I applaud the calls for responsible leaders to speak unpopular truths to reactive people. It’s important not to indulge the fever swamp fantasies of the conspiracy-minded and mentally unstable.

But many of those who are in a high dudgeon about the importance of telling the truth to one’s supporters will also tell me with a straight face that boys can become girls by thinking it (and that we should help them along by mutilating their bodies).

So forgive me if I don't take the resounding calls for the importance of "truth-telling" that are echoing from elected officials and the media too seriously. Selective truth-telling is just another name for lying.