Honor the Truth Seekers
Better decisions are made when we ensure we hear the minority view. Suppressing the minority view is the opposite of seeking truth; it’s about seeking and maintain control.
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Truth Seeking
If we care about the truth, we shouldn’t be averse to hearing about other information or perspectives. We should want to give the truth the opportunity to change our minds.
The goal in our decision making shouldn’t be driven by what we’d like to happen; it should be driven by making the best decision we can.
What may be the conventional wisdom in the moment gets better clarified over time by surfacing the truth.
Sometimes this leads to greater certainty of what the current conventional wisdom is and what most people understand.
At other times, it changes what we understand to be true, raising what was a minority viewpoint into something that the majority agrees with.
The truth, if allowed to be surfaced, can change our minds. And we need to give ourselves the opportunity for the minority viewpoint to become the majority viewpoint.
Our decisions are best that we understand what really happened and what is really going on – real history and facts that can stand up to the test of scrutiny. We should strive to gain a common understanding of the true situation on the ground, even if we, based upon our difference in values, may want to take different actions as a result.
That’s why we need to call out when efforts to hide or cover up truth are undertaken. It doesn’t harm us to know a richer history that was never previously known. It gives us better context and creates a society where everyone can experience real American freedoms of opportunity.
So, I’m not sure what harm occurs by recognizing those who have been historically ignored for their contributions to our country. Yet, this week at the National Security Agency, exhibits honoring those contributing to our nation’s security were covered up, including “a member of the Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution who used her laundry as a secret code” and others from periods including the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. [1]
These were actions taken responding to the recent anti-diversity order from the White House, [3] the National Cryptologic Museum papered over the exhibits highlighting these contributors. Former head of the NSA General Michael Hayden called these actions to the public’s attention:
Only today did the National Cryptologic Museum that they had “corrected a mistake that covered an exhibit.” [6] This only occurred because we were made aware of what actually happened.
“Indelible Ink”
There are reasons – hopeful ones – to believe that the attempts to erase or paper over history won’t be successful in the end.
I see the United States as having a culture of openness – freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and entrepreneurship, which really is freedom of action. We expect that we’ll be able to seek the truth and tell others what we know.
And for that reason, with the advent of the internet, anyone that wants to purge information that was previously available is impossible.
We all know this personally. Imagine making a post on social media. Once you hit “send,” it’s on the social media company’s servers, then it is displayed to others. When someone reads the post, it’s easy to screenshot the post and save it to an image. Even if you delete the post later, it’s already out there; it never really goes away.
“The internet is not written in pencil, Mark. It’s written in ink.” [7]
This phenomenon seems to have entered the public consciousness through Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay for the movie The Social Network. The fictionalized Mark Zuckerburg, founder of Facebook, is confronted by his former girlfriend in the movie after Zuckerburg posted his thoughts on his online blog. “You called me a bitch on the internet, Mark,” she says; “On the internet.” [7]
She goes on to tell why this is important: “The internet is not written in pencil, Mark. It’s written in ink.” [8] In other words, it doesn’t go away, and this helps the truth seekers.
Tech journalist and pioneering podcaster Kara Swisher reminds us of this tenet (“the internet is written in indelible ink”) through her posts and podcast episodes.
In one New York Times opinion piece, referencing WSJ’s Andrew Beaton story, headlined “Jon Gruden Used Racial Trope to Describe NFLPA Chief DeMaurice Smith in 2011 Email,” Swisher wondered aloud: “Apparently, the now-ousted coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Jon Gruden, has no clue that the internet is written in indelible ink.” [9]
And from her On with Kara Swisher podcast, advice to anyone deciding to write anything electronically [10]:
From “So… Should We Ban TikTok?” On with Kara Swisher podcast, Oct 3, 2022 [10]
We must create an environment for the truth to come out. But we must also ensure that we protect those who seek the truth. The truth can challenge the conventional wisdom, which means that initially the truth can be the minority viewpoint.
And, as fast as the internet gives us information, we have to remain vigilant in surfacing the truth.
