The News

I've been trying to decide what to write in the wake of the election.  There's almost nothing I can say that hasn't been said.  Right now, I'm in a "wait and see" mode.  The Media has been relentless about the types of people that the President Elect is looking to fill his cabinet with.  And, increasingly, it seems that, in addition to being woefully unprepared to fill the innumerable appointments, that he is also completely overwhelmed with his new responsibilities...which don't include frequent dinners to the 21 Club or trips to one of his many golf courses.

That said, before I overreact to what FaceBook would have me believe, I am going to choose to get my news from actual news sources.  For starters, I am "off" political blogs because, frequently, as well intentioned as they are, they're not reliable measures of actual news...i.e. unbiased fact.  The worst of the lot is the Fluffington Post which should be read as 100% opinion and merely click-bait.  Do some of their "articles" represent my views?  Sure.  However, their stories just fan the fire.  It's time to put well sourced journalism at the forefront and make up our own minds from a position of fact...something that was nearly completely lacking during the presidential election.

The President Elect has indicated many times that he is going to be on the attack when it comes to periodicals such as the New York Times and Washington Post that cast him in a poor light.  He said during his campaign that he's going to do something about his negative press:

"One of the things I'm going to do if I win, and I hope we do and we're certainly leading. I'm going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money. We're going to open up those libel laws. So when The New York Times writes a hit piece which is a total disgrace or when The Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because they're totally protected,"

As far as I'm aware, and according to NPR, Trump would "have to prove that at the time of publication, the reporter, the newspaper, the broadcaster knew that they were making a mistake or were reckless in making that mistake."  And this is why we must support those institutions that do their homework before they go to press.  I don't believe that the new administration will have a leg to stand on if they go after our many reputable news sources.  But, to ensure that those sources continue to be able to do the work we need to make informed decisions, I'm telling everyone I know, it's time to start paying for real journalistic institutions.

Time to take out a subscription to the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post.  Donate to NPR.  And then, when you're done reading real fact-based news...go back to FaceBook, make your intelligent comments and parse through the information that best fits your understanding of those facts...like donations to Planned Parenthood in Pence's name; boycotting brands that contributed to a political party based on fear and a national divide ; attend some of the many marches planned...not just because it's a good idea, but because you stand for something. 

In the next four years, we'll need to prepare to combat the administration's inexperience.  Also, there will be attempts to subvert policy and Constitutional law in order to further political goals that are not in the best interest of We the People...the 99%.  As my high school art teacher, Chuck Miley used to always say, "if you're going to have a battle of wits, it's best not to go unarmed!"

The next four years may feel like a policy war, and it's time to arm ourselves...with fact!