Upside-down World

'Alternative Facts' are NOT facts.

Credible resources to help sort through disinformation.

A convenient compilation of websites that specialize in fact checking and disemination of accurate information.

However, facts are not enough. We must clearly understand that voting decisions are not based in fact, but emotions. The best way to discuss reality with those who are confused is to tell the facts as a personal story.

Who am I? I have a Masters Degree in Secondary Education-Social Studies with an emphasis on Constitutional History, Political Science and Economics. I taught Nuclear Safety for seven years for the DOE.

URGENT: FBI needs help identifying insurrectionists from the January 6, 2021 attempted overthrow of the U.S. government. Visit MOST WANTED: U.S. Capitol Violence webpge.

458 people have been charged in the Capitol insurrection so far. This searchable table shows them all.

Basic Resources

Basic Neutral (Non-Partisan) Resources

"Data! Data! Data!" he cried impatiently. "I can’t make bricks without clay." Sherlock Holmes quote from The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

FactCheck website

"We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding."

PolitiFact website

"PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact is run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper in Florida."

Fact Checker of the Washington Post website

[Washington Post] "The purpose of this Web site ... is to "truth squad" the statements of political figures regarding issues of great importance, be they national, international or local. ... But we will not be limited to political charges or countercharges. We will seek to explain difficult issues, provide missing context and provide analysis and explanation of various “code words” used by politicians, diplomats and others to obscure or shade the truth."

Real Clear Politics website

"RealClearPolitics is the trusted, non-partisan convener in a content-rich media environment, thoughtfully curating the best coverage from every angle of the day's most critical issues. As a destination for elected officials, opinion leaders, and engaged citizens, RealClearPolitics provides a platform to elevate the best-of-the-best in journalism." NOTE: Opens annoying second window with advertising.

Open Secrets website

"We pursue our mission largely through our award-winning website, OpenSecrets.org, which is the most comprehensive resource for federal campaign contributions, lobbying data and analysis available anywhere. And for other organizations and news media, the Center's exclusive data powers their online features tracking money in politics - counting cash to make change."

Poynter website

"The Poynter Institute is a global leader in journalism. It is the world’s leading instructor, innovator, convener and resource for anyone who aspires to engage and inform citizens in 21st Century democracies."

WashingtonWatch.om website

"Washingtonwatch.com tracks your representatives and the bills in Congress they introduce, providing estimates of their costs or savings when available."

Vote Smart website

"Vote Smart's mission is to provide free, factual, unbiased information on candidates and elected officials to ALL Americans."

Trump Archive website

"The Trump Archive collects TV news shows containing debates, speeches, rallies, and other broadcasts related to President-elect Donald Trump. This evolving non-commercial, searchable collection is designed to preserve the historical record for posterity."

Science Resources

Rational Wiki website

"Our purpose here at RationalWiki includes: 1. Analyzing and refuting pseudoscience and the anti-science movement. 2. Documenting the full range of crank ideas. 3.Explorations of authoritarianism and fundamentalism. 4. Analysis and criticism of how these subjects are handled in the media."

Climate Central website

"An independent organization of leading scientists and journalists researching and reporting the facts about our changing climate and its impact on the public."

NASA Global Climate Change website

"The mission of “Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet” is to provide the public with accurate and timely news and information about Earth’s changing climate, along with current data and visualizations, presented from the unique perspective of NASA, the world’s leading climate research agency. " Note: This website may go dark or become compromised due to the currrent Trump Administration.

Skeptical Science website

"The goal of Skeptical Science is to explain what peer reviewed science has to say about global warming. Skeptical Science is a non-profit science education organisation, run by a global team of volunteers."

National Geographic website

"At National Geographic, we believe in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world."

Science Check website

"FactCheck.org’s SciCheck feature focuses exclusively on false and misleading scientific claims that are made by partisans to influence public policy. It was launched in January 2015 with a grant from the Stanton Foundation. The foundation was founded by the late Frank Stanton, president of CBS for 25 years, from 1946 to 1971."

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website

"The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment." Note: This website may go dark or become compromised due to the currrent Trump Administration. You may contact Secretary of the EPA Scott Pruitt at 202-564-4700.

