reply to post by Watcher-In-The-Shadows
I take no disrespect from it at all. I think that Alex Jones, while not certifiable, is a bit "off". I absolutely do believe that Alex Jones
believes what he is saying. I know people like him, I've worked with people like him, and I just do not believe that he is deliberately trying to
deceive people.
If he
were trying to deceive people then he wouldn't point to locations or documents that people could look up and verify, validate, or
discredit what he is promoting. Unlike many of his listeners I do not put the entire burden of Truth upon him. I consider myself a thinking human
and if I am fooled by someone then the fault is on me. It is my job and duty to verify anything that someone tells me before I either act or base an
opinion on it.
As for justifying Alex, allow me to take an example that Lily provided: CPS.
Do I believe that Child Protective Services keeps children in cages? No. Do I know of children in foster care that have been "kenneled"? Yes, I
do. Is that CPS doing it? No. Do I know of children who have been sexually abused in foster care? Yes, I do. Is that CPS doing it? No. However,
CPS has a responsibility as the agency who removed the child from a potentially abusive home to find another "home" for the child that is safe, not
saf
er, but safe. If they do not accomplish such a task then the "sin" is on them. Therefore, there is "truth" in what Alex Jones is
saying. Is it the entire truth? *shakes head* Is it misleading? Possibly, and then again...it
was on their watch that these things
happened, and as such it was their duty and responsibility to oversee the care and welfare of children that they removed from their original homes.
Am I obfuscating for Alex? I don't believe so. Why? Because the subject matter of his stories is usually slightly more complex than:
Truck
overturns on 95, details at 11:00. In the case of CPS, they are as responsible as the people committing these crimes against children in the
foster care system because they removed the child from its home, placed them in a "pre-approved" family, and did not appropriately monitor the child
in foster care as they did the home they removed the child from to begin with.
Alex Jones believes that the planet is cooling down instead of warming up. He feels that science proves this. I think he is dead wrong. I think
science proves the opposite. Do I think he's lying about the planet cooling down? No, I don't. I think he's wrong.
There is a difference in being "wrong" and "lying". Lying is the willful act to deceive. Meaning, I know that Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass
destruction program was terminated in the early nineties, but I will fabricate a story because it will give me the justification that I need to wage
war against Iraq. When the CIA reports that there are no WMD's and I send them back and say "Find some!" that is a willful act of deception. That
is not being "wrong".
Therefore, I am not defending a liar. I think Alex believes what he is saying, ergo he is not deceiving me. He is telling me what he believes to be
true. It is now up to me to do my own research on the subject.
Watcher, Lily...(you may be honest) do I strike you as an unintelligent thrall?