Thursday, October 13, 2005

On Rosh Hashonna It is Written, On Yom Kippur It Is Sealed

Do you know anyone who needs to atone? I do. But pointing out other people's sins is not the proper action for Yom Kippur. In fact, I'm sure blaming and finger-pointing are themselves sins worthy of atonement.
Despite this, I feel vengeful today and want to point out the liars that I see in politics, and the ones I've encountered personally. here's a nice proverb on lying:

The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death. Prov 21:6
When leaders lie, they betray the trust of the people they are supposed to represent. When lovers lie, they destroy their connection to the other. When parents betray their children, they do the same thing, but even more seriously. They can can leave their children never trusting again. Lying is an awful sin because it takes advantage of our vulnerability. It can leave us on shaky ground, wondering what to believe about the world around us. Being lied to can damage our sense of reality in a profound way.
So, can I get a witness? Raise your hands if you hate being lied to.

Remember how the Republicans went mad over truth back in the 1990s? As you know, I'm no Clinton fan, but I think it feels especially bad to be lied to by those proclaiming Christian virtue, integrity, unusual openness and honesty, etc. Almost as maddening as being taken in by a liar is seeing other people believe liars that you see through. How many times have I sat with my mother in front of a television while she shouted, "he's lying! He's lying!" at whatever politician is there, as if the rest of the world that was watching could hear? Although we all agree that lying destroys relationships, because without trust, relationships are impossible,we've come to take lying for granted in politics.
A little righteous indignation, and a little exposure of the lying liars is in order, even on a day for quiet self-reflection. If being betrayed hurts, exposing the betrayor feels sweet.
For some top stories involving people irate about lying.....
For events involving standing up and sitting down, it appears that Scott McClellan's press briefing today was a brawl. You can also read about lies in Hunter's diary discussing the media coverage of the Plame-leak investigation this week on Chris Matthews' show Hardball.
While I was traipsing around on the technorati web-page, looking for other random stuff, I happened upon another sinner exposed. Find him here, at Hitchens Watch. For tireless exposing of lies, there's always "Mediamatters."
Readers, post your favorite reflections on lying, the worst lie you've heard lately, or any other comments here.

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