Osama bin Laden is Alive!

Osama bin Laden is alive and living in Palm Springs. It’s true.

It’s been over two months since I posted here. We’ve been very busy at work, for which I am grateful. But as I sit here on this Memorial Day weekend Saturday morning, a few recent Facebook posts have prompted this addition to my blog. This one may be a bit short; we have some errands to do and yard work to get after, weather permitting.

But a recent comment from a friend on a comic I posted on Facebook started me thinking. The comic was about some blatant misrepresentations in politics from “anonymous billionaires who think you’ll believe anything political action committee.” A guy is sitting on the sofa popcorn in lap and beer in hand, watching TV. He gets sucked in to believing that bin Laden is alive and living in Palm Springs.

One of my friends believes there should be a questionnaire or test you need to pass in order to vote; another friend reminded us of Jim Crow laws.

I don’t favor a litmus test in order to vote. However, I really really wish people would educate themselves on the facts related to a candidate or a measure or a proposed law. One of the most valuable things we have here in the US is the freedom to vote and shape our society and our culture.

But if we mindlessly believe what is spoon-fed to us through the media, it will be the loud, the rich and the powerful who continue to really be the ones to shape the direction of this country.

Obama smoked pot in high school is the latest thing put out there. This is not new news. He talked about that before the LAST election and was straight up with it (“I inhaled; that was the point.”). And Mitt Romney’s “dog on the roof” story: have any of you checked out the actual circumstances around it?

A very conservative friend of mine recently called The Conservative Hammer to task for a quote falsely attributed to Abraham Lincoln. I, too, jumped in and the guy behind the CH said he’d correct the quote. Hasn’t happened yet. I have friends who email these “we need to pass this on to 10 of your friends to keep the thread going” comments. I’ve learned that 99.9% of the time, those aren’t true.

So before you blindly believe the latest drivel put out on either side of the aisle, take it upon yourself to educate yourself on what’s really true. Some good websites are Snopes and FactCheck. I’ve found when someone makes a potentially incendiary claim, it usually only takes about 5 or 10 minutes to verify it. So check it out first.

And even when that’s all said and done, you and I may disagree, but at least it will be a valid difference of opinion, not a couple of stupid people who didn’t take the time to check out a story.