Truth - Forever Lost?
Perhaps one of the biggest tragedies of our current political environment is the loss of truth. We now accept "spin" as a normal activity and blatant lies are shrugged off as just politics.
In yesterday's Reno Gazette Journal, there was a letter to the editor from David Shapiro. Now Mr. Shapiro and I are most likely on the same political page and Nevada is Bush territory so he's probably frustrated. However, it appears that he stepped over the line of truth. In a letter primarily defending Michael Moore's movie, he links the administration to fascism by citing "Webster" (presumably the dictionary). The definition he quotes is:
"A philosophy or system of government that advocates a dictatorship of extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of belligerent nationalism."
I was pretty shocked by this and decided to check the definition for myself. Here's what I found:
"a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition" Merriam-Webster Online
While there are similarities between the two, the addition of the underlined text helps Mr. Shapiro make his point, but appears to be a fabrication. (Of course, he may have a "Webster" somewhere that supports his definition.)
Sane, truthful discussions about differences of opinion may not be as dramatic as flatout lying, but if we don't begin to honor truth, we are going to wind up with a society where trust is completely broken. All of us, regardless of our political persuasion, need to find our way back to Truth.
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