The Truth is a Sometime Thing?

On February 20, 2012, I posted my commentary "Borrowing, Taxes & Deficits – A Discussion Continued."

Please re-read for context by clicking on the title above.

Paul Shapiro of West Caldwell, NJ furnished the following view on truth-telling, which I want to share with you, and I am confining this post to that comment because my response was lengthy. Rather than burden the reader with an inordinately long post I will make this an unusually short one, and set forth my reply in my next post.

As some notable person has said, everyone is entitled to their own opinion (and, I add, whether or not the opinion is based on fact) but, everyone is not entitled to their own facts. Another notable person pointed out that facts are stubborn things. There are some people you just can’t have a conversation with. This was pointed out spectacularly when we had a columnist from the Wall Street Journal speak at Saturday morning services at our synagogue about a year ago. Very bright young man. I believe his column appears Monday or Tuesday. However, I don’t subscribe to the Wall Street Journal and I’ve forgotten his name.

 One of his duties at the WSJ is to shepherd visiting groups of journalists around the facilities and then engage them in a Q & A session. He used the occasion of a visit by a group of Egyptian journalists to describe a person you just can’t have a discussion with. She was a journalist from Cairo.

Cairo journalist:  “How does the fact that Robert Murdoch is Jewish effect what write in the WSJ? 

WSJ columnist:  “His name is Rupert Murdoch and he is not Jewish. I am Jewish.” 

Cairo journalist:  “Robert Murdoch IS Jewish.

WSJ columnist:  “His name is Rupert, not Robert, and he is not Jewish.”

 Etc. Etc. Etc. He said quite correctly that you just can’t have a conversation with someone who makes up their own facts. Facts are stubborn things.

Comments are welcome and will be distributed with attribution, unless the writer requests that he/she not be identified.