POLITICIANS ARE STUPID

31 Oct 2026 Dwight Douglas 31 Oct 2026

Statistics on them are horrible

I’m a baseball fan and many of the lessons that I learned in Little League keep popping up in my adult life. Recently, Major League Baseball instituted something called A.B.S. – it stands for Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System. With this new rule, a batter, catcher or pitcher, involved in a play, can challenge an empire’s call with the use of new technology (cameras and computers) to determine if the umpire got it right. In a sense, this gives artificial intelligence the power to overrule a human. Each team only gets a few challenges per game and if the challenge is unsuccessful, the team loses a challenge.

I’m sure the umpires hate to be second guessed by a machine but it seems the fans and players appreciate a way to get it right in the game. One of the reasons the umpire and their union will hate the use of technology is the potential that it will eventually eliminate jobs. The league will be able to document the calls of a specific umpire and evaluate each umpire’s accuracy. To date, a little more than 50% of the calls have been overturned. Just for the record, that’s a greater percentage than players getting hits. It will create a large crack in the credibility of the sport.

We want to believe judges in courts, cops on the street and good people who count the votes in our election. We trust they are fair and honest. For the most part, we want to believe in institutions and the state. But lately, we seem to be doomed to perception rather than reality.

That brings us to politicians. A person is just a person until they run for an office. Then they are transported to a special kind of class and labeled for life. The reason a person might want to run for office varies, we hope they have a true desire to serve the people and make their town, county, city, state or nation better.

Unfortunately, the cost of entry is outrageous and a newly born candidate without name recognition and publicity doesn’t stand a chance of being elected. To get enough money for advertising themselves, they need to shake hands, kiss babies and make promises to donors. It’s the nature of the game.

The shift from doing something good to just being loyal to a donor happens slowly. When they are successful they want to keep their seat of power, which drives them to slowly bend their values. No human who just got a million dollars from Stan the Builder will be objective when dealing with the many demands of constituents. Stan gets his needs met first, then, the newly minted politician figures out what might be good for some of the people.

Once they are in office, and sworn in, that promise to also protect the Constitution has been made, most people in power ignore the basic tenants of the agreement they made with the people. They act more like B.T. Barnum than Abraham Lincoln.

We can see the results of years of neglect and lies in the polls. Judges, politicians and even Presidents have terrible numbers. The approval ratings of these people are less than abysmal and if they were a product, the company would have gone bankrupt years ago.

Back in my marketing days, we used the expression, “Perception is Reality.” The general perception of politicians is that they don’t tell the truth and are corrupt. Once again, if they were a business, the Better Business Bureau would have a field day.

As I sit here in Florida watching TV during the big push for the midterm election, we were bombarded with ads from Super Pac’s and groups who want to own our next Senator. These special interest ads outnumber the regular candidate ads and add to the confusion for the voter.

One spot (for Mike) tells me that Suzie is a terrible liberal who has voted for tax increases 37 times and has become a millionaire in office. The very next spot (paid for by Suzie) claims that Mike has been giving insider information to his donors and has become a millionaire as well. If these people understood anything about marketing and the science of persuasion, they would realize they are doing long-term damage. The net result is a general feeling that ALL POLICIANS ARE CORRUPT.

Now it would be easy to say, well, Rs will hear one thing, and the Ds will hear the other thing, but truth doesn’t come wrapped in a color or owned by a party, person or politician. My totally objective mind will admit there is probably some truth in both messages, but not one of them stated clearly what their plan will be if elected. It’s far better to shit on the other guy than to get serious with a message.

Once they get into office, there is little we can do. It’s difficult to oust them, or sadly, to even get through to them. I used to get responses to my letters, but lately, crickets. Politicians are like drug addicts who are looking for their next fix of funding. Others fall in love with themselves and lust for the bright lights and fame. Clearly, they are not good caretakers of democracy.

So, in baseball, if a batter is only successful less than 30% of the time and the umpire is accurate around 50% of the time, but the ABS system is 100% correct (down to a tenth of an inch), why aren’t they using the technology on every call? What America needs is an ABS system that determines the B.S. that comes out of a politician’s mouth. And can we have it in REAL TIME.

The first thing I request is that all politicians and people in public life stop saying that I hate America. I don’t hate this country, and you disrespect my family who have been here for more than 300 years. I’m just being truthful, so, deal with it.

And next, if we were straight forward, we would all STOP PAYING TAXES until we get more truth and term-limits. If America needs more money, we should get it from people like Elon Musk, who were given great opportunities in America. It’s time for Elon to repay America rather than shitting on it. He should not be allowed to manipulate us.

Stupid is a strong word, and yes, I do realize some people in public life do care, but it’s getting harder and harder to find them.

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16Oct

HOW TO IMPROVE OLD PEOPLE

16 Oct 2026 Dwight Douglas 16 Oct 2026

Look Into the Mirror Just Once

We’ve all seen the TV commercial about young people who buy a house and become their parents. There is a fixed perception of older people talking too much, saying the wrong thing, and generally interfering with other people. That is why the skits are humorous; they are all too true.

We all know people who do act like an old parent, and I wonder if they are aware of how they are perceived. Before we get too far into this observation, it’s important for you to know that I’m 77 years old, so, I’m on your side.

I generally like older folks and respect the experience and knowledge they bring to the table. We all have our own personal timeline, life story and sense of self, but there are some effects of aging that creep into all of us. For example, because of our DNA markers, some of us will suffer getting older and even depart early. While others, whether they smoked a pack a day, drank like a fish, or sunk into the couch like a potato, seem to live forever.

There are things you can do to work on longevity but eventually we will all run out of time. We can’t work on making the world a better place by ignoring other people. We all must deal with other people on their timeline and territory. Thus, the article.

We would all love to just freeze our 29-year-old selves when we were less altruistic, carefree and beautiful, but it’s not possible. Oh, we can dye our hair, take miracle weight loss drugs and start to dress like a teenager, but you aren’t fooling anyone. You still look old.

As we cosmetically remodel ourselves, we must comprehend, it is only a temporary fix. Even with Botox and beauty shops, they can give us hope, but eventually, we must get back to the real us. If we do not keep weeding the psychological garden, those temporary pills and potions will never reverse aging. Living in denial might keep you stable, but we should find contentment with our own age-appropriate self.

What most people do not realize is how their face at rest looks to the rest of us. If someone took a photo of your face, you might see that you look angry or bothered or worse, constipated, and sad — all the time!

Remember that old quip our parents would say, “What if your face froze like that?” Well, some people’s faces look like they froze like that! It is an easy fix. Like a flight attendant trained to smile, you can start by putting on a positive face. Try it.