Alternative US National Park employees Twitter Feed

Twitter Feed "The #Resistance team against #AltFacts #FauxNews #FauxScience. #Science #Climate #Facts Run by non-gov individuals."

Rogue NASA Twitter Feed

Twitter Feed"The unofficial "Resistance" team of NASA. Not an official NASA account. Not managed by gov't employees. Come for the facts, stay for the snark."

"The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it." Neil deGrasse Tyson

Constitutional / Economic Resources

National Constitutional Center Interactive website

"On this site, constitutional experts interact with each other to explore the Constitution’s history and what it means today. For each provision of the Constitution, scholars of different perspectives discuss what they agree upon, and what they disagree about."

Ecomonic Principles website

"This simple but not simplistic video by Ray Dalio, Founder of Bridgewater Associates [a hedge fund], shows the basic driving forces behind the economy, and explains why economic cycles occur by breaking down concepts such as credit, interest rates, leveraging and deleveraging."
Personal Note: May not be unbiased in views, but does a thorough job on world economics.

The Big Picture website

"Barry L. Ritholtz is the founder and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management. ... In addition to running a wealth management and financial planning firm, Ritholtz is a frequent commentator on many financial topics. He was named one of the "15 Most Important Economic Journalists" in the United States, and has been called one of The 25 Most Dangerous People in Financial Media."

"I found this out over the years, that racism is a thinly veiled disguise over economics and money." Quincy Jones

Email Checking Resources

Snopes website

"With over 20 years' experience as a professional researcher and writer, David [Mikkelson] has created in snopes.com what has come to be regarded as an online touchstone of rumor research."

Hoax Slayer website

"Hoaxes spread misinformation, waste bandwidth, and lessen the effectiveness of the Internet as a communication tool. Hoaxes circulate via email, social media, blogs, online forums, and fake-news websites."

Truth or Fiction website

No information provided. Claims to be non-partisan.

How to follow both National and Colorado's Legislation

Since I reside in Colorado, I am providing those resources. An Internet search will quickly find resources for your own state.

GovTrack.US website

"GovTrack.us tracks the United States Congress and helps Americans understand what is going on in their national legislature. We publish the status of federal legislation and information about your representative and senators in Congress. Use GovTrack to track bills for updates or get alerts."

Sunlight Foundation website

"The Sunlight Foundation is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that uses technology, open data, policy analysis and journalism to make our government and politics more accountable and transparent to all."

Colorado General Assembly Bills website

Colorado General Assembly - Bills, Resolutions and Memorials for the current session.

Contact Your Representatives

Since I reside in Colorado, I am providing my Representatives. An Internet search will quickly find your Representatives.

Colorado General Assembly Find My Legislator

Colorado General Assembly Find My Legislator

"This application allows you to find your state Senator and Representative in the Colorado State Legislature. To use the search, enter your address information in the search bar located on the left side of the screen and click the search button. You may also click anywhere on the map to bring up legislative member information for that area. If the map does not appear below, please remove the '"s" from "https" in the address bar above.
Disclaimer: While every attempt has been made to ensure the accuracy of this public service, the Colorado Legislative Council makes no warranties or representations regarding its accuracy or completeness, and each user of this product understands that LCS disclaims any liability or any damages with its use."

Governor Jared Polis D website

Governor Jared Polis D

Jared Polis is an entrepreneur, education leader, public servant, and Colorado native. Jared’s pioneering role in the internet economy earned him an “Entrepreneur of the Year” distinction from Ernst and Young. Following these business successes, he co-founded Techstars, a startup accelerator that mentors entrepreneurs from all walks of life, and Patriot Boot Camp, which helps veterans start their own small businesses after coming home from their service. He served six years on the State Board of Education, where he worked to raise pay for teachers and reduce class size for students. He also founded several public charter schools for at-risk youth, and served as superintendent of one of them, the New America School, which helps immigrants earn their high school diploma. Most recently, Jared served as the U.S. Representative for Colorado’s Second Congressional District. During his time in Congress, the Center for Effective Lawmaking ranked Jared the most effective member of Colorado’s House delegation due to his success working across the aisle to improve Colorado’s schools, protect public lands, and support startups and small businesses.

USA.Gov website

This site helps you learn how to get in touch with your federal, state, and local elected leaders.

US Senate website

Locate Senators of the 117th Congress.

