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Alternative Facts
Is this really old already?
Maybe, but we wanted it to keep showing up from time to time because it was our very first Alternative Fact, and the event that inspired the name...
Oh... our alternative facts all are true.
Japanese Internment
National Archives photo
It's been 75 years since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order No. 9066, which forced all Japanese-Americans on the West Coast to leave their homes and business and moved into internment camps. That's 120,000 people - mostly American citizens.
For an interesting take, read this National Public Radio story.
Also be sure to read News in FiVe Editor Barry Shatzman's thoughts on the lesson we need to learn on why blaming things like this on the times we're living in is an excuse we're guaranteed to regret.
Kakistocracy
Kakistocracy
Government by the least competent or most unprincipled citizens.
Voter Suppression is Deliberate
"I don't want everybody to vote... as a matter of fact our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down"
Paul Weyrich... who helped create the Heritage Foundation and American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Oligarchy
Oligarchy
A form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique.
For more, read this interesting New Yorker article.
Bill of Attainder
The U.S. Constitution states that no Bill of Attainder shall be passed.
What is a bill of attainder?
DC Statehood
Washington, D.C. residents paid more taxes than residents of 22 states. in 2015. It has a larger population than two states.
Yet its residents have no voting representation in Congress, and local Washington, D.C. laws can be overturned by Congress.
For more, see our discussion of Washington, D.C. statehood.
Roberts: Same Sex Marriage
"I'm not sure it's necessary to get into sexual orientation to resolve this case. I mean, if Sue loves Joe and Tom loves Joe, Sue can marry him and Tom can't. And the difference is based upon their different sex. Why isn't that a straightforward question of sexual discrimination?"
Chief Justice John Roberts in the 2015 Supreme Court case Obergefell v. Hodges, which resulted in marriage being a Constitutional right for same-sex couples as well as for opposite-sex ones.
Roberts still voted against the majority (thus against same-sex marriage) in the case.
You can read more about Roberts' questioning in this New York Times story.
Daylight Saving Time
Q: According to insurance company reports, what is the one hour every year that has the fewest car crashes?
A: Between 2am and 3am the Sunday morning Daylight Saving Time begins.
However, on the Monday after that, there seems to be an increase in crashes.
For more facts about the start of Daylight Saving Time, see this Vox article.
For more facts about the end of Daylight Saving Time, see this Vox article.
Root Boy Slim
Former President George W. Bush and Washington D.C. area music legend Root Boy Slim were classmates at Yale University. At one point they were fraternity brothers.
Emoluments
Emoluments are mentioned twice in the Constitution...
Article 1, Section 9 states...
No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
Article 2, Section 1 states...
The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.
So what is an emolument?
Pre-Existing Conditions
A pre-existing condition is a medical condition someone has prior to being covered under a health insurance plan.
According to a study by the Dept. of Health and Human Services...
o About 8 out of 10 Americans over the age of 55 have at least one pre-existing condition.
Parental Leave
Q: What do Swaziland, Lesotho, Papua New Guinea, and the United States have in common?
A: They don't guarantee paid parental leave.
Equal Protection
Equal Protection Clause...
Part of the Constitution's 14th Amendment, which states
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Contraception
In the United States, the average desired family size is two children. To achieve that family size, women spend an average of about three years pregnant, postpartum or trying to become pregnant, and three decades - more than three-quarters of their reproductive lives - trying to avoid pregnancy.
Source: Guttmacher Institute 2016 Fact Sheet.
Animals
Beef? Chicken? Bacon?
How old are the animals that give their lives for your meat?
| Cows | 8-24 months |
| Chickens | 1-2 months |
| Pigs | 3-6 months |
Sources: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and McDonalds.
Dunning-Kruger
Research shows that the least competent people tend to believe they're the most competent.
It's referred to as the Dunning-Kruger effect. You can learn more about it in this Pacific Standard article. Or watch this video...
MLK
"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."
Martin Luther King, Jr
Green Book
Before President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, road trips for African Americans could be quite difficult.
Restaurants, hotels, and gas stations (including bathrooms) all might refuse to serve them.
The Negro Motorist Green Book was written in 1936 to help - by listing businesses that would serve African Americans.
Click the front cover below to read the 1949 version of the book...
Independence Day
A conversation between News in FiVe's Barry Shatzman & Rob Dennis....
Barry: "The country's real birthday is July 2. That's the day the Second Continental Congress voted to declare independence. July 4 is just the day the final wording of the Declaration of Independence was agreed on."
Rob: "So on the fourth we're really just celebrating the press release."
We put everything into perspective!
The photo is News in FiVe's Lisa Ritter's parrot Murphy
Motto
What is the U.S. national motto?
o E Pluribus Unum?
o In God we trust?
The country's original motto - though never official - was E Pluribus Unum (Latin for From Many, One).
In 1956, Congress passed a resolution making the official motto In God we trust.
Truth is Truth
Our alternative facts really are facts (just like alternative music really is music).
That didn't stop Donald Trump's advisor from using the phrase to describe something obviously not true and his attorney from simply saying "truth isn't truth".
This 10-minute video demonstrates the mindset being taught to get people to accept it. It also demonstrates what we already have said - that the actual truth likely will win out in the end.
Pets in Hotels
You're evacuating your home because of a natural disaster such as a hurricane. Does the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) require hotels take your pet?
That's a common belief... but the fact is it does not.
However, if your pet is a service animal, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires the hotel to accept it regardless of the reason for your stay.
Nukes
What countries have nuclear weapons?
o United States
o Russia
o China
o France
o United Kingdom
o India
o Israel
o Pakistan
o North Korea
How might any of these countries use nuclear weapons?
