This just in: Like everyone, I have been watching the war in Ukraine. I try to tell myself, “This is Putin, not the Russian people,” but the truth is…being intellectually lazy, avoiding any effort at critical thinking…makes you susceptible to believing the first story that sounds like something you want to believe is true.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Three may keep a secret it two are dead.”

Propaganda works best if: (1) The story you are telling is one that people want to believe and (2) There is no immediately available alternative source of contradictory information. or if you choose not to seek alternative information

Additionally, if you are going to lie, keep it simple and short. No need to provide supporting evidence because, as a lie, there none. Be sure to move on before doubts can be raised. The goal is to leave a lasting impression that what you just said was clearly the truth.

Let’s bounce back and forth between Russia and Republican propaganda.

Russia: We didn’t bomb that train station. We are trying to save lives. It was the Ukrainians that did it. They did it so they could blame us and make us look bad.

Republicans: Democrats support pedophilia.

Russia: Ukrainian Nazis are killing innocent Russians in Ukraine.

Republicans: Democrats stole the election so we must pass laws to keep black people from voting pass laws pass laws to make elections safe.

Russia: The reason we don’t have access to other media outlets is because the West doesn’t want you to know the truth.

Republicans: Any media outlet that reports something other than what Fox News says is an enemy of the people.

Russia: The West is out to wipe Russia off the face of the earth.

Republicans: Democrats want to destroy democracy.

The more I watch the actions of Putin, the more I see our Republican Party at work. They are not doing the same thing. One is killing innocent people on the other side of the world while the other is struggling to find some sense of relevancy in a country that sees them as increasing irrelevent.

However, they are both using the same playbook. They both do something they know is self-serving but will be seen as bad. Once they do that, they accuse the opposition of having done that very thing.

Call it lying. Call it hypocrasy.

It is all very transparent unless…you want to be sergeant Shultz.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

This just in: I am going to first quickly state how I feel about abortion. I will then follow that with a statement I found online that seems to be a pretty good explanation for why people support abortion.

My take: Abortion is not something people want. No one is saying, “Let’s have unprotected sex so I can go get an abortion.” It’s just the “least bad” option for an unwanted pregnancy. Statistically, banning abortions “Does not reduce abortions,” but rather, “Increases the dangers to women that choose to get illegal abortions.” Politicians (Republicans) support anti-abortion legislation because it brings in the single-issue voter; that voter that doesn’t care or understand anything other than “abortions are bad, mkay?”

Now for what I found online. It is attributed to Pastor Dave Barnhart.

“They aren’t pro-life, they’re pro-forced-birth.

“The unborn” are a convenient group of people to advocate for. They never make demands of you; they are morally uncomplicated, unlike the incarcerated, addicted, or the chronically poor; they don’t resent your condescension or complain that you are not politically correct; unlike widows, they don’t ask you to question patriarchy; unlike orphans, they don’t need money, education, or childcare; unlike aliens, they don’t bring all that racial, cultural, and religious baggage that you dislike; they allow you to feel good about yourself without any work at creating or maintaining relationships; and when they are born, you can forget about them, because they cease to be unborn. It’s almost as if, by being born, they have died to you. You can love the unborn and advocate for them without substantially challenging your own wealth, power, or privilege, without re-imagining social structures, apologizing, or making reparations to anyone. They are, in short, the perfect people to love if you want to claim you love Jesus but actually dislike people who breathe.

Prisoners? Immigrants? The sick? The poor? Widows? Orphans? All the groups that are specifically mentioned in the Bible? They all get thrown under the bus for the unborn.“

I liked this.

Now for a great piano video. Watch the whole thing. About halfway through it takes off. To really appreciate the second half, you must first, appreciate the first half.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim