Where I started off on my last entry, I was addressing the degree to which we are influenced by experiences including such things as what we read. That thought began while reading a book. In this book, the author referred to another book which I had recently read. This, ultimately, comes around to the point I was hoping to make. Every single book I have read in the past couple of months has referred to another book I had recently read. This really gives me an appreciation for what some call “the echo chamber.” I read books on science and reality. What if I instead had read the outpouring of right-wing nuttery made available by the Fox “News” juggernaut or the dozens of right-wing publishers? Would a lack of ability in science have made me into the sort of right-wing loon I now despise? Would an unwillingness to question authority or ask for evidence have left me in the grips of the religiosity on which the plutocrats so greatly depend? Would I be vulnerable to nearly continuous steam of propaganda that has proven so effective against seemingly sane people? The unfortunate answer is yes.