first comment...

My name is Todd. I am graduating with a bachelor's degree in History from the University of Utah this December. My goal is not to be preachy, but I have learned a few things about how the world actually works in my studies, and surprisingly enough, it is not quite the way that the ideologues of our day make it seem. Many people lack a strong grasp on history and while I do not claim to be an expert, I do claim to be a student. To me, this means that I work toward understanding the past and how it influences and informs the present. This said, I recognize that academia's understanding and perception of the past constantly changes as new information and new interpretations add to the collective body of knowledge. I welcome this. When you build on an understanding of the past, you can make informed decisions in the present.

I don't mean to be philosophical or delve deep into the motivations behind the study of history, I merely want to make a point. Many of the people in power fill our heads with rhetoric and messages in order to inspire or shape our perceptions to support their decisions. This is not inherently a bad thing. Good leaders have done this since time immemorial. However, when leaders or people in positions of power fill our heads with messages based on myths or incorrect perceptions of history, they blow up our society like a balloon that could pop whenever someone with some truth comes along. I want the balloon of our society to pop before it gets too big that it pops on its own. In the words of John Lennon, "gimme some Truth." We need to make informed decisions. We need the truth.

If there is one thing I have learned from my study of history it is that life is ambiguous. No one and nothing is as good or as perfect as ideology, myth, legend, etc. would make them out to be. No one. History is full of contradictory figures who we consider heroes and who did their best in life according to their own understandings and perceptions. Few people are ahead of their times. The sooner we accept this the sooner we can move on and get over our disappointment.

I apologize that this has been all over the place, but I would like to end with a disclaimer. I am not promoting a "liberal" agenda, nor am I promoting a "conservative" agenda. I am promoting the truth.

Thanks for reading.