Anybody can say anything about anything, any time.

Like the Church condemning Galileo for postulating his heliocentric refinement of the Copernican notion the earth revolves about the sun, not vice versa, as the Church insisted. After all, Pope Urban VIII and his Inquisition had it on biblical authority they had to be right. It was what Divine and Absolute Authority was all about. The Church said so; end of all further discussion on the matter.

The Soviet Ministry of Agriculture said the farm harvests were wonderful. Same thing: end of all discussion.

During Vietnam, “There’s light at the end of the tunnel,” and, concerning Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, “It’s a slam dunk,” and “We know where they are.”

All glorious dovetails to the myth of Ronald Reagan as a “great president,” or a “most beloved president.”

And it’s interesting, but highly hazardous, to cite Americans' feelings at any given time, especially the more removed from the occurrence,  in support of much of anything. Ever watch Jay Leno’s Jay Walking segments? Or peruse the latest surveys: the levels of Americans’ knowledge of history and geography, and not be aghast?

So evidence counts. It’s EVERYTHING. But evidence must be either source attributed, or capable of having the source attributions appended to the submissions. Or it ain’t worth a thing more than flatulence hitting fresh air.   

I tried, and I tried, and I tried some more . . . but . . .  I made the most heroic efforts to append the http links to each and every itemization of those investigated, indicted, tried, and either convicted or who pled guilty, and the sentences of those in the Reagan administration; from EPA administrator Rita Lavelle to Secretary of the Interior James Watt to WH Press Secretary Lyn Nofziger to National Security Advisor John Poindexter to Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger to Attorney General Ed Meese to Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Secord to good ol’ boy Ollie North, and at least a dozen others. But the site just would NOT permit the lengthy threads. Cut ‘em each and every time. Then in the ‘Preview,” it even cut the offering immediately after the sentence on Rita Lavelle; not the criminal sentence (she got six months jail time), the scripted "sentence."

So I’ll recommend folks do what I told my two sons to do through all their developing years, concerning every controversial subject they encountered: One, never, ever believe what anyone tells you (not me, not their mother, not a teacher, not a politician, certainly under no circumstances a religious leader . . . no one). If it sounds the least uni-directional or slanted or suspicious, never forget you’re dealing with a fallible human being. Two, check it out for yourself. And when you do, at least have the guts to try to counter your own prejudices.  (Actually, I never said “guts,” I recommended a lower-placed physical attribute.) Throwing out an opinion sans confirmable backup information is stupid, and being stupid is a personal choice no one is under any obligation to make. That’s what I’d tell my sons, and a position I heartily endorse for everyone.

The world and this country have paid a tragically dear price in blood and treasure because folks were either too timid to crack eggs or too lazy to think for themselves, then back it up with even rudimentary research.

I’m no Thomas Paine. But if I die as roundly rejected as did the fellow most responsible for getting a bunch of American colonists all riled and ready to kick redcoat butt . . . Hey! dead is dead, right? And who needs friends when you’re dead?