In our hurried world of over-saturated information, the concept of truth has been so abused and battered that truth is not just elusive, it’s utterly obliterated. The truth is still there, but it’s buried in deception and shrouded in relativism to cause doubt. Those who seek power for the sake of power thrive in the uncertainty and revel in pitting citizen against citizen, because that way the electorate never has time to focus on the malfeasance by our ruling elite. While they line their pockets or preen their egos, they delude themselves with the notion they are serving the unsophisticated, unwashed masses with crumbs from their federal feast.

The parade of prevarications is endless. We are told the border is closed as we watch thousands stream across unimpeded every day. We are instructed that inflation is transitory and not that bad after almost two years of persistent record inflation eviscerating family budgets. The epitome of this relentless assault on truth is the incredible, inane dispute about gender. If we as a people can no longer define the most basic biology of male and female, how can we agree on anything?!

Rife with disagreement about method and policy, politics is expected to be contentious, but facts are facts and ultimately indisputable. So, when facts are rejected and lies are obvious, it only serves to undermine trust. Opponents become enemies. Cooperation or compromise becomes impossible. Governance turns to oppression as rulers demand that their falsehoods be accepted without exception and dissent is not tolerated.

The biggest lie of our time was on full display last week when Democrats commemorated the second anniversary of the January 6 protests in Washington. The original gathering was no doubt a massive event and there was some vandalism and violence, but those fractious pockets of hooliganism paled as a riot compared to the multitude of ANTIFA and BLM riots that plagued the nation through the Summer of 2020, or for that matter the assault on the Brazilian capitol.

January 6, 2020 was clearly in no way an insurrection, but we can actually argue that. However, we cannot debate the facts of the day. Last week, the Democrat Media Complex breathlessly repeated the absolute falsehood that five Capitol Police officers died defending the Capitol. That is an unadulterated LIE of epic magnitude!!!

The only one killed that day that we know of for sure was an unarmed protester, Ashli Babbitt, shot by Capitol Police. NO Capitol Police were killed in the line of duty. Capitol Police Officer Brain Sicknick succumbed to a stroke a day later and the government infamously had him lay in state, erroneously claiming he died from injuries sustained the day before. That was a whopper then, but now they are back shamelessly claiming five officers died! If they will brazenly lie about people dying, what else are they lying about?

The Democrat Media Complex knows better, but it serves their narrative. Not only do they use that narrative to malign and minimize conservatives, but they also use it to avoid any discussion of all their abominable usurpations they engage in and preclude any earnest investigations of real corruption.

The problem is, lies are like cancer: they weaken the body politic with distrust. Distrust is deadly for a democratic republic. If the people lose their confidence in our governing institutions, they will clamor for change—unless they choose the easier path and acquiesce to tyranny. Big government leftists in both parties are banking on Americans being too busy or lazy to resist.

Although very busy and somewhat overwhelmed by the problems caused by Biden’s wrong-headed policies, Americans will not readily forfeit freedom, but they need to steel themselves for the messy struggle. In stunned silence, the country watched Kevin McCarthy’s battle to become Speaker of the House. Expecting the usual uneventful coronation, many Americans were at first somewhat distraught at the unseemly political brawl, but as the courageous Republican dissenters stuck to their guns, Americans were reminded that governing should not be easy and the contention we were witnessing was the winds of real change. There were only a few changes, but they were substantial for conservative governance.

That is cause for genuine hope, but last week we also witnessed another uplifting event born of tragedy. When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a heart attack on the field and nearly died, the football players on both teams took a knee not to disrespect the country but to respect the only authority that could save Hamlin, our Almighty Creator. They knelt in prayer because they knew they were powerless without divine intervention.

In that moment of life or death, all pretense was cast aside, and the players appealed to God because they were facing the inescapable truth that God is in control. America and in particular our elected officials must face the same truth that God is in control; and truth matters to the Lord.

We will and should continue to debate policies, but America can only heal and flourish when truth is again valued. God will not bless a wicked nation mired in lies, but hopefully like those few Republicans who stood their ground in the House speaker debate, there are still enough Americans willing to turn back to God and pray for His blessings. Our founders appealed to God, so we need to follow their example.

“We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood” (1 John 4:6).

Pete Riehm is a conservative activist and columnist in south Alabama. Email him at peteriehm@bellsouth.net or read all his columns at http://www.renewamerica.com/.