Know Your Enemy!

When I was 15 years old, I remember my football coach saying over and over, You must "Know Your Enemy!" You must listen, watch, and understand how they think, how they play, what they do, how they do it, and why they do it; or your will never defeat them. Later in life, as a young squad leader, I heard another variation of the same axiom, and I remember thinking, wow, that’s weird. My coach was using the Army play book! Then later as the Assistant Plans and Operations Officer, while mobilizing for war, with the Third Mechanized Infantry Battalion, 141st Infantry Regiment TXANG (Our Regimental Crest and motto still "Remember The Alamo") I truly understood the hard and valuable significance of the statement, Know Your Enemy! 

History, has taught us over and over, that in Chess, Sports, Law, Life and in War; in order to prepare a strong offense and/or a strong defense; so that we may increase our chances of  wining, or winning the day, We must know our enemy!  So, whether we like it or not, and as much as we may hate it, we must listen too, and study the people we don’t like, and how the news outlets we dislike, are selling them. Either, he or she is a crook - (rotten to the core) Or Not. Either he or she is lying, Or Not. But there will be two sides expressing a different truth. It will be up to us, and only us, to find out what the real truth actually is.

So, in politics, who is the enemy? Well, it will be different for every one, but if you take a good look, it may not end up being who you thought it was.  Now I can tell you this: For the Democrats, it’s the Republicans and the Fox news network; and for the Republicans, it’s the Democrats, and CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, New York Times, etc.  And for the Socialists, it is anyone who does not support Socialism. 

So How Do We Know?

First, we must accept that fact that: it is possible that our favorite news outlet, is skewing the truth- for, or against- one party or another. In order to bring down the politician they do not support. Also, is it possible that the news outlet that you trust, is not reporting the really bad stuff of the candidate you support, in order to keep you blind to negative facts; and so that you stay loyal to that party or politician.  You must consider, that If this is the case, you will never know the truth, unless you take the time to verify everything that is reported.  And that means listening to the other side of the story.

Most importantly, you must listen to the politicians you dislike the most. If they are in-fact your enemy, you must  listen to them and listen to them often! As you will find clues that will give you a better picture of who he or she really is.  Listen to their speeches, watch their rallies, their platform, and then contrast his or her views and what he or she says to what your favored politicians' are telling you.  Contrast those points to what you know is right and wrong.  What are the potential rewards, benefits, perils, and/or consequences to you, your children, your family, and to our nation, if the platform you support or oppose prevails.

If they tell you, the economy is terrible or that the economy is great, go to the agencies that keep the numbers, and check for yourself. In doing so, you might find, that the numbers have not been updated; that your news outlet might have left out a few bits of important information, or that the numbers were skewed to favor one candidate. And you may find that the person you dislike the most, is not near as bad as you were told, or much better than you thought.

If you hear that the politician you dislike the most, has done something terrible, illegal or criminal; before you condemn him or her, you must go to the news channels or networks that support him or her, and hear the explanation (if there is any) in the defense of that person. Listen for slants or skews or left out bits and pieces. Put yourself in the shoes of the person about to get prosecuted. Are the accusations just if it was you on the stand? Does your presiding judge have any biases for the things you believe in? Has he expressed any negative words about you or the things you are accused of doing before the case is even presented? Do you think he will he give you a fair trial?

Armed yourself with facts from both sides, so that you can confirm that the politician you dislike is every bit as crooked or evil as you have been led to believe by your favorite newspaper or TV news.  You can continue to distrust them, but at least you gave them the benefit of the doubt. An American right. Innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around!  Maybe you will learn that what he or she has done is really insignificant and the case is  being used to stop the politician's momentum. Or Not. 

If you notice that something just doesn't sound right, find out if your favorite news outlet or opposing congressmen or congresswomen are pushing guilt before due process. If the hearsay of the day, has already condemned and proven him or her guilty, before they have had their day in court, are networks and  congress acting as a fair representative of law, or are they working the loopholes of the law, to bring down a  member of the opposing party by any or all means possible before an election? Banana republics ( which we all believe we are not) convict and imprison their political opponents to get them out of the way, Are we, or have we become a banana republic? 

You must ask the questions: Why did my news channel not report this correctly,  Why did they omit important information? Why did they not report it at all, Why did add things that were not facts? How could they get it so wrong?  Was it  incompetence, error, or was it flat out lie, to achieve an agenda? 

As you research, fortunately, or unfortunately, you might find that there are a few or many things that you actually agree with, or like, about the politician you thought you hated. You may find, that the one you thought was the enemy is really not. You may find that your most trusted news sources, may have not been telling you the whole truth. Accidentally or conveniently leaving out pieces of important  information that you would expect them to report to you. The news that should draw the most concern, are false reports with malice, placed in to condemn a person, that the party, the network or  the reporter does not like.  

Beware of anonymous sources.  If a reporter often throws out  breaking news stories with an almost unbelievable claim of wrong doing or corruption, extortion, or bribery, without a solid name souse or documents to back up the claim, and then follows up the story with the disclaimer- IF TRUE!  This or that will happen... Can you remember how many times we heard "If True" by seasoned senators, congressmen and the main stream media; in the Russia Collusion case? Was any of it true? Millions of our tax dollars spent! Was anyone prosecuted? Were any of the accusers prosecuted  for lying?  So, if you repletely hear "if true" after a news report, run as fast as you can away from that reporter, and maybe even the network for allowing and unproved lie to perpetuate. You must understand, that the are intentionally injecting slapdash unverified rumor into the airwaves to inflict personal damage on someone they are trying to destroy.  

Politicians will promise you a dollar, or two, to get your vote; that’s what they do. But a rumor is a lie, a false truth. As it takes hold  and floats around the net and the broadcast, the lie will grow legs, and become a believable  false truth.  The lie that was planted will never be fully redacted, and  may remain in the minds of the masses for weeks, months or years that may never get corrected. Yet still the rumor, the lie will achieve its goal of inflicting maximum personal damage to the party, politician, or person as it was intended to do, by the liars who fed it. 

If the reporter gets caught in the lie, then he or she will simply follow with, "well I did say, IF TRUE," I never actually said that it was true.  Which just happens to be against all the principles of a true and honest free press in our democracy. 

After we gather facts, we can separate the fiction from the truth. Then we can trust and follow our instincts to make the most informed choices on which roads or path we each  will take. In doing so, the reporters that lied to us will be exposed and will have to change their ways or find a new profession that does not demand honesty integrity and trust. 

The next election could quite possibly be the most important election in the history of the United States of America.  But please, whomever ever you decide to support, Do not do it on blind loyalty. Do not assume everything you read or hear is truth. Trust No One! Look at the specifics of both sides,. Verify everything!  You! Find the truth! 

When was the last time you read the Bill of Rights? Can you even remember? Maybe, if we all took a moment to take another look at our Bill of Rights and our Constitution (they are on a link in this site) READ IT! It will remind you of what a beautiful document it is, What it means, and what it has given us. The solution to ease the division, the hatred, and the cancer, that is spreading throughout the veins of our democracy is there! In those documents. "We The People".....