From Nancy Baker

Monroe

To the Editor:

The latest right-wing extremist catchphrase seems to be some form of the lofty “I’ve done the research,” followed by an unsubstantiated statement of opinion or alleged fact. I suppose the speaker or writer thinks the claim of  having done the “research” establishes credibility. Real research lays bare the methodology, and perhaps more importantly, the resources relied upon by the researcher to reach his or her conclusion. With real research, the process is transparent and replicable as a check on researcher error and bias, as well as a check on the quality of the research itself. “I’ve done the research” is neither transparent nor replicable and is meaningless as support for any statement that follows. Perhaps users of the phrase are not willing to have their errors and biases, or the quality of their “research,” subject to the scrutiny of others.

I’d also like to send blossoms to the Monroe City Police and the Green County Sheriff’s office for providing security for last Saturday’s 50501 sit-in. Thanks.