Check your Facts

It is another political season and the e-mails are arriving prolifically. Some will make you mad and others will make you say "See, I told you so." It would be great if the writers of all these e-mails were cognizant of facts and truth. Unfortunately, that is often not the case.

You can be almost completely sure that if a famous name is attached to a list of items, they did not actually write them. Most of these are made up and their name used to try and add an air of legitimacy. Some names commonly used for these e-mails are George Carlin, Andy Rooney, and the Dalai Lama, among others.

I have always maintained that everyone has the right to vote for whoever they believe is best. It may not be my choice, but it is their right to choose the same as it is mine. There are issues on which we will just plain disagree, and there is no way we can all be completely happy. There are other issues that we may very well agree on, but need to have the facts available to us.

One thing I strive very hard for is to find the facts and to learn the truth. It isn't easy, especially when we are talking politics. There are places to look though that will help you. Some concentrate on all those e-mails that you receive in your inbox. Others concentrate on trying to sift out the truth from the exaggerations in speeches and advertisements. Some are easily found to be partisan and will offer their spin along with the 'facts'.

There are some sites, however, that have been recognized as non partisan and have been recommended by people on both sides of the aisle. These include: http://www.snopes.com/, http://www.factcheck.org/, http://www.politico.com/ and http://www.truthorfiction.com/.

As you receive e-mails, or hear speeches that have you saying "I have to pass this on", please consider checking the validity of the claims before doing so. If your candidate or party is worth its salt, then it can stand based on facts. If they must use misinformation, exaggerations, and lies to make their point, then their point must not be very credible. Both sides do this to some degree. It is important to see who is doing it, how often they are, and on what particular issues they are utilizing it most.

Vote for your choice. But please make your choice based on as much truth and facts as you can possibly find. It is our country, our lives, and our freedoms that are at stake.