Why Is Lying Okay?

It seems the Anthony Weiner fiasco has brought to light once again a disturbing reality: the government can legally lie to the public. That's right, Anthony Weiner came right out on the Sunday media talk shows and lied right to everyone's face. Of course, the truth eventually came out which it always does. But what happened to him when it did? Nothing. Yes, a lot of pressure was put on him to resign, which he did, but he didn't have to. Plenty of his constituents wanted him to stay in office.

What do you think would happen if you or I lied to anyone in a government position? If you lied to the F.B.I, to the police, on your taxes, at the DMV, at the post office? Severe penalties would be imposed. And this goes for whether you are under oath or not. But yet anyone of these government officials including, Congress and the President, who are getting paid to serve you and I, could lie right to our face and suffer no real consequence.

This is very disturbing.

31 comments:

cruggly said...

In the mirror there is no lying, that is a major foundation violation. Your forward movement in your mirror will stop.

Liberal Elite said...

Lying isn't OK. It destroys ones credibility. It's why Weiner had to go. Had he shrugged from the beginning and fessed up quickly, I think he would have survived.

But people like Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh do it on a daily basis, and yet never seem to be held accountable, even when caught red handed. In fact the people who support these guys seem to think lying that seeks a "worthy end" is just fine and dandy.

Anonymous said...

OK le...what about Clinton. He appeared on public television and lied about his affair with an intern. Did Clinton have to go too? Are you saying that he should have resigned?

Liberal Elite said...

That depends on the meaning of the words. He was chastised for talking about the meaning of "is", but "is" does have at least 7 different meanings.

Do you consider what he did (only oral sex) as being consistent with "I did not have sexual relations"?

Sure he tried to cover what really happened, but where's the lie? What specific statement was blatantly false?

afterthegoldrush said...

I believe that society as a whole condones lying. We see it all around us. People cheat the government out of billions of dollars in subsidies by dishonesty.
The most important lesson that I ever taught my daughter was to be honest. I remember the time she used the upstairs bathroom at her grandmother's house. When she came downstairs, I told her to wash her hands. She replied that she already had. "That's funny", I said, "the water to the sink has been turned off."
To thine own self be true and the rest will follow.

Bob said...

Yes it is disturbing T/S. It occurs because the very same people who lie to the public make the laws prohibiting the people from lying to the government. They will definitely not pass a law that imposes criminal penalties on public officals who lie to the American people. It is yet another example of the double standard that exists between the government and the people. This reinforces the "us verses them" mentality that exists. Our government simply cannot exist as it does with transparency and accountability. Any politician who pushes for this will be dealt with accordingly. Ask JFK.

cruggly said...

Lying has nothing to do with anyone or anything but you and what you see in yourself, what value do you place on that. Its not politics or this or that, its peoples souls and the choices they make in their lives. The choices that we make dictate the lives we lead. Im battin bout 500, how bout you?

afterthegoldrush said...

ARN~ I like the way you think!

Anonymous said...

When you lie you make yourself worth less. You only have one of these things that we call life. Its passing by fast.

Anonymous said...

LE if it involves the use of the sex organs for pleasure it would be considered a "sexual relationship". Go get a blow job from a prostitute and try to tell your wife it wasn't a sex.
This is a shining example of someone making excuses of poor behavior exhibited by their political favorites. AND you never answered the question. You said Wiener lied so he had to go. Does that mean you think Clinton should have resigned also? Answer the question instead of side stepping it.

Liberal Elite said...

@4:24 "Answer the question instead of side stepping it."

I did answer the question. Weiner lied, Clinton did not. Why should I advocate Clinton resigning when I don't see that he lied?

Do you think politicians should resign for simply breaking marriage vows?

afterthegoldrush said...

Am I missing something here, LE?

"I did not have sexual relations with that woman!"

A blowjob/handjob is sex.

Liberal Elite said...

