Perhaps the most disillusioning moment in the fourth grade came on a day when, taking a true/false test, I marked "True" next to "A fact is always "true" and got the test back with a big
X on that question. My world had turned upside down. Facts were facts, immutable, like two plus two was always four. This was one of life's basic rules, a foundation of my nine-year-old mind. So a fact had to be true, right?
Wrong. "Fact" is not itself an immutable word: it has more than one definition. The two germane ones, as Webster's now has them, are "something that has actual existence" and "a piece of information presented as having objective reality." I only knew it in its "actuality" meaning: for example, "the world is round." That's a fact, and it is truth. I had not yet understood that things we know as facts may not necessarily be truth.
In 1406, "the world is flat" was fact, as was "the sun circles the earth." It was also, so far as most everyone knew, truth, so it fit those two definitions of fact. In 2006, "the world is flat" is a false fact: that is, while it is presented as having objective reality, it fails the "actual existence" test.
At the age of nine, I thought both definitions were always true, a combined definition of "fact": actual existence and objective reality. But they aren't. My teacher was actually trying to teach the difference between fact and opinion to my fourth-grade mind, and not doing a very good job of it. But she did impress on me that statements of fact could be wrong, which was mind-blowing: "true fact" is not a redundancy, but an important clarification.
Today, we are bombarded with facts that are not true, claimed objective reality when none exists. Under the guise of balance, false and true facts jostle each other in today's media, but the press does little to separate truth and fiction, and not much more to separate fact and opinion. This is especially true in the political world: we get an uncritical spew of what someone said, and "analysis" that deals with how effective a statement is rather than its verity. The facts used to buttress opinions are repeated with minimal vetting of the truth or falsity of these facts—rarely are factual claims actually examined for us. So we must do it ourselves.
Daily Kos, and many other sites, are part of the "reality-based community." This means we deal in true facts: what is real. We examine and expose the facts of what is stated or reported elsewhere. We use truth to elect Democrats...but also to make ourselves more informed, healthier, more politically active human beings. We also deal in opinion, and label it as such. The false, the twisted, the innuendo and cherry-picking and misrepresentation have no place here, nor does opinion claiming to be fact. Writing truth in its many forms—from reporting and essay to rant—belongs here, as does owning up to our written errors, ignorance, and misstatements. And, as dealing in truth is always hard, humor is a welcome leavening, be it the joyful madness of snark, eloquent satire, or the more simple pleasures of wordplay in its myriad forms.
The role of the comment in all this is to illuminate, correct, congratulate, enjoy, encourage...and allow true facts to hold sway. The Top Comments are the ones we find that succeed the best. Today's are listed below. You can add the comments you think are tops every day by emailing nominations to topcomments at gmail dot com or, if you find them too late to email (hint: if you saw it earlier but didn't mail it in, it's too late), add a comment below to let us know where they are.
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First a few from late last night, lest they be overlooked:
A poem on Waterloo to keep up fighting the Republicans from Redfire.
From Land of Enchantment's diary on how a now-banned DSCC commercial on bleeping Conrad Burns and his foul-mouthed comments to hard-working firefighters—banned due, in part, to fear of FCC fines—Buffy Orpington suggests what the bleep to do to get the ad back on the air. There are other good ideas elsewhere in the diary.
Moving past midnight:
PsiFighter37's diary follow-up to yesterday's Delaware Dem annual SYFPH diary results in this exchange between the two on the fine line between blind party support and holding the party's feet to the fire during an election season. Also, Granny Doc points out Delaware Dem's authoritarian nature, and DD cops to it.
In Jeffrey Feldman's Frameshop diary on George Allen and his mother, Nina Katerina ruminates on the effect George's mother's father having been tortured by the Nazis has (or hasn't) informed his views on torture.
A rather bizarre recipe from Heronymous Cowherd in a concern troll diary; the recipe is strange indeed (though not, as one might expect, involving beef), while the succeeding comments from nilocjin and Kevin in Long Beach are very well done.
besieged by bush points out that cost estimates for the Iraq war grossly understate the full eventual costs in Congresswoman Lynn Wolsey's diary.
sxwarren sends a thank-you letter to Senator Wyden, whose hold helped kill (for now) the Telecom bill that included anti-net-neutrality provisions.
In pastor dan's diary on Evil, out of many good comments (and not enough time to read them all!) both cskendrick's and beth meacham's resonated with me.
reklemrov insists that The Torture Bill is the proper term for the legislation supported by George Waterboard Bush (and now John McCain, too!).
I know I'm referencing a diary, not a comment, but mikepridmore finishes his "10 Days of Cheney" song in his tenth diary about Cheney's visit to NY-29, so go over, read the lyrics, and support Eric Massa for Congress!
