Hunter Biden’s laptop: the hard drive that aged better than CNN’s headlines
By Hans Wilder
Watertown, NY 13601 — Boomers grew up in a world where the news anchor was practically the fourth person at the dinner table. Walter Cronkite didn’t just deliver the news—he handed down commandments from Mount CBS. The assumption was simple: if it came through the glowing box in the living room, it must be true.
That old habit of trust has been hard to shake. Fast forward a few decades, and the same generation that once believed the moon landing was broadcast live (and it was) also believed that if the government put arrows on the floor of Price Chopper, well by golly, those arrows must lead to freedom. They shuffled along one-way aisles like trained pigeons, masks fogging up their bifocals, waiting for the next booster shot like it was the Eucharist at St. Patrick’s.
This is the generation that nodded solemnly through the Russian collusion hoax like it was Watergate Part II, that sneered at anyone who said, “Hey, maybe this doesn’t add up.” It’s the same crowd that dismissed the Hunter Biden laptop as a fairy tale cooked up in a Kremlin basement—only to quietly change the subject once the emails, pictures, and shady business deals were confirmed. To this day, many still won’t admit they were duped.
And now, here in Watertown, we see the echoes of this blind trust in our very own City Council race. The “nice young men” running for office—our supposed future leaders—have all but admitted they cast their lot with Kamala Harris in the last election. Yes, that Kamala Harris, the woman many here in the North Country still call the accidental president-in-waiting.
Is that rational leadership, or just another case of following arrows on the floor because somebody in Albany or CNN told you to?
At Least One Dose of Honesty
To his credit, one candidate, Anthony Velasquez, didn’t dodge the question. He told us plainly he voted for Harris because of his teachers’ union ties. Now, you may not like the answer, but at least it’s an answer. That kind of honesty is rarer in politics than a pothole-free street in February.
But what about the others? Silence. Crickets. They’d rather smile for campaign photos and talk about “moving Watertown forward” than explain why they backed what many Jefferson County voters see as a fraudulent presidential election. If Velasquez can own up, why can’t the rest of them? Afraid of losing a few Harris-voting friends on Facebook?
A Pattern of Following
It’s the same pattern over and over again: trust first, questions never. From COVID arrows, to endless shots, to hoaxes and laptops, to Harris ballots—it’s always easier to nod along than stand up and say, “Wait a second.”
But Watertown deserves leaders who don’t just march in circles. We deserve leaders who know the difference between loyalty to a party line and loyalty to their community. Leaders who understand that following orders blindly is not the same thing as making decisions wisely.
Because here’s the truth: the Golden Age that Watertown is stepping into won’t be built on blind trust, or bumper-sticker politics, or following arrows like a lab rat in a maze. It will be built on honesty, backbone, and the courage to admit when you’ve been wrong.
And if our would-be council members can’t even explain their last presidential vote, how on earth are they going to explain the next budget, zoning law, or tax hike?
Watertown doesn’t need more arrows on the floor. We need a map, a compass, and leaders who can actually read them.
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