I’m not a religious man but, my God, at a time like this it is time to quote scripture. Indeed, what I most fear, besides the loss of democracy, is the disbelief in truth. The grass is green. The sky is blue. If you are a believer in former President Pinocchio, QAnon, or are an anti-vaxxer, then the grass is blue and the sky is green.

It is hard to take the former president of the United States seriously. His “big lie” that he won the election is laugh out loud funny unless you actually believe in his B.S. He did legitimately receive, shockingly, ~73 million votes. But, Biden received ~79 million votes, winning the popular vote. Biden also won where it counted most – in the Electoral College with 306 votes, easily winning the election. Those are facts. It’s real. Yet, thousands of Americans falsely believed the falsehood the election was stolen from them. They believed they could storm the Capital on January 6th and somehow overturn the results of the election through violence. They believed because it is easier to accept a lie than to believe in the truth. Sadly, many of these people now face prosecution and jail time. Truth prevails.

Followers of QAnon share 5 core remarkable beliefs:

1. An Evil Cult is Running the Planet
2. Donald Trump is an American Hero
3. The Democratic Party Has Sinister Intentions
4. They Want Us Divided
5. The Patriots Are in Control

Conspiracy theories are not a new phenomenon but, thanks to social media, are a constant reminder that not everything you read on the internet is truth. There is no evil cult running the planet, Donald Trump is no hero, the Democratic Party does not have sinister intentions, Americans do not want to be divided, so the “they” must only mean American enemies like Russia want us to be divided, and if these militant groups that call themselves “patriots” are really in control, well, then we’re all fucked. “Taking control” would mean a coup as if the United States were a 3rd world country. I understand believers in conspiracy theories are just trying to make sense of the world around them, want to be in control, and have a deep seated need to belong to something, I’m here to tell you, the former president and QAnon ain’t it. Please don’t just take my word for it. Do the research. Seek to understand. Only the truth will set you free.

All you need to know is 193 million cases and 4.1 million dead from COVID-19. This is fact, not fiction, and there is no valid excuse not to take the coronavirus vaccine. None. The vaccine doesn’t cause illness, they prevent it. Hope is not a solution. Ninety nine point nine percent of all patients in hospitals due to COVID-19 are unvaccinated. Shouldn’t that tell you something? In a Newsweek article, these 9 anti-vaxxer myths were debunked:

1. Vaccinations cause autism
2. Vaccines don’t work
3. Vaccines contain toxins
4. Vaccines can overwhelm a baby’s immune system
5. Natural immunity is safer than vaccine-acquired immunity
6. There are effective natural and homeopathic alternatives to vaccines
7. Good nutrition and hygiene will protect you from most viruses
8. Vaccines are just a way for doctors and pharmaceutical companies to make money
9. Vaccines aren’t necessary

Even Alabama’s Governor, Kay Ivey, says “it’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks.” She’s right. We’re never going to get back to normal without more people getting vaccinated. Don’t give credence to myths. Literally, your life and your loved ones lives depend on it.

Truth (and Justice) is the American way. Facts should be the value we hold most dear. If we don’t believe in truth then we all will start to believe the grass is blue and the sky is green.