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Up and away with a faux fact check of Santa

Texas

We don't know if Roy Peter Clark tried to reach Santa.

By W. Gardner Selby December 24, 2013

Writer Roy Peter Clark paused the other day to scribble:

"I don't work for PolitiFact, folks. Their realm is the dreary world of politics. This essay has a higher calling: to examine one of the most powerful popular stories ever told, and to test the common claims about Santa Claus against the available or imaginable evidence. Up, up and away."

Merry Christmas!

See the linked article.

stated on October 25, 2018 in a TV ad:

Says Ken Paxton "shut down the world’s largest human trafficking marketplace."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on October 22, 2018 in a rally for Republican candidates in Houston:

Says Beto O’Rourke "voted to shield MS-13 gang members from deportation."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on October 16, 2018 in a debate televised from San Antonio:

Says "only one other senator from either party over the last 25 years" has "a worse record on bipartisanship" than Ted Cruz.

true

true

Alexander Strenger

stated on October 1, 2018 in response cited in an interactive voter guide:

Says 60 percent of Austin’s "waterways are found to be contaminated with fecal matter and deemed unsafe to swim."

half-true

half-true

stated on September 29, 2018 in an Austin rally:

Says that in Texas, "you can be too gay to adopt" a foster child "who needs a loving home."

half-true

half-true

stated on September 21, 2018 in a debate at Southern Methodist University:

Says Beto O’Rourke described police as "modern-day Jim Crow."

barely-true

barely-true

stated on September 21, 2018 in a debate at Southern Methodist University:

Says he "did not try to leave the scene of the accident" that led to his arrest for driving while intoxicated.

barely-true

barely-true

stated on September 12, 2018 in a TV ad:

Says Beto O’Rourke voted "against body armor for Texas sheriffs patrolling the border."

false

false

stated on August 26, 2018 in an interview on Fox & Friends:

Says Texas has "had over 600,000 crimes committed by illegals since 2011. Over 1,200 homicides."

pants-fire

pants-fire

stated on August 30, 2018 in a TV ad:

Says Texas "high school graduation rates are at all-time highs."

true

true

stated on September 4, 2018 in a video:

Says Beto O’Rourke said he’s grateful that people are burning or desecrating the American flag.

false

false

stated on August 28, 2018 in an online video ad:

Says Beto O’Rourke "voted against" Hurricane Harvey "tax relief."

mostly-true

mostly-true

stated on August 21, 2018 in an interview on Spectrum Cable's "Capital Tonight":

Says U.S. Rep. John Carter "hasn’t held a town hall in five years."

mostly-true

mostly-true

stated on July 26, 2018 in an ad in the Houston Defender:

Says "black Americans have 10 times less wealth than white Americans."

mostly-true

mostly-true

Silvestre Reyes

stated on May 22, 2012 in a TV ad:

Says Beto O’Rourke "has a criminal record that includes DWI and burglary arrests."

true

true

TikTok posts
stated on February 7, 2024 in TikTok posts:

Israel “accidentally voted (for) Palestine” at a United Nations Security Council meeting.

By Sofia Ahmed • April 24, 2024
Viral image
stated on April 22, 2024 in a Threads post:

Photo shows Stormy Daniels wearing a mushroom-patterned dress to court April 22.

By Ciara O'Rourke • April 24, 2024
Facebook posts
stated on April 19, 2024 in a Facebook post:

Dollar Tree, Walgreens, Macy’s, Foot Locker, Gap, Burger King, Regal Cinemas and Kroger have had mass store closures during Joe Biden’s presidency.

By Sara Swann • April 24, 2024
Facebook posts
stated on April 9, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook:

"OVNI en Arlington, Texas, avistado durante el eclipse solar".

By Marta Campabadal Graus • April 24, 2024
Facebook posts
stated on February 29, 2024 in a Facebook post:

“Reba McEntire faces serious charges.”

By Ciara O'Rourke • April 24, 2024
Facebook posts
stated on April 17, 2024 in a post on Facebook:

Hunter Biden, “BLM rioters” and “COVID criminals” have “0 indictments”

By Madison Czopek • April 24, 2024
Greta Neubauer
stated on April 11, 2024 in X, formerly Twitter:

“The GOP has failed to invest in our campuses, making WI fall to 42nd in the nation in state support.”

By Hope Karnopp • April 24, 2024
Threads posts
stated on April 19, 2024 in a Threads post:

Former President Donald Trump “didn’t attend the graduations” of his other children.

By Ciara O'Rourke • April 24, 2024
Facebook posts
stated on April 16, 2024 in a post:

John Mellencamp was “booed off stage for praising Joe Biden.”

By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • April 23, 2024
Instagram posts
stated on April 17, 2024 in an Instagram post:

Video compilation shows a tornado and storms in Dubai on April 17.

By Sofia Ahmed • April 23, 2024