CONSTITUTIONAL CONVERSATIONS
Truth and Consequences
by
M. E. Boyd, Esq., “Miss Constitution”
Truth — from Anglo-Saxon ‘treowth’ and Latin ‘veritas’.
#twill #sbalich #constitution #maga #leadright
Miss Constitution thinks that it is time for Americans to step back a few paces and look carefully at the notions of fact, truth, opinion, supposition, and disinformation or propaganda. These notions are thrown out at us like an automated tennis ball machine turned to the highest speed and we are having a difficult time distinguishing one from the other. We are asked, as Sovereign, to sort through it all–a great responsibility. In addition, there are many theories regarding truth, going all the way back to the Greek philosophers, as it has been a primary interest of philosophers, along with notions of being and other elements of human existence. The simple formula Miss Constitution accepts is fact corresponding to reality equals truth. So, verified and authenticated facts are critical to finding truth.
How do we authenticate facts?
All of us are familiar with the courtroom (even if just on TV) and how witnesses are examined to verify certain facts or eliminate lies, discovered through investigation and interrogation, that along with the context of those facts allow a jury to decide what is true. In a jury trial the jury decides what is true and the judge applies legal principles to those facts. In the world of politics and national policy, investigations to find facts is the primary function of our free press. The whole purpose of the 1st Amendment to the United States Constitution that prohibits Congress from passing a law that would abridge a free press is that it is the press that provides the Sovereign (We the People) with verified facts that the Sovereign uses to diagnose the state of the union or the state of the state. Where press accounts differ as to what a fact is, it is up to the Sovereign to determine what evidence presented to verify a fact has credibility. Common sense comes into play; past performance by that journalist comes into play; wisdom comes into play. Journalists contribute to the notions of truth only when they contribute to the establishment of fact. A vital role. Journalist opinion is in a separate section of newspapers should not be in news articles. Miss Constitution recommends that the Sovereign first note who is a journalist by education and who is simply a personality with an opinion and even if a journalist whether he or she has credibility by record.
One of our problems as Sovereigns relative to facts is how to prove a negative. What Miss Constitution means by that is that nothingness can be a form of disinformation or propaganda. If journalists decide not to investigate a certain subject or event, then the last assumption may be assumed true because nothing has entered the record to counter it. To illustrate this on an international level we might take China’s assertion that “The United States military introduced the coronavirus pandemic to the world.” It is not enough for the President of the United States to say this is ridiculous, the assertion must be investigated by the press and facts presented to the Sovereign. But what if some journalists decide not to investigate because their personal political agenda thinks the assertion will harm the reputation of the President and that is their desire? What if some journalists promote using the politically correct language Covid-19 instead of Wuhan virus in order to reinforce the notion that it would be racist or unfair to note China’s culpability should that culpability be shown to be true?
Of course, disinformation can also take the form of a statement of fact that is simply not true but said so often and unchallenged that the Sovereign takes it as true by the absence of an alternative. It was shown in the Princeton Radio Project of the 1930’s that something said often enough can become true to an otherwise reasoning human being. This is the heart and art of advertising. A human figure whose bottom half is a motorcycle can, over time, become real. Miss Constitution warns all that we are all subject to what she calls the “Snow is Black” syndrome because we are all human beings. The Constitution’s Free Speech and a Free Press Clauses of its 1st Amendment are our sacred pathways for arriving at truth and guardians of it, as well.
So, what is a caring thoughtful citizen supposed to do when information is thrown out there at warp speed and there is no way to distinguish fact from opinion from disinformation?
Miss Constitution has a few guidelines for your consideration:
- Is what you are reading as news coming from an actual journalist? Is what you are listening to as news coming from an expert on the topic or a commentator/personality? Are you reading or listening to an argument to validate a fact or just reading or listening to an opinion from either a journalist or commentator? Remember, only facts corresponding to reality can lead to what is true so opinion should be substantiated with verified facts. If it is not substantiated it cannot be true.
- Opinion is a conclusion. Opinion is attempting to present a truth. Miss Constitution’s unscientific tests of credibility regarding commentators/personalities are whether the opinions they state are too loud, too often, too fast and too long. If insults and personal trashing are involved, we have a real clue. If ridiculousness is stated as reasonable, we have a real clue. “I hope we have a recession if that is the only way to get rid of Trump.” If there is no apology for being wrong, we have a real clue.
- Supposition is just a guess and need not be taken as true. “100 to 200 thousand people will die” is a supposition.
The consequences to our country of not making these critical distinctions and demanding real professional and ethical journalism, regardless of what emerges as fact, can take us on a side rail to nowhere and we won’t know we are on the wrong track until way too late. The Founders thought the 1st Amendment might help keep America from this deadly mistake.
Copyright©2020 by M. E. Boyd, “Miss Constitution”
APPLES OF GOLD –Voices from the past that speak to us Now by M.E Boyd is available at www.amazon.com
