... By attributing outrageous "facts" to the original source that the original source did not say, it is not provoking thought. It's doing just the opposite. It is provoking emotion... a handy trick to employ whenever you want people to stop thinking.
Point well taken. However in that light, now I must regard the author's article as a failure... as it has achieved the opposite effect on this board as that which you ascribe. On this board, his article has not caused a cessation of thinking... but rather lively discussion, critical thinking and analysis, and focused research for and sharing of primary sources and related articles.
As with many circumstances in life, the degree to which ideas resonate with different people, and each individual's take-away may vary considerably based upon the uniquely accumulated previous experiences and resultant knowledge base. Meanwhile it is good to raise awareness of the business relationships between various organizations.
