Despite the Left’s opposition to the wall along the border, it is they who have built the greatest barrier: one separating themselves from the truth.

On July 16th — a Wednesday — I awoke late in the day. As I slowly made my way through my morning ritual from a darkened sleep chamber to breakfast, I saw a post on social media by a friend of mine. She was absolutely manic. Hysterical. Scared to death. She was worked up over what was happening — the horrible, vicious threat that we had to stop immediately, or else. She said democracy was about to be overthrown.

“What has happened today??” I wondered.

I hadn’t yet read any news.

I posted a question to her online: “What happened?? What are you talking about??”

It reminded me of the morning of September 11, 2001. I awoke to references on the radio to some catastrophic event in New York. But they weren’t saying what it was; they were talking as if everyone already knew. That day, I called a news-aware compadre in a time zone two hours earlier than mine. “What happened??” They hadn’t heard.

On the web last Wednesday, I asked the same, and my panicked social media friend responded:

“You don’t know???? Do you not read the news anymore????”

“Yes, I read the news. But I haven’t looked at the news today.”

“I have to assume you’re playing stupid!”

“As I said, I haven’t looked at the news today. I just woke up.”

“I don’t believe you. You have to know what’s happened! EVERYBODY knows what’s happening!!!!”

I had no idea what she was talking about. We went back and forth. She wouldn’t tell me. She refused to believe my question was sincere. It was maddening. And exquisitely stupid.

An hour or two later, I sat down at my computer. I checked the news and discovered…nothing.

Nothing had happened.

I realized my friend on social media, who constantly shares stories from CNN, Politifact, MSNBC, and NPR, was responding to the general presentation of left-wing propaganda, which is the only information she has. And, in her mind, it’s the only information there is to have. To her, it’s what “everybody” knows.

She is walking around in a state of alert. Because the sky is falling. America is close to the edge of complete collapse.

I have, in the past, tried to communicate with this person, suggesting to her that her sources of information are extremely biased, and oftentimes blatantly, blatantly dishonest. But she cannot be reached.

There’s a forcefield.

She will not read any source of news that isn’t, in her view, real. Therefore, she will only read left-wing propaganda.

And I fear she is not alone. Names which we have, in the past, associated with the mainstream (such as NBC) are now mouthpieces for the Democratic Party.

And with each passing day, a wall is being built at the border. Not the one to the south, but the line between propaganda and fact. The petition is getting taller. And more opaque. The divide is thickening.

My friend believes Donald Trump has done a thousand evil and terrible things that no one else in politics has ever done. And that this is merely an objective fact understood by all.

She believes Hillary Clinton was robbed of the presidency. As a matter of fact.

She believes Hillary is innocent of any wrongdoing across a 40-year span, the mere victim of right-wing conspiracy. Factually.

She believes there are special types of guns geared — unlike other guns — solely for murder called “assault rifles,” which can currently and horrifyingly be purchased in the United States.

She believes “semi-automatic” is an especially sinister classification of firearm that must be banned.

She believes no gun sold at a gun show requires a background check.

She believes Donald Trump puts children in cages.

She holds to no principle, other than the principle that CNN and MSNBC are correct. And the Democrats are always right.

The 60’s? JFK was right. The 90’s? Bill Clinton was right. The 2000’s? Obama was. At the moment? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is right.

All of the above people disagree with one another on issues of government. And yet, they are all simultaneously correct. Because that’s what her sources say.

Sometimes, I’m disturbed by the fact that it seems my friend has never thought. She exclusively trumpets whatever MSNBC declares, whatever the Left says, whichever notion a Democrat espouses. She reposts, seemingly 24 hours a day. There is no attempt to get information. No effort to learn. Only to share. Retweet. Pass along. Whatever idea, or whichever meme supporting that idea, comes her way. I often see her posting information that’s erroneous.

She reads a lie, shares a lie, spreads a lie. To other people who are like her, who will do the same.

Sometimes, I wonder how many others there are.

Living in a vacuum is no good. As is commonly known, a vacuum sucks.

Why then, do so many choose to reside within one?

We as conservatives much reach over this wall. Climb it. Get through it. We must breach the border. Or our friends, our family members, are lost to another country, forever — the nation on the other side of the wall. The one they imagine America to be. Right now, in the throes of the death of democracy. In the ruining age of Trump. Of Republicans.

If that is what too many voters believe, they will inevitably one day live in the converse — in their own minds, a province where leftism rules, and all is utopia. And if they ever do wake up, soberly shaken by the ravages of fascism, communism and socialism — in a land which once was free…if they ever do see the other side, it may be too late. The wall will have become so tall and strong, it will not be able to be traversed. The America our founding fathers envisioned will have become a foreign entity.

We cannot let this wall rise and deepen. We must fight its construction just as the left fights the partition between our country and another. We must not let half of America be relegated to lies.

We must reach our immigrant friends — those who have migrated to a place of blindness. Before it’s too late. Not only for them, but for us, too.

We must not participate in the separating calamity of uncivil debate; yet, we cannot allow lies to thrive equally as truth. We must stand for our faith, while not ostracizing those who do not believe. If the faithful have disdain for the unconverted, the faith itself is endangered.

I believe in America. And I believe in the truth. And if there is truth, there is hope. Let us all spread hope, like the light of liberty that has blessed us with the greatest country in the world. Let those who are doubtful know we still are. If we do so and never tire, we always will be.

Please share your thoughts on the state of our nation in this regard. What side is winning? How can we do more? Sound off in the Comments section below.

For something (sort of) different, please check out my articles on the G-7 meeting, last week’s goofy protests, and The Great Beached Wail Debate, Parts 1 and 2.

Find all my RedState work here.

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