Just the Facts, Ma'am

My mind's eye can see it as if it were yesterday. While the television series, Dragnet, had at least a couple runs, it was the late 1960's and 70's version I remember most.

Sergeant Joe Friday along with his partner, Officer Bill Gannon, would investigate some of the most intense criminal cases in Los Angeles at the time. , There would frequently come a time when, while questioning some witness to a crime or event who would spout some opinions about the case, Sergeant Friday would interject those infamous words, "Just the facts, ma'am."

Lately, I'm strangely drawn to this statement. In fact, I'm convinced that our nation would be in a much better place relationally if each of us demanded, just the facts.

How many times in your life have you heard some sensational news or story or rumor and immediately jumped to a conclusion about those involved? I know I've done that probably dozens of times in my life. What would invariably happen subsequently is that the story was blown way out of proportion. In fact, I discovered that many of the so called "facts" were nothing more than exaggerations.

What a fool I was to believe something without getting the facts!

I've said it many times before that so much of life revolves around mathematics. More specifically,