By Ski Ingram
June 2025
Where is the Truth
When I was a working police officer I had a rule, “Lie to me, go to jail.” My wife, Diane, had a house rule for our children, “never lie to mom.” Whenever I testified in a court of law I swore to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” As a Boy Scout many years ago, I memorized the Scout Oath and Law. The Scout Law states, “A scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.” You’ll notice the first word is Trustworthy meaning to tell the truth. I have thought about what the definition of truth is for many years, especially in these days when truth, in many cases, is so elusive.
The truth is defined as something being factual or accurate. In our everyday language, truth is very often wrongly described as something such as a statement, a belief, or a narrative. To be truth it has to be correct and accurate when describing any situation or event. It must be based on real facts or evidence, not on opinions or beliefs. Truth should be verifiable or proven through research, observation, or by other reputable means. In short, truth is the opposite of a lie or false statement.
We have learned through history that some political figures, captains of industry and criminals are incapable of accepting the truth when they hear it. They have a phobia called Alethophobia which is the fear or dislike of the truth, or an unwillingness to accept the truth. Some people believe or just want to believe something untruthful for fear that the truth may contradict their long-held beliefs.
The relationship between the Politician and the truth is complex with perspectives on how truth is defined and its role in politics. We have all heard the cliché “all is fair in love and war and politics.” Many of our cliches have a semblance of truth and this one does also. However, I disagree that all is fair in love and war, and especially in politics. People will voice their displeasure when a police officer lies, but they don’t seem to care if a politician lies, especially if they plan to or have voted for that same politician.
Why is it that one political party admires Margaret Sanger, a founder of Planned Parenthood, when she has said “Colored people are like human weeds and need to be exterminated.” I, for one, could not be part of a group who champions the likes of Margaret Sanger, and yet half of the country is doing so whether they know it or not. There is a Jewish proverb that states “A half-truth is a whole lie.” George Bernard Shaw said, “Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” George Orwell said, “Not knowing the truth makes you ignorant, not wanting to know the truth is what makes you stupid.”
George Orwell has also said “however much you deny the truth, the truth goes on existing.” As American citizens and patriots, we should be insulted when anyone expects us to believe a lie. Another cliché states “Lie to me once, shame on you. Lie to me twice, shame on me.”
When I look at the news today, I wonder what happened to people’s common sense? You may think that this is a modern-day problem, however, Galileo Galilei who was born in 1564 talked about the lack of common sense when he said, “I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.” When we hear something that doesn’t seem right, stop and think about it for a minute. Your brain may be telling you it’s a lie. And then think, why is this person, group or political party lying to me?
In December 1987 while signing the Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, Ronald Reagan delivered this now famous line “Trust but verify.” I agree with him. Someone once said, “Common sense is not very common.” Well, that was then, but this is now. It is my belief that common sense is starting to become more and more common.
We have been hearing about 80/20 issues in the news, (80% approve, 20% disapprove). Those citizens who care about maintaining America’s freedom are the 80%. They care about keeping men out of girl’s bathrooms and women’s sports. They want criminal illegal immigrants deported. They want a secure border. They want voter integrity. They want a government that does not show favor to a selected few.
Remember, we have been lied to about Russian collusion, Hunter’s laptop, January 6th, voter fraud, Ukraine, Covid, Biden’s health, and the recent “peaceful” riots in L.A. How can we believe anything we hear from the media or the Left when they have been lying to us for so many years? The Left continues to tell us that Donald Trump’s policies are destroying democracy. First of all, our form of government is a republic not a democracy, but that’s a topic for another time. I believe the “threat to democracy” are all the lies the media and the Left continue to tell every day.
George Orwell once said, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” I believe those who hate the truth and hate America are exposing themselves day after day. I also believe that people are beginning to wake up to their lies. I love the truth and will fight for it until I can fight no longer. I champion “Truth, Justice and the American way.” I learned to appreciate this value years ago and nothing has changed my view. God Bless America and those who are willing to fight hard to maintain its freedoms.
Ski Ingram is a life member of Lester Keate Post 90 of the American Legion in St. George, Utah. He now lives in Gilbert, Arizona. He is a combat veteran and is a life member of five different veteran organizations and the NRA. To subscribe to his newsletter, go to www.SkiIngram.com.
