You can learn a lot on the Internet

"You can't believe all that junk you read on the Internet," a friend of mine said.

I thought about that a while, and decided that statement is only true if you believe everything you read in the media -- and I don't

Me, I get 80% of my news off the Internet, and from veritable news outlets.

• My local papers are online, so I save myself the $80 plus subscription fee


• Almost all the BIG newspapers are online (NY Times, LA times, Freep)


• Many opinion journals are online, saving the cost of magazine subscriptions


• Blogs are free

You could read the Detroit Free Press and still miss out on half the news. You could read the BBC (this person lives in Britain), and not get all the news.

Most people, whether they try not to or not, tend to be at least somewhat bias in whatever they write, no matter what their political affiliation is. Which is why, in my opinion, it's important to get your news from various outlets.

And I read blogs to find out what other people like me think about things. Or, better yet, to find out what people that are not like me think. I don't care if the authors are liberal, conservative or believe in tooth ferry politics, especially when you're talking about a medical blog. Medicine is medicine.

There are obviously different opinions even in medicine, which is evident on these RT blogs where we discuss how doctors think Ventolin is a cure for all diseases, and RTs believe otherwise.

Every person has a a different opinion on everything, which is why, as our founding fathers learned, it's so important to compromise. And that's exactly why us RTs do what the doctors order even though we might disagree. Who knows, maybe we RTs are wrong sometimes. (gulp)

Blogs give the inside scoop that would never get out if it were not for us bloggers. That's good as far as I'm concerned. It keeps everybody square.

Yes, we change our names and the names of the people we write about, and we may even change events that occur slightly to protect people, but still our point comes across just the same. And, besides, the fact that we make these changes is the fault of the people who love to sue, and others who make laws. It's not our fault.

What better way to get the inside knowledge than on the Internet. Sure, you may get your occasional wacko, and there are definitely wacko blogs and Internet sites out there, but most people are good honest people who honestly have something good to offer.

Perhaps by people reading these RT blogs the profession may some day be revolutionized. Perhaps some day I will get my bronchodilator reform via protocols. Perhaps we will have improved RT respect because of this. Perhaps, and this is most important, this and other blogs will get people thinking.

The information age started with the Gutenberg printing press, and before that time only the noble class had access to knowledge.

Things have changed a great deal since then. Imagine how much untapped potential is out there in the world. We may never find it unless we stop to think. And what better place to start than right here on this blog, on the Internet.

My friend was wrong. You can learn a lot on the Internet.