Truthiness

Earlier this year the linguists at the American Dialect Society named "truthiness" as the word of the year. I know it's anew one and a nonsense word at that because we have other words in English that already mean the same. "truthiness" is defined as something one wishes to be true, rather than the facts present themselves to be. He just "knows it's true" by feelings despite the fact that evidence is contrary. It is a false perception of sorts. For example, when George Bush says that he must fight terrorists in Iraq by invading that country, even when at the time of the invasion there were no terrorists there to fight. "We either fight terrorists in Ira or on American soil." Pure nonsense of course, a good example of truthiness.
You see, truthiness is more dangerous than a lie because it is a twist of perceptions. Many believe the truthiness to be in fact, true. they fail to see that it is what the person wishes to be true rather than what is true. So truthiness lies are easy to spread and ill examined by those who hear them. And many people began to quickly accept truthiness as truth (maybe that explains why half of Americans voted for a truthiness candidate like Bush).
Here is the danger of truthiness becoming so popular here and elsewhere in the world (the recent Islamic hysteria about cartoons is a classic example of using truthiness to try to get one's way). The world seems to be divided between those who seek the truth and those, like Bush, who hold fast to truthiness. It used to be that everyone had a right to his own opinion ( yes, I know not according to Islamic fundamentalists, but they are truthiness practitioners), but not their own facts. Today there is a movement to permit one to create his own facts to fit his perceptions....truthiness.
Facts seem to not matter as much anymore. Perception is everything. And the George Bush's of the world have the support of enough truthiness adherents to back him, even if the facts that back him up don't seem to exist. So what do you want from me here, truth or truthiness? Haha You probably haven't yet figured out what I have been dishing out. That's the truth....or is it the truthiness?
One Michael Garibay may have been too truthful the other day when in Orlando he approached a police officer with a question. Deputy Ed Johnson was in his police uniform and even sitting in his marked patrol car when Michael walked up to him and offered to sell him cocaine. That's right, Michael asked the officer, "Are you straight? I mean....do you want to buy some cocaine?" When the shocked police officer said "yes", Michael proceed to pull out a plastic bag of cocaine and stated a price.
Officer Johnson then grabbed the bag and arrested truthful Michael. The bag tested positive for cocaine and Michael is awaiting trial on charges of possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. In Michael's case, truthiness might be the best policy at his trial..