There are Resources

I just dipped back into a book I read years ago, unSpun: finding facts in a world of disinformation. It is written by Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson.

What an apt time to have found this book again. With our present political climate, this is an easy-to-read manifesto that can possibly mitigate the flood of disinformation.

Yet, all told, it will take a long-term, concerted effort to truly put up a defense against this tidal wave of "alternative facts." Those wanting to convince the followers of President Trump will need a multi-pronged approach. And I think the most important thing will be to empathize with his followers' views and gently show how he's done little for the people who put him in office.

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Trump Seems More Off-Balance Than Usual

With the recent Trump-Putin meeting and some of the comments made by our president, President Trump has had to backpedal quite rapidly. This is the first time I've seen him essentially admit a mistake was made. It is kind of bizarre to watch. And somewhat uncomfortable.

The president has been testing his followers' patience. Will their patience and support finally run dry?

I don't know.

But I do know the president is going down. Miracles do happen, but I think it is highly unlikely he will make it to the four-year finish line.

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One Brick at a Time

Today in the news we found out that 12 Russian military intelligence officers have been indicted by our government. It seems Robert Mueller is methodically moving in on the wrongdoers in this Russia-and-Trump collusion brouhaha. And, as I have said before, I believe President Trump is at the heart of this debacle, and I say that because of a book I read about one year ago: Trump Revealed: An American Journey of Ambition, Ego, Money, and Power, by Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher (both writers work at The Washington Post).

Tersely--and bluntly--put, the book depicts our president as one who is morally bankrupt, has broken the law a multitude of times, and seems to see every interaction as a battle of biblical proportions.

One could almost say the book prophesies what is in store for President Trump--and the American people.

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Depersonalization and Derealization

I just read about two interesting topics that are closely related, Depersonalization and Derealization. The first is where a person feels themselves to be alien to themselves. That is, they feel that they are looking on at their lives as if a spectator. It might be similar to what many people feel when they wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and there is a sense of feeling spacey and "out of it."

Derealization, which usually goes with the former, is feeling that the outside world is not-quite-real and "reality" seems different than usual.

I have personally dealt with both us these issues. My first experience started in high school. It was a mild version of derealization and I think most people have experienced it on this level; it became much more severe a few years later after I smoked marijuana a few times.

I'll write more about my experiences with both of these topics in the future.

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