Two phrases have arisen in the news that you may not be familiar with: Gaslighting and False Flags.

Gaslighting, according to Merriam-Webster, is: “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.”

Additionally, “This is a classic gaslighting technique—telling victims that others are crazy and lying, and that the gaslighter is the only source for ‘true’ information. It makes victims question their reality …”— Stephanie Sarkis.

Let me give a personal example: I was at a local fitness center. While I exercised on one of the machines, I watched CNN because it has 24-hour news. I know that the network has a progressive slant, but even so, I have not found that it lies about what’s happening in the news. There was another person who saw the CNN broadcast who angrily asked me “Why are you watching that [expletive] for?” He then walked away.

He watches FOX News as his source of information. His reaction to CNN is an example of someone who has been gaslighted. FOX News for him is “the only source for ‘true’ information.” Each day I gather information from 6-8 news sources, not just one, so I believe I am more discerning about what is true and what is false. There are times when I have watched FOX News when the broadcasters were deliberately and obviously lying, not just slanting the news.

Let’s now examine gaslighting in the context of Vladimir Putin’s recent invasion of Ukraine. Tucker Carlson of FOX News praised Putin’s actions in regard to Ukraine. He thought Putin was justified. Carlson criticized the Biden administration and NATO leaders who were speaking out against Putin’s actions and threats. A former president and his Secretary of State said, “Putin was a genius” and Putin was “very shrewd and very capable.”

These stunning statements are examples of gaslighting for their followers. They are contradictory to U.S. historic foreign policy positions. They are supportive of a dictator who has just invaded a democratic-led nation on trumped up accusations.

This brings me to the second term: “False Flag Operation”. According to Merriam-Webster, a False Flag Operation is: “A hostile or harmful action (such as an attack) that is designed to look like it was perpetrated by someone other than the person or group responsible for it. [For example] ‘In case you didn’t know, a false flag is an incident that is designed to deceive people into thinking it was actually carried out by someone else.’”

In the case of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the breakaway states of Donbass and Luhansk claimed they were being attacked by the Ukrainian government. These two breakaway provinces are made up of a majority of Russian-speaking Ukrainians. Over the past several years, Putin has handed out Russian passports in these provinces. Now, he can claim that he is entering these “independent” provinces as a “peacekeeper” His excuse for this invasion is that he is protecting Russian citizens from a Nazi attack. In other words, the Ukrainian government is responsible, not Putin.

We know as of this writing that Putin has invaded Ukraine from three sides. He has attacked several large cities with the goal of “decapitating” the government and replacing it with one that is pro-Putin.

False Flag Operations and Gaslighting are related terms. Both are based upon a redefinition of facts. In both cases, a person’s sense of reality is challenged by “alternate facts” and an altered reality. In both cases the implied view is “Don’t believe your lying eyes.”

Gaslighting and False Flag Operations that you are seeing in Ukraine will only cause a wider split between the supporters of the former president and the GOP leadership led by Senator McConnell as discussed in last week’s column. It’s time for Republicans to broaden their sphere of knowledge and news by reaching out to other sources.

My youthful experience in a cult has taught me that those contrasting opinions are ways for us to grow smarter because we have to compare and contrast information. It’s time for all of us to think more. No one should want to be gaslighted or duped by false flags.