Book Review

>>MORE<<DAMMED LIES AND STATISTICS: How numbers confuse public issues
_______________________________________________________________ Joel Best 2004

In his Introduction Joel Best is careful to point out that statistical lies are not peculiar to Democrats or Republicans, or, for that matter, any group with a cause that they need to promote, like for example, "free sex". ( I mention "free sex" to point out the questionable statistics conjured up by Alfred Kinsey that sparked a "sexual revolution" back in the sixties which directs our culture to our great detriment even today.) This is a scary book. It is amazing how many misconceptions are operative within the belief system of our culture based upon bad, or imaginary, statistics.

This book is better than his first. I especially like this book because I can selectively quote examples to fit my world view, as below...

*** CBS anchor Dan Rather began his evening newscast on March 5, 2001, by declaring "School shootings in this country have become an epidemic".

In fact careful statitical examination showed that shootings in and around schools had actually gone down. Schools, it seems, were slowly becoming the safest places on Earth for kids to be. Dan, rather, was emotionalizing the occasion of a series of shootings in schools which centered around the tragedy at Columbine, all deplorable, but hardly "epidemic".

Four Stars