Hello and welcome to
Wednesday, June 27, 2018. This puts me one day closer to when 'who know who' will be returning to the scene, and, then, maybe things can get back to whatever it is that we call 'our' routine. The other day I mentioned something that had been posted by someone else. That posting said that being popular on Facebook is like sitting at the 'cool' table in the insane asylum. While there's perhaps a thread of truth in that, let me tell you something that is 100% accurate. Facebook and Twitter are not places one should go looking for the truth. Left, right, and everything in between has their spin and it is out there for everyone to see. In addition, there are those who put up outright fabrications just to see how many unsuspecting folks will help them to go viral. Many of these are so outlandish on the very surface they should be dismissed without nary another thought. Sadly, folks don't see the mockery involved so they endorse it and send it to everyone on their contact list. Nearly everything can be checked out. I do offer a caveat. Many of the more well-known fact checkers have proven to have a bias. My rule is if there is any doubt whatsoever, don't forward it. If it is important to you, check it out using multiple sources. Here's something I have also found. Early on I tried to let people know when they posted or forwarded something that was false or misleading. Many were offended that I even sent them such a notice. Others made it clear they didn't care because it was still in keeping with their views.
That, my friend, is a slippery slope! Like the recent photo of the little girl on the cover of Time Magazine where she, as an immigrant, has been photoshopped to be looking up at the President with the indication that she had been taken from her parents. She had not been taken from her parents at all. How do we know? Her parents said so. Time Magazine went forth and back on apologizing, but, in the end, they said they stood by their depiction. Why? Because it told the story they wanted to communicate. See what I mean? And, it works both ways. Something for us all to think about.
I remind everyone that my blog is where I get to share my views. It is how I see things. I am well aware of the response where someone asks, "Who died and left you in charge?" The short answer is no one because once again when you tune in to any of my daily episodes you are going to get whatever it is that happens to be making that percolator sound in my noggin on that particular day. Some of you are familiar with the printing convention or standard: WYSIWYG. It is pronounced
wizzywhig with letters meaning this: What You See Is What You Get. And, that's how it works with my blog. Let me also say that I have been corrected by those who had better information. As a result, I have attempted to indicate that and then to update and correct the erroneous information I shared. It reminds me of the time I was teaching a Bible lesson from Acts Chapter 16. This is where the Apostle Paul and his associate Silas had been thrown into prison but an earthquake happened at midnight and opened up all the prison doors. I was caught up in the moment and I added how this was truly miraculous since earthquakes don't often occur in that region. Suddenly, a fellow in our class raised his hand. Turns out that he is from that region of Turkey and he said they have earthquakes there all the time. I thanked him for the correction and tried to not miss a beat by saying, "What I really meant to say is they have many earthquakes in that region but God used this particular earthquake to set His servants free." It brought a good laugh from my class. What are the odds that I would have someone from Turkey in my class? I was actually glad he corrected me. While what I said may have taught well it was not an accurate statement. The bottom line: It is important to get the facts but it is even more critical when one is handling the Living Word of the Lord.
I was in a jury selection pool a few years ago at the county courthouse dealing with a drug possession prosecution. The facts were pretty clear. They had found significant quantities of illegal drugs in the trunk of the car of the defendant. The prosecution had some problems. The police officers did not have probable cause to search the vehicle and they searched the car without waiting until they received a search warrant. When they interviewed those of us in the jury pool they came to me. They asked could I fairly evaluate the facts knowing about these problems. I cleared my throat. I said that we as American citizens have rights and protections that pertain to us all. The police must follow the rules. That is a way of protecting all of our rights. I went on to say that no one likes to ever see someone set free who is obviously guilty of a crime, however, if the police acted without proper authority then that would weigh heavily in how I viewed the case. Wow! I suddenly became public enemy number one to all the rednecks who were there that day. I wasn't sorry. And, yes, I was struck off of the jury by the prosecution. Many of my fellow jury prospects indicated the only thing that mattered to them was the discovery of the drugs and they were less concerned about the process. I happen to see it differently. Those laws that convict or also the laws that protect us all. The rule of law. When asked, I shared my thoughts. I do the same thing each day in my blogs, only, no one asked. Have a great rest of the day and may God bless each one.
Amen. ....More later.
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