According to scholars Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann, the bi-partisan duo who recently published It’s Even Worse than It Looks, “Viral emails and word-of-mouth campaigns are expanding sharply, mostly aimed at false facts about political adversaries”(p. 66).

Last November, the Washington Post’s Paul Farhi reported, “The email rumor mill is run by conservatives.” Since 2007, among the 79 chain emails about national politics deemed false by the Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact.com, only four were originated by Democrats.

Here’s an example from right wing conservatives:

“President Barack Obama, former editor of the Harvard Law Review, is no longer a ‘lawyer.’ He surrendered his license back in 2008 in order to escape charges he lied on his bar application….Michelle Obama ‘voluntarily surrendered’ her law license in 1993, after a Federal Judge gave her the choice between surrendering her license or standing trial for Insurance fraud!… Keep this moving—educate others.” (Emphasis added.)

These allegations are simply lies.

The Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois verifies that the Obamas are not currently authorized to practice in Illinois. (https://www.iardc.org) However, according to PolitiFact.com, the Illinois Supreme Court also confirms that no public disciplinary proceeding has ever been brought against either.

By voluntarily inactivating their licenses, the Obamas sensibly avoid a requirement to take continuing education classes and pay hundreds of dollars in annual fees. Both can practice law again if they choose.

So the truth is entirely different from the malicious email.

At the core of our exceptional society rests truth telling—in business, in personal relationships, and in the public realm. We’re not free to write fiction and claim it as fact. We abhor lying and prosecute perjurers and con artists.

And we generally understand that ideas are like products in a free market: willing buyers and sellers depend on facts not fabrications.

At the heart of our speech freedoms rests truthfulness. It’s disappointing that Republicans who place such emphasis on personal responsibility aren’t practicing what they preach.