Letter to the editor: Do your research & think critically

There’s a clear problem with discourse in America. It’s caused by politicians, news anchors, late-night talk show hosts, trolls and anyone trying to push an agenda. It comes from a person’s want or need to always be right, and some people will go pretty far to prove their point regardless of its validity.

Letter-writer George A. West (“Ignoring facts,”) accused people, one by name, of being sheep who are unable to think for themselves. The problem isn’t that he publicly mocked people for their beliefs, because that’s freedom of speech.

The problem is that, with the statement “Scientists worldwide have proven how the ice shelves, both arctic and Antarctic, have shrunken, both in size and depth,” he interpreted information in his own way to make his points. A 2015 NASA study showed that the Antarctic ice sheets grew by an average of 100 billion tons per year between 1992 and 2008; NASA itself noted that those findings conflict with over a decade of other measurements.

West stated that “more drugs come through legitimate checkpoints.” According to Customs and Border Protection statistics, during 2018, there were 432,000 pounds of drugs seized at legal ports of entry while 476,000 pounds were seized between ports of entry.

And therein lies our problem. Both sides truly believe they are right, but we all know that’s impossible. Please do your own research. Listen to multiple people who disagree with you and each other. Scrutinize the facts and use critical thinking to formulate an educated opinion. This is your country, and its future depends on it.

Branden Lowanse

West Newton