Speaking of fake news and false information, what are we to make of CNN’s claim that America has had 22 school shootings so far this year? A lot of left-wing media outlets have picked up this statistic and run with it–but is it true?
No, it’s not.
CNN, allegedly a “real” news organization, cooked the books by counting as “school shootings” accidental shootings, domestic violence, gang shootings, and fights (http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2018/may/18/whats-true-whats-not-about-santa-fe-texas-school-s/). It reminds me of a quip by Abraham Lincoln: “How many legs does a sheep have, if you call the tail a leg? Four–because calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it one.”
Why are the noozies ramping up the total? Is it just because sensationalism has always sold newspapers, and pumped up TV viewership? Or are they purposely–and deceptively–exaggerating the problem because it fits their political agenda of disarming the law-abiding people of America?
You be the judge.
If they get what they want, they will find that they don’t like it.
Oh, they think it’ll only hurt us, not them.
Until it becomes painfully obvious that it has hurt them.
They are so easy to see through. If they think they are fooling anyone…
not a chance. We have access to research just as they do.
I think the concept is something like, “guns and schools don’t mix” regardless of the kind of event? More to the point… you looking to minimize the influence of gun crime in schools to just nutcases so that it minimizes the public outcry for some kind of gun control? Stas can apply either way.
Stats
We already have scores of “gun control” laws. How many more do you think we ought to have?
I wasn’t necessarily suggesting we need more gun control laws.. just suggesting to your original post… that the CNN stats are indeed correct as to “school shootings” but not necessarily “mass shootings”.. and they even had a breakdown of all of them.. some were one, some two, etc. No.. their reporting was not “fake” although your read into it surely was.
Lee surely doesn’t need me to come to his defense, Doug, but here I am anyway. CNN deliberately manipulates the ‘news’ to their liking/ideology, as does most of the MSM. They’re all scripted. Most of them (the ‘journalists’) don’t have an independent thought in their brain cells.
Well, given we pretty much have no choice on where to go for some semblance of objective reporting.. that’s where critical thinking comes into play… and a level of following the “rule of reasonableness”. Again.. it’s all about the facts themselves and not necessarily how the facts get reported. That’s where critical thinking comes into play.
But.. given your comment.. where do YOU get your objective reporting?
It’s a tricky dance, isn’t it 🙂 Mostly, I’m a cynic so I don’t believe much of what gets thrown at us. One gets the feeling that, as many of us raised in Italian homes say, they’re throwing the whole pot of pasta at the wall to see what sticks.
My honest answer to your question is that we have to use discernment as much as possible. The truth is embedded within the lies.
The truth is embedded between the lies? We talking Trump here?
I don’t see the media lying as much as many seem to want to assign to them as lies. Do they slant reporting? Sure they do. But a slant is not a lie .
“A slant is not a lie”? It’s not the truth, either, is it?
Look at the science of statistics… or more simply put, the old saying, the glass is either half empty or half full. Depends on your slant in reporting the facts. Hence, the degree in objectivity is determined by the one interpreting what’s being said.
A slant has one purpose: to entice one’s conclusions to a particular position. That has no relationship to the truth.
They could have had even more if they had included “shootings involving one or more persons who had ever been to school.”
They’ve even changed the narrative this time. Rather than an ‘assault rifle’ (bogus term to begin with), they’ve selected a common .38 cal handgun belonging to the father that was supposedly locked up. That gives the rabid anti gunners more ammunition – no pun intended. They now can say a ban can’t be confined to ‘assault rifles’. Nope. Now they can include ALL guns – even those that are supposedly locked up. Grab ’em all they’ll yell – except, of course, the ones used by their body guards, personal security, military and law enforcement – some of whom are thugs and bullies with badges. (I’m sure I’ll hear about this last statement).
“They” seem to be a pretty low minority, although currently a bit louder given events. The problem exits for Second Amendment defenders and gun controllers.. both sides have kids going to schools.. both sides have family members venturing out into the public to risk being killed by random shootings… so, how does the problem get solved? More to the point.. does anyone (besides me) even have the problem identified because from my vantage point people are even debating THAT issue.
(BTW… I re-visited Leals blog.)
Well, having a culture whose wisest academics insist there are no moral facts hardly raises expectations of decent behavior. That all comes from the left side of the aisle, by the way.
I think the evangelical (and Conservative) acceptance of Trump’s moral deficiencies pretty much fits your definition.
So we were supposed to sit around with our teeth in our mouths, waiting for the Righteous Candidate? Translation: Hillary wins. But we weren’t going to let that happen.
Yeah.. kinda funny how that turned out. The biggest liar and incompetent to ever occupy the White House in the last hundred years wins… when the much more truthful and competent political leader lost…. simply because of ideology.. and not facts.
To describe H. Clinton as either “truthful” or “competent” shows me that you are not a serious person.
Your affinity for Trump would suggest the same of you. So we apparently have something in common… we are not serious.
The real problem is a spiritual one. The battle will continue until the return of The Lord. That’s not a cop-out (again, no pun intended lol).
