April 1 , 2021 The Beacon • 7

I ’ ve been seeing a lot of pronouncements about truth in lies in letters to the editor lately . While the former has been and always will be a matter of debate , the latter are easier to spot . They generally emerge when the spreader of the misinformation has something to gain by the falsehood being believed . And they fall apart when the supposed evidence for the basis of the lie is examined more closely .

The latest big lie to have threatened the stability of the country concerns the presidential election . We all know who was to gain by it taking root in the minds of the public . The question then is whether the doubtfulness over who legitimately won the election is true . The evidence shows it is not .

I was a poll worker in Warsaw in November . Yes , I was designated a Democrat . Having voters of both parties ensures a balance among those staffing the polls . We didn ’ t hide our affiliations from one another . And there was no conflict when a representative from each faction was needed to ensure fairness . If you voted in person , then you probably know everything went very smoothly that day . There are always some mix-ups that need to be sorted out . But everyone involved was patient , courteous and understanding , which allowed all the snags to be corrected . In the end every vote counted .

Which shouldn ’ t be surprising . Our own Secretary of State Republican Frank LaRose had for months been making the rounds in the press to detail the measures being taken to ensure a safe and secure election during the pandemic . He realized , and stated often , the election was extremely

contentious , so for the good of the country , we could not afford its legitimacy to be questioned .

I have little doubt election officials in states across the country felt the same way . In fact , after the election we saw evidence this was the case in historically conservative Georgia when their Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was pressured to “ find ” a way to change lawfully cast votes . He refused . Similar tactics in all of the states in which the tallies were close were employed . They all failed .

So the claim was taken to the courts for the McConnell-cleared / Trump-appointed judiciary to decide . In dozens of cases , taken all the way up to the Supreme Court , the president ’ s claims were denied , for one simple reason : lack of credible evidence . In the proverbial “ exception that proves the rule ,” the claimant won a single case : on a technicality that was later overturned .

In the end the 2020 election was one of the most smoothly run and above-board in our history . And we pulled it off during this terrible , disruptive pandemic . We should be congratulated as a nation . The lamentable fact that some politicians including our own Rep . Bob Gibbs chose instead to cast doubt on the competency and fair-mindedness of the American citizenry is shameful , though it is not surprising . They have an interest in their lies being believed .

At the moment the “ For the People Act ” ( HR1 and S1 ) are being debated on Capitol Hill . Politicians who have an interest in weakening our elections and sowing doubt about the legitimacy of our democracy are saying it does the opposite of what it intends : to build upon our history of free and fair elections , to ensure that in every election every vote counts .

They are lying about this legislation too because they believe that if as many Americans as possible have access to the ballot , they cannot win future elections . But this belief of theirs points to a larger truth . If they can ’ t win when more citizens vote , it is because they are not serving the people ’ s interests . And they don ’ t want to be forced to change who they actually serve ( though they will insist it is not true ): their wellheeled donors and corporate paymasters . Craig Bickle Warsaw

Millfork Valley 4-H club met March 23 . The club voted in officers and discussed upcoming meetings .

The officers elected were as follows , President Bella Miller ; Vice President Jeremy Tidwell ; secretary Desiria Fry ; treasurer Gavin Gress ; news reporter Colton Gress ; Health Freedom , Richards and Gabe Shannon ; safety , Gavin Shannon and Wyatt Barnett ; energy , Patients Miller and Maddy Jacobs ; environment , Cooper Miller and Alexia Woodring ;

and recreation , Ethan Fry and Carson Miller .

Cloverbuds learned about the four H ’ s and the clover . The next meeting is planned for Tuesday , April 13 at 6:30 p . m . at the RUMC .