(Part 1) Slapping the dog because he barked

"Before you can know where you're heading, you need to know where you were and where you're at.  THEN, and only then, can you see if you're off course from where you want to be."

Daniel Dean Symmes, Jr. (1927-1985) spoken to the author

It seems to be the current fashion in national politics today...and here in West Haven we are (as we always seem to be) ahead of the fashion wave...to attack the failings of the messenger, rather than discuss the message.;

This little "juke-and-jive" act (or what my grandmother (1891-1967)  would have called a "bull-puck"; she chose lesser animals' "pucks" depending on the flagrancy of the particular lie, starting with "bird") has been known for nearly 5,000 years as a lie.

But back then, they called it a "fallacy"...which is a fancy word for a lie. And a lie it was 5,000 years ago, and a lie it is today...for TRUTH is eternal, and TRUTH exists beyond any power of us poor mortals to change it.

But...there exists - at least for now in this country - a TEMPORARY truth, known as "opinion".  We seem to have taken opinion  - O'Reilly, Beck, Olberman, and so on - as Gospel truth, solely because these "opinionators" say the words we want to hear.  

Those who oppose  the pronouncements of our "Great Sayers of the Truth" are attacked -- not because the validity of their argument: oh no,  they are attacked (when they are permitted to state their opposition)  as idiots or lackeys (lackeys of either the ruling class or the welfare class...take your pick, depending on the viewpoint of the show's host or network).  And any opposing viewpoints are either filtered out or are shouted down.

The liberals were late to this game, but they are now shamefully adept at it.

Part II: Slapping YOU in the face -- to follow.

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