Pre·var·i·ca·tion

Pre·var·i·ca·tion
n.
[L. praevaricatio: cf. F. prévarication.]
1. The act of prevaricating, shuffling, or quibbling, to evade the truth or the disclosure of truth; a deviation from the truth and fair dealing.

I found out the other day that someone had told me an untruth. Doesn't matter who or about what. It always hurts when someone I trust doesn't treat me fairly. If they don't want to be around me I would rather they just say so and let it go at that.

My cousin used to be married to a woman who would, as my mother said, "lie when the truth sounded better." Everybody knew that __________lied. She lied to me on her wedding day and had me at the church to take some snapshots about two hours before I would have needed to be there. Someone once said of her that "you had to take what she said with a grain of salt." Actually most of the time you needed the entire salt mine.

Today the blogs are full of the news that Scott McClellan told lies to the press corps when he was press secretary.

from former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's forthcoming book What Happened:

“I stood at the White house briefing room podium in front of the glare of the klieg lights for the better part of two weeks and publicly exonerated two of the seniormost aides in the White House: Karl Rove and Scooter Libby,” McClellan wrote.

“There was one problem. It was not true.

He goes on to say:
“I had unknowingly passed along false information,” McClellan wrote.

“And five of the highest ranking officials in the administration were involved in my doing so: Rove, Libby, the vice president, the president's chief of staff and the president himself."

McClellan says he was in that position because he trusted the president: "The most powerful leader in the world had called upon me to speak on his behalf and help restore credibility he lost amid the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.”

“There was one problem. It was not true.”

Valerie Plame the object of that lie released this statement:

Nov. 20, 2007 10pm EST

Santa Fe, New Mexico--I am outraged to learn that former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan confirms that he was sent out to lie to the press corps and the American public about two senior White House officials, Karl Rove and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby who deliberately and recklessly revealed my identity as a covert CIA operations officer. Even more shocking, McClellan confirms that not only Karl Rove and Scooter Libby told him to lie but Vice President Cheney, Presidential Chief of Staff Andrew Card, and President Bush also ordered McClellan to issue his misleading statement. Unfortunately, President Bush's commutation of Scooter Libby's felony sentence has short-circuited justice.

Vice President Cheney in particular knew that Scooter Libby was involved because he had ordered and directed his actions. McClellan's revelations provide important support for our civil suit against those who violated our national security and maliciously destroyed my career.

In our society it seems to be alright to tell lies. Lawyers and politicians (Oh wait, aren't they the same thing?) do it all the time. I have often seen that "it was all right to lie to him to get a confession out of him." - I guess we start it in childhood by telling lies for our children when they don't want to do something we alibi for them and say they are busy or doing something else or they won't be able to go somewhere and then they go anyway. In other words, we model the behavior that it is all right to tell a lie. That behavior then carries over into adulthood and most people don't even know the difference.

I am sure that President Bush or VP- Cheney do know the difference. Just as I am sure that the person who lied to me knew the difference. For what ever reason it is wrong to lie. Eventually you get "found out" and eventually the person lied to has his or her feelings hurt. Or in Ms Plame's case their career destroyed.

Perhaps they don't see it as a lie. Just a way of getting out of doing something they consider unpleasant or that they don't want to do. Or they feel that it will further their agenda. It has been interesting for me to watch this and to see the person who I thought was my friend operate. It isn't the first time they have lied to me but I will do my best to see that it is the last.

I am hurt when my friends lie to me, I am outraged when those elected officials and their lackeys lie to us to further their agenda. It doesn't matter. A lie is a lie no matter where it comes from and I hold in contempt those who lie.

As I said, in the end the lies come out. Whether or not I let them have any effect on me is my choice. In this case I am choosing to feel a little hurt but it is not unexpected. Disappointed, certainly. Masonic tenets teach brotherly love, relief, and truth. When there is no truth the others go out the window.

I will probably change some things in the way I feel about these people but in the end it won't matter much to me or to them. I have pulled away from liars before as I do not choose to be around them or deal with them. My cousins ex-wife - I'm cordial (what a wonderful word). As for the president - I think most of you know I am waiting for his successor.

There is a myth that President George (Washington) "could not tell a lie." We now have a President George (Bush) who, it seems, "cannot tell the truth." As the commercial used to say "You've come a long way, Baby."

As for me, I prefer those who do not lie to me. I find that I cannot deal with the hurt I feel when I find out I have been lied to. So I will go on with my life in other sandboxes. I won't fight and I won't lie about it. I will just leave. There are plenty of people to be with - good friends who tell me the truth and who continue to be my friend.

As it says:

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
The Gospel according to Saint John, VIII: 32

I think that is a pretty good statement. I shall try to know the truth and be free. Have a great Wednesday. Hugs, j