On Monday, President Trump announced that the U.S. military entered California to force water to be turned on. The California Department of Water Resources and President Pro Tempore of the California State Senate Mike McGuire had to let the public know the truth. [11]
Consolidated series of posts on announcement that the military had entered California to turn on water. [11]
Further reporting from April Rubin at Axios (“No, Trump didn't send the military to turn the water back on, California says”) [12] and Jennifer Griffin at Fox News (“US defense officials tell me they did not send troops to “turn on the water” in California, despite President Trump’s claims overnight.”) [13] clarify that the President’s announcements were unfounded.
We know what was said. We know the truth. We know not to believe
Honoring the Truth Seekers
But this is what the truth seekers really do. And we need to honor the truth-seekers – the scientists, the journalists, the investigators, the courts. A quick rundown of recent events show that attacks on the truth seekers are under way.
Scientists
From a Reuters report, the “U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seeking to withdraw all papers involving its researchers that are being considered for publication by external scientific journals.” This review by the Trump administration “is aimed at removing language to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order saying the federal government will only recognize two sexes, male and female.” [14]
Journalists
Paramount, who owns CBS, is considering settling a $10 billion lawsuit from Trump, filed in October 2024, alleging “deceptive conduct” in how it produced a “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Kamala Harris just ahead of the presidential election. [15]
Trump sued and settled with ABC News over claims of defamation [16] and with Meta Platforms, owner and operator of Facebook, over account suspensions following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. [17]
Investigators
From an NBC News report [18], citing Trump’s sweeping pardon for January 6 defendants [19], a letter firing multiple federal prosecutors stated that their role in the January 6 prosecutions was the reason for their dismissal.
Courts
In December, prior to being sworn into his second presidential term, Donald Trump “launched a vitriolic and factually baseless attack on a New York judge who refused to overturn his conviction.” [20]
Judge Juan Merchan rejected Trump’s application [21] to have last May’s conviction – delivered by a jury in a court in Manhattan – overturned in a 41-page ruling. [22]
The truth doesn’t surface itself; it takes the truth seekers to surface it. And those attacking the truth seekers, whether scientists or journalists or investigators or the courts, they’re not on the side of truth.
Narratives
The book I’m reading or movie I’m watching
“Interstellar” - Co-written and Directed by Christopher Nolan
This is a masterpiece! The physics are dead on, even if there are liberties taken with time causality weaved into the storytelling. Personally, I'm there for it.
Plus, another movie with a powerhouse cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Ellen Burstyn, Michael Caine, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck, Timothée Chalamet, William Devane, and more. Nominated for five Academy Awards and winner of one for best visual effects. [23]
One note that’s related to our discussion about seeking the truth. There is a scene where Murph's father, Cooper (played by Matthew McConaughey), learns about Murph (played by Mackenzie Foy) brought a textbook to school that talks about the 1969 Moon landing; the teacher describes how troubling it is. [24]
The teacher explains what the “corrected versions” of textbooks say, that “the Apollo missions were faked to bankrupt the Soviet Union,”
Cooper asks, “You don’t believe we went to the moon?” The teacher replies: “I believe it was a brilliant piece of propaganda that the Soviets bankrupted themselves pouring resources into rockets and other useless machines.”
Interstellar is one of those movies I would watch over and over, and this scene is especially poignant. Here is a great review of the movie as it came out for a 10-year re-release in select IMAX theaters. [25]
GIF Game
Kate McCinnon in Saturday Night Live
Notes and Sources
[1] – “Women in American Cryptology (Creating a Legacy),” National Security Agency/Central Security Service, retrieved February 2, 2025, https://www.nsa.gov/History/National-Cryptologic-Museum/Exhibits-Artifacts/Exhibit-View/Article/2719140/women-in-american-cryptology-creating-a-legacy/.
[2] – “NSA Historical Figures,” National Security Agency/Central Security Service, retrieved February 2, 2025, https://www.nsa.gov/History/Cryptologic-History/Historical-Figures/.
[3] – “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Protects Civil Rights and Merit-Based Opportunity by Ending Illegal DEI,” January 22, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/01/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-protects-civil-rights-and-merit-based-opportunity-by-ending-illegal-dei/
[4] - Gen Michael Hayden [@genmhayden.bsky.social], Bluesky, February 1, 2025, https://bsky.app/profile/genmhayden.bsky.social/post/3lh6a65lgx226
[5] - Gen Michael Hayden [@genmhayden.bsky.social], Bluesky, February 2, 2025, https://bsky.app/profile/genmhayden.bsky.social/post/3lh7dbtsugs2n
[6] - Gen Michael Hayden [@genmhayden.bsky.social], Bluesky, February 2, 2025, https://bsky.app/profile/genmhayden.bsky.social/post/3lh7truhrc22n
[7] – David Fincher (Director), The Social Network, 2010, 00:52:55.
