen to him a few times, but got disgusted with the way he was talking. Even though I felt that George W. was the worse President that we ever had, I did not want to see him fail. What good would that have done for the country? Our Presidents should be encouraged to succeed. Rush doesn't want Obama to succeed in his Presidency and apparently says that on his radio show, or so it sounds in the radio clips I've heard.

Some of the emails that I am getting are once again filled with inaccuracies. As I have said in earlier blog entries, I will no longer open messages that are "forwarded" to me, because they are usually out and out lies.

What I have written above bothers me.

Abraham Lincoln once said:

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts."

And that is the crux of the matter. Once again, the right wing is spreading lies and inuendos about the President, the Democratic Congress, Health Care Reform, and the world situation. Well-meaning people are passing this information on without checking it for accuracy. (If it comes to me over the Internet, it must be true." is what I hear a lot. ) I once again ask everyone who reads those words to check the facts of the information that they receive, and not pass on such information unless you know that it is true.
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Rudeness, Lies and EMAIL

Recently, I've read more and more about how future Presidential elections will be determined by Independent voters. As one Independent who is disgusted with the current rude tactics of some very vocal and visible loudmouths, I will remember these tactics the next time I am in a voting booth. This is not what is meant by "free speech."

I have also been surprised and discouraged by some of the scurrilous emails forwarded to me in the past few weeks. Some of this garbage mimics that which was forwarded during the last election; however, it seems even more evil to me. I have tried to notify all of my correspondents, including relatives and friends, that I will no longer open "forwarded" messages, and I have asked them to think about what they are passing on to others.

Most of the emails are on the subject of Health-Care Reform. A columnist for the Carroll County (Maryland) Times talked about some of what he calls "health-care myths" in an article on August 13, 2009. John Culleton writes out of Eldersburg, Maryland.

I don't always agree with John's analysis on some issues, but I think that he hits health-care issues "right on the nose." I hope he does not mind my commenting on his article. I do suggest that you read the full article.. I think you can do that at www.carrollcountytimes.com.

Myth No. 1: Democrats want to kill your grandmother.
Myth No. 2: The government will pay for abortions with tax money.
Myth No. 3: Obama will ban all private health insurance.
Myth No. 4: The government can't possibly run a health-care system.
Myth No. 5: Unlike private insurance, government insurance will ration care.

Just a little research will convince you that these 5 "myths" are indeed myths, concocted by those who want the current Administration to fail. Read John's article and I'm sure you will appreciate that his analysis is correct.

I am once again reminded of the Arab saying that I often paraphrase:

The dogs bark and the caravan continues on.

True universal health-care is coming. We can't continue to be one of the few so-called civilized nations in the world not to provide it to our citizens. No matter how the nagging nay-sayers bark and bite at the heels of the reformers, it will come about.. as it did with slave emancipation and female voting rights.

I truly believe that whoever is encouraging rudeness, lies and false statistics, is only hurting their own cause, because, to paraphrase some more, from a very wise man: you may fool some of the people, some of the time..just remember, you can't fool all of the people all of the time. The only problem is that some of the fooled people can be dangerous... witness John Wilkes Booth.