LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE . . .

There must be a good many people running around with their pants on fire these days. I know I’m not alone in wondering if any one of our "leaders," anywhere, is telling us the truth about anything. There is a disturbing lack of trust that permeates beyond borders to every part of the globe. When people in positions of power make those reassuring remarks regarding issues that concern us, we find it almost impossible to sift through the crap to get to the truth.

For instance: when we are assured that we needn’t worry about radiation resulting from damage to the nuclear plants following the Japanese Tsunami, can we believe them? When we are told that the oil that lies below the surface in the Gulf of Mexico has dissipated and that the fish finding its way to our tables is totally safe to eat, completely unaffected by the oil, can we believe them? Are we to believe that in the short time since that catastrophic spill, everything in the Gulf of Mexico waters is back to normal?

Can we believe that we’re getting the truth regarding our activities in Iraq, and in Afghanistan, and in Pakistan, and in Israel, and in Libya and in Yemin, and in other parts of the world where unrest is taking place. There is a super-abundance of "facts" - most of them conflicting - that we are being fed on a daily basis. It just depends on who is telling the story.

Can we believe that our elected representatives are working for our best interests while they bicker about the myriad of financial issues that burden this country. The only thing we can be absolutely sure of, is that they are working for their own best interests, including being re-elected. And while our dwindling "middle class" continues to carry more and more of the burden, those at the top and their corporate buddies get richer and richer. We can believe that.

Our leaders have evolved over the years from people of character, integrity, idealism and strength to self-serving bureaucrats. We can’t rely on them to listen to us and actually represent our interests. They simply do whatever they have to do, including outright lying, to get our vote. And we, average Americans, have forgotten how to think for ourselves and stand up for what we believe. We are a nation of lazy, "feed it to me" people. We allow the "news" commentators to feed us information, tell us how to think, mold our opinions, and ultimately to control our destiny. Shame on us!

It was painfully clear when Katrina hit the gulf coast, that our government was more interested in looking good in the face of unmentionable pain and devastation than in actually doing everything possible, as quickly as possible, to meet the needs of their constituents. Can we ever believe our government when a natural disaster or man-made disaster occurs? Have they ever told us right up front the painful truth about what has happened and why, in terms of government assistance? Have they ever given us the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Nonsense! They just feed us "crap" and we swallow it.

Are we so stupid, so prone to hysteria, so incapable of hearing the truth that we must be spoon-fed tiny dribbles of the truth along with large portions of half-truths or outright lies, over an elongated period of time so as not to become unmanageable? And is that the ultimate goal? To keep us ignorant so we can be "managed?

I’m sick of being fed lies and half-truths. I’m sick of not knowing who to believe, or even if anyone can be believed. I’m ready to become "unmanageable." This country desperately needs some honest leaders who care more about the health of America than about their re-election campaigns. And we need more people who will put forth the effort to learn the facts and who won’t settle for less than the truth.

Someone once said, "The truth will set you free." It’s the truth!