H - HOGWASH

      Today’s A to Z Blog letter of the day is the letter “H.” Today’s word is “Hogwash” which is defined as “ludicrously false statements.” The American people have been fed a steady diet of Hogwash in recent years. Here are a few examples of what I mean.

When President George W. Bush was still in office he was speaking to the press about a meeting he had with Russian Premier Vladimir Putin. He said that he looked into Putin’s soul and found him to be a “good guy.” Well, empirical evidence and recent events have shown President Bush’s comment on Putin to be Hogwash.

When President Obama was running for president he hammered on two points. His administration was going to be the most transparent administration in history. Also, as a Constitutional Law Professor his administration would be scrupulous in following the U.S. Constitution. Both of these statements have been found to be unadulterated Hogwash.

When the then Director of National Security, James Clapper, was asked by a Congressional Oversight Committee if the the NSA was spying on American citizens. He stated under oath that the NSA was not spying on Americans. This has since been found to be pure, concentrated Hogwash.

The American people are being lied to by elected and appointed government officials with impunity. Unless this state of affairs changes, we are in deep, serious trouble as a Nation.
What can we do about it? We can hold those who lie to us accountable. Appointed officials should be terminated and/or prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Elected officials who lie must not be re-elected. In egregious cases where there is clear evidence of “...high crimes and misdemeanors,” they ought to be impeached and then prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

When asked what kind of government had been formed, Benjamin Franklin answered “A republic...if you can keep it.” We are in danger of losing our republic due to lack of interest.