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THE WORLD HAS GONE MAD
9/04/2006 The Lie & The Untruth By Distortion of the Facts By Carrie K. Hutchens What is the difference between telling a lie and the untruth by distortion of the facts? When caught, one can claim the information was true. Never mind that when taken out of context it became ever much a lie as it was meant to be. Still, the defense will go on. There was a case where a politician said that an individual wrote checks on an office account. What he conveniently left out was that it was part of the person's duties. Therefore, by leaving the latter out, he gave the impression the person was embezzling, rather than merely performing a duty. However, he could defend that he never actually said it. It wasn't his fault that people took it that way. WRONG! It was very much his fault and his intent. As for a current race, I just read an article in the Palm Beach Post, "Crist-linked PAC has ad questioning Gallagher's integrity", By Brian E. Crowley (http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/state/epaper/2006/08/31/a6a_ethicsad_0831.html ), which says of an ad, "Taken individually, the ad's sentences are largely factual, but taken together, they imply something that is not true. Chief Financial Officer Gallagher did trade insurance stocks while insurance commissioner, but no one has suggested that his actions had anything to do with the increasing cost of insurance." As an Attorney General, who claims to be concerned with companies misrepresenting and misleading the citizens of Florida, shouldn't Crist also be concerned with campaign ads that do likewise? If he wins by deceit, hasn't he created a fraud ever much as any company who pulls a scam on unsuspecting citizens? There is no difference. And there is no exception to the rule. A fraud is a fraud even if it is perpetrated in the name of politics and a fight to win on the campaign trail. One thing that I personally find even more unsettling than the ad itself, is the reported reaction. Mr. Crowley reports, "Crist's campaign had little to say about the ad. Spokeswoman Erin Isaac said only, "It looks to be factually accurate to me."" I shivered at her response. These are people to be trusted? If the truth gets distorted now, what is going to happen if Crist makes governor? How will anyone know if anything is actually the truth or "factually accurate" and quite taken out of context to become an untruth by distortion of same? How can the truth be taken so lightly as to mean so little or of such nothingness? If this is in the play book, somebody needs to be doing a big rewrite and doing it right away! Maybe that is exactly what the Florida voters will be doing this September 5th. Maybe they will score the winning touch down. The touch down headed for truth, honesty and quality representation for the citizens of Florida! It's certainly worth a cheer and a hope! Carrie Hutchens is a former law enforcement officer and a freelance writer who is active in fighting against the death culture movement and the injustices within the judicial and law enforcement systems.
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