Another analysis of retired people’s attitude is how much we transmit negativity. Sure, we all have bad days, but why must we psychologically vomit on everybody? I would love to carry a counter to click every time one of my peers complains. When they get to ten, I would love to hand them a yellow card, like in soccer. And if they continue, they will get a red card, which denotes dismissal. I must admit there are certain people I have disqualified out of my life. At 77, I don’t wanna waste my time on hearing about how bad things are. Speaking of hearing, if you have hearing aids, would you please wear them. I’m tired of repeating things and shouting.

When people my age get together, why do we waste the first hour of each gathering reviewing all of our ailments, maladies and medical events. I don’t need to memorize your chart; I just want to have a good time with you. I comprehend why these facts are important to us, but we’re all dealing with declining health, so, keep it brief.

We have all shifted further away from that carefree, daredevil invincible spirit of youth and we all do have our dark moments. For What It’s Worth, the 1966 Buffalo Springfield song reminds us with this verse 4 line, “Paranoia strikes deep, into your life, it will creep. It starts when you’re always afraid.” That is obvious, but how do we avoid living in fear?

With all we’ve been through, it’s totally reasonable, but here’s some advice. There are fewer reasons to be afraid and more things to look forward to. It’s just a fact.

If you are afraid of a vaccine or a politician or the kids playing in the street, you’ve got to consider why you are afraid. For the “glass is half full” people, I must say your fear and loathing don’t add anything to our relationship. It takes two to tango.

I’m not making fun when I point out that I’ve had several friends call me and talk about the “S” word — suicide. I’m not equipped to help you and I am never sure how to handle the suggestion of self-determined endings with an old friend. There is a difference between clinical depression and acting like our parents. The plague of mental illness infecting the older mind is real and your helplessness must be dealt with by a medical professional, not a half-baked writer. Don’t wait to get help.

We must stop with our regressive analysis of everything. Many things were better in the past, like running, jumping and making love, but we are never going back to $0.75 a gallon gasoline. Enjoy your memories, but they should not make you feel sad.

Because we’ve lived so long, some of us believe we are a privileged class and deserve be able to use our “critical judgment” as a weapon against everybody. Please refrain from being “Debbie Downer” at every turn. Your dirty house daughter-in-law needs a maid, not your constant rebuke and harassment. Stop making someone else’s life miserable.

That brings us to the “D” word — death. All of us must deal with the inevitable reality. I sure don’t want to die and I find myself saying, “Life is too short to worry about that.” It doesn’t always work, but at least you know where I stand.

We all have challenges and mountains to climb, so, please let us work on some empathy and loads of love to get through each day. Fix your face, work on your attitude, and muster up some positive thoughts. You’ll feel better and we will all enjoy your company more.

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16Sep

TRUMP IS 600% WRONG ABOUT AI

16 Sep 2026 Dwight Douglas 16 Sep 2026

The naivete of our leader will hurt us

Any concept of modernity is beyond this president’s comprehension. Whenever he makes so ill-informed comments or suggestions in any technical area, he embarrasses himself.

Technology has always been a hallmark of this democracy and should be taken seriously. We cannot put our heads in the sand and ignore the impact of Artificial Intelligence. Trump’s vacillations on policies are the by-product of the Tech Bros manipulation and money.

As someone who worked in the software industry for almost 2 decades, I’m quite aware of the complexity and challenge of software. We can already see the effect on the human mind, the economy of the world and the general stability of all countries and governments.

With billions of lines of code, any small mistake could take down a nation’s aviation system or make it easier for a nefarious player to interfere with a country’s economy banking system by disabling the internal itself. When the ATMs stop working, there will be panic in the streets.

Donald Trump’s inability to comprehend the simplest use of math should dictate he be not involved in any decision, legislation or law governing AI. When the leader of the free world claims he’s going to lower drug prices by 600%, there is a screw loose somewhere.

If a price is ‘X’ you can only lower that price of that commodity or service in percentages no greater than 100%. And Mr. “genius” president, lowering it by 100% would mean the drug would be free and lowering it by 600%, would mean the drug manufacturer would have to pay the customer six times the list price to get them to take your prescription. It’s just math. It is fourth grade math.

This is TRUE: imagine all the possible knowledge in the world on one computer. That is what AI is. This is beyond what you can get on the internet and has the potential to do everything a human does, and in most cases, better.

Now imagine the president using the word, “hoax.” He turns to that phrase for anything he cannot control or change. It is a hoax because he never took the time to really learn the facts. He said the same thing about Covid-19, it was all a big hoax, until he got it.

Maybe Trump should ask AI if “it” thinks it’s a hoax. He might be surprised how articulate the answer might be. None of Trump’s sycophants would ever admit AI was smarter than Trumpy. After all, this is the same man who claimed global warming was a huge hoax. If Donald took the time to talk to a family shoveling mud out of their homes because of floods, he might see the lack of empathy, calling something that is REAL, a hoax. People who suffer know what is real. When is the last time he showed any empathy for floods, tornado or fire victims? It’s like he lives somewhere else.

POTUS lies about most things. He raps about his successful war, while the prices at the pump keep rising. He says all we need to protect the USA from AI is a “high IQ president.” Well, let’s find one then.

This insanity about losing to the Chinese when this administration cut billions of dollars in vital research funding. Purely, oxymoronic. The brain drain in all science fields is quite verifiable. The smartest people in all areas of science and research are leaving America. Unfortunately, creating a scapegoat or boogieman is easier than committing to finding the facts and learning the truth.

If AI represents another “space race” then we are stumbling out of the gate. One day a candidate for Congress says he’ll “block all data centers,” then Trump says, “don’t do that,” and even though the majority of the voters don’t want data centers in their backyard, Republicans just take the bad advice and never ask for a better way.

The remaining 30%, the Trump cult, never seems to see Trump’s real intent. Pay attention, when he is against something, it is because he cannot make money from it. If he is positive about something, it means he has figured out a way to exploit it financially for himself. Our president is the real Doctor Evil, a cynical old fat man who is currently killing his party before their own eyes. Blind ambition on steroids will hurt the common man.

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27Aug

HEARTACHE FOR AMERICA

27 Aug 2026 Dwight Douglas 27 Aug 2026

Why can’t things change?

I’m not prone to depression or negative thoughts, but recently I’m feeling something about America that’s not healthy. One of the tropes I hear daily is because I’m a member of a specific party or hold values different from the current administration, then I must hate America. Not true!

I love America, it’s only certain Americans I have a major conflict with. Why do people make it so binary? People are complicated and to unite them we must focus on common values. Why are we forced into a corner? We can’t all be tree huggers or flag huggers, somewhere in the middle we must find a way to get along, be productive and free.

