Tony Jackson of Hendersonville, TN, (my brother lives in Hendersonville) wrote that title for his very timely article published in The Hendersonville Star News. The entire column is here.
But here are the money quotes:
"Most politicians arouse my skepticism. Not to mention what we are subjected to on a daily basis that masquerades as news.
My point is, the seemingly ever-growing masses of 'sheeple' don’t seem to have a fully developed or functioning B.S. meter. If they did, they wouldn’t be so easily led to believe the half-truths and outright lies being spread by talking heads and politicians with hidden agendas. One thing is certain, fear is a powerful tool being wielded every day by those who strive to divide and turn us Americans against each other. Yes, I said Americans, not Caucasian Americans or African Americans.
Be skeptical, when you hear our duly elected president referred to as a half-Kenyan Muslim, the meter in your head should tell you that whomever is doing the talking is skirting around and talking about race. When that red-faced, screaming Tea Party candidate says 'we’re gonna take back our country' the translation is, 'take back the country from those who don’t look like us.'
In the words of the famous philosopher Yogi Berra, 'It’s déjà vu, all over again.'
In the nearly five decades in that I’ve been aware of the delicate social fabric that makes up this great country of ours, several unfortunate facts seem to always rear their ugly heads when times are challenging. When economic times are hard, we Americans tend to be myopic and blame those in office now, forgetting that they inherited major problems from previous administrations. Historically, hard times and uncertainty about the future make us prone to knee-jerk political reactions that prove detrimental to our own best interest in the long run. We just 'throw the bums out' of office. Plus, when your president, according to any number of misinformed sources isn’t even American, it’s the perfect storm for fearmongers to do their worst. And don’t get me started about how the use of religious differences preached from the pulpit or airwaves places an insurmountable wedge between people who under normal circumstances would be considered normal.
Early voting has begun, but I believe there’s still time for the old school American common sense we all possess to kick in and help us realize we cannot vote against our own best interests by giving in to the current season of fear.
The bottom line is this. I’m proud that my conservative parents taught me to listen, learn, question and make up my own mind, based on facts, not distortions.
And that’s why when people try to act like 'liberal' is a four-letter word, maybe you should take some advice from my Mama, and look it up!"
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