Fake News Ain’t the Half of It

“Fake News” is getting a lot of heat these days from some of us who actually believe that truth is better than untruth—those of us who are being forcibly dragged into the “post-truth” era.

As if “post-truth” were something new. Actually, we’ve been drifting into the post-truth fog for quite some time now.  In Virtual Unreality, Charles Seife (2014) chronicles the many ways in which the digital revolution and its star attraction, the Internet, have been masking, warping, and turning upside-down our perceptions of the world and even each other.  A pedestrian example is how easily one can manipulate one’s Facebook persona into one loosely based on, and more attractive than, the original—more good-looking, more cool, more talented, more sociable, more with it.  As the joke goes, “on the Internet no one knows you’re a dog,” and no one knows whether what you’re feeding them is bullshit.

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Environmental Wrecking Ball to Head EPA, Continue War on Science – Why??

It seems that every sentient being on the planet has felt obliged to weigh in on the U.S. Presidential election and what it spat out: Donald Trump. I have kept quiet on this matter on this blog up to now, because (1) I’m “partisan,” so what is my biased opinion worth? (2) every insightful thing that can be said has already been said by others.

But Donald Trump’s nominating Scott Pruitt to head the EPA is a call to arms.  If you don’t know the scope of the damage Pruitt can do, check out this in The Guardian: Pruitt Nomination Implications

Most of what you need to know about the policy issues can be gleaned from The Guardian piece and elsewhere on the Web. But there’s a more sweeping issue represented by the nomination of a climate “skeptic” (in actuality, a denier) to this critical post. That of course is the War on Science. From whence does it spring?

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Hope for Afghanistan? Maybe.

See the following thoughtful essay on Afghanistan from Joel Vowell, a veteran of three tours in the infantry in Afghanistan. I believe his rank is lieutenant colonel, maybe full colonel by now. He speaks of “rational optimism.” He makes a credible case for staying the course.

Most of you readers are wary of “military solutions” and attempts at regime change in the Middle East, for good reason. Nevertheless, what Vowell speaks of sounds deeper than a mere military engagement.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2016/09/07/rationally-optimistic-on-afghanistan/?utm_campaign=Brookings+Brief&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=33974175

– Mark