Since moving to Florida almost 10 years ago, the people in state government have never made me feel welcome. It’s always been a “us vs. them” philosophy. As time goes on, I realize the real problem is a principle some have never learned, it’s Newton’s Third Law of Motion, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

For those who have spent any time on my blog they know exactly what I think of our current president. In fact, I’ve written more than million words about him; few positive.

One might ask, why waste your time? I’ve asked myself that same question and I guess the answer is I love my country more than I like my government. With all the self-dealing, aggrandizement and lack of real priorities, I feel we are all at the mercy of lunatics and crooks.

Most people — and that means the majority — don’t like this President, the Congress or the Supreme Court. We’re not a bunch of spoiled brats here in the USA. We’re just people in need of stability, certainty and a way to stay ahead of personal debt. While gold seems to be everywhere in the White House, people are paying more for everything.

When the national debt went over $40 trillion the other day, no one in Congress yelled, “You lied to us!” Donald Trump’s ultimate demise will come when 80% of the citizens of this great land realize he knows nothing about economics, business, math, empathy or sense of common decency. So far, we’ve spent $37.5 billion on the military conflict with Iran. Gee, what could that money have gone to that would have helped Americans? Think about those who have lost their homes to fires or floods.

When his government cut school lunches for kids and cancer research, this should have been a clear message. But some people just don’t care. The way the White House is spending our money is a glaring siren screaming “wrong priorities!” In the richest country of the world, people are getting poorer. Isaac Newton would calmly explain in plain English the reason we are talking so much about socialism is because the common man can’t seem to get ahead.

America always baked in a certain number of social programs to keep the populace feeling good about the future. It’s not necessary to rewrite the constitution to help the underprivileged get a foot up in economic downtimes or natural disasters. If the geniuses in D.C. understood history, they will remember that when there was no bread in France, the king lost his head.

Another thing that bugs me are these elitist rich guy comments from Trump’s team that are akin to the old “Let them eat cake!” JD Vance is guilty as charged. The administration should comprehend when the real hillbillies turn against you, you’ll have some real problems on your hands.

There is this notion, a truly unchristian-like attitude, that if you give people some bread, they will stop working to make their own bread. Poverty is not an American-only reality, but the countries who deal with it, generally are more stable politically. Remember that old line from Bob Dylan, “When you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose” from Like a Rolling Stone. Poor people don’t steal because of greed; they do so because of need.

The heartache is driven by the reality that the people given the most airtime are there for entertainment or to feed a drama based on conflict. Those on the far right or far left never take the time to fully understand the impact of their words. Truth died with Trump and there will be no resurrection until he’s gone.

Sure, you can denigrate me and I could either shut up or move, but this is just as much my country as it is for those self-ordained ideologues. After all, I’m just a kid from Pittsburgh; I’m not your enemy.

15Aug

RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES

15 Aug 2026 Dwight Douglas 15 Aug 2026

Are We Really Being Smart?

I love America but I’m getting a little tired of the hype, lies and blame we hear daily. Must we, as the world’s wealthiest nation, suffer through this misguided effort. The current politicians who have captured our government seem to have all the wrong priorities.

Sure, we have enough money to feed 333 million people, especially school children, but we would rather have the magic wand of capitalism do its work, even if it means cutting social programs.

The one part of the budget that wastes the most money is the military. We want to be protected, and this writer doesn’t want to “defund the police” or the army, but we’ve got to understand the ramifications of our actions. Do we really need another trillion-dollar war?

Recently I heard someone say, “You know if the president was smart, he would…” and then they state an obvious solution to some vexing problem. Well, are we to assume that the President of the United States cannot see a solution right before his eyes? Well, we’ve seen him in office for more than six years and he appears to be an incurable disease.

He is either talking too much, taking bad advice, or only hearing what he himself believes to be true. The rest he ignores. When you declare you know more than everyone, how could anyone possibly counsel you, Mr. President?

There doesn’t seem to be any discussion, it’s just “ready, fire, aim.” Being a good leader means you’ve got to see the bigger picture. You must comprehend that everything you do must be put through the “cause and effect” analysis. For example, if you wanted to get Iran to do what you want them to do, you would first secure the Strait of Hormuz. And you would do this before you bombed them.

Sure, hindsight is always 20/20 but, in most cases the current POTUS is not a particularly good listener. This is the man who made fun of “global warming” and denies “climate change.” The danger of his miscalculations is quite apparent. Massive fires are out of control and will destroy people’s livelihood and homes. Other cities have flooded streets and roadways. We are seeing the hottest temperatures in history which help produce high winds and tormenting rain. There appears to be zero plans to solve the misery of the people. The White House just lives in its own news cycle.

One would think the “real priorities” are wrapped up in reflecting pools, ballrooms and getting his name on a theater in DC rather than focusing on the real disasters. The redundant rhetoric and cantankerous claims of the leader of the free world are really getting tired.

A botched attempt at war drove up inflation. Tariffs have driven up prices. No one is screaming back on Capitol Hill. The answer to things is much simpler than these lackies that make it seem. If I hear one more person tell me that I don’t understand something because it’s complicated, I think I will throw up. And the first target of my regurgitation will be RFK Jr.

Take the current problem of drinking water in Puerto Rico. Nobody in the administration seems to care. Even news reporters attempt to get through to Trump by reminding us that Puerto Ricans are American citizens. Why haven’t we gone to places like Aruba to see how they turn saltwater into drinking water? They’ve been doing it for almost one hundred years. Every time we move forward on a plan to do the same thing, the government says it’s too expensive. It’s water, we must pay for water ANYWAY, so why not tap the ever-enlarging ocean? The dimwitted wannabe demigods in D.C. can’t see solutions that could help real people.

Most of the elected fools only live for talking points and political posturing and propaganda. Now they turn to the old boogeyman offering and use FEAR as the motivation in asking for their vote. DATA CENTERS have been around for decades. They are already in your backyard; you just didn’t know where they were. Now, with all this hype on AI and invading buildings that will “use up all our electricity and water.” They are telling us, “We must stop these guys.” More development from big tech is a problem for you. Really? People tend to use technology as a God-given right. The anti-data centers conspiracy theory is rich, knowing how many politicians took contributions from those same tech bros coming to take land and build a large building.

First, they told us to ban Critical Race Theory, which by passing laws against even talking about it, means it’s not a theory, it’s REAL. The “theory” for those who care, was an observation that white people will pass laws to keep the Black man down. Or at least quiet.

