Sometimes I wonder if people can really believe the things that they do. I fully admit that I am wrong on occasion, but there are some gross misunderstandings that many now hold as core beliefs. Let’s look at a few of them.
Do you really think that humans are solely responsible for global climate change? Just 30 years ago, scientists were warning us about the coming ice age. Now they say the earth is heating out of control and climate change is “settled science.” I wonder what they will be saying 30 years from now?
We live just a few million miles from a monstrous burning ball of gas that goes through cycles. We also live on a thin layer of dirt floating upon a large sea of lava. And you think my Toyota is heating the planet?
The bottom line is that we are still learning and the science is far from settled. Does that mean we should all go out and be polluting energy hogs? Of course not. But let’s not form policy on far-from-settled science and left-wing alarmist tripe.
Do you really think that our nation should have open borders? No country in recorded history has ever survived without protecting its border integrity. If we cannot do this simple thing, the United States will not survive long.
Enemies from without will use our border naïveté and erode us from within. Either through economic, vice (drugs), or terrorist means, our border policy can be our undoing. Let’s get this fixed now before it is too late. It’s not racist. It’s protecting our national integrity.
Do you really think that shouting down people who believe differently from you is good? I see many young people who now think that silencing the opposition (or supposed opposition) is “winning.” Completely incorrect.
Our nation exists because we allow differing points of view. Instead of screaming at someone who has a difference of opinion, why not grab a cup of coffee, sit down, and spend an hour talking? I have found that common ground is often there and we just don’t take the time to find it.
And if someone can’t be reasoned with, smile and walk away. The best weapon is to simply ignore them. Indifference is the ultimate nuclear weapon.
Do you really think that all cops are bad? Seriously? Just use a little common sense here. If they were all bad and racist, why do we still see stories on TV about officers stopping criminals and helping people?
And I see quite a few black, brown, and yellow police officers out there, in addition to white. If it was all just a big racist conspiracy, why do we see all these different flavors?
Is this all to say that there are no bad cops? No. There are bad apples everywhere. But maybe our friends in blue are not as evil as some would have us believe.
Do you really think that opinion masquerading as news is a good thing? I think this is one of the strongest factors fueling the polarization of our society. “News” organizations like CNN routinely run headlines that are thinly veiled opinion pieces.
I often read the more outrageous CNN feeds on my iPhone hoping that I see a presentation of facts that bolsters the tag line. Very rarely do I ever see it. We need good journalism to make a comeback. And we need an American public that demands it.
Do you really think that Vladimir Putin is responsible for Donald Trump? I have no doubt that Russian state trolls were goofing around on message boards and that had some effect on a few people. And don’t think for a second that we don’t do the same thing to them.
We got Trump for two reasons. First, the Dems picked a terrible candidate. If they had picked Biden, he’d be president now. But an unlikable former first lady with immense baggage was selected. Might as well have picked Putin.
Second, many people in the “fly over” states felt ignored and abused. Call it what you want, liberals, but you helped create Trump by not being inclusive and simply writing off all these folks and labeling them “deplorable.”
In summary, let’s pull out those core opinions and take a really hard look at them in the sunlight of truth and reason. I’ll bet many of them will simply wither and fade.
Steve Lunetta is a resident of Santa Clarita and sounds more like his Uncle Earl every day. He can be reached at [email protected].
