Did you hear the one about...
Did you hear about President Obama's $200 million a day trip to India? Or is it, as Glenn Beck said, a $2 BILLION a day trip?
Well, actually, of course, it is neither. It's another one of those stories, of which there seems to be an endless stream, that has been made up out of thin air by some right-wing nut and is then repeated 24/7 on the Fox "News" Network as if it were fact. Soon it becomes a part of the "truthiness" accepted by gullible people, and, the first thing you know, millions of people believe it and are repeating it as gospel! It never occurs to them to stop and think about the source of the story or to wonder about that astronomical figure. They heard it on Fox so it must be true.
And that is exactly what is wrong with this country. People have lost the ability to reason and to think logically. They are fed a pablum of lies from a source in which they devoutly believe and they never question it.
Consider the fact that the war in Afghanistan costs roughly $190 million a day. Does it seem likely to you that a diplomatic trip would cost as much as a war?
For security reasons, the Pentagon and the Secret Service will not release information about the true cost of the trip, but we know that even the most expensive presidential trips in the past have cost about $5-$6 million. I think that we can probably safely make the assumption that this trip will be in line with those figures.
But, never fear! I feel quite sure the new Republican Congress will be more than happy to spend the next two years investigating this matter and will probably end up trying to impeach the president over it.
Haven't we seen this movie before?
Well, actually, of course, it is neither. It's another one of those stories, of which there seems to be an endless stream, that has been made up out of thin air by some right-wing nut and is then repeated 24/7 on the Fox "News" Network as if it were fact. Soon it becomes a part of the "truthiness" accepted by gullible people, and, the first thing you know, millions of people believe it and are repeating it as gospel! It never occurs to them to stop and think about the source of the story or to wonder about that astronomical figure. They heard it on Fox so it must be true.
And that is exactly what is wrong with this country. People have lost the ability to reason and to think logically. They are fed a pablum of lies from a source in which they devoutly believe and they never question it.
Consider the fact that the war in Afghanistan costs roughly $190 million a day. Does it seem likely to you that a diplomatic trip would cost as much as a war?
For security reasons, the Pentagon and the Secret Service will not release information about the true cost of the trip, but we know that even the most expensive presidential trips in the past have cost about $5-$6 million. I think that we can probably safely make the assumption that this trip will be in line with those figures.
But, never fear! I feel quite sure the new Republican Congress will be more than happy to spend the next two years investigating this matter and will probably end up trying to impeach the president over it.
Haven't we seen this movie before?
Remember "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" when Big Daddy said some story smelled of mendacity? Mendacity is rearing its ugly head again and again.
ReplyDeleteMendacity is the prevalent odor on the wind in this country today, Anonymous, especially on the airwaves of certain "news" organizations. They have no shame.
ReplyDelete