Notes of Concern…
…Jackson Blair
LIARS
When I was in grade school I heard the story we probably all have heard, the one about George Washington and his cherry tree.
The fact that I heard this story from my first grade teacher makes it all the more disappointing. She recounted to the impressionable children in her care that George’s father had a wonderful and cherished cherry tree. One day, ax in hand, young George decided to cut that cherry tree down.
When his father happened upon him and asked, rhetorically, “who cut down the cherry tree?” young George, displaying what was clearly early evidence of a bright political future, is reported to have responded, “I cannot tell a lie. I cut down the cherry tree.”
The moral of this story was one should never tell a lie. If one wants to be President one should not lie.
I guess since George Washington’s picture, all solemn and formal, hung in every grade school classroom, it was a “given” that the elementary school teachers would talk about him. So all the young minds were told that George did not lie.
It was a “short trip” to get us to realize that George did not lie, he became President, his picture was looking down at us every day, therefore we should not lie, we might then get to be President, and one day it might be our picture up there looking down on everyone.
Keep in mind that we did not have Harry Potter. We didn’t even have the really exciting Super Heroes available to kids today. We had George Washington. This was a pretty big deal.
My mother was one of many children in her family. Her brothers and sisters loved to tease her about the day she was alone in the parlor of their home in the country. She was sitting on the floor writing with an ink pen drawing pictures. Beside her on the carpet was a large wet puddle of ink.
When her mother entered the room and looked horrified at the ink that had been spilled on the “good rug” my mother did not give her mother a chance to react. My mother, looking at her mother, is reported to have asked: “who spilled the ink?”
In that one moment my mother set herself apart from George Washington. She was not destined to become President. Her picture is not hanging in any school classrooms in the United States.
That said, my mother did exhibit at that young age every bit as much potential to be a politician. She dissembled. She tried to confuse the situation. She made an attempt to insert into the discussion the possibility that someone else had committed the crime for which she was about to be accused. She had a story and she was sticking to it.
After a lifetime of watching Presidents, Senators, Congressmen and a plethora of other public servants I have a few “eternal verities” that I cling to. May I share a few of them with you?
1. Never assume any President is telling you the whole truth.
2. Never believe anything you hear from the CIA.
3. Never believe anything you hear from the Defense Department.
4. When dealing with government at any level always assume there is more to the story than you are hearing and probably more than you will ever know.
I am willing to believe that when we are lied to by elected or appointed officials many of them believe it is in our best interests.
At the same time I am certain whatever the lie is they are telling is definitely in their best interest.
Are their exceptions to the Blair Rule?
Probably, but the exceptions are too few to be statistically important.
Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
If so, you are probably not now, and will not in the future, be working for the government.
For further information: jacksonblair@gmail.com
