News Consumption

            As we plunge deeper into the current election cycle, it behooves us to consider what news is, what it is not, and how we consume it. I remember when news came via either the three major broadcasting networks or a newspaper. We furrowed our brows in wonderment when a new network, CNN, started broadcasting. After all, we mused, how would they fill twenty-four hours a day with news? Then came the Internet with grand promises of an informed society. Sadly, the proliferation of platforms does not appear to have resulted in a well-reasoned thoughtful conversation over matters of national import. Instead, we shout at each other across a great gulf, periodically retreating into our self-created echo chambers to reaffirm our convictions, emerging to reengage in continual diatribe, and congratulate ourselves on standing up for what we believe. This is not the product of thoughtful consumption of news.

            Sometimes news challenges our “sacred-cows.” All too often, we cry “media bias” simply because the news does not line up with our particular viewpoint. If our news choices never challenge us, never makes us ponder, never makes us question, never make us uncomfortable, then we’re consuming propaganda. Producers of propaganda rarely seek to inform. Instead, they seek to reconfirm and strengthen existing biases. News informs. News presents facts. News seeks to sharpen our understanding of the world and how it works. We use the claim of “media bias” in order to avoid confronting truth that does not support our particular position.

            Thoughtful consumption of news requires a devotion to truth. Jesus famously said, “…and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (English Standard Version JN 8:32) And while Jesus apparently refers to himself in this passage, He also reminds us that a devotion to truth, even the prosaic truth of day-to-day life, frees us. Intellectually honest consumers of news not only insist on truth-telling in their news sources, but they also do not share spurious stories in their own social media accounts. We must understand that when we share a lie, we share in that lie. Legitimate news sources take great pains to ensure the veracity of their product. They know that their reputation depends upon their truthfulness. They employ fact-checkers and the editorial staff holds reporters accountable. A discriminating consumer of news can easily find reliable trustworthy news outlets and eschews frequenting those sources that must issue frequent retractions or simply ignore failure.

            An educated consumer of news understands the difference between news and opinion. Of course opinion pieces, well-written ones, traffic in the realm of fact. They do not twist the facts. However, news presents the who, what, where, when, and why, without opinion or bias. When we find ourselves focusing our news consumption on opinion pieces without perusing the news, we must take the time to recalibrate our consumption and focus more on news intake. Reading a good news article takes time and effort. Opinion pieces tell us what to think, news pieces present the facts and leave us to decide what we think. The allure and peril of a news diet focused on opinion and propaganda is we do not have to think. We let someone else think for us, trusting them to handle the truth. Then, when we confront facts that do not line up with our view-point, instead of girding up our intellectual loins and sorting through the facts and possibly adjusting our view, we raise the hue and cry of “media bias” and excuse ourselves from further thought.

            During several assignments in the Army, my duties included media evaluation, both domestic and foreign. I can safely say that all the reputable news outlets in the states provide reasonably unbiased news. A number of the major foreign news outlets are similarly trustworthy. All opinion contains bias or it would not be opinion. Far too many of us enjoy the salaciousness of opinion pieces and count them as news. In doing that we display our unwillingness to do the work of a good consumer and our willingness to remain ignorant. So as the election cycle grinds on, let us commit ourselves to the heavy mental lifting required of being good consumers of news and become a literate electorate. Let us leave the echo-chambers of comfort and instead confront the reality of the world around us. Let us make well-informed decisions regarding the future of our nation.

Why Pay Taxes

            I recently opened a letter from my municipal tax authority and saw that my property had gone up in value; consequently, my taxes also went up. This precipitated a flurry of angry postings and memes rocketing around my little social- media world, all of which decried the actions of my town. A common theme of, “they’re sucking us dry” ran through the comments. Really, are they actually sucking us dry? I wonder.

            I wonder what kind of society we want? I do not enjoy paying taxes; however, I do like civilization. I’ve lived in countries that exact very little in the way of property or other taxes and seen what kind of society that produces. Potholes that never go away mark the roads, ruining suspensions. The police provide spotty coverage at best and often require payment, which we label as bribes, to investigate and apprehend perpetrators. I watched an entire neighborhood go up in flames, hundreds rendered homeless in a few ash-filled minutes simply because no fire department serviced that neighborhood. Hospitals where they hand you a list of required supplies before they treat or admit you. Ambulances that run to only a few toney neighborhoods sit gleaming refusing to move when others call. Public education that is skimpy at best, leaving thousands of hopeless and shiftless young men easy recruits for criminal and terrorist organizations. I have seen the poor, destitute, and mentally challenged lying naked in the streets. These are the earmarks of low taxes.