Then they moved to “woke theory,” where if you had progressive thoughts and a modicum of empathy and ultraism, you were the enemy. The maga men marched in to destroy DEI because diversity was “un-American?” This coming from the grandsons of German and Italian immigrants. Newborn bigots.

Now the new enemy is the old gripe of “not in my backyard” or NIMBY. Let’s trick the voters into voting against data setters, which sooner or later will be approved anyway. With the billions of dollars being spent on AI, big tech will not be stopped. But there is an answer right there before our eyes.

Why not get something for our “troubles?” Communities should demand wealthy data firms build wind turbine farms, or large solar farms and powerful water treatment plants. Why can’t we all benefit? Imagine if all your electricity and water were free. Why aren’t we talking about compromise? The citizens are already using the data from these centers; they just don’t realize it.

Instead of constantly telling us what is wrong with America, why not start looking for real solutions? Why not focus on how to lower the prices of food, healthcare and help people with affordable home loans? Most right-winged political operatives are trying to make us hate each other by calling people communists, when the people in Washington are ignoring those wife beaters, child abusers and pedophiles in their midst.

Why don’t we ask, “If we take this action or make this law, is the result good for the majority of America?” The laws they write with some claim of progress only pay back a small cadre of investors. They shouldn’t be called “donors,” they should be called “bribers.” Helping large donors get richer doesn’t seem like “America First,” at all.

The ideological manipulation of laws on the local level must stop. These nefarious rules and policies tend to disenfranchise voters. We don’t need a fast talking lying grifter to waste our money. It’s not your money, it’s OUR money, Donald. I don’t need a billion-dollar ballroom, but there are some kids in states that voted for you that are going without breakfast at school. Why?

The current corruption executed by this White House proves the president has lost his way, and our real priorities have been ignored. Maybe he’s just too old or isolated or angry to do the right thing. The solutions are right in front of him. It’s not too late to figure it out. The answer is right before our eyes. We need to end the Donald J. Trump presidency.

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3Aug

SHARKS EAT LITTLE FISH

3 Aug 2026 Dwight Douglas 3 Aug 2026

What Should Really Happen

I might be old-fashioned, but I like my church separated from my state and prefer my media be guarded from unreasonable and unlawful interference from the government. I do feel we’ve lost our core values these days.

I suggest it might be better to post a framed copy of the First Amendment in American classrooms rather than the 10 Commandments. I would make sure the First Amendment was boldened:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

It’s pretty clear but it doesn’t talk about ownership of the press or whether some wealthy person might be able to buy up all the published newspapers when it ran a story a privileged person didn’t like. But isn’t that where we are right now?

Not too long ago, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and thus the government held that a company or person could only own 7 AM radio stations, 7 FM radio stations and 7 TV stations. I’m not sure how the Commission determined 7 was the right number, but that seemed to work. It gave America a variety of opinions, formats and coverage.

Of course, from the beginning, each station had to prove they were serving the community or as the official language goes, “the public interest.” There used to be a joke in the media business, ownership of a broadcast facility was a license to print money. During the Clinton administration, deregulation took away ownership limits, and the bankers and investors took over Radio and TV.

Companies with big pockets could not only program radio and TV stations but also create networks which were less regulated but very lucrative. NBC’s radio network became so large and powerful that the government stepped in and split the network into two, with one sold off to create ABC in 1943.

The role of the state has always been to protect the public from one man or one party or one corporation’s opinion dominating the minds of America.

Our very strong antitrust regulations were designed to guarantee fair trade, a ban on monopolies and price fixing and generally, a level playing field for all. We want to make sure monopolies don’t run roughshod over customers and competitors in America; it’s part of who we are. The big sharks in the water will feed on the little fish, and it’s gotten out of control.

Who does control the content we watch and consume? The entertainment business gets its content from the major film studios. The big five are Universal, Paramount, Warner Brothers, Walt Disney and Sony Pictures.

Paramount, along with its parent company SkyDance Media run by David Ellison, son of Larry Ellison, wants to buy up as much as possible and because both father and son are such big Trump supporters, they are getting unreasonable treatment and green lights without proper hearings.

When you own a studio, you will also own many cable channels, like Paramount: Paramount Network, Comedy Central, VH1, CMT, TV Land, LGBTQ+, Nickelodeon, BET, MTV2, MTV Classic, Smithsonian Channel and Showtime. But Ellison wants to own more.

SkyDance Media wants to take over: TBS, TNT, TCM, TruTV, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, Investigation Discovery, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and wait for it, CNN. Why would one entity own all this programming and influence?

The FCC was granted a special charter that gave them the duty to unify regulations. No state can rule on broadcasting in the USA. The commision was also there to prevent TV or radio interference on a technical level and protect the public from nefarious players who might ignore public interest. That definition of public interest and community standards has been abused by the FCC in the past.

Under the Trump administration, the FCC has been damaged by a lack of appointees. Where we should have 7 commissioners, we have only three! Why?

The law states the majority party may have most seats on the FCC but the chairman is usually from the president’s party, not sure why that’s right but most of Washington makes up the rules as they go along. I certainly don’t feel properly represented with only one Democrat on the FCC.

The real problem with the FCC is its chairman, Brendan Carr who acts as Trump’s puppet. Here is a question, how could it be that in order for the Redstone family to sell CBS to the Ellison family, Stephen Colbert had to be fired? This far-fetched fraud that the number one show in that slot was canceled for financially reasons is, as Richard Nixon would have said, poppycock!

And now Paramount wants to merge with Warner Brothers. There is no way the FCC and das commissar Carr would approve this merger if Comcast or a Democratic billionaire wanted to buy it. How did Warners end up owning so much of America’s media landscape?

Clearly, it’s time the court steps in. The lawsuit brought by twelve state Attorney Generals has merit and must be taken seriously. While this is going on, Carr is attempting to eliminate the 35% ownership penetration rule, which could mean, one person, or one corporation could control ALL BROADCAST and CABLE COMPANIES.

My solution: first CNN should be put into a public trust governed by a special free-speech Commission with three Republicans, three Democrats and one independent. They would be appointed to five-year terms after congressional approval via the congressional hearing process.

Like “Ma Bell,” the Warner Brothers properties must be broken apart and sold to groups with no attachment to Skydance and the Ellison family. This ownership conundrum, if not dealt with right now, will create a biased control of opinion and facts.

CBS News under Ellison’s has already shown that Skydance is not worthy of greater penetration and expansion into the media landscape of America.

Next the FCC must immediately get to a full quorum with seven commissioners. Brendan Carr must be replaced. He’s proven by his threats, pronouncements and actions is not protecting the public interest. More specifically, Mr. Carr is biased.

There you have it, fair and balanced and better for America. Please call your Congress person and warn them.

