Being part of the solution rather than the problem means committing to truth and facts … real facts, not “alternative facts”

4 min readJan 24, 2017

Whew! I hope everyone is holding their hats. Turns out that the government-by-pen has three parts … or maybe it’s three pens: Executive Orders, Presidential Memoranda and Proclamations. So far there are 2 Executive Orders, 8 Presidential Memoranda and no Proclamations posted. See below for the latest barrage of government-by-pen. We need to stay on top of these actions.

Snarky Aside: I think I know why the inauguration crowds were so tiny. Everyone was closeted away drafting the orders to turn back the clock, throw people to the wolves (as well as wolves to the hunters) and sell our precious resources to the highest bidder.

Here’s the real problem: long ago and far away, when a bunch of smart folks got together and designed a constitution for a fledgling experiment in democracy, they carefully crafted three branches of government so that power could not fall into the hands of a small group of people. Smart.

You may not remember the historian Baron Acton, but you probably remember his quote: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Our founding fathers understood this so they created the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. Clearly, two of the branches are now entwined like vines and the Judicial is missing a member. The balance of power is listing far to the right and is in danger of sinking.

The counterbalancing force that has stabilized our country for so many years is the freedom of the press. That force is now under open attack by this administration which openly calls long-established news organizations, “Fake News.” Disagreement is to be expected. Crassly trying to destroy a foundational aspect of our democracy is something we cannot tolerate.

And, we the public aren’t blameless. We’ve allowed ourselves to be mesmerized by entertainment and “alternate facts.” We’ve allowed ourselves to be divided by the moguls of news trying to sell more papers and ad time. We’ve believed what we read and saw because it was easier than digging through the complexities of the world ourselves. Now, we’ve reach a point where we don’t believe anything we read or hear, so we feel free to make stuff up, just like we think everyone else.

There’s two things we need to do immediately:

1. Believe only what rises to the level of FACT (real fact, not alternative fact).

2. Do not share anything you haven’t verified.

Ethical professional journalists demand multiple, reliable sources. So should we. Let’s not be part of the problem.

**This shows the original scene that was Photoshopped**

Yesterday a picture went viral. It showed President Obama touching Mrs. Trump’s backside at the inauguration. Snopes (thank the powers that be for Snopes.com) had to take time out from chasing a hundred other “alternative facts” to debunk the Photoshopped picture that originated at the Facebook page “No Lapdog Media II.”

Think about this. Someone, somewhere took the time and effort to Photoshop President Obama’s hand from the middle of Mrs. Trump’s back to her rear end, turning a gentle guiding gesture into a rude, disrespectful action. The Snopes link above actually shows the residue of the amateurish action that turned the moment into a bald-faced lie.

Why? Because we have lost respect for the truth. Because some people think that just because they want something to be the way they want it to be, they have the right to do anything to make it that way.

George Lucas has an interesting take on this mindset. He says:

The story being told in ‘Star Wars’ is a classic one. Every few hundred years, the story is retold because we have a tendency to do the same things over and over again. Power corrupts, and when you’re in charge, you start doing things that you think are right, but they’re actually not.

Government by Pen Update: from the White House, showing actual orders and memoranda.

Executive Order on January 24, 2017

Executive Order Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals For High Priority Infrastructure Projects

Executive Order on January 20, 2017

Executive Order Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal

Presidential Memorandum on January 24, 2017

Presidential Memorandum Streamlining Permitting and Reducing Regulatory Burdens for Domestic Manufacturing

Presidential Memorandum on January 24, 2017

Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline

Presidential Memorandum on January 24, 2017

Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline

Presidential Memorandum on January 24, 2017