unreal fire

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The firestorms in my hometown last Monday were unreal, but just so you know.

The above photo has been passed around this past week with the claim that it was taken by an evacuee fleeing Gatlinburg on Monday night. The Internet is a breeding ground for fake news. Our culture has become so addicted to sensationalist news that if it is not there, we create it. (No, Hillary Clinton's parents were simply not Romulan. The Romulan Empire had not been created when she was born.) Rule of thumb: If you believe everything you read on the Internet or facebook then you are living in an alternate reality, and it's a harsh one that's mean-spirited. 

You need to turn the computer off and go outside for a walk. That's where you will find reality: in a passing cloud, a falling leaf or a calling wren.

The above photo was actually taken on August 6, 2000 with a Kodak DC280 digital camera by John McColgan, a fire behavior analyst. The location is the East Fork of the Bitterroot River where it crosses under U.S. Highway 93 in the Bitterroot National Forest near Sula in Montana. Yes, Montana. 

The good people of Gatlinburg have suffered enough. I grew up with many of them. The fires were horrific, heartbreaking to folks who lived in the mountain getaway. There's little need to embellish or fake it.

Just sayin'.

Thank you Tony for bringing this to my attention.

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