Is There Any Possibility That America Can Survive Its Devotion to Stupidity?

Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart

The American people have a long way to go if they want to live in the greatest country in the world. The choice of most Americans to accept lies and ignore the truth is the most destructive force our nation has ever experienced.

In 1981, the President of the United States ignored the intent of the First Amendment and by his avid and adamant devotion to one religion, Christianity, influenced the thought process of tens of millions of Americans. Thanks to Ronald Reagan, millions of Americans believe the lie that our country was founded on Christian values alone. His policies were the precursor to our nation’s greatest enemy which supports the end of democracy. This right-wing propaganda machine calls itself 'Fox News.'

The truth is clear and undeniable: the First Amendment guarantees “freedom of religion,” and “freedom from religion.”

On October 7, 1996, Rupert Murdoch, with the assistance of Republican strategist, Roger Ailes, launched the unofficial right-wing propaganda machine, known as Fox News. During its first week of broadcasts, I decided to see what the broadcast calling itself “fair and balanced,” had to offer.

I turned my television on and found “the O’Reilly Factor.” It failed to offer any “news,” nor did it have any intention of being a part of the fourth estate.

The host, Bill O’Reilly, had a guest on his show who was reportedly a Democratic congressman. When O’Reilly asked a question, and his guest began to answer, he ‘talked over him,’ never allowing his “guest” to give an answer. I had never witnessed such unprincipled and rude action by a self-proclaimed journalist in my life. It only became worse, and remains the impetus for the end of the fourth estate.

All of today’s “news” broadcasts are biased and use half-truths and lies to influence their viewers. The truth is, all news broadcasts follow the motto of the United States: “Profit Before People.” Sensationalism increases viewership, and that increase encourages advertisers to spend more money, increasing the profits of the networks.

I am a physically challenged, old man. However, I refuse to allow my mental acuity to decline. I have not watched television news since November 9, 2016, and I never will. The mainstream media gave Trump five-times more coverage than all other candidates combined during the 2016 campaign season. When he or his team were interviewed, they were allowed to avoid answering the questions directly, and make campaign speeches. Then, we learned that Vladimir Putin was a major force in the results. I reaffirmed my promise to myself. I refuse to accept lies and misdirection from the morons on the “boob tube.”

The mainstream media, not exclusively Fox, is responsible for most of the lies which the American people choose to accept as facts. They never tell both sides of a story and offer opinions with words or physical actions with the intent of influencing their viewers.

The media is why voters believed Trump’s lies in 2016, 2020, and 2024. They trusted a man who has never told the truth once in his 79 years.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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