Do We Listen Enough for the Truth?

Politics and truth seems like an oxymoron. . .

I dare to juxtapose the two words, politics and truth as a compound subject, only because we are in the heat of battle for the presidency of the United States in this year, 2008; and struggling to find the truth in today’s news and political rhetoric is becoming harder and harder. Very few good and decent people seem to speak out about lies and deceit promulgated in the main stream press. Are we just too busy doing something else? Or, is our conscience numb or dead? When our children lie do we let it slide? I don’t think so! But the problem seems so gargantuan now that we feel overwhelmed to address the issue head-on. We can do better than that.

First let us define politics. A simple dictionary definition defines it as:
activities or affairs involved in administering of a government or relating to governmental or state matters
dealings, methods, or maneuvers involved in controlling, administering, or seeking to control a government
science or art of government or of the management of state or local affairs
political opinions, convictions, or affiliations
factional scheming or intrigues for positions of power within a group

Politics is the art of the possible.
Otto Von Bismarck, remark, Aug. 11, 1867, German Prussian politician (1815 - 1898)
Maybe, Bismarck got it right. There are many vagaries associated with the word.

Second let us define truth:
that which is true: the pursuit of truth, to speak the truth
a state or quality of being true or accurately reflecting reality or fact: to doubt the truth of a statement
accepted or verified fact, principle, or the like
in truth. Really; actually: The ugly frog was in truth a handsome prince. [Old English, honor, fidelity, covenant]

A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author. G. K. Chesterton (1874 - 1936)

The definitions of truth and politics seem straight forward. But, at first glance words like: scheming, intrigues, dealings, methods or arts referring to “politics” seems to put truth in jeopardy right away. These words are a playground for obfuscation. Truth, on the other hand, has no wiggle room. A lie is an untruth. Going back to Moses’ time a lie was a sin against God, and it still is.

That the moral conscience of our nation has come to accept lies as common place is the point at which I begin. Accepting untruth is just one part of the contemporary sickness called “moral relativism,” the means by which, many, come to accept: half truths, lies, obfuscation and any other form of deception known to man as acceptable. “Acceptable,” in this case is defined as unchallenged when in truth the facts are not completely true and the lie is allowed to stand. Why call a spade a spade? Well, because that is exactly what it is! It is certainly not a shovel as the saying goes.

Politicians Words
Hillary Clinton, Letter to Constituents from Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on Iraq Policy
Let us analyze the following quote from Hillary’s letter to her constituents in N.Y.
Dear Constituent: “Thank you for contacting me with your concerns regarding Iraq. As you indicate, the situation there is very serious and is a major and constant focus of mine. I believe that the President should abandon his escalation of the war in Iraq and offer a change in course to his failing strategy.”
These are the first two sentences of the letter. Let’s look at the 2nd sentence. [President should abandon war escalation and change course in a failing strategy.] Is the sentence true?
1. Well, is there war escalation? No, there are increased U.S security troops and these troops are for the Iraqi people’s protection. We are training the Iraq police to protect themselves. The terrorists were killing many Iraqi people. 80-90% less people have been killed since Hillary called for “war escalation abandonment.”
2. Is the “strategy” called war in this sentence failing? Not exactly, the violence in Iraq is down dramatically since the U.S. increased security patrols and we know that the antagonists are terrorizing the people. Al Qaeda and others have been thwarted in their ability to carry out raids on the population in Iraq because of U.S. presence there.
“In January, the President announced his “surge” strategy to create space for Iraqi political reconciliation. This has not happened. ”
This sentence is patently deceptive and implies the surge was for political means. We know the ‘surge’ strategy was to protect the Iraqi people. The ‘strategy’ has reduced the violence and, there was also another goal; to create confidence, so that Iraqi legislators could take control of their own government. Some new legislation has passed in Iraq. Notably, an equitable division of oil revenues between the territories was enacted. This legislation concerned “the” most contentious issue between the parties. “This has not happened.” is a lie in my opinion. You be the judge.
Obama: Culture in Washington Must Change, Implement Tough Ethics Reform Tuesday, August 21, 2007, A speech to his peer group in the senate.
“Let me be clear, I do not begrudge businesses for trying to make a profit, and I do not begrudge them for hiring lobbyists to plead their case before Congress. It is protected political speech, and we appreciate that there are many lobbyists who represent their clients well and fairly. But it’s time we had a Congress that tells the drug companies and the oil companies and the insurance industry that while they may get a seat at the table in Washington, they don’t get to buy every chair.”
Above we see, Obama, the quintessential orator. In the first sentence he says it’s OK with him if business makes a profit and lobbyists petition congress. What he does not say is if he would do anything about the drug companies making from 2,000 to 4,000% profit margins? While the majority of the country is drowning in exorbitant, mendacious profiteering; we hear a nice sweeping proclamation that the big interests: drugs, oil and insurance, don’t get to buy every chair. Who knows what that means? What is the truth?
To the average listener and reader, and I call myself average, Obama’s words are eloquent, sincere and meaningful; until, you ask yourself what he really meant by them. Determining the truth is a responsible, prudent and productive way for each one of us to live our lives. It is no harder than evaluating: the subject, the verb and the object of a sentence to determine the facts that the writer presents. Or better, that which is omitted.
There are no perfect political candidates. But, we can use our common sense and moral values to decide what box to check when the time comes: by “listening for the truth.”

Charlie Courtois, Retired Entrepreneur, Forsyth, Georgia