What would happen if they did?
Read this Vox article titled...
This is exactly how a nuclear war would kill you.
Mail-in ballots
Let's say you live in Oregon, where voting is done 100% by mail. Or another state that allows you to mail in a ballot.
And let's say you don't have postage stamps. What do you do?
Mail the ballot!
Even though postage is required, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will deliver it anyway in the interest of supporting voting.
That said, USPS operations are paid for by selling postage and other products - not by the government. And with millions of ballots being sent by mail, using postage can make a difference.
By the way... don't try this with your tax returns.
Christmas Songs
What do the following songs have in common?
o Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
o Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
o Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
o The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)
o (Walkin' in a) Winter Wonderland
o Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
o Santa Clause is Coming To Town
o It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
They all were written (or co-written) by someone who is Jewish.
As was this...
Trump Wall 1958
This is about as freaky as it gets.
It's a real TV show about a con man named Trump selling a wall to people by stoking their fears. But it's from 1958.
Wind Chill
You hear the term "wind chill factor" all the time. But how does wind make you colder?
The answer is (literally) blowing in the wind...
Your body's internal temperature is around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. When the air is cold, that heat leaves your body. But it still provides a tiny insulating layer. Wind blows away that layer, making you feel colder.
While you're here, here's a simple explanation of why, no matter how cold it is where you are, global warming remains real.
Look... if you wanna dismiss global warming when the temperature around you drops, then you just gotta welcome it back when it rises back up. So ignore this guy.
Alternative Facts 2
Speaking of alternative facts...
...one of these is satire and one is real...
Memorial Day
"For love of country they accepted death"
(Pres. James A. Garfield)
Memorial Day is a national holiday honoring those who died while serving in the U.S. military. It is observed on the last Monday of May. Originally called Decoration Day, it was established as a national holiday in 1971.
With a combination of traffic and alcohol, Memorial Day also is known for car accidents, and is the symbolic day each year that law enforcement agencies start their Click It or Ticket campaign to enforce the wearing of safety belts in cars.
While you're here, be sure to listen to this song. It's called Bury Me Far From My Uniform.
D-Day
It's the day known as D-Day.
June 6, 1944 was the day that more than 160,000 U.S. and other allied troops landed on the shores of France to push German forces out of the European countries it had occupied and to defeat Nazi Germany in the second world war. Approximately 4,500 Allied soldiers lost their lives in the invasion.
So what does the "D" in D-Day stand for? Nobody is sure. But, being that this is the military we're talking about, one of the more probable explanations is that it stands for Day.
For more on D-Day, visit www.army.mil/d-day
Here's another interesting D-Day statistic
Tooth Fairy
There are lots of ways to measure the economy - one of which is the price of baby teeth. Most years, the amount the tooth fairy leaves for a tooth accurately tracks the stock market.
Read this Vox story for more about the tooth fairy.
Rep height
What do the tallest and shortest ever members of the House of Representatives have in common?
Reps. Tom McMillen (6'-11") and Barbara Mikulski (4'-11") both were Democrats from Maryland.
Gish Gallop
Gish Gallop
When watching a debate, see if you can spot the Gish Gallops.
A Gish Gallop is a debating technique in which one debater packs his response with as many arguments as possible so the opponent can't respond to it all.
Most of it will be false or irrelevant, forcing the opponent to waste time sorting out a rebuttal.
It was named for creationist Duane Gish, who used the technique when arguing against evolution.
Green Bridges
Ever notice that lots of steel bridges are painted federal standard 595 color 24272 (green) and wonder why?
Interstate Bridge between Oregon and Washington (Photo: Barry Shatzman)
It's a practice that likely started in Oregon.
Guardians
What do Starlords, Floaters, Loonies, Twikis, Geeks, and Space Folks have in common?
They all were rejected suggestions of what to call members of the Space Force.
In December 2020, the Donald Trump administration announced members would be called Guardians.
Ship Island
Can you find the ship?
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Neither could the Japanese Navy.
After the Battle of the Java Sea in 1942, the Dutch minesweeper HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen was virtually trapped by Japanese ships and planes, and was too slow and lightly armed to defend itself.
The crew cut vegetation from one of the thousands of islands and disguised the ship as a tiny island. The ship moved only at night - staying still and blending with real islands during the day.
The plan worked, and eight days later the ship was safe in Australian waters. It then was re-outfitted and returned to service.
For more, read the War History Online article.
Star Spangled Banner
Is the Star Spangled Banner a British pub song and does it celebrate slavery?
While being held on a British warship in the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key watched the British bombard Baltimore's Fort McHenry.
Not only did the fort withstand the shelling, but so did the American flag flying over the fort.
That inspired Key to write the words to the Star Spangled Banner.
But Key - a slave owner who fought to enforce slavery laws - had more to say. In the third verse, he wrote mockingly about slaves who fought for the British in exchange for their freedom.
It was put to the tune of a British drinking song, and became the national anthem in 1931 - more than a century later.
For more, read the Washington Post story.
WarBusiness
Business is war on a small scale.
War is business on a large scale.
Bill Parks, News In Five consulting editor
F-35
The F-35 is the latest generation of U.S. fighter jets.
Most missions cover less than 1,500 nautical miles. How much fuel can an F-35 carry?
A: 5,000 pounds
B: 5 tons
C: 10 tons
U.S. Air Force photo
The correct answer is c.
War on Drugs
The war on drugs...
“The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and Black people. You understand what I’m saying?
We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or Black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and Blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news.
Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”
John Erlichman, President Richard Nixon's domestic policy advisor, in a 1994 interview
Click here for more.