commentary

milt thomas

I remember fondly as a child reading folk tales by Hans Christian Anderson. Stories like his have existed through the ages, told as fictional tales that always containing a moral, so children could enjoy a story at face value and at the same time learn the truth that underlies it.

One of my favorites was “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” For those who might have forgotten it, the story is about a vain emperor who only cared about how he looked. Two thieves came to town posing a weavers pretending to sell a beautiful cloth that actually did not exist. They got away with their ruse by claiming it was only visible to those who were learned and wise. They carried out their ruse by pretending to hold the cloth and weave it on an invisible loom. /but the emperor believed it was real, not wanting to appear foolish and unwise, then paid the thieves/”weavers” a handsome sum to weave a suit for him.

 As they pretended to weave his suit, he complimented their work and brought in his entourage to see the work in progress and they confirmed its beauty, unwilling to look foolish or unwise.

When the suit was finished, the emperor dressed in it and his entourage told him he looked so handsome. Filled with self-importance, he led a procession into the streets to show off his new suit to the people. They shouted their approval, not wanting to appear foolish and unwise, until a little girl exclaimed, “He is wearing nothing but his underwear!” The crowd quickly agreed with the child, but the emperor and his entourage continued their procession.

The moral of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” lies in how it applies to life today in these United States.

We would not be talking about the presence or absence of clothing. Instead, we are discussing the presence or absence of massive voter fraud. Many post-election audits of the voting process produced no massive fraud, but the former emperor’s entourage continue to insist the invisible fraud is real. The little girl who pointed out the invisible fraud is being punished for telling the truth.

So, the moral of this story is…