Opinions should not corrupt truth

To the editor:

As I read Aaron Loy’s letter to the editor in the Feb. 17 edition of The Commercial Review, I found myself agreeing with much of what Mr. Loy expressed in his opinion.

James Madison’s wisdom to fight for the inclusion of a bill of rights that incorporated a foundational right of free speech in our Constitution was truly one of the more critical and prescient additions to our nation’s most sacred document. Mr. Loy is absolutely correct in expressing support for there being a necessity for a difference of opinion in a democratic society.

In an age of “alternative facts” and “fake news,” that necessity is even more apparent and pertinent. The relevance of fact and truth is an expressed sentiment in Michiko Kakutani’s “The Death of Truth” and also in “How Democracies Die,” by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt.

As I read Mr. Loy’s letter, rambling around in the dark recesses of my gray matter was the often-quoted late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s counsel: “You are entitled to your own opinion but not your own facts.” After ruminating on the late senator’s wise admonition, I decided to offer an opinion on opinions.

It is my considered opinion that there are two kinds of opinion. One type is subjective, based on what you think. The other is objective, based on demonstrable truth or fact.

For example: “Trump won the election,” is subjective, based on what you think. “Trump lost the election,” is objective, based on demonstrable fact or truth. The utmost importance of truth or fact is apparent as given in my example.

The perilous perniciousness of clinging to “alternate facts” or the unmitigated and unrelenting assault on the First Amendment right of a free press by the egregious and derisive term “fake news” seems to me self-evident as to how fragile truth and fact can become in the wrong hands. The aspirations of a narcissistic megalomaniac who would be king or the rantings of a bloviating, porcine windbag snollygoster of mendacity, just two examples.

Please, by all means, express your opinion, but don’t let the perfidy of thought corrupt the faithfulness of truth or the trustworthiness of fact.

Michael Kinser

Portland