Today's MOZEN: Veracis

F LoBuono

This NOT a political post. No. Really. I swear! I know. Crazy. Right? Me? But, at the heart of the matter, it's not about politics at all. It's about the truth.

If you have been gracious enough to follow this blog, over the last few weeks you may have noticed that I have made a conscious effort to avoid overtly political posts, both here and on my Facebook page. No. I have not given up taking a stand. Never that. It's more a matter of taking a step back and letting the scenario play out. I believe that I have made myself and my position perfectly clear. So, in a sense, I was letting things take their own course - at least for a while. I believe that it helps to provide perspective. It did.

Well, I'm back!

When the truth is challenged day after day, it's time to speak up.

The President's grasp of it seems more tenuous on a daily basis. And, it's becoming dangerous. In its most recent issue, TIME magazine features an exclusive interview with President Trump. Its cover simply reads: Is Truth Dead? with no photograph. The crux of the article questions not so much the President's actual veracity as much as his understanding of what is truthful. In other words, it's not lying, at least in the traditional sense because he BELIEVES it.  One way or the other, it sets a dangerous precedent.

The reason that I maintain that this is a non-political post even after making what appears to be a very political statement is that it's not about the policy making of the President. As I've written previously, many of these issues are SO complex that I simply do not know enough about them to comment with any great deal of certainty. However, this does not apply when ascertaining whether someone is being totally honest or not. The truth is just that, the truth. It cannot be massaged. It cannot (or, at least SHOULD not) be manipulated - certainly, not on the level of the Presidency! There are no such things as Alternative Facts. That's why we look to a person who is exceptional in almost every way to become our Leader. They must be capable of handling the most intense pressure and the most complex of issues. And, we must BELIEVE that this person has the ability AND the temperament to understand and HANDLE the truth.

The buck stops with the President (ask Harry Truman).

Without the ability to know and understand the truth, our credibility suffers. Honor and truth are synonymous, virtually symbiotic; one cannot exist without the other. This is true for ALL of us. None of us like hanging out with liars - even those who believe their own shit when we know differently. When this occurs in the Leader of the Free World, we MUST be concerned. Mr. Trump may believe in what he claims but there is more to it than that. That's why the responsibility of being President is so enormous. He must use every bit of the considerable means at his disposal to ascertain what is truthful AND accurate. This President seems to use what he is most comfortable with - pundits with questionable, if any, legitimate sources.

I do not have the answers. I don't believe, at this point, impeachment is practical or productive - the alternatives suggest even more chaos. The Republic must, and will, remain intact. The rule of law must be observed. However, I think that we must remain vigilant and ACTIVE. A friend of mine, a woman, just decided to run as a progressive candidate in her home town and encourages others to do the same. As a member of the Press (when I am working in that capacity*), I pledge to continue to do my job and hold the President not only to his word, but to the truth, as well.

That's not politics. It's reality.



* the opinions expressed above our my own and do not necessarily reflect those of any other entity.