I recently came across this LinkedIn article by Heather McGowan: What if learning is patriotic? (30 Jan 2018). I honestly believe the importance of this essay ranks with Hamilton, Madison, and Jay's Federalist Papers. I've copied the article to my personal drive, and will retain it as long as I have a reliable backup service. I've asked for permission to re-post in its entirety. Until I obtain that permission, I will regularly check to see the article is available on line. When it is taken down I will again attempt to obtain permission, and will post it in it's entirety.

In a nutshell, Uncle Sam Wants You to be a critical netizen! Our democracy depends on it.

I thought it extremely telling that McGowan associated internet education (and savviness) with good citizenry. We've always had "fake news" - look at the attacks on Jefferson, Adams, Lincoln, and others. But the sources, frequency, transmissibility, and presentability of "news," combined with the tribalism of today's political culture, mean that we are not participating in a marketplace of ideas but rather a marketplace of channels. Abstract McLuhan's "medium is the message" one level and you get "channel is the message." Everyone uses the internet and the 24-hour cable news and the old print media and the old TV media, but with a much greater granularity in selecting your channels across these media, you now have the association with medium and message.

And it's killing our democracy.

As a defense industry IT consultant, I am now asking whether my cyber-warriors can protect us from ourselves...