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by Dwight C. Douglas

NOTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON : A Positive Look at the Negative Policies, Ideas and People Destroying Our Great Country

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19May

JACKASS OF AMERICA

19 May 2026 Dwight Douglas 19 May 2026

Head Censor at the F.C.C. Brendan Carr

When I first made notes for this piece, I was trying to figure out what to call the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. My first choice, “asshole,” but I felt would have violated the commission’s previous rulings on bodily functions, so I moved to “horse’s ass.” That too, seemed a bit rurally motivated, so I settled on “jackass.” The term originates from the Latin word “asinus” meaning donkey, combined with “jack” to indicate the male gender.

Donkeys are generally shorter than horses or bulls. And the fact his father was one of Nixon’s lawyers makes this Trump revenge tour feels like the old “enemies lists” of Tricky-Dicky. We should remind our readers; Nixon resigned from office after we found out he was complicit in a robbery in an attempt manipulate an election.

Why do we even have an F.C.C.? We already have this: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” But the origin of the agency, ah, I mean, commission was more a technical rule maker and licensing agency than overseer of truth or facts.

The donkeys at the FCC obviously don’t know the law. The Federal Communications Commission does not have the power to censor radio and television broadcasts, as it is expressly prohibited from doing so by the First Amendment and Section 326 of the Communications Act. The government cannot preview content before it airs, ban specific political viewpoints, or pull a station’s license because an official dislikes a host’s commentary. One would assume a blanket power of eliminating dissenting voices would be a violation and a strong form of censorship.

The original Communications Act of 1934 required broadcasters to operate in the “public interest,” but also gave the President broad authority to manage or control communication channels during wartime or a national crisis. Congress needs to better define the word “crisis” due to the 47^th President’s misuse of the term. We are not in a crisis, Mr. Carr.

Congress never viewed the “public airwaves” as the same as print publication. The theory here is the air — molecules of ether — are in the public domain and therefore, no one person or company can own the frequencies, they just “rent” the channel for a term. To gain renewal one must meet certain “public interest” requirements. The small number of revocations were done so because of obvious violations such as fraud, technical non-compliance or lack of use of the license.

The Commission is not a court, but many of their decisions have landed in courts. And over time, we have learned that protecting children is one argument that gave us the famous 1978 “Seven Dirty Words” Supreme Court decision, which clarified what is “indecent” speech and set a vague precedent for what shouldn’t be broadcast. If you want to know about the “seven dirty words case” just google it. It involved a non-commercial radio station in New York City.

Howard Stern came under the microscope at the F.C.C. and because of complaints about what some thought was obscene or indecent speech, stations were fined. The shit storm in this case was more about sexual innuendo and suggestive language not only from the performers and DJs, but also a Congressional investigation of the lyrics of rock songs. You may not remember but leading the charge against this need to warn us about lyrics was Al Gore’s wife, Tipper. The result; those warning stickers on CDs and albums.

During the 1990s, the F.C.C. focused more on the so-called “shock jocks” and fined Stern specifically, $2.5 million. The penalties were levied against licensees of Howard’s show between 1990 and 2004. That was the most for any radio program and motivated him to move to the less regulated satellite radio platform.

I remember writing an article defending Howard Stern by asking a simple question, if a performer on the air uses a euphemism or innuendo, wouldn’t that show a desire to not say the forbidden word or phrase? Why is avoiding the more gross way of depicting something wrong? But the F.C.C. in many of the cases, held that innuendo just as offensive as the actual term or depiction. This wasn’t the first time the government told us what we meant.

They focused on “bodily functions” humor and part in their logic was to protect the kids until later at night when they were supposedly sleeping. Kids today are up all night on their phones and can watch, read and listen to whatever they want.

Speaking of mean girls, Brendan Carr is just another short-little, inside-the-beltway bitch who loves Donald Trump more than our country, the law or the constitution. Just listen to him, he’s not serving the public, he’s serving his golden idol and himself.

One of things I have to say about all these political appointee maga-manical people is how thin their collective skins seem to be and how dense they are with nuance and humor. Brendan Carr is known for quick quips and quotes, which he thinks are funny. I am here to tell you; BRENDAN CARR is not funny. Even a jackass is funny three times a day; yes, that is a bodily function joke. Trump thinks he’s funny as well, but the truth is, we are not laughing at $4 a gallon gas. NOT FUNNY!

Here are some facts. The Redstone family, who owned CBS wanted to sell the company. Larry and David Ellison (Oracle) are very friendly with Donald Trump and put together money from international sources — including the Saudis — and bid to buy CBS and Paramount. Trump told Carr to tell the Redstones the only way they could consummate the deal is if they first fired Stephen Colbert. CBS fired him, and then the deal was approved. They can deny it all they want, but those are the facts.

Then, Trump wanted to go after Jimmy Kimmel because he doesn’t like his jokes and critical opinions, so Carr threatened the licenses of ABC. After Kimmel criticized the way the maga world was handling comments about an accused assassin of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, Kimmel was taken off the air. When viewers revolted and executed massive cancellations at Disney Plus, Kimmel returned to his job. Even the conservative owner/operators (affiliates) who kept him off a week longer, finally deflected Carr’s threats and put Kimmel back on TV.

Brendan Carr’s comments about “doing things the easy way or the hard way,” alarmed not only hard core First Amendment people, but also conservative and libertarian types of all stripes. Carr attempted to use political equal time rules to go after ABC and confused the definition of entertainment and news programming. At the stroke of his pen, Carr unilaterally expanded the rule to include many talk show interviews that were previously exempt. Clearly, this should have been done by the book. Chairman Brendan can’t just make laws, Congress does.

And in case you were wondering, Reagan eliminated the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, which was created in 1949. In June 1987, Reagan vetoed a bill passed by Congress that would have written the Fairness Doctrine into federal law. Following the veto, the FCC voted to abolish the doctrine, arguing it violated broadcasters’ First Amendment free speech rights.

Back to the letter of the law, 47 US Code Section 326 says, nothing in this section “shall be understood or construed to give the Commission the power of censorship over the radio communications or signals transmitted by any radio station, and no regulation or condition shall be promulgated or fixed by the Commission which shall interfere with the right of free speech by means of radio communication.” So, why can’t someone bring Brendan Carr to the woodshed? Because Congress is negligent in their duties to oversee this body.

As much as I hate the “what about them” argument we hear all the time, well, here goes. Fox News is a cable channel, therefore, doesn’t need a federal license to operate, but Fox does own TV stations and their licenses were never put under a microscope when they knowingly broadcast false information about the 2020 election. They, and other news networks were sued by the company that makes voting machines and during discovery we saw the Fox commentators’ intent to deceive the American public. No challenges, no big press conference, Rupert Murdoch’s company just paid the money, just like they did when sexual harassment in the workplace was found. Another possible reason for revocation of their licenses.