An excellent science diary by pinche tejano on New Space Data, including a sciencefictional series of comments started by dougymi, and ended with a bang by pfeffermuse. This diary was also favored by count, who submitted to Top Comments a startling new way to derive pi (no, not pie) by cookiesandmilk—you'll need to read down the comment thread for further elucidation, though be sure to read this one.
I may have missed the original coining of this one, but Yellow Canary's comment with the true meaning of NCLB (and no, it isn't "No Child Left Behind") in a diary on more problems with that program is too perfect to ignore even if it turns out to expose inattention on my part.
old wobbly comments in his own diary about taking to the streets, organizing protests, and being an old rabble rouser.
Finally, a submission from a TC reader who either wished to be or forgot not to be anonymous:
From the GOP Rubber Stamp diary, Levity discusses the Sitting Duck Syndrome.
Remember, whether you wish to be anonymous or not, please send the best comments you see during the day to topcomments at gmail dot com. Your top commenteers, especially the new ones (three this week!) will thank you. Thank you!
Now the numeric mojofest. First, Top Comments by mojo, with tip jars, first comments, C&J, other things excluded:
1 It's what we have to do. by cosette — 166
2 asdf by bonddad — 114
2 I pray that our military will say no by Opinionated Ed — 114
4 bush doesn't care about the economy by dlindorff — 113
5 Preach it, brother! by horsewithnoname — 101
6 Right on schedule. by BenGoshi — 97
7 I came to the US 10 years ago... by RaulVB — 84
8 Kucinich says there is: by peglyn — 81
9 Somewhat OT, but by tjqhzonff — 79
9 Big Story. Let's get it out ! by Troutfishing — 79
11 What You Can Do by Avila — 78
12 maybe we could convince by Turkana — 77
13 PLEASE RECOMMEND THIS DIARY by Chamonix — 73
13 I stand with Bob and this guy... by Chamonix — 73
15 And God that's heartbreaking to even have by American in Kathmandu — 70
16 Ah oh . . . by Dreaming of Better Days — 60
17 Axis of Evil by durrenm — 58
18 There are many of us who were born here by bwintx — 54
19 Party Down Friday by vigilant meerkat — 53
20 Sometimes wierd things happen... by rserven — 51
21 I've said it before, and I will say it now by Lisa Lockwood — 47
22 Not a leader, just a candidate but I have had by Barry Welsh — 46
22 I meant in relation to the rest of America. by Bob Johnson — 46
24 The late M. Scott Peck by musing85 — 45
24 I challenged Bob on that very point by pastordan — 45
24 SHUT IT DOWN! by buhdydharma — 45
27 Got to see Mr. Sexxxay Cee & Jay! by khereva — 44
28 I will differ with you on that... by luckydog — 43
28 troll jar (n/t) by Heronymous Cowherd — 43
30 Personally? by mcjoan — 42
30 The Washington Generals by Bill White — 42
30 Yes. Sadly, but yes. by American in Kathmandu — 42
Top comments including tip jars (and everything else!):
1 these election day stories by clammyc — 379
2 They have to be stopped. by Bob Johnson — 366
3 I dropped the e-bomb. by pastordan — 337
4 here i am! by buhdydharma — 260
5 It's what we have to do. by cosette — 166
6 Friday Tip Jar. Do it...for the Children... by Bill in Portland Maine — 158
6 I've been waiting to use this by LondonYank — 158
8 Yet another reason to fund the space program. by pinche tejano — 137
9 asdf by bonddad — 114
10 Tips? by R o o k — 112
11 I am stepping out for ten minutes or so by Senator Tom Harkin — 102
12 I came to the US 10 years ago... by RaulVB — 84
13 Kucinich says there is: by peglyn — 81
14 PLEASE RECOMMEND THIS DIARY by Chamonix — 73
14 I stand with Bob and this guy... by Chamonix — 73
16 And God that's heartbreaking to even have by American in Kathmandu — 70
17 Your Pootie Pic Du Jour ... by PhillyGal — 66
18 this HAS to violate some sort of campaign law by FleetAdmiralJ — 62
19 Ah oh . . . by Dreaming of Better Days — 60
20 Axis of Evil by durrenm — 58
21 cheers! by condoleaser — 56
22 There are many of us who were born here by bwintx — 54
23 Self-promotion and torture by Maryscott OConnor — 53
23 Party Down Friday by vigilant meerkat — 53
23 I'm going to be heading to bed soon. by mentaldebris — 53
26 here i am! by buhdydharma — 52
27 Sometimes wierd things happen... by rserven — 51
28 I've said it before, and I will say it now by Lisa Lockwood — 47
29 I meant in relation to the rest of America. by Bob Johnson — 46
29 Cosmic C & J by cosmic debris — 46
29 Not a leader, just a candidate but I have had by Barry Welsh — 46
29 Cheers and Jeers!!!! by Mrs White trash poet — 46
33 SHUT IT DOWN! by buhdydharma — 45
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