But The Truth Is...

Oh my gosh! How does one NOT respond to this?! This showed up in my newsfeed today, on Facebook. I wasn't really surprised. I know there are those that believe these things. I have been paying attention. That doesn't mean these "truths" are correct. Neither does it mean, there is simply a difference of opinion. Each of these items in the above meme are stated as facts. Simply put, they are either true facts or they are false facts. It really doesn't matter what one believes or what ones' opinion is. One is either right about each of these facts, or one is wrong.

The thing that each of these "facts" have in common (and the only thing) is they are each supposedly about what the government has told us. The "they" pronoun used here is our government, and according to this, "they" are out to get us. "They" are giving us false information, for whatever reason. They don't tell us why. But they allude that it is information to our detriment; therefore, "they" must be out to get us!! Without a doubt, this comes from an anti-government source. Now, in my opinion, we can easily argue certain administrations are more harmful to our nation than others. But this "anti-government suspicion" that is growing in our nation is more than finger-pointing at a particular administration. This anti-government rhetoric that "they are out to get us" is more dangerous than anything else ever will be. Allow me to explain. But first let's go through each of these statements.

~"The sun will give you cancer." Too much sun, does cause skin cancer. This has been a proven fact for years. There is just no two ways about it. But also true, is the fact that "the sun does generate Vitamin D which is good for us." Specifically, Vitamin D is good for bone health. But to say "exposure to the sun will prevent cancer because it generates Vitamin D", is more of a stretch than it is to say "the sun will give you cancer". The sun offers Vitamin D which we all need, but if you spend too much time in the sun, the opposite is true. It is that simple. There is a balance: Everything in moderation. The government is NOT out to get us because they advised to be careful of too much sun. Too much sun can also cause heat stroke. How about that?

~"Sunscreen will protect you from cancer." Certainly, too much sun can cause skin cancer. Not many would argue that. It has occurred over and over and over. But even if it hadn't been such a prevalent outcome of too much time in the sun, putting on a little sunscreen to keep from getting a bad, painful sunburn never killed anyone. Again moderation and common sense. There are no proven statistics that show sunscreen causes cancer. In fact nothing used in moderation has ever been proven to cause cancer. Certainly, chemicals aren't good for anyone, but when monitored and used appropriately, they aren't the monster some would have us believe. As an example, outlawing DDT gave us a different set of problems than for what it was outlawed. This is a prime example of something that was effective when monitored, but brought illness from an onslaught of mosquitoes when taken away. And it was our government that did that.

~"Terrorism is a major threat." Well, yeah, it is! "Al Qaeda is the CIA and your government is the major threat." Oh, gosh. Yes, I know! People actually believe this. Of all the quotes above, this one is the worst. Never mind that this idea was first brought to us by radical leftists trying to sway an election. THINK! People!!! If we do not identify the enemy and call them by name, how will they ever be defeated!! Why would we want to believe our government is behind terrorism rather than believe there are radical Islamist that want to kill us. Yeah! All those bombings and beheading of Christians as well as mutilation of young women is really all about the CIA. God help us. And may I interject here, there is such a thing as "satirical websites" that are literally mocking those that choose to read and believe things as ridiculous as this. These sites are only after the most exposure they can possibly come by. Afterward, they simply say they are a "satirical" website. This claim/disclaimer is presented in order to prevent lawsuits due to their blatant lies. Are there some who truly believe that we should fear our government over radical Islam? Yeah, there are! And they are on the political left. The truth is this idea almost always comes from an anti-colonial attitude about an Imperialistic (in their view) America.

~"Diet products are more healthy." Truthfully, I have never heard this refrain. It is actually usually all about the weight loss being more healthy rather than the diet product being a healthy alternative. But no, I wouldn't touch "diet" anything with a ten-foot pole. There are however, those that need diet products due to medical conditions such as diabetes. They should not be deprived of diet products in moderation, because someone else is afraid of them. If one is diabetic, diet products might be essential to ones' life at certain times. It is up to the individual, however, to learn that some products are worse than others. Aspartame is one that should be avoided by all. Common sense might be helpful. But no...no one is out to get us.

~"Annual mammogram scans will prevent breast cancer." Yes, they will! I am the most surprised that this point is even argued. Mammograms have, in fact, saved countless lives. My mother-in-law being one. No one said anything about demanding an annual mammogram. The truth is, the time frame of recommendation has been adjusted over the years, seeking to protect us from too much radiation. Yes, it is our government that has done that - changing guidelines, periodically, with each new bit of information that is revealed. Please do not be so foolish to believe having a few mammograms in your life is going to give you cancer. The truth is, more often one could save your life!

~"Vaccines will protect you." Argued with, "Most vaccines contain Thimerosal (mercury) and that will kill you..." Oh my goodness, the debate on this one!!!!! Started from a leftist agenda, by the way, (Robert Kennedy, Jr. being one) that basically used this argument to turn citizens against their government. The truth is Thimerosal was removed from vaccines over 10 years ago, due to the debate over this product. That true fact doesn't seem to stop people from using this argument, anyway. The truth is, there is no proof one way or another that vaccines will hurt you. Yes, there are incidents that have had a bad outcome that we can point to, with every medical procedure. NOTHING is ever fool proof. There will always be something that could happen detrimentally when it comes to medicine. That is why we call it "practicing medicine." That doesn't mean we should throw the baby out with the bathwater. Lives, too numerous to mention, have been saved by vaccines. Ever hear of an iron lung? Ever seen one lately? No, I didn't think so. Thank God for the polio vaccine. Know anyone who has had Small Pox, in recent years? NO! Thank God! Let go of your preconceived ideas and do some research. YES! There are SOME unnecessary vaccines. COMMON SENSE goes a long way.

~"Fluoride will protect your teeth." "Fluoride is poison and it will give you cancer....." Oh good grief. If you are worried, DON'T use Fluoride!!! Fluoride certainly isn't a life and death matter. But the government out to get you?? Come on!

Here is a conspiracy theory for you! And something that I think most harmful of all. What if these so called facts are all from a leftist agenda that simply wants to turn you against your government? I am not saying we shouldn't be watchful of those in government; we certainly should!! Neither am I saying that there is no one who is purposely trying to destroy are government, or use certain authority against us. There are some who certainly are! BUT!! If we are that distrustful of our government, most often we will fail to act!! We will buy into the mantra, that "It doesn't do any good anyway." And "The government is too powerful, we can't do anything, anyway." "Why bother?" "The government is out to get us!!! Why should I participate?" What if all these suspicions are all about getting you to hate your government and cause you to become politically inactive?

You don't think that can happen? It absolutely has happened and it started with the Timothy Leary's, Bill Ayers' and the Saul Alinsky's of the 1960's. "Don't trust anyone over 30." "Cops are pigs". "Turn on, tune in, drop out ."And the mantra can go on and on and on with examples. They all hated our government.

Therein lies the real danger. Inactive, distrusting, suspicious, give me an excuse, citizens that lambaste our nation while spreading false facts are what frightens me! Those who don't believe in effecting needed oversight, (while only rarely using change) are the "they" that scare me most. Those that hate our government and thereby our nation are our worst enemy. Al Qaeda is not our CIA. Leftists denying radical Islamists might be. Those trying to get to you "right where you live", with false facts about health and the best way to take care of yourself and your families, might in reality be the explosives waiting for your misstep.

I want truth and nothing but the truth, and I respect myself enough to get it. You should, too. The truth does NOT lie in any one's opinions or suspicions.