Last month, a Council Bluffs (Iowa – across the river from Omaha and once an incredible business investment by a certain Chicago lawyer) high school teacher was arrested and fired for committing acts of terrorism. She was 37, an Anglo, and claimed she didn’t mean to carry out the “gun violence” threats she wrote in several notes, in which she pretended to be a bullied student.

In other words, she lied. Her excuse? She wanted to make preventing school gun violence a priority for the school and district, parents, and others. She didn’t lie for monetary gain, she didn’t lie to promote herself. She lied for political purposes. It isn’t just governments that lie about political matters, or safety or health or whatever.

She is far from the only person to be noticed nationally for such a lie, and for getting caught up in it – and caught doing it. Many people are no doubt familiar with a failed comedian Jussie Smollet now convicted for faking an attack. (Of course, it seems that he didn’t lie about being attacked – just why he was attacked: the prosecution claimed he planned it himself.) False accusations of rape, attempted rape, abuse and other such things -often claimed to be on racial or sexual “phobic” grounds make national news several times a year. Often on university campuses. Similar accusations which prove to be false are common, as anyone dealing with domestic violence can attest.

Politicians, in and out of office, frequently lie. They have several different types of lies. First, they lie about the current conditions. “The sky is falling.” “Dogs and cats will cease miscegenating.” “Inflation will not be a problem” And so forth. And the consequences of those conditions. We are told, for example, that society (or civilization itself) will die if dogs and cats keep doing this. But, never fear, THEY have the solution and will make the sky NOT fall (provided we give them enough political power and money). They lie when they tell us that if THEY are elected, then the economy will be better (or saved), that law X will be repealed and law Y will be passed, and that there will be a chicken in every pot (- or pot in every chicken: it’s easy to forget what they say).

But the lies are coming from almost everywhere. Businesses do, all the time. Go back and watch or listen to some of the old-time radio and TV shows, where the “sponsor” advertising is totally integrated. Doctors say this and doctors say that – about tobacco, liquor, and more. This scent or that line of clothing will give you certain success. And of course, none of that ever proved true. But more seriously, what about those mileage rates – fuel consumption or tire longevity? Or a thousand other things a day. The news reporters and readers really got into the lies and fairy tales business – and they have taught there successors well.

All of these lies, like those of government, are intended to manipulate the hearer – to get them to take some action (or stop doing something) that gives the liars, their sponsors, their bosses, or their worshipful lords what they want. Power and money, mostly.

And they work.

So what do we do? First and foremost, don’t trust ANYthing they say: verify it for yourself. And second, learn the truth for yourself. It was once said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” Lies and falsehood lead to slavery and degradation: knowing the truth leads to liberty. (Provided you apply it properly – but you can figure that out on your own. Third, then, is to apply the truth: it is NOT just something to learn. We must respond to it; we must act upon it. We must not appeal to others to do that – it is a personal responsibility.

Think on these things!