Just the facts, ma'am.

John Leo writes a column for Townhall.com. This column is one that I found interesting on a deeper level. He talks about how the "Left" champions assertions that are just not true. Examples include Robert Kennedy's assertion that the 2004 election was stolen, that blacks died in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina because of racism (incompetence at the state and local level are not evidence of racism), the Duke rape case, abortions rose 20% under President Bush, the list goes on! While Mr. Leo brings up a lot of the assertions and a lot of the facts that undermine said assertions, he never talks about any possible reasons why! There is only one reason (that I can see - if you readers have any ideas please comment) for the assertions taking place of fact...AGENDA! The assertions fit the agenda...President Bush is an illegitimate President because he "stole" the election...President Bush is an incompetent President because he is racist...all rich whites are racist....you get the picture? It's not just the President, althought there are more than enough examples...it is the way ALL news is presented to the consumer. The assertion fits the agenda.

The truth has fallen victim to agenda. No longer are we given "just the facts ma'am". We no longer can debate the merits of both sides of an issue - we have to focus on the merits of the person making the points (liberal= spoiled, dirty hippy; conservative= rich, oil barons who never worked for an honest dollar). Let's get back to the facts and set agenda aside. Facts are funny, stubborn things...they are out there (for the person who is willing to search for them) to find. Let's look for the facts as we go into the 2006 election season and see what we can do with them.