Surely, we can point to this Napoleonic self-serving twit heading the F.C.C. as nothing more than Trump’s beast of burden; the jackass following the large horse’s ass in the White House. Brendan is just another Trump sycophant phoney and his “aggressive” activities at the Commission must be stopped by Congress.

As Carr said in the recent Financial Times interview that he believes it’s his duty to “fix journalism.” Really? I ask the question, is journalism broken because you don’t like what the news people are reporting, or are you really trying to force your viewpoint, political beliefs and sense of humor on America?

Mr. Carr has already admitted the F.C.C. is not an independent institution. He’s admitting openly and publicly that the commission is a tool for Donald Trump to use, and as Carr declared, “Trump is winning.” His illusion of absolute power is wrong. Brendan is far more corrupt and believes his opinions are more important than the American right for a free press. He is repulsive. Remember, before Colbert was fired the Late Show was #1 in the time slot. People liked him and watched every night.

My idea for a T-shirt is a picture of a jackass and the words, “Nothing will get better until they are all gone.” The first person I would eliminate from the government would be Brendan Carr because he is the enemy of the Constitution.

LATEST BOOK

by Dwight C. Douglas

NOTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON : A Positive Look at the Negative Policies, Ideas and People Destroying Our Great Country

Get your copy today, right here. The book is also available in AUDIO form, here.

4Apr

GLOBALISM VERSUS LOCALISM

4 Apr 2026 Dwight Douglas 4 Apr 2026

Trump’s myopic view of economics

From the beginning of time, when someone had something you wanted, you either forced the person to give it to you or you used a more efficient and civilized method to get it. The fastest and least bloody approach was to buy or trade or barter for it. Fair trade is simple: both parties leave satisfied with the transaction. It’s always been important to maintain goodwill with a trading partner because possible future exchanges are always on the table.

The level of demand for available supply is a key factor in determining price. When supply is low and demand is strong, one can charge more.

When the world got smaller, goods originating in one place could be purchased to be sold freely in other places with prices that satisfied both seller and buyer. No one country could produce everything it needed or what its people came to want, so trading partners looked at price and quality first, not the location of production. So long as you got what you wanted, the cycle was free to operate organically.

After World War II, we sent business experts to Japan to help with the country’s recovery after it surrendered to the United States. After all, we had dropped two atomic bombs on their industrial centers and killed more than 250,000 people. Completely apart from any moral question — and at the time, military experts had calculated more than 268,000 American lives would be lost in a ground invasion — it was good for business. Good until the mid-’60s, when the United States began showing a trade deficit with Japan. My first transistor radio was made in Japan and most of the electronics I’ve purchased over the years have come from Asian markets.

Trade deficits can solve as many problems as they create, but in our country, running trade deficits has increased the buying power of Americans and raised the standard of living for people who might not otherwise have had the money to enjoy the benefits of globalism in a balanced market. At the same time, our manufacturing base dwindled. We could not competitively produce things we bought from other countries.

American smarts have always driven new innovations around the world, but to manufacture the physical products, we needed to produce high quality at a lower price. The US looked at outsourcing our manufacturing to other countries to do that. We turned to globalism for the development of our ideas.

Mr. Trump’s closed mind on the aspect of globalism demonstrates his need for power and control, even if he must lie to keep it. His vindictive prejudicial attitudes will turn off the most hardened capitalist. The President believes that everyone around the world owes us something (from the beginning of time) and all those people selling and buying have been ripping us off? It’s not logical how America grew into the largest economy in the world by being abused by traders paying top dollars for our products. Senseless.

Apple computers and eventually iPhones are manufactured overseas to maximize profit for an American company, which in turn fired up innovation. They can be made more cheaply there — workers earn less, manufacturing is less stringently regulated. Research and Development (R&D) always costs a lot of money and every unit sold is paramount. This can be achieved faster in the borderless state of the mass market. It’s the same thing in pharmaceuticals.

Mass markets are the result of globalism, not localism. In a perfect world, one could have used tariffs to protect American workers more strictly but as we’ve painfully learned, more tariffs always mean higher prices.

While U.S. companies strive to regulate costs of production in part by suppressing wages, they seek to produce high-quality products. But in this country, keeping wages level cuts into buying power as other costs of production rise. Fluctuations in price have always been a burden on the middle class because most of us are on a fixed income. This is what creates conundrum of limiting the buying power of those who could benefit by a more fair-trade arrangement.

Trump always thinks he is the smart smartest guy in the room, but when his basic premise is wrong, he will hurt us. His insistence on only one right way gets in the way of the natural evolution of a marketplace, and I might add, science and innovation.

By constantly bragging how much he’s done for our economy, he fails to understand the two dynamics of globalism. His mantra of “America First” might resonate in politics, but in economics it’s based on the myth we must create everything here. We can’t. And the trickle-down economics promise is a large lie.

When prices go up because of wars, bad rules and policies American consumers get hurt. Simply saying it’s “temporary” makes it seem like we will get some rebate further down the road for the expensive gasoline we bought now. We won’t.

Trump’s inability to admit he’s wrong could not only hurt the economy but hurt and kill people. It already has. His lack of empathy isn’t a good business model. It’s only going to damage us in the long run. There is already a brain-drain to other countries due to healthcare, research and university cuts. When other countries bring innovation to the market, we generally will have to pay more for it.

Slicing most of the money for cancer research is so short sighted and reckless it’s amazing that more citizens aren’t circling the White House and screaming bloody murder. It’s obvious Trump’s policies are not popular and even some of his closest advisers are reported to be frustrated. Although it’s doubtful Trump ever hears the mild dissent inside.

Trump appears to be ready to protect Artificial Intelligence from state regulation by knee-capping local lawmakers. This action is directly opposite to his sales pitch of always saying he wants to give states more power. It’s just another lie.

Donald Trump can attempt to manipulate the stock market with his tweets and diatribes but he’s not aware of what’s really going on. The support he has now from the very rich is just as transactional as Trump is himself. If he screws up the economy this year and the Democrats take the House and Senate in the midterms, these same cheerleaders will turn against him. The American oligarchs will start their search for another puppet they can manipulate for their personal gain.

Trump’s best days are over.

LATEST BOOK

by Dwight C. Douglas

NOTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON : A Positive Look at the Negative Policies, Ideas and People Destroying Our Great Country

Get your copy today, right here. The book is also available in AUDIO form, here.

