The Deception

And the propaganda began to spread throughout the land like an untamed wildfire. The weak-minded, consumed like vulnerable prey to its messaging, completely lost all abilities to rationalize, even to the point of denying what they could see with their very own eyes. They stood as helpless, paralyzed slaves to their masters of disinformation, who somehow convinced them, through lies and deception, that their thoughts were their own.

The deception perpetuated this false perception upon them, a perverted version of reality. Those fully indoctrinated by the propaganda began to despise all truth as well as those who dared to speak it. Like some hapless horde of mindless zombies, they eagerly awaited being led by the hand down whatever crooked path this pied piper of propaganda would lead. Even those unaffected by the propaganda began to momentarily question themselves, before gathering their understanding and ultimately coming to the logical conclusion that some sort of nefarious plot had been implemented by powerful men lurking in authoritarian shadows.

How about this Spring we just experienced in Lancaster County? The most beautiful blue skies and perfect temperatures consistently strung together for weeks. So many perfectly clear days, however, lead to our fertile soil drying out. Now for a county that relies heavily on its crops and produce, the word “drought” can be a very scary word. You know it’s bad when even the young people are saying, “We need the rain.”

So, like many concerned Lancaster Countians, I reluctantly began watching WGAL’s local news at 11pm in search of the chance of showers from the heavens in the extended forecast. The rain eventually came, and boy did it come, but watching what is presented as “news” these days reminded me why I stopped watching it in the first place. The political bias is obvious – I mean they don’t even try to hide it any longer.

After watching consistently for a couple of weeks, certain patterns begin to emerge. One of the top segments would always be the “mass shooting” report. Apparently, every time a gun goes off and more than one person is shot, in any part of the country, it is now deemed a “mass shooting”. Even if it takes place in Nebraska or Baltimore, WGAL finds it important to warn the relatively peaceful Susquehanna Valley of the dangers of guns and the “mass shootings” they produce.

Next up on the docket comes what I like to refer to as the “Joe Biden is competent and hard-working report”. It’s almost as though they’re reading a script written from the West Wing itself (wink-wink). Often the “Joe Biden is competent and hard-working report” is immediately followed up with the “Why Trump is evil and must be stopped segment.”

Then a repetitive commercial by WGAL telling everyone that WGAL is “coverage you can count on” and “news you can trust”.

Just so we’re clear here, during the four years of Trump’s presidency, WGAL had nothing but negative spin on everything Trump. Now, everyone is supposed to stop believing what they are seeing with their own eyes and hearing with their own ears, and just listen to the “news you can trust” about how efficient Joe Biden is?

Can people seriously be this inept?

The bias and collusion of media outlets isn’t a new thing, it has just become glaringly obvious. Isn’t it interesting that competing networks and media corporations all seem to focus on the exact narrative at the exact same time? Whether it is a Chinese weather balloon floating slowly across the sky or a tiny five-man submarine that implodes – the enormous and unanimous coverage that it receives from the mainstream media is sometimes curious. It’s especially curious when incredibly impactful stories that affect American citizens and perhaps shine a negative light on a specific political ideology or government agency are quietly suppressed at the exact same time.

So, for those of you who got your ten boosters, fly Ukrainian flags, fight climate change, announce your pronouns and vote for Joe Biden – best wishes to you all. It must be a blissful world to just believe that those controlling the narratives have your best interest in mind. As for the ever-growing population of free thinkers, those who observe and remember, we reject the programming. We will continue to rely on our eyes and ears, leaning on logic and critical thinking to come to our conclusions.

Charles Stouff lives in Pequea and is a lifelong resident of Lancaster County. He is the owner of A+PC LLC, a computer services company and also serves as a township supervisor in Martic Township.