Republicans, wake up and smell the lies

How did we get here? It seems that over the last five or six years we have entered some kind of alternate universe. Where did "alternative facts" come from? A fact is a fact, it shouldn't be twisted to suit one's opinion and there is only one truth. When did it become normal to openly lie about things? A lie is a lie and should not be believed and treated as fact. When did right wing Christians forget about the whole "a lie is a sin" concept? At this point who can still think Trump won the election? I guess if you narrow your focus to one or two sources of news, a person could still believe the "Big Lie" as it has become to be known as.

Here is the definition of a concept that might explain: Confirmation bias is the tendency of human beings to actively search for, interpret, and retain information that matches their preconceived notions and beliefs. Meaning you don't want to believe something, so you only look at information that supports your mistaken belief. Top Republicans routinely stand up there and outright lie. Look at Kevin Mccarthy's statements about Jan. 6, that night and the next day and then a month later. How does one tolerate that?

When did it become normal to see a truck drive by with a flag screaming "F— Biden"? In the past there was a respect for the Office of the Presidency. Whether you agreed or not, you still showed some respect. I suppose that if you really thought Biden stole the election you could feel that way, but what happened to public decency? What does a young mother say to her children when they ask, "What does that flag mean?" The latest Jan. 6 committee hearings just told us that Trump knows ("it's embarrassing") that he lost, yet he lies, and supporters still believe it. I think in their hearts, they know it's a lie.

Anti-abortion proponents constantly say, "Pro-abortion people want abortion up till the last minute of pregnancy." Another case where something is twisted to suit an agenda. Full term abortions are not used as a form of birth control and in most cases are to save the life of the mother, so everyone on both sides knows that pro-abortion people do not want abortion until the last minute. That life begins at conception is another opinion, a religious belief, and not scientific fact. The anti-abortion side constantly states this as a fact. Just because your religious beliefs tell you something, it does not become a truth that all others should live by. That's how it is in Iran and Afghanistan, not here in America.

What about "Defund the police"? This is a slogan made up in the heat of the moment after George Floyd was murdered, and now Republicans constantly say Democrats want to defund the police. Everyone knows that Democrats want some changes made, but Democrats are not calling for the elimination of police. It gets used to scare people. Run on facts and truths, not scare tactics.

Our schools are not trying to "turn kids gay," "shame them for slavery" or make them read pornography, but that is what you might believe listening to some right-wing politicians. The fact is critical race theory is not taught in any K-12 school. The fact is that learning about how other people see themselves will not harm a child but make them a more decent person. The banning of books only serves to limit open thought and conversation, something that should be encouraged in school and not demonized.

I hope that one day the country returns to the time l when truth was truth, facts were facts and common respect was the rule of the day.