15Mar

THE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE OF THE DONALD

15 Mar 2026 Dwight Douglas 15 Mar 2026

The problem with constantly lying

In the early 1900s, Leon Festinger an American psychologist coined the term “cognitive dissonance,” and it was an amazing observation. It’s not a complicated term, it simply means holding two or more contradictory beliefs, values or attitudes and exhibiting behavior that conflicts with those beliefs. This psychological tension motivates people to attempt to reduce their inconsistencies by changing their behaviors, or rationalizing their actions or worse, ignoring conflicting information. This is Trump.

If you lose an election, you announce to the world the election was rigged, and you actually won the contest. In the chaos that follows, you claim victory. In many countries, this prolonged turmoil could take down a democracy.

The Iran war is just another demonstration of his lack of clarity. For whatever reasons Donald J Trump throws out, he believes the many different beliefs, values and attitudes he states at any given time is all he needs to justify his war. If you distill all the opinions and misinformation, one realizes he was started a war with Iran because he doesn’t like them. Recently he even admitted he really had no desire or intention to negotiate with Iran. He claims to want to forge a new restrictive nuclear treaty, but no country believes him. He’s lost all credibility with the world.

Donald’s inability to understand what was in the last treaty — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) he tore up within days of taking office — isn’t as important as his personal opinion. He just wants to punish the government of the Islamic country because they wouldn’t give him total control. He said he wanted to pick the new leader of the country himself. And he tells the press, only he can determine when the war is over, saying, “I’ll feel in my bones.” Could that be the bone spurs talking?

In Trump’s mind it was easier and more efficient to bomb a country than wait for a negotiated compromise? It feels like the true crime plot where the husband kills the wife because he thinks it’s easier than divorce. Sure, it made a hell of a show demonstrating American military might, but why? But this is not a TV show, this is real life, with real people having to deal with the hell of war. Was his reason for jumping the gun now, just a large nudge from Netanyahu?

What Trump fails to sell properly to America is this notion that he’s helping the Iranian people by bombing the Iranian people. It’s the dissonance he produces with a claim he should get a peace prize while killing people. It’s not some form of “tough love,” it’s more like what a dangerous abusive father does to his kids when he “teaches them a lesson.” It’s not logical and it smells like Putin.

Could this whole Iran conflict be part of a larger plan to take all the oil in the world? He said oil prices going up helps the USA. Really? What economic reality does he live in?

Sure, the leaders of Iran threated to destroy Israel and openly stated they would like to murder our president, but if you judged our president by his words and actions, you might conclude he promotes violence against citizens who disagree with him and he is a colossal failure at quelling the growing hate in America. We might say, he’s feckless, and not unlike the people he professes to be saving Iran from.

If Trump were to bomb every country in which their leaders, (elected or not) hold absolute power over their people, we would have World War III. Not to mention the president, who is the titular head of a movement in this country that believes in theocracy, is determined to bring to its knees the kind of theocracy the militant Christians seeks here. Remember the leader in Iran is called the Supreme Leader, like a deity.

I remember a business associate once declaring “a great salesman always falls in love with another talented salesperson.” I’ve adjusted it a bit with, “a con man or wannabe dictator always has an affinity for others who bully, manipulate and con their way through life. But in the case of Iran, our salesman-in-chief wants to do him one better. We must ask ourselves why. The military conflict did dilute the Epstein coverage.

Lies can be employed, but in today’s diverse media landscape, microchip world, the truth and facts tend to land simultaneously and to your preferred political cocoon. In music when two or more notes clash or sound off the term is dissonance. The sound is ugly and the reaction by most listeners is repulsion. When one lies most of the time, eventually the lie gets toppled by the facts and the truth. When this happens, the liar begins to look incompetent, or even stupid. It’s gets worse when the sycophants around the president try to launder the lie.

Cognitive dissonance creators like Trump, can’t seem to get out of the way of their own message. That might explain why it feels as if our president shows deference to Kim Jong Un, another supreme leader or Vladimir Putin, elected de facto president for life. I’ve never believed giving Putin a pass was good for America, but Trump just doesn’t show strength toward most strong men because he’s in awe of their success. He wants to be them, if we’d only let him.

If you are MAGA loyalist, you might argue, “just have faith.” Sure, he’s the president, but in this country, he can’t justify his heavy-handed logic when people are starving to death or die for lack of medical attention, and worse, shot to death in our streets. Just because you think your guy is right doesn’t make it right. Every action and deed must be judged on moral and sound justifications.

The man says no more foolish and costly wars, while he carries out the start of a war that will cost more than ONE BILLION dollars per day. Right now, President Trump is now in conflict with candidate Trump. Did he lie about “no more wars” just to get elected? What is extremely annoying is Trump’s weakness of being easily seduced and manipulated by Neo-Cons like Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham. They talked him into bombing Iran. The greatest challenge here: Who else might manipulate our president?

When Donald Trump brags about how great it was to arrest and extract the leader of Venezuela, he forgets the government didn’t change. Political prisoners are still being held. He’s apparently thinking about doing the same in Iran. Just bomb, say you won and walk away. But let’s be sober here. Not everything can be Joe Biden’s fault. Trump must own his own war.

The effects of this cognitive dissonance can be mental fog in which new information struggles to surface. And this constant defending his harmful behavior makes him seem so defensive and silly. It seems to me we have arrived at the foggy bottom of his brain. Every question Trump is asked is answered through the filter “how will this make me look?” The truth only serves a purpose if it contributes to the “looking good” part.

His use of ad hominem in almost every speech and press conference doesn’t move anything forward. It’s how he deflects from delivering bad news. He fills our collective brains with so many complains about Democrats or other evil forces he hopes the person listening will miss the point. This cluttering the mind lessens his meaning or worse, nullifies his major point and clouds the communication.

President Trump is even guilty of disagreeing with himself in the same paragraph. The latest Hamburger Helper he dishes out is a notion that both comments could be true. He thinks it makes him look thoughtful or word wise. It makes him seem indecisive and scattered. He creates an illusion, a space in his own mind where he’s always right, therefore he closes the door, and no new information gets in.

He says everything is fine one day, then, the next day we learn what he said wasn’t true. The Strait of Hormuz was shut down by Iranian forces. The question most reporters failed to ask Trump, “Why didn’t you position our Navy to keep the passageway open before you started a war?” When asked about a report from the Pentagon that the US did bomb a school where at least 168 children and 14 teachers were killed, Trump said, “I don’t know anything about it,” More cognitive dissonance. He’s the Commander in Chief of our military forces; wouldn’t he know if we hit the wrong target? You can’t deny everything you don’t want to talk about. America deserves to know the truth.

