Millions of people use Twitter to keep up with important contacts or companies relevant to their field, network with future employers or get their work out there. I use Twitter to find and create absolutely ridiculous hashtags that only my close friends and I understand or find funny. That being said, you can only imagine my excitement at the discovery of the hashtag ‘NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement.’

For those of you who haven’t already heard the whole Jon Kyl-Stephen Colbert saga from which the hashtag was born, the joke came about from a simple misunderstanding. After Kyl, a U.S. senator (R-Ariz.), claimed that over 90 percent of Planned Parenthood’s services are abortions, Colbert kindly pointed out that, in fact, only 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s operations are abortion services. In response to the 87 percent discrepancy, Kyl released a statement saying his comment was ‘not intended to be a factual statement.’

Created by Colbert’s official Twitter account, the hashtag has generated some hilarious tweets. Some of my favorites include ‘Jon Kyl is one of Gaddafi’s sexy female ninja guards,’ ‘Jon Kyl assassinated Archduke Ferdinand’ and ‘Jon Kyl cheated on Sandra Bullock’ — all of which, of course, ended with #NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement.

What an amazing new world of opportunities this hashtag has allowed. Essentially, this hashtag has allotted me the power to say virtually anything as long as it’s followed by the trending phrase. Like Kyl, if anyone were to ever call out my tweets as being insensitive or inappropriate, I can simply reply with #NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement. With it, I can incriminate and publically humiliate all my dearest of friends with absolutely no repercussions. The possibilities are endless. If a senator can do it, why can’t I?

— Compiled by Danielle Odiamar, asst. feature editor, dmodiama@syr.edu