I have never bought a copy of The National Enquirer. However, I’ve read from it some down through the years. If I’ve been standing in a grocery store checkout line for a few minutes, then the tabloid has been a source of comic fodder. It has always been a good comic book.

I have never read anything in the publication that I took as gospel truth. Typically, the headlines have been something sensational like, “Green Creatures from Mars Visit the White House” or “76-year-old woman has triplets. Democrats blame it on George H.W. Bush.”

The former publisher David Pecker recently admitted in New York City court that the tabloid had made up the story about Lee Harvey Oswald being associated with Ted Cruz’s father Rafael Cruz. The story was completely fabricated along with fabricated pictures. The fabrication was that Rafael Cruz and Oswald were handing out pro-Fidel Castro propaganda prior to Oswald’s assassination. The point of the whole lie had to be to cost Cruz just enough votes to drive him out of the 2016 run for president.

This is a rear-end-busting moment for The Enquirer.

In recent days, we have also heard about the tabloid buying stories from individuals so that they could simply kill those stories. If the publication did not promise they were publishing a story, then they had every right to buy the story and not follow through with publication. They paid for it and had every right to decide not to use the story.

So, what if they had used any of the stories they did not publish? Many Americans are like me: they take the stories of The National Enquirer with a grain of salt. However, of course, some people believe everything they hear and read. Even though the story about Ted Cruz’s father was a big lie, many Americans surely believed it because some believe anything that is in print.

Sadly, we cannot believe everything we hear on television and we cannot believe everything we read in The National Enquirer, if anything.

In today’s world, do you believe everything you hear on television or read in print?

Many of us miss the good ol’ days of Walter Cronkite or the evening news with Huntley-Brinkley. You probably do not even know who I’m talking about, but it was back in the old days when pushing a certain political candidate on any news format would not have been tolerated.

We live in a different day, or do we? The National Enquirer has always been The National Enquirer. Stormy Daniels has always been Stormy Daniels. She is a pornographic actress. David Pecker has admitted to being who he is, someone who is willing to publish a lie to bring about pain and suffering regardless of the cost. Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are who they are, and most likely, you have made up your mind about which way you are voting.

Regardless of how much you enjoy reading the garbage of The National Enquirer, just remember that even though you might put feathers on a frog it will never fly and will always bust its butt every time it jumps.

Dr. Glenn Mollette is a graduate of numerous schools, including Georgetown College and Southern and Lexington seminaries in Kentucky. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. Find books by Dr. Glenn Mollette at amazon.com. Learn more about his books, columns and music at glennmollette.com.