Facts and opinions

Reading the blogs today I’m reminded of a Heinlein quote:

If it can’t be expressed in figures, it is not science; it is opinion.
-Robert Heinlein-

Apparently certain “fact checkers” didn’t get the memo. There is a big buzz in the gun blogger world today:

Our friendly Apex of the Triangle of Death has probably the best information with On Obama’s Gun Record, Who Will Fact Check the Fact Checkers? I found this to be the most illuminating:

There’s another possible explanation behind FactCheck’s positions. Just last year, FactCheck’s primary funding source, the Annenberg Foundation, also gave $50,000 to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence for “efforts to reduce gun violence by educating the public and by enacting and enforcing regulations governing the gun industry.” Annenberg made a similar grant for $100,000 in 2005.

I see three simple questions, inspired by the Heinlein quote above, to get to the bottom of the controversy. Everyone can answer them for themselves with only a small amount of work using the above links. Those questions are:

  1. How many laws which restrict gun ownership and use has Obama supported?
  2. How many laws which encourage gun ownership and use has Obama supported?
  3. In the last few years how much money has FactChecker given to pro-gun organizations and how much to anti-gun organizations?

There no need for opinions on this topic. There is a need for facts. If “FactCheck” is to honor it’s name then it should emphasis numbers and not words.

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5 thoughts on “Facts and opinions

  1. I guess I should add this corollary:

    If they have arrived at the figures through improper methodology, then it is not science; it is fitting an algorithm around an opinion.

  2. Just the standard M.O. of the left. Thousands of pro socialist entities, all of them disguised as something meaningful, all under the broad title of “liberal” which is in itself, true to form, entirely false.

  3. Worst thing about it is a lot of people will believe them because:
    A) they have “fact” in their name, they must be telling the truth right?
    B) they also claim to be non-partisan.

    Snakes in the grass I says! I can say for a fact 2+2 = 5, that doesn’t make it true though.

  4. My favorite quote applicable to this:

    “Follow the money.”
    -All the President’s Men (I think)

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