Not News

 So, remember a few days back when I was writing about news that maybe wasn't exactly news? Well, apparently in a world full of "alternative facts," this kind of reporting takes place all the time these days. 

For example, after an investigation, it turns out  rumors that San Luis Obispo County school districts are placing litter boxes in restrooms to accommodate students who identify as “furries” are false. The Superintendents of both San Luis Obispo schools and Paso Robles each issued a statement to make clear that this was an unfounded allegation. But they had to issue a statement nonetheless. 

They were just a couple of the superintendents who had to issue statements about the lack of litter boxes in their schools' bathrooms. All because sometime back in April a Facebook post was made by a Lori Word Harrison from Ardmore, Oklahoma insisting that "some schools" were catering to the demands of the furries. "Have y'all heard of this?" Ms. Harrison asks. Interesting, since the overwhelming abundance of Facebook posts Lori makes are about how drying her hair and autumn colors and deal she got on the bed cover she bought at Restoration Hardware. 

The folks at Restoration Hardware have yet to issue a statement regarding Ms. Harrison's purchase. But somehow, this one entry about "some schools" and furries managed to get traction and spread. To Iowa. To Michigan. To Nebraska. To Wisconsin. At least twenty Republican politicians have taken up this debunked social media trifle and begun to use it as a talking point. Speaking of points, as in the one on top of her head, Colorado's Lauren Boebert warned a luncheon for Republican women about this made up concern. Scott Jensen, GOP candidate for governor of Minnesota wanted to know, “What are we doing to our kids? Why are we telling elementary kids that they get to choose their gender this week? Why do we have litter boxes in some of the school districts so kids can pee in them, because they identify as a furry? We’ve lost our minds. We’ve lost our minds.”

Yes, Scott. I believe that is more true than you might have imagined. And speaking of imagined, let's not forget about all the twisted accounts of the attack on Paul Pelosi. So many ugly and bizarre versions of the story have been squeezed out through the cracks that authorities have been tasked with issuing statements that "reassure" us all that both men involved in the hammer attack were clothed. What sort of minds are working overtime to come up with this garbage? 

This just in: Aliens are not responsible for that patch of dead grass in my lawn. 

It might have been the neighborhood furries...