I never had a telescope as a child; however I had friends who did, and that simple fact allowed me the opportunity to gaze in wonderment at the various objects chosen for closer scrutiny. Objects far away (like the moon, for example) suddenly became closer, more vivid, and far clearer: the formerly faint details were made obvious by clarity.

We humans have long made good use of tools in our quest to simplify the tasks one must undertake in everyday life. While a telescope is a fine tool for discovering the details in a small slice of a larger object; it isn’t a good choice if the job at hand requires a broad outlook.

Few of us would give credibility to the person claiming to have answered all questions, regarding the solar system, through frequent observations of the moon via a telescope. Such small-minded boasting is normally met with looks of disbelief, if not outright jeering from a public weary of the constant onslaught of disinformation.

People generally believe that the news should be just that – the news: a broad outlook of what is going on in our world. A cursory glance of most major media sources tells a different story: instead of actual news, we get an agenda-driven synopsis, derived from a very small slice of the actual news object.

We are repeatedly informed of all that is bad in our war on terrorism: troop deaths, sectarian violence, infiltration of foreign terrorists, etc…

We aren’t made fully aware of all the good the United States is responsible for: 50 million people freed, schools built, basic utilities restored, etc…

In fact, both the good and the bad are the actual story: you cannot make an informed decision with only a very small segment of the overall picture being reported. Such a practice is blatantly unfair to our brave men and women who are serving this nation – they deserve far better. At the very least we owe our service members an honest (and full) assessment of their actions.

The public really takes it on the chin in such matters: we are fed a steady diet of predisposed reporting, under the false presumption of our being incapable of comprehending the complexities of the larger picture and reaching our own conclusions. The oft quoted “if it bleeds, it leads” has long been the mantra of the mainstream media – suggesting laziness as the primary cause of such shoddy work. However there are other explanations, of a more ominous Nature, for the actions of our media: an objective of duping the public, via distortion and bias, in order to reap the desired outcome of an ill-informed populace. Such a result is sought because the ignorant are easily controlled – and easily led.

Martin Luther King Jr. displayed an amazing grasp of American ideals when he spoke of his dream regarding a nation that judged on the content of character. Dr. King’s legacy is secure: he is remembered for daring to be great, his accomplishments in life, and his belief that judgments passed - based on the view seen through a straw - is the path away from the warm embrace of freedom.