Wait, Wait: Ohio law against lies meets 1st AmendmentRady Ananda I was delightedly wrong. The brief was co-written by political satirist, P. J. ORourke whos often a guest on NPRs Wait, Wait Dont Tell Me. The question discussed is, Can a state government criminalize political statements that are less than 100% truthful? Leading ORourke in the filing is the CATO Institute, which promotes individual liberty, free markets, and limited government. The brief opens its argument against the Ohio law with these infamous presidential lies: (Id have included Obamas GMO-label promise, Well let folks know if their food has been genetically modified because Americans should know what theyre buying. But since he delivered on none of his campaign promises, I guess they could only pick one. Levity is easier with brevity.) They dropped some real comic gems in support of finding the Ohio law unconstitutional: Truthiness, wed all agree, is also a key part of political discourse, the brief continues. It is difficult to imagine life without it, and our political discourse is weakened by Orwellian laws that try to prohibit it. They go on: No matter what your political bent, most would agree with the briefs conclusion: Recently by Rady Ananda: Rady Ananda is the creator of Food Freedom News and COTO Report, Rady Anandas work has appeared in several online and print publications, including four books. With a B.S. in Natural Resources from Ohio State Universitys School of Agriculture, Rady tweets @geobear7 and @RadysRant. 