US House of Representatives website

Locate Representatives of the 117th Congress.

Progressive Resources

While these are good resources, remember that Trump almost won regardless of information, facts, truth or morals. (NOTE: Resources being added)

Mother Jones website

"Mother Jones is a reader-supported nonprofit news organization. We do independent and investigative reporting on everything from politics and climate change to education and food (plus cat blogging). Some 9 million people come to this site each month. We also publish an award-winning, 200,000-circulation magazine, we just launched a new podcast, and you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We are headquartered in San Francisco and have bureaus in Washington, DC, and New York City. We don't answer to stockholders, a corporate parent company, or a deep-pocketed donor. Instead we're accountable to, and funded by, you—our readers." Note: I am a subscriber.

AlterNet website

"AlterNet is an award-winning news magazine and online community that creates original journalism and amplifies the best of hundreds of other independent media sources. AlterNet’s aim is to inspire action and advocacy on the environment, human rights and civil liberties, social justice, media, health care issues, and more."

The Nation website

"Founded by abolitionists in 1865, The Nation is America’s oldest weekly magazine, serving as a critical, independent voice in American journalism and a platform for investigative reporting and spirited debate on issues of import to the progressive community. Through changing times and fashions, The Nation and TheNation.com offer consistently informed and inspired reporting and analysis of breaking news, politics, social issues and the arts—never faltering in our editorial commitment to what Nation Publisher Emeritus Victor Navasky has called “a dissenting, independent, trouble-making, idea-launching journal of critical opinion.”"

Common Dreams website

"For almost 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States." Note: I have been a member for over 35 years.

Southern Poverty Law Center website

"Civil rights lawyers Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr. founded the SPLC in 1971 to ensure that the promise of the civil rights movement became a reality for all. Since then, we’ve won numerous landmark legal victories on behalf of the exploited, the powerless and the forgotten. Our lawsuits have toppled institutional racism and stamped out remnants of Jim Crow segregation; destroyed some of the nation’s most violent white supremacist groups; and protected the civil rights of children, women, the disabled, immigrants and migrant workers, the LGBT community, prisoners, and many others who faced discrimination, abuse or exploitation."

The New York TImes website

[From Wikipedia] "The New York Times (sometimes abbreviated to NYT) is an American daily newspaper, founded and continuously published in New York City since September 18, 1851, by The New York Times Company. The New York Times has won 117 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other news organization."

Indivisible website

"1. Demystify congressional advocacy. We get hundreds of questions every day about what Congress is doing, how to organize locally (see the toolkit!), and how to advocate in different situations. We’re going to start sending out timely updates and resources on what’s going on in Congress and how you can best organize, make your voice heard, and influence your members of Congress. 2. Support the community of local groups putting the Indivisible Guide into action. We want to provide shared tools to help groups organize events, communicate with each other, and share best practices and resources. This also means spotlighting local successes and supporting a sense of a shared purpose. You can see that shared purpose already forming—just look at this beautiful movement on Rachel Maddow."

Daily Beast website

"The Daily Beast delivers award-winning original reporting and sharp opinion from big personalities in the arenas of politics, pop-culture, world news and more. Fiercely independent and armed with irreverent intelligence, The Daily Beast now reaches more than 20 million readers per month. John Avlon is Editor-in-Chief and Mike Dyer is Chief Digital Officer. The Daily Beast is based in New York and is an operating business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI)."

Rachel Maddow show on MSNBC website

"Launched in 2008, “The Rachel Maddow Show” follows the machinations of policy making in America, from local political activism to international diplomacy. Rachel Maddow looks past the distractions of political theater and stunts and focuses on the legislative proposals and policies that shape American life - as well as the people making and influencing those policies and their ultimate outcome, intended or otherwise." Also visit her blog.

Rational Wiki website

"Our purpose here at RationalWiki includes: 1. Analyzing and refuting pseudoscience and the anti-science movement. 2. Documenting the full range of crank ideas. 3.Explorations of authoritarianism and fundamentalism. 4. Analysis and criticism of how these subjects are handled in the media."

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"The Three Poisons - Greed, Hatred, Delusion" Buddha


If you are outraged, please support ...

  • ACLU website    Southern Poverty Law Center website    Planned Parenthood website    Human Rights Campaign website