The more I know.......

........ the less I understand.

Examples

If I wave an Irish flag on St. Patrick's day, I'm OK. If I wave a Mexican flag, or a Brazilian flag, or any of a number of other flags on other occasions, my patriotism is suspect.

I have lost count of the number of people who truly believe that turning the southern border of the U.S. into something resembling the Berlin Wall will keep Americans safe from terrorism. But of the various criminal acts that have been defined as terrorism, the perpetrators (a) entered the United States with acceptable documentation, (b) gained legitimate residency by marrying American citizens, or (c) were born in the United States.

When I was a kid, I was taught that Judas was a vital part of the process leading to the Resurrection that is the basis of Christianity. So when a document that supports what is a truly traditional view come to light, the first people to cry "anathema!" are groups of Christians?

People are going back to the situation of having to sell their homes in order to pay for medical care in a country where we spend more government money per capita on health care than anyone else. We were supposed to have gotten away from that a very long time ago. Not only is it happening, but there are enough people opposing any solution to this situation that one might easily conclude their portion of the population thinks it is a good thing.

So why is it these things happen? Why do otherwise intelligent people support positions that make no sense at all? Why is it considered a sign of weakness to change one's opinion in the light of new information? Why do people claim labels that are entirely at odds with their behavior?

More on this, and commentary on other matters, to come.

Cheers,
Mike