            I’d rather live in a society that works hard to take care of those with less, a society that provides public education and the hope that accompanies it. I like driving on roads that do not jolt and judder my vehicles to splinters. I enjoy police, fire, and ambulances that not only come when I call but are also well trained and caring. I want a society which cares for those with less, heals their hurts, binds up their wounds, educates their young, and ensures that they do not live out miserable lives in cardboard boxes on steam grates. I know that these things cost, a fair amount, but the price, the human cost, of not paying taxes is too high. We give up a piece of our own humanity when we turn a blind eye to the suffering our refusal to invest in our culture and society creates.

            Yes, paying taxes is a pain. But the price of not paying is much higher, especially when I consider the damage to my soul my own selfishness causes. I do not want to emulate the early Scrooge of Dickens’s classic, A Christmas Carol. I want a nobler society, one which truly embraces family values.

Martyrs

            Martyrs provide a useful service. As a recruiting company commander, I knew that any perceived attack on the United States, especially one that caused casualties, would generate an uptick in enlistments. “Remember the Alamo, Remember Pearl Harbor, the Twin Towers,” and other such jargony cultural icons stoke the fires of patriotism, reminding us of shared loss and pain. Every culture shares this penchant. Those in power often utilize martyrs to provide a steady stream of recruits. When in Iraq, we watched as the “Banner-Wars” unfolded.

            Families of those slain by a bombing would hang a large banner proclaiming their loss in a prominent spot, often on a compound wall facing a public thoroughfare. These public displays of grief and loss would blossom like grim flowers in neighborhoods after an IED or suicide bomber struck. Their stark black and white, flapping in the hot wind, served as a constant reminder of a family’s loss to a seemingly endless conflict, and an encouragement for retaliation and revenge.

            When we succumb to the desire for revenge or retaliation, even when it seems justified by bad actions on the part of the person targeted, we also increase the numbers of young men willing to throw themselves into the cauldron of conflict. In his death, General Soleimani will continue to serve as a recruiting poster for violent actions against a long-time foe. Hundreds will line up to serve the cause he espoused. He will not be seen as a violent man who trafficked in continual death; instead, he will be thought of as a noble victim, slain in defense of a righteous cause. And in this, we make a grave miscalculation.

            We incorrectly assume that killing a man such as Soleimani will deter future aggression. That is not how we as humans think. Imagine our collective outrage should an enemy successfully target a prominent public figure, be they military or civilian. This tit for tat style of diplomacy will only prolong a seemingly intractable conflict, serving to deepen the chasm that separates our peoples. The killing of such a public figure will not deter further violence. The lengthy nature of this asymmetrical conflict has provided battalions of well-trained, battle-hardened men ready to step into the breach and continue the fight. We should take no comfort in the relatively mild scope of Iranian retaliation. They simply afforded us an opportunity to avoid a rapid escalation into greater violence and death. They gave us a bit of space to reconsider our options for future actions.

            We must give careful thought to what we want as an end-state in Iran and Iraq. We launched this conflict with no thought to what our goals were. I participated, in a small way, in the planning and execution of the invasion and at that time there was no plan, written or stated, that addressed what we would do after the invasion. At that time, our civilian leadership was chary concerning nation-building. Ostensibly we invaded in order to force out Saddam Hussein and deny Iraq weapons of mass destruction. As a soldier in 2003, I saw first hand the depravity with which Saddam treated his people and the remnants of his attempts to obtain WMD. But that does not relieve us of the responsibility to secure some sort of stable relationship with the Iraqis and begin building bridges with Iran.

            I hope and pray that we will not settle for some sort of continual long-distance low-level warfare with Iran. We must find other ways to interact with this country. It took decades to sort out ways to interact with the Soviet Union, but we did so, and they posed a truly existential threat to our nation. We must develop creative diplomatic tools and find areas of common interest. Surely we’ve spilt enough blood to satisfy the fires that raged after 9/11. Now we ought to turn our hands to binding up wounds, feeding the hungry, and educating the ignorant. The road back from entrenched hated may be long and filled with many fitful starts and stops, but it is one that must be traveled. Let us start that arduous journey sooner than later.

