Disinformation and What Can You Do?

Last week, I received an email from a lady who was clearly confused on the Marriage Amendment.  She was either simply misinformed or a victim of the misinformation tactics by the left.  The very next day, I received an email from another Durham resident who was asking for help understanding the Marriage Amendment.  I’ll tell you about these emails because I want you to be aware of the disinformation that’s out there and I hope you will emulate the lady who wrote the second email.

First, let’s discuss the misinformation.

We are hearing reports that the NAACP is going around to Black Churches throughout the state telling people that a vote FOR the Marriage Amendment is a vote FOR gay marriage.  This is simply not true.  The opposition is simply resorting to lies in an effort to confuse the electorate.

The actual text of the amendment reads as follows:

Sec. 6. Marriage.

Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts.

That reads pretty clearly to me.  Marriage is between one man and one woman.  However, those who oppose this amendment are resorting to their tried and true tactics of misinformation.  This is one of the reasons you’ll hear the left talk about “Amendment One.”  They figure if they talk about “Amendment One” they are removing “Marriage” from the conversation. 

So while this disinformation is about the Marriage Amendment, is it really any different to the disinformation the Democratic Party puts out there about any number of issues?

For example, President Obama recently slammed the budget drafted by Paul Ryan with example after example that was simply not true.  In the President’s speech, he repeatedly drew conclusions crafted out of completely false assumptions.  (If you want to read Congressman Paul Ryan’s response to President Obama’s speech, click here.)  President Obama also recently stated that capitalism doesn’t work.  That is 100% false.

“We won’t win the race for new jobs and new businesses and middle-class security if we cling to this same old, worn-out, tired ‘you’re on your own’ economics that the other side is peddling.  It was tried in the decades before the Great Depression.  It didn’t work then.  It was tried in the last decade.  It didn’t work,” he said. “You know, the idea you would keep on doing the same thing over and over again, even though it’s been proven not to work – that’s a sign of madness.”

It is clear, President Obama either doesn’t understand basic economics, or he is intentionally misleading people.  Furthermore, one could simplify economics down to the fact that there are only two forms of economies – capitalism and socialism.  Socialism has been tried in any number of countries and those countries inevitably fail.  The former Soviet Union is a clear example.  North Korea and Cuba are two additional examples.  While these later nations have not yet completely failed, they are on the brink of failure.

China is another perfect example.  The great boom in China didn’t start until the Chinese government began to move towards a free market capitalistic economic system.

President Obama is right on one thing: doing the same thing over and over again is indeed a sign of madness.  Unfortunately, he’s either misinformed or intentionally trying to mislead anyone who listens.  Capitalism has been in place in this nation since the founding of this nation.  Capitalism and our balanced political system is what made this nation thrive beyond comparison.  Socialism, on the other hand, has never worked … anywhere.

Clearly, there is plenty of misinformation dispensed by the Democratic Party.  Our task – and yours – is to arm ourselves with the facts such that we can prove our case.  And here, I’ll reference a bit of scripture that needs to be applied.  Whether or not you ascribe any authority to the bible, let me encourage you with 2 Timothy 4:2 “be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.” [Emphasis added.]  Each of us needs to arm ourselves with the facts such that when we have the opportunity, we can correct others.

This brings me to the second message that I received last week.  The lady who sent me the message made it clear to me that she was pretty uncomfortable speaking in public but felt absolutely compelled to do her part.  So she spoke with her pastor and he granted her permission to hold a special meeting at the church specifically about the Marriage Amendment.  So she reached out to me for help.  This is a lady who is passionate about conservative values, but is unfortunately unable to participate actively in the party on a regular basis.  But speaking to her church about the Marriage Amendment is something she can do; so she’s overcoming her public speaking fears and doing her part.

The very next day, an elderly lady called the Durham GOP asking for help with candidate research.  In my conversation with her, she revealed to me that her husband is 91 years old!  So I told her about absentee ballots and how to request one for her and her husband.  She then told me how passionate she is about making sure she votes this time around.  She has become so impassioned that she has signed up for a university class on the US Constitution.  She said she wanted to understand the Constitution more so she could defend her beliefs.  This is another fine example of being prepared “in season and out of season.”

All three of these individuals have recognized that they can’t make a big contribution to the Republican Party or to the Conservative Cause.  However, they have all recognized that they can play a small part.  If we all endeavored likewise, we would be amazed at the results we’d see right here in the heart of Democrat Durham.

So, maybe you could ask your pastor or rabbi if you could speak to the church/synagogue about the Marriage Amendment?  Maybe you could help a relative request an absentee ballot?  Maybe you could host a small gathering of neighbors for a pot-luck dinner to discuss local, state or national politics?  Maybe you could volunteer to be a poll observer for a four hour block of time on Election Day?  Or maybe you could simply just forward this article on to some of your friends?

Elvis once sang that “all the world’s a stage and we all play a part.”  All of Durham is a battleground and you can definitely play a part.  If you don’t know where to start, contact me and I’ll help you figure out what you can do given whatever constraints you’re facing.