Weapons of Mass Deception

I have been a part of many mailing lists over the years, from work-related announcement lists, to auto enthusiast lists, faith-based study and encouragement lists, politics, health, technology, even humor and recreational lists. I even ran some mailing lists as far back as the late 1980s.

Most of these lists have one thing in common, to inform the audience about a given topic and incite an action of some form, to get the reader up off the couch and moving in the "right" direction.

Many of the lists provide a considerable amount of fantastic, in-depth information assembled by people who are dedicated and enthusiastic about the topic at hand. But even the announcement-only lists have a world-view centered around the topic at hand. So the challenge handed to every reader is to consolidate all the relevant information and make wise, well-rounded, experience based decisions. No big deal, this is the beauty of focused conversation.

So I got a promotional email earlier today from one of my weekly lists. The list is about independent healthy living, so conversations are normally centered around healthy bug-resistant organic gardening and how to not be a basket case should the power or water go out or the local HEB run out of popcorn oil. The email contained a warning about the potential for an enormous radiation explosion within the sun which would inevitably cause a huge electromagnetic pulse and destroy a lot of the world's power transmission capabilities. Sure, it's blurring the boundary between science and science-fiction and there is a very, very remote possibility of something like that harming the infrastructure, but the thing that really caught my eye was the solution.

The author was recommending a solar-electric generator for his readers to become self-sufficient.

This is where my trivial experience in electronics and power generation / transmission stepped in with a "Hold it right there, pilgrim." I read and re-read the problem and solution statements to make sure I got the scenario and sure enough, the "solution" to a solar flare large enough to damage electronics and transformers all over the world is supposed to be a solar generator made up of electronics and transformers!

Even Mr. Magoo can see the problem, this enthusiast lists has transitioned into advocating on behalf of their sponsors instead of sharing objective and honest facts and solutions.

Don't get me wrong, there is nothing inherently wrong with sponsored lists, sponsors help finance these lists and promote the sharing of valuable information.

The problem is when sponsors start defining the message that gets spread.

One major thing I learned in two years of high school journalism is the concept of objectivity, being able to report on something without injecting a personal bias which taints the story. The key phrase there is "taints the story". We all see and say things through a filter based on our own experience which naturally shows up in all of our communications. This is a very real challenge of objective journalism and honest communications, how to keep those personal real-life filters from corrupting the message we need to share.

I freely admit my own biases. It's foolish to deny that my upbringing, faith and desires determine how I think. If you've ready my "I Believe" blog, you'll know what I mean and where I come from.

What I Believe

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. That He literally walked on this earth, that He died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day.

I believe that the United States of America is the last, best hope of earthly freedom for the human race, not because we are better than everyone else, but because we believe that freedom-derived opportunity is better for all people.

I believe that if people are allowed and encouraged to achieve, that they will achieve beyond their wildest dreams. I also believe that if people are constantly told "you can't do this without my help" that both parties will fail miserably and the human race suffers.

I believe that I am a better judge of my health needs than any government bureaucrat. I believe that my doctor is a better judge of my health needs than any government or insurance company bureaucrat. I also believe that it is solely my decision whether to inquire about or ignore any of my doctor's advice.

I believe that it is my decision alone how best to defend my own life or that of my family and friends in my care. I also believe that a refusal to make that decision leaves no right to comment on the outcome when someone else does.

I believe that if I want something my neighbor has, the only appropriate way to receive it is to work harder or longer to earn it.

I believe that failure is only temporary unless I fail to learn from it and forge on.

I believe that theft by government is still theft.

I believe that "sharing the wealth" can legitimately originate only from those who have the wealth to share.

I believe that greed by government is still greed.

I believe that any person who breaks their solemn oath to uphold, support, or defend the Constitution (of the US, State, County, or Town) should be immediately removed from office and disallowed from any future elected, appointed or hired position where an oath is required, and should lose all current and future benefits of the previously held position.

I believe that the right to free speech is about communications, not the sale of pornographic materials.

I believe that if the people who merely choose to live off government handouts were forced to work that we would have no problem with unemployment or welfare.

Why do I believe this? Because I was raised by devout Christian parents. My heroes are a full time mother who never expected the government to pay her for the role she still treasures, and a father who worked tirelessly so his family could have a better life than he experienced growing up.

A few memories which helped forge my beliefs:

As an 8 year old I was privileged to watch Dad graduate from the University of Oklahoma after seeing him work full time through the years of college and spend one weekend a month for his Air National Guard duties.

My Mom remains the world's best cook. From the daily snacks after school (peanut butter and brown sugar?) that she set out just before starting supper, to the shrimp gumbo in gallon buckets she sent back to college with me. Food was the binding agent for most of our family business since it was conducted almost exclusively around the kitchen table. Many experts are just now discovering what my parents understood and practiced decades ago.

I was blessed to attend my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary (and of my parents and parents-in-law).

Eww, that smell...

We drove by a little church building in Hankamer, Texas last year on a geocaching adventure. That drive-by inspired this article, not because of any special memories associated with the family that worshiped there or the facade on the front, but simply because of the smell I knew would be inside.

The cleaner and furniture polish they used on the wooden pews and wooden floor in the mid-1970s left a unique aroma after decades of buildup. It was neither unpleasant nor pleasant, but it was omnipresent. The building had a couple of classrooms in the back which we painted one Saturday afternoon and gagged on the paint fumes, but the single greatest thing I recall about that building is the smell of every Sunday evening's services. Maybe 25 people attended if we brought a couple of carloads from Baytown, the air conditioning was almost non-existent, the singing wasn't a draw but the preaching was pretty good, and I often unlocked the front door with a pocket knife because the key was miles away. I would probably not remember any of the other building memories except through that strong and unique scent.

How many times has a particular aroma brought up powerful components of a significant memory? Got time for a quick detour?

If you've ever had a noseful of airplane ventilation you know what I mean. That meld of plastic, leather, dirtyish carpet, stress, a tinge of burned jet fuel and spilled soft drinks is pretty unique to the airline experience. Does it remind you of that trip to Walt Disney World or Grandma's house for Christmas?

What about the stench of burned rubber and racing fuel found around racetracks? Just talking about it reminds me of a trip J.D. Walker, Guy Larson and I took to Buffalo Speedway in 1976.

The bouquet of Hoppe's #9 almost makes me feel the cold steel in my hands, and a whiff of consumed nitrocellulose will turn the head of most hoplophiles.

Good: electronics fresh from the plastic wrap. Bad: electronics after a catastrophic failure.

Chocolate. Coffee. Charcoal-grilled hamburger. Salmon. Garlic. Cinnamon. Fresh cookies, straight from the oven. Many of our instantly recognizable scents are reinforced through years of practice in or near the dining room. Bacon. Mmmmm bacon. Maple syrup. Bacon. Maple syrup. That's an easy loop to get stuck in.

Some smells are less pleasant, not by the smell itself but by the associated memories. The essence of isopropyl alcohol probably stirs memories of painful doctor-related events in most of us.

The fragrance of certain flowers reminds me of funeral homes, a perfume I like to avoid most days.

Skunk, 'nuff said.

Some smells can go either way: Wet dog. Springtime rain. Black earth. Manure. Diesel.

But because we're unique we don't all have the same scent-memory triggers. Some people probably associate the smell of Sterno with food warmers, I think of the Andromeda Strain, an obvious synapse-crossfire.

And then there's the memories of certain sounds, we'll discuss that at length some other time.