Trump's version reads:
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor, unless he's a political opponent. Then it's OK."
That's a joke. I'm confident he left the Bible unchanged. Is Trump familiar enough with the Bible to get that joke? Maybe. He says the Bible is his favorite book and he reads it all the time.
We have entered an era when there is little shame or political cost attached to outright, four-Pinocchio lies.
Trump doesn't correct misrepresentation. He doubles down on it. He said he had proof that Obama was born in Kenya. Trump says he didn't just win the 2020 election; he won in a landslide. He said he had every right to keep confidential documents and hide them from the court. And January 6 was a peaceful protest.
Apparently a majority of Republican partisans believe it hook, line, and sinker. That means that wiser, more cynical Republican candidates and officeholders must pretend to believe it as well. Otherwise, they are RINOs. They tolerate the lies.
So far local opponents of the Jackson County measures haven't changed their website.
Gerald Murphy is a retired high school English teacher. He has written dozens of plays and musicals with productions in over forty countries, mostly in schools, churches, and community theaters. Sometimes writes lighthearted parodies, which get him in trouble if readers don't recognize a tall tale when they read it. Murphy read my post from yesterday about the over-the-top objections cited by opponents of the local charter-update measures. Murphy wanted to join in with his own inventions.
Guest Post by Gerald Murphy
Although both Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senator Ted Cruz deny they spent their Easter vacations in Havana, Cuba, photographs show both men with arms around nude dancers at the Grand Theater of Havana. “That wasn’t us,” complained Johnson. “I am deeply committed to my wife and the Lord. Those pictures were photoshopped! My record on abortion shows I don’t even like women! Meanwhile, Senator Cruz claimed he had an ironclad alibi. “Everyone knows I spend every Easter in Cancun!”
Perhaps the biggest surprise of this political season was Margorie Taylor Greene admitting she was currently dating Fred “Mackie” Jackson, head of Jacksonville’s Black Live Matter Movement. “Lots of people are furious at me for this,” Marjorie complained. “MAGA hates me. The Klan issues death threats daily. And Tucker Carlson is now calling me ‘Aunt Jemima Greene.’ I swear, I never realized how bigoted my party is!”
Tickets for eclipse viewing are now going for as much $5,000 for seats at Trump-owned North Dallas Golf Resort where Donald Trump promises he will stare into the sun "without any aid, without blinking, and without any fear during the eclipse. I didn’t get to be where I am by shying away from the spotlight. All that stuff about hurting the eyes is just fake news." Several of his aides promise to provide Trump with binoculars or a telescope if he needs further help viewing this once-in-a-lifetime event.
Visiting the New York subway system to highlight crime in the Big Apple under Democratic leadership, Representative Matt Gaetz caused a mass exodus by subway commuters. “It was strange,” said one conductor who witnessed the event, “as soon as Gaetz entered the train it became obvious that no New Yorker, not even one drugged-out homeless guy, was willing to share a seat with the Representative from Florida’s 1st congressional district. Disappointed with his failed political stunt, Gaetz was last seen visiting a middle school in lower Manhattan.
I attended county fairs in eight or so counties in 2022, including Douglas, Josephine, and Jackson counties. At every Republican booth, there were T-shirts and signs indicating that Trump Won (meaning, in 2020). I asked the people at the booth if they really believed it. They indicated that they did, fervently. Any prominent Republican today who does not support that lie is vilified as a RINO. And Trump has completed his takeover of the party.
I'm currently reading All the Light We Cannot See. I do not see that we are altogether different from that era. We all need to work to get our nation off this path.
Excellent guest post! Borowitz has some stiff competition.