Losing the capacity for reasoned inquiry

Here are links for two articles that appeared in the New York Times in the last week. Together they represent a perfect illustration of the blind alley we find ourselves in politically and culturally in this country today. On the left and on the right the arguments are ideological at the expense of enlightened skepticism and even open eyed curiosity. We all  pay the price for our lack of reasonable and reasoned discourse.
Banished for Questioning the Gospel of Guns

A Lonely Quest for Facts on Genetically Modified Crops