posted May 18, 2003 10:55 AM            

Wonder how much money was spent on this worthless study of political rectitude?
Most of us had decided years ago, if their lips are moving, they're lying

LONDON -- It's official. After intensive research, scientists have concluded that politicians lie.

In a study described in Britain's Observer newspaper, Glen Newey, a political scientist at Britain's University of Strathclyde, concluded that lying is an important part of politics in the modern democracy.

"Politicians need to be more honest about lying," he told the newspaper.

According to Newey, whose findings were published by the government-funded Economic and Social Research Council, voters expect to be lied to in certain circumstances, and sometimes even require it.

"Politics should be regarded as less like an exercise in producing truthful statements and more like a poker game," he said. "And there is an expectation by a poker player that you try to deceive them as part of the game."

Newey said lying by politicians can occasionally be entirely justified, such as when national security is at risk, and the public even has a "right to be lied to" in cases where they do not expect to be told the whole truth, such as during a war.

But the main cause of lying is increased probing by the public into areas that the government would rather not discuss candidly. If voters only asked fewer questions, politicians would tell them fewer lies.

Bill Clinton famously lied about his affair with Monica Lewinsky, while earlier philandering U.S. presidents never had to lie about their affairs, because nobody ever asked.

"When journalists or parliamentary colleagues start to probe at that area which the government wants to keep secret, you are more likely to be pushed further and further toward the territory of lying," Newey said.

jwhop

posted May 18, 2003 01:16 PM            

But how about this statement from the article?
"Politicians need to be more honest about lying," he told the newspaper. Honest about lying? Indeed!

You can assume everything I say is a lie or a distortion of the reality of the situation----and that's the honest truth.

You didn't know bears crap in the woods? Well, if you want scientific proof I'm sure somewhere there's a researcher who would take a million dollar grant to prove it and a Congressional Committee who would fund
it. Of course, the researcher would probably confine the study to bears in the zoo and prove conclusively that bears do not crap in the woods but only crap on concrete

posted May 18, 2003 01:26 PM              

Ok, that was bad.

posted May 18, 2003 02:26 PM            

Perhaps DNA research will find a lying gene. That would make it genetic and let politicians off the hook. Poor dears just can't help it

posted May 24, 2003 03:33 AM            

'Sheilding the masses' from 'incomprehensible' things is going the way of the dinosaur, I think.
We are zooming forward into the age of information were all secrets become known and that will be what kick starts masses of spiritual evolution on the planet.

posted May 26, 2003 12:19 AM            

Let me impress upon you the concept that those who will not govern themselves will be governed and must be governed.

To that end, we have law upon law, rule upon rule, policy upon policy and procedure upon procedure, each of which compels one to do or refrain from doing the simple things most of us would never think of doing or refrain from doing in the first place.

posted May 26, 2003 07:30 PM            

Well, actually, the goal is to make the movement so fun, practical, alluring, exciting, inspiring, productive and embodying abundance that the old system becomes obsolete and people will get onboard because it's the only thing that makes any sense.

posted May 27, 2003 11:06 PM            

We may be escorting you and your merry little band to a remote deserted island just so you can show us how your plan works in the real world.

Liked your post where you mentioned composting and gardening. Seems some people have discovered what my great grandfather practiced and I still do.

jwhop

posted May 28, 2003 11:57 PM            

Yeah, I'm a composter and mulcher and used to bury vegetable peels, tops, pulled plants, grass cuttings, leaves, etc., in trenches between the planting rows. Now, I just spread the composted grass and leaves over the St. Augustine grass and my sandlot is turning into rich soil.

I agree, a world without rules sounds nice but as my old sergeant said, there's always that 10% who never seem to get the word and they are always there to screw it up.

jwhop