Belief is a Choice

"Who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?" -- Chico Marx

   Belief is a choice, and there is always a choice.
   Ripley offered a choice: "Believe it or not!"

   When it comes to information belief, here are the choices: The New York Times and the Washington Post, along with other free press outlets; or the FBI and the CIA, along with other governmental and political types.

   Thomas Jefferson noted that given the choice of a government without a free press, or a free press without a government, he would choose the latter. This he said when out of office. As President, he signed the Sedition Act, which made it a criminal offense to criticize the government.

   Many believe it's unpatriotic to criticize the government. Rather, people should always believe what political leaders say. In practice, this is applied only by those who are of the same political party as the government leader.  Those in opposition parties regularly say, "He lies."
   You can't have it both ways.

   Premise: The President should be trusted.
   Conclusion: We trust him because he's the President.
   This is circular logic at its most basic.