LATEST BOOK

by Dwight C. Douglas

NOTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON : A Positive Look at the Negative Policies, Ideas and People Destroying Our Great Country

Get your copy today, right here. The book is also available in AUDIO form, here.

22Feb

TRUTH, OPINIONS and LIES

22 Feb 2026 Dwight Douglas 22 Feb 2026

Facts Thrown to the Curb

“Truth should be the goal of a thinking society.”

Truth, opinions and lies are not interchangeable. Each one has its own power. Some might argue that a big opinion could become a truth, while lies if said enough start to seem true.

There’s a crude saying from the street, “Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.” (And if the logic continues, if we didn’t have “one” we would truly be “full of it.”)

It’s humorous to me when someone says something so obviously unbelievable, we are quick to declare the statement “Bullshit.” In the aftermath of the shootings at a high school in Parkland, Florida, the callback during the student speeches was “I call B.S.” It’s become a common reaction when kids are lied to by adults.

Most of my life I’ve been on a quest to know the facts, find the truth and to live my life with the lowest amount of that so-called B.S.

Growing up in the Vietnam War era, we had to deal with President Richard Nixon’s lies, the Pentagon coverups during the war and the angry cries of protesters. I was certain the adults were lying to us back then as well.

As I tripped my way through math and science as a student, I might not have excelled with equations and formulas, but I sat in wonderment when someone pointed out the amazing outcomes of mathematical puzzles. Math could prove itself, whether you agreed or not. It didn’t lie; it simply is. Most science reaches toward that same certitude.

But much of what cannot be proven or is yet to be proven seems painfully up for debate these days. Humans have this need to predict the future; just ask a sports bettor. But we also try to make sense of the present by piecing together an illuminating picture of our past. For example, in the realm of social sciences, the argument that “slavery was good for the slaves” is laughable, if it weren’t so heartless. Slavery of any kind is wrong. Owning the life, hope and destiny or freedom of another human being for any purpose, no matter how “benevolently,” cannot be justified.

And when you get into the discussion of religious dogma, you can expect some emotional push back when you pronounce that it was evolution and not creationism that got us here. There are people who just cannot conceive of a more complicated beginning for the planet and life on this wonderful blue and green ball in the sky.

The world is not just 5,000 years old, it’s more like 4.54 billion years old but even with the certainty developed from evidence provided by science, it seems like every other day we find a fossil that says, “Hold on, we might be even older than we thought!” One great thing about science is that it never stops exploring, experimenting, reaching and discovering which proves another fact about human and planetary existence. It looks to the past and present to predict the future.

One can claim the Holy Bible is the beginning of all truth and the only science you’ll ever need, but it’s just a compilation of 40 different writers who didn’t have to prove anything they wrote 2,000 years ago. (How do they know they got it right?) They wrote for their times, and what was known of their world. Scientific study evolved from the human tendency to carry the past into the future.

Some science has pretty simple roots. It began when we figured out what we could eat and what plants, vegetables or fruits were poisonous. By observation — and sometimes by accident — humans learned what was safe and dangerous to eat. (Someone had to give their life in these test groups) We trusted clan leaders could determine and declare what was off limits.

Perhaps the whole story of Adam and Eve and the forbidden “evil fruit” has its roots in protecting villagers from death. (This was a motivator and the beginning of kosher laws and eventually, the state ordained Food and Drug Administration.

In the 21st century in the United States, we should expect the public to trust a scientific study dealing with food safety. Surely the public should trust an agency that keeps them from harmful food. Some of us take an FDA warning label which is based on testing and observation as truth. While others dismiss it with a wave of their hand and, “Ah, that’s just their opinion.” That viewpoint gains momentum when conspiracy theorists amplify and elevate an opinion to the level of fact. Once this rumor has legs, disruptors use it as proof that people the government are constantly lying. But which ones are lying?

A warning for the pontificators and promoters of false concepts, just because you cannot pronounce the name of an ingredient, doesn’t mean it’s bad for you. And just because your limited experience in each area did not result in a disaster does not mean everything is safe for everyone. You should be afraid of what you don’t know.

When a certain president of the United States suggested people could ingest bleach to ward off COVID, I realized we’d jumped past truth and right into the dark hole of charlatanism.

Quackery has been with us forever. The ancient belief that sacrificing a virgin would help grow better crops in that season didn’t sit well when smarter people in the community pointed out that it didn’t seem to make a difference. (Or perhaps they were running out of virgins?)

This was the notion of “cause and effect” at work. It may have been the beginning of early scientific discovery helping mankind find real conclusions through observation.

We have sold our souls to the devil millions of times throughout history. When things were going poorly, we needed to blame someone, so we invented a villain we called “the devil.” It was a great story that justified many cultural shifts and laws.

But we needed some polarity in the afterlife, so we also while we longed for a place called heaven, we also created the devil’s domain, Hell. It made sense back then, if you’re good and followed the rules, you got to go to paradise and live forever. Of course, if you were wicked you were sent to a burning hell forever. One aspect was a motivator and reward, while the other was meant to be a deterrent.

Theology, the systematic study of religious faith, practice, experience, and belief, which is primarily focused on the nature of divinity, it not considered a science, while the Bible is classified, “non-fiction,” so I guess it’s an authorized historical work. Having faith and belief is not proof, but if it makes you feel good, go for it.

There’s supporting evidence in what scientists now call climate change — global warming being too dire a suggestion for people to contemplate (sure sounds like hell on earth). We will argue and offer opinions about how to solve and survive what is happening because of a polluted atmosphere. Changes to the global condition can be documented and measured, but you cannot join the solution committee without accepting current scientific facts. Seemly saying something is a hoax is lazy governance.

There are those who have too much power over policies who are lying about climate change every day. They see a quicker payout for themselves. Well, that’s my opinion, but the facts are on my side.

We have those who are imposing their will on us and trying to force a lie into fact but sooner or later, they will not be able to deny that flooding is not good for farming, or worse, with no water, nothing grows. Nothing grows; we all die. Plight of important pollinators adds to this danger.

The desire to ignore painful facts and truth reached through scientific study is America’s greatest vulnerability. At some point, we may find through additional study our first lessons need to be revision, but it’s additional studies, not more opinions that we need.

But if we continually believe in false prophets and presidents who live in a world of fantasies, misinformation and greed for their own ends, we will be forced to take greater, more expensive measures to cure bad science. Will there be time for that?

Once again, we must remember, truth should be the goal of a thinking society.

LATEST BOOK

by Dwight C. Douglas

NOTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON : A Positive Look at the Negative Policies, Ideas and People Destroying Our Great Country

Get your copy today, right here. The book is also available in AUDIO form, here.