  WHAT IS TRUTH? urlLink CCN.com ran a story today regarind the publication of a new book by Richard Clarke, the former counter-terrorism coordinator for the Bush Administration. Clarke claimed President Bush has done a terrible job battling terrorism in an interview on 60 Minutes last night. Likewise, officials for the Bush Administration say that Clarke was a disgruntled employee who passed over for a position in the Department of Homeland Security. It is implied that President Bush went into the White House in January of 2001 looking for some link to Iraq and was hoping to find one after the events of September 11th. What is the truth?
It's hard to say. One could say that Clarke and Bush both know, but perhaps not. If Bush and Clarke were standing on opposite street corners and saw the same automobile accident, would they report the same thing? How does our upbringing, education and circle of friends influence what we see and how we interpret it? I'm concerned by the lack of interest that some Americans have in verifying information they receive from friends, family, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, etc. If I don't particularly follow either Kerry or Bush in the media, if a co-worker tells me that one is a good candidate and one is not, I'll probably buy into their opinion because I have no other information to compare it to.
It's subjective and not necessarily accurate. If a candidate voted for or opposed a bill in Congress, you can run a spin on it both ways. If Congressman Smith votes for a bill to prosecute against sexual assault offenders, most people would interpret that as a good thing. He's playing tough ball with rapists and protecting women. On the other hand, if we find out more about this bill and it states that an alleged rapist can be tried and sentenced without requiring any physical proof, such as DNA, to prove his guilt, this would change our opinion about Congressman Smith's decision. We have to do our research before we buy into our opinion.
If you don't like Kerry, but don't know any particular facts to discredit him as a potential President, just say, "You know, I just don't like Kerry for some reason. " I would have more respect for this than someone who makes up stuff about Kerry to show him in a poor light. The same goes for Bush. I was discussing the Martha Stewart trial with friends at both lunch and dinner. I personally feel that she did not receive a fair trial. There is no way she can.
She is too well known. Everyone knows has heard that she treats employees badly and had an affair with her daughter's fiancee, but she also can turn work cornhusk into something beautiful like nobody's business. Martha did something wrong. Yes, and she deserves to pay the consequences for it. However, should she receive a felony for lying and 20 years in prison? Prisons are croweded enough.
Fine her and get a big payoff to pay for all the other prisoners. Our words and thoughts are very powerful things. If I accuse John Doe of molesting a child, regardless of whether he is guilty or innocent, Mr. Doe is going to experience some negative effects of that accusation and it could ruin his reputation or business. Does it have to be true? No, but the power is still there. We must use our words and thoughts responsibly.
Now let's take that home a bit. If a child makes a mistake and I tell him that he is stupid for making that mistake, he may grow up to believe that he is stupid. If I tell that a child that he tried his best and if he keeps trying, he'll get it right, there is a good chance that child will continue to demonstrate success in what he does again and again and again. However, how many times do we abuse that inner child in ourselves and keep ourselves stuck when we could be supporting ourselves to soar. Over the past few weeks I have had many opportunities to say, "I can't do this. I don't know how.
This is new and I'm scared," but I just broke it down in steps and took it one step at time. I told myself that I could do those things and demonstrated that success. Hence, I have another couple of loans closing next month. We are bombarded with messages each day from loved ones, radio, TV, etc. We have the choice to buy into and believe what we hear or we can analyze and choose to reinforce the thoughts and words that are going to help us build success instead of helping us to destroy our self-esteem and accomplishment. For today, I challenge you to listen to your self-talk.
How many negative things do you say about yourself or others each day? How much information do you take in each day without discretion as far as the source and the veracity of those statements? If you find a lot of negativity there, put a spin on it. Something that may have sucked before or been from hell can now be challenging to your peace of mind or an opportunity for growth. You can always start over again in each new moment. And to quote Mel & Kim, "It only takes a moment to feel alright.
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