I think we are entering a period during which we should all question just about everything we

[Atticus]

read on line, see on TV or hear on radio. Literally millions of dollars are being spent---by both domestic and foreign actors---in an attempt to sow chaos, confusion and angry division among us and the entire voting public.

Some of the effort will involve the public release of embarrassing emails (candidate X referred to Senator Y as an imbecile); some will grossly exaggerate some nugget of truth in order to negatively distort it; and, of course, some will do what they do best: lie shamelessly.

The "sources" of most of this vile sewage will have red, white and blue uber-patriotic names and many of the "associations" and "alliances" will actually be either Russian bots or a couple of twisted Nazi wannabes funded by our closet fascist billionaires.

Bottom line: use your common sense and stick to what you know to be facts, not some breathless speculation posted by----who?

"Vote Blue, No Matter Who!"---up and down the ballot!

[dewsgirl]

1. I'm reading Running Against the Devil, by Rick Wilson and

he covers this in the book.

[defacto7]

2. I absolutely agree 100 percent.

Unfortunately, I think less tha 10% of the public would ever take the effort.

[Pacifist Patriot]

3. I've been in that mode since 1988.

Learned the hard way when I was involved in a news story and saw the coverage of it. Since then, I've been interviewed a few times over the years for a variety of things and never once been quoted accurately. Attended events I barely recognized when reported on the local news or appeared in the newspaper. I confess I read everything with a hefty shaker of salt and fact check as much as I can when it doesn't seem quite right.

[Atticus]

6. In 2007, we drove from southern Illinois ( "Little Egypt" ) to take part in an anti-war March. The

rally point was Lafayette Park across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. The park was not nearly large enough for the thousands who showed up. After some speakers, the overflow crowd moved out down the Avenue. We were shoulder to shoulder, six lanes wide and sixteen blocks long. As we passed what I think was Patriot Square, we found that the Baggers had actually rented bleachers from which to watch us. The "crowd of ---maybe---300 or so well dressed and "well-oiled" baggers called us names and taunted us as we strolled past.

We marched on to the Capitol, held a "die in" and wallowed in the rare luxury for us of being among people who shared our beliefs and attitudes.

We were---I am now embarrassed to say--- flabbergasted to read in the next morning's newspaper that yes, there had been a protest march opposing the war, but that the "counter-protesters" organized by the Tea Party "outnumbered the marchers."

That was the last time we assumed "they surely wouldn't just LIE!"

[Pacifist Patriot]

7. Anti-war protests, rallies, and vigils during the GWB years are among the examples in my life.

Our turnout was routinely in the neighborhood of 100-300 people with maybe 3-5 folks heckling us any given week. But if you read the newspaper you'd think two groups of 50 people each faced off against each other. That was my introduction to the "fair and balanced bothsidesism leveling" from the media.

[Nevilledog]

10. Only time I was ever quoted correctly was when I disparaged a judge.

No biggie. Everyone thought he was a loon.

[fierywoman]

4. "Believe nothing, entertain possibilities."

[Timewas]

5. A long time ago

I was a teenager an elderly gentleman gave me 2 pieces of advice that have proven to be quite true and very helpful. First one was "learn to do everything you can,the more you know the more choices you have" The second was "Don't believe anything you read, anything you hear and only half of what you see." It applied then and even more so today.

[Pacifist Patriot]

8. Great advice

[kentuck]

9. Agree.

Especially guarded against confirmatiom bias.

[SlogginThroughIt]

11. I was raised this way!

Don’t believe everything that you breathe
get a parking violation
and a maggot on your sleeve!