A Weary Foreboding

            I have watched recent events unfold with a weary foreboding. I pray that our leaders will step back from the dark abyss into which we seem to be hurtling. Expanding hostilities with Iran serves no useful purpose. When did we as a nation abandon the careful and thoughtful approach to international relations so carefully crafted during the dark days of the Cold War? History shows that long-term diplomacy works. We talked our way out of conflict with the Soviet Union. Eventually, words, backed up by serious military readiness and a thriving economy, prevailed. What has convinced us that armed conflict with a nation, weakened by decades of ever-tightening sanctions, will serve our national purposes?

            As a veteran of multiple tours in Iraq, I do not see a positive outcome of expanding our conflict. To be sure, Iran poses no existential threat to our nation. We can crush any armed force they can muster. Our military, hardened by almost two decades of continual warfare, will crush any organized opposition with dispatch. But that will not end the carnage. They will simply turn to and employ unconventional tactics and the blood will continue to spill into the ever-thirsty sand. Our experience in Afghanistan and Iraq has taught us the extreme difficulty of subduing a people willing to engage in continual asymmetric warfare. What little international respect we retain will evaporate as we pursue a failed policy with no real end in sight.  Why are we so ready to add to the death and destruction that already plagues the region?

            I urge those who think this enlargement of conflict to volunteer to strap on their kit and join those in harm's way. If you are too old or unfit, consider dispatching your children or grandchildren into the cauldron of hate and violence we’ve helped create. Or, if you are unwilling to take those steps, consider visiting one of the VA or military hospitals serving wounded service members. If viewing the physically maimed turns your stomach, perhaps you can sit with a veteran suffering from PTSD, or volunteer in a refugee camp, helping displaced civilians. Take these steps before you so quickly send others into harm's way.

            There are times in which a nation must resort to engaging in armed conflict. But is this really one of them? What do the Iranians possess that we need? Will an increase in the death toll bring an end to international terrorism? What is the end-state of this conflict? Have we become so calloused to the suffering and privations of war as to accept the current state of things as normal?

            We must work harder to solve these seemingly intractable problems. This cannot be acceptable simply because it takes place halfway around the globe in someone else’s neighborhood. Their suffering is real. I have seen them mourn their lost children. Before we stagger down this path, let us pause, consider, and seek other options. It took almost fifty years, be we managed to end the Cold War without coming to blows through the hard work of well-considered and artfully executed diplomacy. I’m old enough to remember how hard we worked that particular issue. Perhaps it is time to reinvigorate those skills and step back from the dark abyss.  

Advent, Day Twenty-Seven

Wednesday, 25 December: ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

The house is quiet. Once again, the dishwasher hums. Most of the guests have left with cherry, “Merry Christmases,” ringing into the fading sunset. Presents exchanged, favorite foods eaten, and traditional movies watched, all the boxes have been checked. Once again we gathered as a family and enjoyed each other’s presence. Now as I rest, I consider the impact of that long-ago birth in a tiny hamlet on a Judean ridge. Immanuel, God with us, changed everything. Somehow God managed to shed all that stood between us, becoming one of us, knowing us with a breathtaking intimacy, bearing our sins and shame. But all of that is to come. Now this evening, this quiet moment belongs to Mary. She cares for God. He’s drooly and totally helpless, unaware of what’s to come. Tonight though, he’s content to depend upon his mother and rest.

Advent, Day Twenty-Six

Tuesday, 24 December: ¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. Matthew 13:16-17

The house is quiet. Christy, our houseguests, and Kimmy the cat have all retired for the eve. A few minutes ago our house fairly rang with laughter and conversation. All of the Robinson clan gathered for our traditional Christmas Eve meal of tamales, refried beans, guacamole, and leche-flan. Tomorrow everyone will return to exchange gifts, share another meal, and watch some favorite Christmas movies. Once again the house will be full of laughter and genial banter. Now, however, quiet reigns and I reflect. Some two thousand years ago, all of creation held its breath while a young Hebrew girl strained her way through labor. Then, in a rush, a child was born, and everything changed. Melina of expectant breathless waiting for a promise, fulfilled all at once. Prophets, kings, and wise men longed to see this day. They ached to see God’s breakthrough into our meager existence. And so I too wait; wait for the coming of Immanuel, the renewal of my tired old heart, the promised new wine, the dreaming of dreams.