opa-opines.net

Yesterday I received another Internet file with bad claims. This note attacked the current federal administration rather viciously. The letter was claimed to be written by a very distinguished history professor. Because of several errors in the letter that I judged would be avoided by a Professor associated with Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, and the US Navy War College, I decided to investigate. The results are astounding.

First, when asked, the “source” of the letter claims that he did not write the letter. Second, several months ago the letter was circulated around the Internet with the name of a different distinguished scholar who also denied authorship. Third another version of the letter was circulated last fall attributed to a different authority who denies credit. So, the authorship is at least very questionable.

Second, the letter is full of false data. The letter claims, at the time Hitler rose to power: that “Germany was the most educated, the most cultured country in Europe.” A real historian might compare the cultures of England, France, Austria and Switzerland with Germany, but never make a broad assertion of German superiority. The letter also claims that “Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious (about Hitler) in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker.” The reaction to Churchill did occur but not for the reasons asserted, and not in the House of Lords because he was not a Lord in the 1930s.

Then the letter attacks the President. For example: “Surely you have
heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense
force stronger than our military for use inside our borders?”   This is an obvious distortion for anyone who bothers to keep up with the news (and in my case actually read the documents produced by our government and its leaders).

Anyway, if the President decided to create a civilian defense force, that would be an actual benefit to anyone thinking that we need to protect our borders and ports from terrorists.  Also  that is not a job for our military (unless one wants to build an multimillion person military).

Why do people invent information and spread it through e-mails? Do they believe the American public is gullible or ignorant? Why do people circulate such trash? Is it from a dislike of the democratic administration? If so, this is not the way to fight. Lies are eventually caught and the person spreading the lies discredited. There is much to argue about without inventing falsehoods. Why not try actually discussing the issues? Is it too much trouble to look at actual data and consider it in an unbiased manner? Or do we simply prefer to let the small minded manipulate us?