In his letter (Jan. 21), Andrew Hall wrote that it had recently occurred to him that President Obama was making a mockery of the Constitution. That claim has been made for more than a year on a multitude of conservative blogs and sites. That is nothing new.

During the past 10 or 15 years, conservatives have exhibited a marked inability to winnow fact from fiction, accepting what pundits, radio hosts and FOX employees spew on a regular basis, with no facts to back up their “gut feelings” and “beliefs.”

As a former Republican who has become a truth-seeking independent, I am calling out all those people who believe whatever they are told by fellow conservatives without verifying the authenticity of the stories. Daniel Webster once said, “There is nothing so powerful as the truth.” Unfortunately, the continual lies from the conservatives have been shown to be very powerful, as well.

Executive authority did not begin with President Obama. Every president has used the privilege. FDR issued more than 3,500 orders; G.W. Bush issued 291; Ronald Reagan saw fit to issue 381 executive orders. Does that mean that they, too, wished to be king? By way of comparison, Obama has issued 228 (source: The American Presidency Project).

It may come as a surprise to many conservatives when I say it does not hurt to think, and that it is gratifying to come to one’s own conclusions, based upon factual evidence. That beats letting someone else tell you what to think.

Andrew Tasker, Lewiston