HB-10.6969 - the Verifiable Facts Act (often referred to as the Truth Act) currently being contemplated by the United States Congress as a backlash to recent reforms of the truth-in-advertising and truth-in-lending laws threatens to end fiction writing and publication in the United States forever.

Deep-pocketed lobbyists for the banking, advertising, financial services industries pushed hard on congress after new reforms that required all language in advertising and financial documents to be clear, concise, and completely truthful (including strict regulations regarding deception by omission.)

The Verifiable Facts Act will ban the creation, publication, distribution, and syndication within the confines of the United States of anything not verifiable as fact. In other words, fiction of any kind and length, film and television scripts, stage plays, poetry, musical lyrics and the product of all other creative endeavors must meet the test of verifiability prior to publication. (Impressionist, Expressionist, and other art forms are currently being considered for this legislation as well. This means that all graphic arts would be required to depict photo-realism. A separate house committee is evaluating a ban on all photo manipulation software.)

We have already heard rumors (unverifiable) that some of our regular contributors have been arrested and are awaiting trial in federal court. We will provide links to more information on the Truth Act as we can assemble it.

More on this as it develops.

--- we have a message from G, one of our authors --- "Escape to the café -- get firewood" ---