Its not seditious. It’s worse than that. It’s not racist. It’s worse than that. It’s not homophobic. It’s worse than that. What could be worse than all of these things? Criticism of the media!
Welcome to the weird world of the People’s Republic of Portland, where the newspaper of record, The Oregonian, lives in its own little world that has shifted so far left that it is no longer tolerant of any ideas that smack of reasonableness, liberalism, or, horrors, dissent! The only questions of merit for them are how fast their complete takeover of our society will proceed. Is violence OK? Do they allow endless hate speech if it directed at those of us who stand in their way? And what about censorship? Should they completely silence all educated voices that may seem middle-of-the road or slightly right of center?
Questions about Global Warming and President Donald Trump have been “settled.” Skepticism of their politicized science is “denial,” and all that remains is to topple President Trump by any means possible, as soon as possible. That means ‘Impeachment’ if Democrats regain control of the US House of Representatives in November, or continued ‘resistance’ if they do not. Compromises for the good of the nation are now considered “treasonous” or worse by those who have run out of nuanced rhetoric.
But what should The Oregonian do about pests like me who keep coming back wanting to discuss real issues and dare to criticize the paper in the process? When they say “We must seek out a range of viewpoints, aim for constructive conversations and rise above the toxic rhetoric to stay engaged,” [Oregonian Editorial 8/17/18], how do they respond to someone who challenges them to do just that?
This time Editorial Page Editor Laura Gunderson forgot that she told me the last time that they were booked solid and could not promise to publish my latest Op-Ed. Translation: Forget it! She did soften the rejection, saying that they might consider publishing it online. Translation: Forget it!
My relationship with The Oregonian has always been difficult, even in the days when their liberal Editorial Page Editor, Bob Caldwell, was willing to consider differing opinions. He was the quintessential liberal who was broadly tolerant. I liked him. But his staff was far from tolerant and would try to sabotage my Op-Eds in various ways. When I asked Bob if I was paranoid to think such thoughts, he said emphatically, “You are not paranoid!” He knew of the problems and could not control his staff.
The Oregonian is far from the only media outlet pulling stunts with those they despise. When I try to leave comments about articles on the Huffington Post, they immediately appear as though published. But I never get any interaction with others who comment, because no one can see my comments. I have been shadow-banned for daring to criticize.
This problem is far larger than just far left websites. The ascendant media giants (like Google and its subsidiary YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter) are fast replacing the legacy media (like The Oregonian). They now control much of the content that people see. They have begun censoring or harassing those who post content that does not meet “their standards.” That’s OK, if it relates to fighting terrorism, child pornography, malware, and spam. There are “malicious actors” who wish us harm.
But what happens when the license to censor involves “misinformation and hate speech”? What keeps them from broadly applying such terms to all discussions that run contrary to their world view? Absolutely nothing at all! And they are doing it regularly!
The media giants take down politically conservative and scientific content that runs contrary to their beliefs. Prager University suddenly found its videos removed from YouTube and black conservative commentators, Diamond and Silk, found their Facebook page disabled. John Stossel of FOX Business reported that one of his YouTube videos on the subject of Global Warming was appended with a cigarette-style warning that told viewers to go to a Wikipedia propaganda page that would tell them Google’s version of the truth! Facebook is reportedly hiring an additional 10,000 employees to censor more content. These are chilling reminders of the totalitarian world envisioned by George Orwell.
Is my latest Op-Ed really so toxic that The Oregonian should refuse to publish it? You be the judge.
Submitted To The Oregonian:
Utter Honesty
Yes, I get it. The Oregonian does not like President Donald Trump. I respectfully disagree. I think that this President will go down in history as one of our greatest, perhaps for the same reasons you think he will go down as our worst. He is unorthodox. That is threatening to you and encouraging to me. As a scientist I applaud those who can think outside a narrow box. That is the only way we make progress.
But please spare me the moralizing that disagreements with you and the many others who think like you constitute an attack on the “Free Press.” We are entitled to our opinions, just as you are. And that includes the President of the United States. He can fight back against the unrelenting attacks on his person and presidency, if he chooses. Most Presidents have not done so as vigorously. But Trump is not most Presidents. Again, I applaud the President for taking on those who continuously malign him. I’m not necessarily a fan of his sometimes obnoxious New York personality, but then if everyone were as easy going and congenial as I am, the world would have fewer billionaires and fewer effective Presidents.
Once we get beyond the opinions that all Americans hold and are certainly entitled to hold, we find ourselves confronting the truth. What is true, and what is not? I always thought that everyone of good faith strove to get as close to the truth as possible. For a scientist that means embracing what the great Nobel Laureate in Physics Richard Feynman called “Utter Honesty.” “Details that could throw doubt on your interpretation must be given, if you know them. You must do the best you can.”
In a world dominated by political talking points, such thoughts seem outrageously naive. But that is not the case. Science and all other disciplines that are supposed to deal in reality need to get beyond the political noise. There is an objective reality that we should all seek, even if it frequently proves elusive.
Permit me two examples.
The endless claims that Donald Trump illegally “colluded” with the Russians prior to his election in 2016 are hogwash. First of all, if we mean by “collusion” talking with Russian nationals, talking is not a crime. Second, there is no evidence that Trump or his staff had any significant contact with Russians. “Significant” means in comparison with Hillary Clinton or those in the Obama Administration. Third, there is no evidence of any attempt by Trump to compromise our elections. That’s reality!
Claims that man-made Global Warming produced our unusually hot summer in Oregon are nothing but relentless climate propaganda. We have had a warmer than normal summer. My fine crop of tomatoes is testimony to that. Climate variations are expected on a fluid planet with vast oceans and atmosphere that are never in equilibrium. And the variations this year are well within those seen many times before.
We just celebrated the 120th anniversary of the warmest temperature ever recorded in Oregon, 119 degrees F on August 10, 1898, in Pendleton. Even though former Washington State Climatologist Mark Albright wants the official high temperature downgraded to ‘only’ 117 F, based on nearby readings that 19th century day, it will still be our hottest day.
No new state record highs have been set this century and only one equaled in South Dakota matching a 1936 high. Maine set a new record low of -50 F in 2009. That’s also reality!
Gordon J. Fulks lives in Corbett and can be reached at gordonfulks@hotmail.com. He holds a doctorate in physics from the University of Chicago’s Laboratory for Astrophysics and Space Research.
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