It's What He Knows for Sure that Just Ain't So...

One of my heroes is American social and political humorist Will Rogers, a man I'd love to have known and shared a beer or six with. Will had a lot of great comments on things, and is often quoted - frequently by people who use his words to say something he didn't mean in the first place. Of his many quotable quotes, one of my favorites is this:

"It's not what he doesn't know that bothers me ... it's what he knows for sure that just ain't so."

This is a great all-purpose slam dunk, equally applicable to the brainless morons of the far right and the far left. It's also good food for thought as you read this wonderful satirical article from The Onion, the online humorous newspaper: Area Man Passionate Defender of What He Imagines Constitution to Be. It's all summed up in this brief excerpt:

"'Our very way of life is under siege,' said Mortensen, whose understanding of the Constitution derives not from a close reading of the document but from talk-show pundits, books by television personalities, and the limitless expanse of his own colorful imagination."

The sad truth behind this very funny article is evident in virtually every political discussion you hear nowadays. If you listen to Faux News, Glen Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, or just about any other bloviating windbag - whether liberal or conservative - you can hear the most outrageous statements about what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights say (or don't say) about religion, health care, the rights and privileges of citizenship, etc. Don't take my word for it...read the documents yourself and shake your head.

Read the article from The Onion, laugh out loud, and then look around you. You will likely find that the loudest and most absolutely certain people are the ones who are most full of ... um ... wind. They are also the most dangerous.

Someone once said that we should trust those who seek the truth, and avoid those who claim to have found it.

And that's the truth.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo