"Fact Checkers" = Pure B.S.

The most overused phrase in the media this year is "Fact Check".  The networks are all "fact checking" some one's statement. Newspapers are telling us that they "fact checked" Trump's words. I don't see many headlines where Hillary is "fact checked".

Let's be honest here. I think that media "fact checking" is just crap. Since I am pretty sure that all of the fact checkers make extensive use of the Internet, let's start there. I will bet that there are days that Al Gore wishes that he had never invented the Internet. I am just going to look at Google and Yahoo search engine results. I searched a few phrases that seem to be popular.

I am going to list the phrase searched and the number of items available on each search engine.

Phrase                                                              Yahoo                               Google
Hillary Clinton + Benghazi Attack                     1,840,000                       492,000
Donald Trump + women                                    22,700,000                      221,000,000
Donald Trump  + nuclear weapons                    4,300,000                        1,670,000
Hillary Clinton + nuclear Weapons                    2,120,000                        1,650,00
Hillary Clinton + lesbian                                    4,640,000                        719,000
Donald Trump + homosexual                             1,510,000                        1,420,000

A quick look at these stats tells me two things. First, if you are going to research these subjects, you can not possibly examine "ALL" of the facts available. You can't even examine all of the information available online. This doesn't even  include those things that the old guys among us like to use, books. Second, apparently there is much more data on Trump and women than there is about Trump and nuclear weapons. I guess that we all have our priorities.

So are fact checkers actually checking all of the facts? NO!! They are examining only a small portion of the information available. The problem is that on the Internet, there are probably a million results that can all be traced back to one statement. Then the question to ask is "How credible is this source?" Here's the harsh reality about "fact checkers". They will find the facts that substantiate their point of view and stop. Every "fact checker" has an objective and a time limit.

My only hope is that on November 9, the phrase "fact checker" disappears from use.

Trump and Media Bias, Really??

My son and I attended the Trump rally in Greensboro on Friday afternoon. It was a first hand introduction for my son into the bias of the mainstream media.

We arrived at 11:00 AM and waited a few minutes for the gates to open for the 2:00 PM rally. As we waited, we talked to the folks around us and enjoyed their company. Trump arrived around 2:30 PM. A few minutes into his speech, some protesters in the lawn area were escorted from the rally. A few minutes later, we saw a guy carrying a United States flag upside down and dragging the ground. He was shouting something.   Trump pointed  and said "Get him out." The protester started up the stairs and a young man was behind him. The young man had his hand out towards the demonstrator's back. As they came up the stairs, a scuffle ensued. My son had the seat on the aisle and said that the protester started swinging at the other guy. As they passed us, the man behind us stepped out to help. Just past our row, the police met the protester and the others. The scuffle continued as the protester knocked the police officer's body camera to the ground. Trump continued his speech.

When we got home later, we watched the News on Fox 8. Imagine our surprise when the Fox 8 report was that a protester had been assaulted at the Trump rally. That was also the story headline on their website. My son dispatched an e-mail to the station concerning their story. No response yet.

About ten minutes after the "assaulted" protester had left, there were two more demonstrators. These were two young women who appeared to be in their early twenties. One was white, one was black. They were wearing shirts with the message "Bill Clinton is a rapist". They jumped up and down and danced a little to give the crowd time to read the message on their shirts. Several policemen raced down the steps to take them away. The rally continued without any more interruptions.

What did we learn about the media from this? Fox 8 reported that the flag protester had been placed in a "headlock". This was one of those "special" headlocks, visible only to reporters. The demonstrator passed less than three feet from us and we saw no headlock. The reporter did not report seeing the police officer's body camera being knocked off. It was on the step on the row right behind us. There was no mention of the two young women and their "Bill Clinton" demonstration. Since the media tells us that Trump has no support among women and blacks, they could not mention this.  I almost forgot the best part! The young man who was behind the flag protester, escorting him out,  was black. He was also wearing a "Gays for Trump" tee shirt. Fox 8 could not mention any of this because it challenges the media's representation of Trump supporters. So much for "fair and balanced".

This Just In !!!! Oct 13, 2016

This Just In!!

The Wall Street Journal published an Op-Ed today detailing how the Republicans could elect Trump on the basis that he will resign and allow Pence to become President. Really? Just when you start to think that Barnum may have been wrong, you realize that there really is one born every minute.

On Yahoo news today, apparently Miley Cyrus has come out as a pansexual. According to experts, this means that she is attracted to people regardless of sex and/or gender. We used to have another word for people like this, but just in case I run for President some day, I will leave that one unwritten.

From Hollywood comes news that Chelsea Clinton has found a job NOT working for her parents. She has been cast for the lead in a remake of My Friend Flicka. Producers are now looking for someone to play the part of the young man who owns the horse.

Thank God that the election is one day closer. Today I heard a radio commercial for the Clinton campaign. In it, a man who describes himself as a Republican, tells us that he is voting for Hillary. He says that he is voting for Hillary because she can be a role model for his three daughters. This is the first time that I have ever heard anyone say that they want their daughters to be crooked lawyers. By the way, if this guy works for you, he is obviously  a candidate for the "random" drug test.

I am going to the Trump rally in Greensboro tomorrow. Looking for a protester!!  You have been warned!!!