[8] - Ibid.
[9] - Kara Swisher, “Navigating the Dave Chappelle Fracas at Netflix,” New York Times, October 15, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/15/opinion/chappelle-netflix-trans.html
[10] - Kara Swisher, “So… Should We Ban TikTok?” On with Kara Swisher, October 3, 2022, https://podcasts.musixmatch.com/podcast/on-with-kara-swisher-01hjz7abr0w71n49nd313an9sf/episode/so-should-we-ban-tiktok-01hjz7abr0w71n49nd313anap9
[11] - Mike Masnick [@mmasnick.bsky.social], Bluesky, January 28, 2025, https://bsky.app/profile/mmasnick.bsky.social/post/3lgs6ozyprk22
[12] - April Rubin, “No, Trump didn't send the military to turn the water back on, California says”, Axios, January 28, 2025, https://www.axios.com/2025/01/28/trump-california-la-wildfires-water-pumps
[13] - Jennifer Griffin, “US defense officials tell me they did not send troops to “turn on the water” in California, despite President Trump’s claims overnight”, Fox News, January 28, 2025, https://x.com/JenGriffinFNC/status/1884269678673158441
[14] - Julie Steenhuysen and Nancy Lapid, “US CDC orders pullback of new scientific papers involving its researchers, source says,” Reuters, February 2, 2025, https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-cdc-orders-pullback-scientific-205138485.html
[15] - Gabriel Hays, “CBS News to hand over transcript of Harris’ ‘60 Minutes’ interview to FCC amid $10 billion Trump lawsuit,” Fox News, February 1, 2025, https://www.foxnews.com/media/cbs-news-hand-over-transcript-harris-60-minutes-interview-fcc-amid-10-billion-trump-lawsuit
[16] - Michael R. Sisak, “ABC agrees to give $15 million to Donald Trump’s presidential library to settle defamation lawsuit,” AP News, December 14, 2024, https://apnews.com/article/abc-trump-lawsuit-defamation-stephanopoulos-04aea8663310af39ae2a85f4c1a56d68
[17] - Annie Linskey, “Meta to Pay $25 Million to Settle 2021 Trump Lawsuit,” Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2025, https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/trump-signs-agreement-calling-for-meta-to-pay-25-million-to-settle-suit-6f734c8c
[18] - Ken Dilanian, Tom Winter, Ryan J. Reilly, and Michael Kosnar, “Trump administration forces out multiple senior FBI officials and January 6 prosecutors,” NBC News, January 31, 2025, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-administration-forces-multiple-senior-fbi-officials-rcna190138
[19] - “Granting Pardons and Commutation of Sentences for Certain Offenses Relating to the Event At or Near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,” January 20, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/granting-pardons-and-commutation-of-sentences-for-certain-offenses-relating-to-the-events-at-or-near-the-united-states-capitol-on-january-6-2021/
[20] - Robert Tait, “Trump rails against judge who refused to overturn hush-money conviction,” The Guardian, December 14, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/17/trump-juan-merchan-truth-social
[21] - “Judge denies Trump petition to dismiss hush-money case over immunity claims,” The Guardian, December 16, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/16/trump-hush-money-case-immunity-denied
[22] - People of the State of New York v. Trump, Ind. No. 71543-2023, https://www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFs/press/PDFs/CPL330.30Dec.pdf
[23] - “Interstellar,” IMDB, 2014, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816692/
[24] - Hilary Lewis, “‘Interstellar’ Clip: Matthew McConaughey Told Rockets Are ‘Useless Machines’,” October 30, 2014, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/interstellar-clip-matthew-mcconaughey-told-745097/
[25] - Richard Lawson, “So, Is Interstellar a Masterpiece or Not?” Vanity Fair, December 11, 2024, https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/interstellar-christopher-nolan-ten-year-anniversary?srsltid=AfmBOooPJdj1z3RlFRBITLum7NzcLsJS3-8KU8n0vdNbHVkpYAKv_4Cb
Decisions with Mic Farris
Seek Truth. Honor Differences.
