Frank Cagle

Columnist

Sometimes state legislators, out on the stump, away from pesky reporters, take the opportunity to dump a wagon load of male bovine manure. They do it to fire up supporters, to make themselves seem like knowledgeable insiders and to give their demented imaginations free rein. They seem to have no problem trying to fool the “rubes” out in the sticks.

The products of their fervid imaginations wind up passed along on social media, and because of the source, they are often accepted as fact. Thus “fake news” is born. You would think these people would learn, in this day and age, that smartphones can record their flights of fancy and share them in some place where a reporter, or some other fact checker, hears it.

The latest example of the phenomenon is state Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mount Juliet. Beavers is just totally irresponsible and will say anything to attract attention. She has a bill to ban gay marriage in Tennessee, for instance, that pesky Supreme Court decision notwithstanding. The bill can be used by special-interest groups to raise money to lobby the Legislature.

Beavers told a town hall meeting in Macon County that “intelligence" officials had recently told her that Muslims were infiltrating churches in Middle Tennessee in order to launch jihad. She said that in response to a questioner who said she knew some Muslim people in the community who were good people who wouldn't harm anybody. Well, we can't have tolerant citizens who use their own experience to make a judgment about their neighbors. Beavers launched her double-secret insider intelligence about the jihad threat within your local Baptist church. Perhaps Beavers does get coded messages from the CIA through her tin-foil hat. Though when questioned by the Tennessean about her intelligence briefing, she said she was also told that maybe the intelligence was wrong.

Huh? Then why are you spreading this boatload of crap?

If you think Donald Trump is the only public figure who makes up stuff, misrepresents the truth and uses rhetoric to play on the fears of the populace, think again. It comes from both sides of the political spectrum. And any plausible charge or scenario that plays into people's prejudice will go viral on social media and be accepted as fact by entirely too many people in the general population.

What is sad is that it is often hard to distinguish whether legislators are just playing to the crowd or whether they really believe the idiocy they spread around. What is scary is that these people are dangerous enough just mouthing off about things they know nothing about.

But remember they can also pass laws based on such misinformation.

Frank Cagle is a columnist and former managing editor of the News Sentinel. He may be reached at efrankcagle@yahoo.com.

