Lying

I was thinking about lying, this morning. I didn't come to any great conclusions. No lie.

Arlen Specter admitted that he changed parties to enhance his reelection chances. His politics had grown closer to the Democrats than the Republicans, but that wasn't the reason he incautiously gave. Perhaps, if he'd lied, he'd still be in the running.

A scientific organization wanted to bury 'carbon sequestration' under a town. After a local campaign against the idea -- this is our town, one woman said. We live here. They don't. They never will -- the organization dropped the idea, citing business considerations. I know what that sounds like to me.

I'm not wealthy, or well-connected, so the odds of ever getting the chance to talk directly to the President -- I'd have said 'and privately', but that doesn't matter so much -- are minimal -- but I know, I know -- that if I do, he won't be straight with me. He'll lie, working in themes that he wants to reinforce, using flagwords and hot-button references, pushing his own goals instead of listening, and then saying what he'd say if I was someone he trusted.

And I think that's where lying comes from. Not just a lack of trust, for sure - arrogance, belief that the cause overrides the methods, larcenous goals -- that's part of it. But I think it starts with a lack of trust. On both sides. Trust that I won't punish you for honesty. (Arlen?) Trust that you won't hold it against me. Trust that you'll 'respect me in the morning'. Our parish priest said the other day that if we knew his own sins, we'd never trust him to give us Communion. I know that there are things about me that would startle and dismay others, so I'm careful about exposing that part of me. I don't trust people enough to tell them.

I think that the people with greater power, greater visibility are more to blame, when it comes to lack of trust in the political environment. And I don't know what can be done about it. I've never liked the phrase 'speaking truth to power', because it sounds backwards. It ought to be 'speaking truth from power'. Not that that's likely to happen any time soon.

Trust me on this.