As of late, this song keeps popping into my head. This portion of the lyrics in particular:

Met a girl called Lola and I took her back to my place
Feelin' guilty, feelin' scared, hidden cameras everywhere
Stop! Hold on. Stay in control

Girl, I want you here with me
But I'm really not as cool as I'd like to be
'Cause there's a red, under my bed
And there's a little yellow man in my head
And there's a true blue inside of me
That keeps stoppin' me, touchin' ya, watchin' ya, lovin' ya

Paranoia, the destroyer.

Doctor, Doctor help me please, I know you'll understand
There's a time device inside of me, I'm a self-destructin' man
There's a red, under my bed
And there's a little green man in my head
And he said, "you're not goin' crazy, you're just a bit sad
'Cause there's a man in ya, gnawin' ya, tearin' ya into two."

Full lyrics here

We've been at the helm of this blog for nearly 6 years. I have enjoyed writing about the issues of the day. We talk about elections, Politica, the media social cause... you name it - we probably have talked about it. We have done it with little fear of repercussion from the Government or from other influences. Our namesake is meant to embrace those freedoms:

Lately (for a while actually), some of the joy I have taken in writing has been dimmed. It's not for lack of interest; it's because more and more lately instead of being able to rationally discuss the issues of the day, I find myself debunking issues that have been blown out of proportion or misrepresented by people. Sometimes it's done with an agenda, sometimes it's done without knowledge of the subject at hand. Some like to spread disinformation. Some do it with malice; some just don't care enough to gather facts. As thus, I try to take time to understand the greater issues while at the same time getting to the minutia of many different types of stories.

We've debunked 'scandals' of the Obama administration more times than I can count. We've countered various climate change conspiracies and denials. We've talked about veteran issues and how they effect every American in one way or another. We've discussed the pros and cons of Anonymous and Wikileaks. I warned of the blowback that might occur as a result of their actions -- the blowback is what we are seeing right now with the likes of Chelsea Manning going to jail for giving 700,000 files to Wikileaks and Edward Snowden sitting in asylum in Russia. Another arm of those stories is the ongoing drama of Glenn Greenwald and the Guardian Newspaper and what is really (or not) going on with the NSA and its spying on American citizens.

It is no secret that I am not a fan of hackers. I'm uncomfortable with the premise even if it's benevolent hacking. The Stuebenville Ohio rape case is one example. I was glad that the truth was uncovered - and yet I felt like a hypocrite in some ways for being glad that hackers brought this to the American consciousness. I don't believe in anarchistic means to make government more transparent. I believe that most anarchism is based in paranoid thoughts that perceived evil can only be stopped by tearing everything down and building it up in a utopian stateless society with no structured hierarchy. While many people like to warn us of government intrusion using the lessons of George Orwells' 1984 as they advocate anarchy, sometimes without realizing it. Alternatively, it would be behoove us to reference another book: William Golding's Lord of the Flies. In his novel, stateless society and hierarchy ruled by the loudest voices proved to be disastrous. There's something to be said for the stabilizing influence of a clearly defined representational government. These are my presently held beliefs and likely will be for a long time. Readers of this blog will know that from my posts over the years.

I have seen the likes of Glenn beck and Alex Jones becoming legitimized. I have seen elected officials embrace ideas that once would have been considered cloud cuckoo crazy. I have seen people on the left manipulate ideas to the point where they seem to trust government as little as (what has become) the mainstream right does. What was once a profitable cottage industry making money off of paranoia has become a full blown corporation. Glenn Beck (as one example) is now a very rich man. Paranoia makes money. It garners web clicks and clicks garner revenue.

I don't have a problem discussing many of these things. I like putting my opinion out there and I welcome rational challenges to those opinions. What tires me is the debunking. Lately, the simplest stories require a detailed explanation as to why they are being twisted and misrepresented. The basic truth is that this happens because people are easily manipulated. All one has to is look at the lies strewn about during the ACA (Obamacare) debate. Left and right were guilty of spreading untruths and disinformation. We spent a good part of a year debunking the lies. I work very hard to not manipulate truth here on 4F. I would much rather spend my time putting out my opinions based on facts than debunk falsehoods based in a reality that once used to be called, literally: crazy talk.

Generalizing, it can be said that a large swath of the far right puts the 2nd Amendment above almost everything with regard to the Constitution and American liberties. Generalizing again the same can be said of the far left and the 4th amendment. We all saw the discourse after the Newtown shooting. We are seeing the discourse resulting from Edward Snowden stealing government information. These are just two examples. Lately it seems like it's easier for many to simply allow themselves to feel victimized by the government's supposed evildoing than to think about it in a pragmatic thoughtful way.

Lately, it feels as though many people are falling down a paranoid-like rabbit hole. People are looking for malfeasance in every story or comment -- or lack of story or comment. All one has to do is look at the recent developments of seeing encrypted email service Lavabit shutting down, followed by a similar service: Silent Circle. Just this week we saw Groklaw decide to shut its internet doors. All were done out of preemptive fear of the government. It's almost like saying it's just like 1984 and then giving up, because, well 1984. For those that believe in civil liberties, giving up seems counter-productive and giving in to the perceptions that they believe are happening -- when we really don't know ALL that is happening. Closing up shop will certainly not pressure government to change. Alternatively -- buying more guns will not pressure government to change its desire to have better gun control. Ironically, buying more guns and self-deleting services are being done in the name of personal security. It's almost as if are self-deporting their own liberties. After 9/11 many people (including myself) felt that giving into paranoia and fear meant the terrorists had won. If the NSA is that bad (emphasis on if) closing shop is giving up and giving in. If the government wants to come after your guns, buying more will increase scrutiny by the government. It almost is becoming a self-fulfilled prophecy based on fear and paranoia.

I'm tired of debunking stories, but I know I will find myself doing so in the future. I am but a tiny small blogger in a big internet universe. I carry no water for anyone. I am not an authoritarian nor am I an advocate of chaos. I am a liberal. I believe in looking at the bigger picture while examining the minutia. It often opens my mind to learning new and truthful things. I believe we should question our government not just at the polls -- but in the media and by interfacing with our elected officials. I believe in the power of protest. I believe in writing a strongly worded letter. I believe we have and will continue to change things with our voices and the power of voting. We have awesome power collectively as American citizens. With that power comes responsibility. For myself that responsibility means filtering out the chatter, lies, untruths and instead seek to find real truth. Throughout my life I've been told (and have said) "If it's too good to be true, it probably is" , Having said that, if something is too bad to be true, it probably is. Too often as of late, 'too bad to be true' is actual disinformation.

We can't keep going down this road of crazy. If we do, it won't be government destroying America; It will be our collective paranoia.

and
Raine