@atgr

But not "relations". "Relations" implies intercourse. It's the common use of the phrase.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=relations

Liberal Elite said...

@atgr

But not "relations". "Relations" implies intercourse. It's the common use of the phrase.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=relations

afterthegoldrush said...

Since when?

A problem child. said...

If you think a hummer isn't sex you just haven't had a good one yet.

Anonymous said...

vacuum cleaners don't count.

afterthegoldrush said...

Good deal, Sentz!

Bob said...

Alright I'm gonna weigh in on this ridiculous play on words. Le in your skewed little mind relations = sex. So that means that foriegn relations means foriegn sex...and labor relations means sex with your labor...right? No way. This is perhaps the most feeble attempt you've ever made to hide your hypocricy. Clinton LIED to the American public on national television. AND he was a pervert (see perverted sex act). I couldn't care less if he shared a cigar with Monica Lewinski - although it is kinda nasty. I do, however, care that he stood and lied to the American people. Right...adultery is a relatively minor offense in the grand scheme of things. But if he would lie about something like that......he would most definitely lie about something much more serious. Common sense. You keep making excuses for politicians who lie and we will continually get lying, dirt bag politicians.

Bob said...

hypocrisy

afterthegoldrush said...

ARN~ I like the way you think!

Liberal Elite said...

@ARN "Le in your skewed little mind relations = sex."

Get it right. I said "sexual relations = intercourse". How in heck do you get from what I said to "relations = sex"???

I don't think Clinton thought he was lying. I'm pretty sure he didn't consider what he did as "sexual relations", and as such, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

To be guilt of lying, one has to know it's a lie.

Bob said...

LE..

"But not "relations". "Relations" implies intercourse. It's the common use of the phrase.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=relations"

Um....no......your hypocrisy has been exposed. The above quote is yours. You own it.

Problem Child Just Shakes Head said...

Man, with all due respect, you guys can even find a way to f up a perfectly good blowjob post. This is NOT American!!!

Liberal Elite said...

OK So I own it. I looked at the expanded list, and I still conclude that to most people "sexual relations = intercourse". It's the conventional use of the phrase, even in the urban dictionary.

And explain to me how giving Clinton the benefit of the doubt equates with hypocrisy.

Anonymous said...

Because there is no logical doubt from which clinton can benefit. You conveniently created doubt that you believe you can justify by playing on words. A logical person recognizes a lie when they hear it. The hypocrisy comes in when you subject one person to a specific standard and then change that standard for someone you support. I don't think there is one person one this site who agrees with you. You have been weighed, measured, and found lacking.

Liberal Elite said...

@6:58 "...playing on words."

LOL. You need TWO sex organs to have "sexual relations". One sex organ just isn't enough to have "relations". It's what the phrase means.

I made my case, and presented a source (not a great one, but a source nevertheless), the rest of you played silly word games, and no one cited anything to support your viewpoint. That's a clear win for me.

You want to win? Stop playing silly word games and cite something interesting.

Two Sentz said...

What he did have was inappropriate relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. And they were of a sexual nature.

Liberal Elite said...

@TS

Agreed. But this thread is about lying, not about having untoward sex.

Did Bill Clinton think he was lying when he said "I did NOT have sexual relations with that woman". Sure he wasn't forthcoming, but that's not the same as lying.

There's a distinct difference between what Weiner said and what Clinton said. One was a blatant lie, and one was just not being forthcoming with the truth. Clinton was only saying one specific thing that he didn't do. In that, he was apparently truthful in a really sleazy manner, but nevertheless truthful.

biazzio said...

lying is like cheating on your wife it gets easier after the first time (so they say, some of our elected officials, preachers and others have been lying for so long they honestly believe what they say is true. And because we allow them to stay or even advance in positions only strengthens the desire and the justification of doing so, (lying)

Anonymous said...

But lying is ok because LE says that it is - as long as you can articulate that you thought you were telling the truth (even when it is obvious to everyone that you were lying)