Facts Are Better Than Dreams
Winston Churchill said, "Facts are better than dreams." With today's media distortion, political correctness, and the elevation of emotion over rational inquiry, facts are often ignored and replaced not with dreams, but with a vision that can become a nightmare for America.
To respond effectively to a threat, it is imperative to identify it accurately. This includes the nature, size, and location of the threat. Without identifying these critical features, our response will be ineffective at best and may embolden or strengthen the threat at worst. For example, we know that if we try to put out an electrical fire with water, not only will we not extinguish the fire, we stand a good chance of being electrocuted.
Why, then, do we refuse to describe the Islamist threat accurately or even to discuss it? In countless media stories, criminals have used ISIS, al Qaeda, or another Islamist group as their inspiration or for guidance. Yet the media steadfastly refuses to include these facts in a discussion of the event. After the first passing reference, the stories move on to other details, never to re-examine the obvious -- that these atrocities are being committed in the name of Islam.
This inaccurate treatment can be seen in media coverage of the Ohio State University car and knife attack, the mass shooting in Orlando, the attack in Nice, and the San Bernardino attack. These are some high-profile but by no means the only such incidents.
Our refusal to name and discuss the problem openly means that it will continue to fester and grow. America's belief in free speech and a robust discussion of issues can certainly withstand the disagreements that may result from such a discussion. Our safety and security demand it.