Good to hear from you, Bill  (and I'll refrain from the temptation to use the
Tasmanian sobriquet),

Did I give the impression that I was thirsting for someone to trust?  I guess
that last statement did sound something like that.  I kind of thought that the
whole tenor of my message was indicating that we couldn't trust any of those
stories because, as a friend used to say, "Everybody's selling something!"
That was back before we said it was "all spin."

As an old Non-Aristotlean I try not to confuse the map with the territory,
thus, "truth" only brings up that old saying (that I used to attribute to
Johnny Cash), "What is truth?"  Which you will probably recognize as John: 38
(I only know that because someone at a writers' festival told me it was
biblical and I had to look it up - It was Pontius Pilate in response to Jesus
of Nazareth making the claim that he was the "light and the truth" - It made me
feel a lot better about old Pontius).

Therefore, my last thought in the previous message was no doubt a little
"wistful."  Whether it was for the innocence of my youth when I did believe
"some things, some what," (I had a fight in grammar school because guys told me
there was no "Santa Claus."  It wasn't that I believed in Santa Claus, I just
believed in my mother and father) or only wishing for a journalism source that
has a great batting record (I use the NY Times).  Whether it was Freudian or
simply misspeaking, you were correct in pointing out the error in logic.

I still understand that the map isn't the territory, including Chomsky (who may
probably be closer in describing the territory than anyone else we know), and
therefore try to resist "homing onto" any of the plethora of rationalizers out
there.  In fact, a quote from me (in a recent magazine article) was as follows:
""Anthropologists studying diffusion of innovation of ideas and/or discoveries
today, might find us, through the Internet, constructing a new type of world
social neural network at an accelerating rate.  Sometimes I wonder if such
sustained exposure to new and varied information may not 'overload our
registers.'  I anticipate visible symptoms of such overload manifested by
participants in modern communication."

I not only have seen many signs of such sensory overload, but I'm appalled at
the flight from reality we are seeing about us when we have the resources to
field the most intelligent populace the world has ever seen.  People almost
seem to prefer mysticism to science (they are spinning, too, but in an
agreeably acceptable manner) and, in most of the civilized world, so-called
"alternate medicine" is becoming one of the largest industries about (second to
narcotics).  One of the largest groups, traditional Chinese medicine (herbs and
stuff), and others quite similar, comes from areas of the world where they pick
the dead bodies off the streets each morning and where disease is rampant.
Even the biggest industry, illegal drugs, is really hyping the use of "herbs!"
We really need examples like that to follow for our health!

Enjoyed your comments, as usual...

Cordially,

Bob



Bill Bartlett wrote:

> Robert G. Grimes wrote:
>
> >Sure wish we could trust some folks out there....
>
> Why Bob? Why do you feel the need to blindly follow (trust) someone? Why do
> you think that this is the solution to humanity's problems?
>
> If our leaders betray our trust then we are necessarily part of the
> problem. If we didn't trust them, they wouldn't be able to betray that
> trust would they? We should realise that we have no right and more
> importantly - no NEED - to trust in leaders.
>
> Instead, lets make them fully accountable to the people. But because
> accountability is incompatable with trust, as long as people demand
> trustworthy leaders they are abrogating responsibility, being
> irresponsible.
>
> Bill Bartlett
> Bracknell Tas.



--
Bob Grimes

http://members.aol.com/bob5266/
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Jacksonville, Florida
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Man is not in control, but the man who knows he is not in control is more in
control...

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore....."