You’re right to say we’ve all got children in schools and the problem is everyone’s, which is another great argument for homeschooling.
At the risk of being called a conspiracy nut, don’t you find it a bit disingenuous that in all of these incidents, there just so happens to be practice drills within days of the event so that the children don’t know whether it’s a drill or a live event? That’s very suspicious to me.
(I’ll be anxious to hear what you thought and whether your initial impression has changed 🙂 )
Oh heck.. why stop there. I think all the kids were brainwashed by renegade liberals.. and the culprit is Hillary and her 30,000 emails. Nah.. you’re not a conspiracy nut.
(Well.. in here or over at the other place?)
(…or email?)
Common core has been extremely destructive to our youth. I’m not interested so much in political parties (what a misnomer that is!) but what the result is.
In actual fact, our government has become an insatiable behemoth – not at all what the founders intended.
(Email is fine.)
I’ve heard that echo before.. that the Founding Fellows hasn’t intended government to be such a behemoth. Actually.. and honestly when you look back on it… their perspective was from their own times as that was their frame of reference. While they could be assigned as political visionaries I sincerely doubted that they had any collective notions on the size of a necessary government. All they were concerned about was establishing those inalienable rights and assuring government was responsive to the people. Size would never had entered the picture. Now.. one could easily suggest that the current size of our government has, in fact, been determined by the will of the people, along the way.
The governments – federal, state and local – have become bloodsuckers, stealing more and more of our livelihoods to contribute to the feeding frenzy of the mostly unnecessary (or to use their own phrase non-essential) personnel. If they’re non-essential why are we paying them to begin with? I strenuously object. And it’s doubtful the founders intended such a thing. More like quiet enjoyment. Fairness.
(Gimmie an email.. or pop me a line here.. btbs8989@gmail.com)
Why waste time with the likes of Doug. There are none so blind as those who will not see. He already has his mind made up, so move on – Sheesh!
David.. it says over on your site there that you are a radical for truth.
Likely it hasn’t crossed your mind why someone “the likes of me” would want to pop a reply in here once in while, on a blog that so obviously reflects a very opposite viewpoint from my own. I guess you could assign my attentions in here as being that of some misguided troll or something equally benign. Well, believe it or not, I actually dive into the devil’s dens on occasion to try and learn something once in a while; learning does not necessarily imply “agreement”.. There are times, as Lee knows, where I have commented on a particular statement or viewpoint that needs further.. clarification. We seldom agree on anything but that’s really not the point, albeit’s frustrating for the both of us, I presume. To his credit he tolerates me, which is why I follow his posts. All us blogsters have a delete key available.
Now… given all that nonsense… I am curious how radical for truth you really are because the fact you are so dismissive of me suggests you aren’t all that radical at all. So.. teach me some radical truth.
Again, to describe Hillary Clinton as “truthful” or “competent” is beyond the pale.
…and in the very least, so is Trump… which he continually demonstrates.
(He wants Hillary to be president.)
Actually, I got that from the Santa Fe police chief explaining the need for action and that “prayer won’t help”.
To be more accurate about Hillary… she was history in politics the day she lost. I much prefer Trump gone, and would even accept Pence.
Doesn’t look like any of our actions have been all that helpful, does it?
Prayer is not a magical incantation that summons God like a bellhop to carry our luggage up the stairs. We do ourselves harm by neglecting it.
Yet at the most vulnerable point in our lives.. facing death, whether in a hospital bed or facing the point of a gun from another human, that’s exactly what we expect from prayer. The odd thing.. we will never know, in this world, if prayer was ever answered. That’s for our survivors to muddle through.
Does this qualify as ‘fake news’ or just ‘fake reporters’ lol!
https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2018/05/20/when-you-have-no-clue-about-firearms-usa-today-writes-about-less-lethal-weapons-used-in-santa-fe-shooting/
Maybe they won’t want to take away our ‘less lethal’ weapons. It’s astonishing to me that someone would actually say that!
Well.. prayer doesn’t seem to help. Which is simply another way of saying, where was God? And I am sure someone has an answer for that.
I beg to differ with you there, Doug. Prayer does help, and I’m living proof of that. Meanwhile, this is a fallen world with dominion having been temporarily granted by God to the Adversary, but his time’s about up. He knows it so he’s pulling out all the stops, trying desperately to devour as many as will not heed God. After all, the Deceiver/Adversary hates man.
Gun ownership is virtually illegal in Britain, but London’s murder rate has just passed New York City’s. Criminals don’t seem to find it at all difficult to steal guns, buy them from other criminals, or circumvent the law by other means.
When you engage someone like this you are feeding his ego and he will come back. Take it from someone that has moderated online forums for years. Ignore this and it will go away, feed it and it will be at your door like a stray dog.
Well, now he’s dumping on prayer. I don’t think it’s worth my time to answer that. He wants Hillary to be the president and he thinks prayer is futile. Tally-ho.
That’s actually very good advice… if you prefer only having a blog of like-minded opinions so everyone can praise each other.