Lie, lie, lie
a column by Chris Jungle

James Earl Ray wants his day in court because he says he did not actually shoot and kill Martin Luther King Jr. those many decades ago. The first thing we have to remember is why he was sentenced to ninety-nine years in jail in the first place--he said he did it. Regardless of whether he was the dupe of a conspiracy theory or under pressure of the police, James should have known that if he confessed to killing the most well-known black leader of the time, and possibly in American history, he was going to go to jail for the rest of his life.

He seems to be caught in a Catch-22 of his own doing. If he lied about killing King, he deserves to be in jail for being stupid enough to say he did such a thing. If he is lying about lying and what he originally confessed is the truth, then he's where he belongs. It is true that Ray recanted his confession almost right after he gave it (probably because he didn't understand what kind of trouble he was getting into for claiming such an act), but I think anyone who lies about killing a person should be punished.

Lying is accepted in our society, and there are cases when the truth hurts more than it helps. It just seems like too many people are lying for some sort of personal gain. Applicants for jobs lie about their qualifications, couples lie to each other about their habits, defendants lie in court about acts they really did.

The problem exists on Capital Hill. Oliver North admitted to lying to Congress, and less than a decade later, he ran for Congress. Is that irony or hypocrisy? I keep getting those mixed up. One of the ten commandments states fairly clearly that we shouldn't lie, and yet Christians and Jews lie as much as the rest of us. Teachers tell their students the story of George Washington and the cherry tree to explain the importance of telling the truth (the story itself is a lie). Even with these parables, lying is still a part of everyday life.

If there are people who think lying is okay, all they need to do is look at the mentally ill. They are considered the some of the saddest cases of human existence, and they are much of the time. At least they have the excuse that they can not differentiate between lies and the truth. Their lies are so fantastic and amazing, I would consider it more entertainment than deceit.

As James Earl Ray has sat in his jail cell for decades, he should have figured out that lying doesn't always pay. Maybe through his pen pals Sirhan Sirhan and Charlie Manson, he might have finally figured out that you shouldn't tell people (even briefly) that you killed a renowned citizen or any other terrible act. Richard Jewell didn't even admit anything and he got followed. Imagine what would have happened if he said he actually blew up that bomb.

If people don't know when and where to lie properly, maybe they should be punished for what they brag about doing. If a person goes around saying they killed someone, maybe they should be punished for what they say even if it isn't true. All the district attorney's office will have to do in court is say "You said you killed this guy, we're just taking your word for it." A lie is only good as the people who believe it.

In our society, it is now common to distrust someone until proven trustworthy. So many people have been lied to, that the masses have become jaded about anything true. People have lied and been lied to so much they believe everything is a conspiracy. The government has a secret plan to create Marshall Law in this country. The local grocer is overcharging for food so he can eventually own the town. There's a group of girls who spread bad rumors about you so you'll never get a date. James Earl Ray didn't really shoot Martin Luther King Jr. because he was the victim of a conspiracy.

Maybe all of those things are true. Maybe none of them are. Do you trust me? Do you care? Will you find out the answers for yourself? Are you just going to assume what you want to believe is true, go out and start your own militia, put a fence around your property, and say you've started your own country? Lies can make you do crazy things, and crazy things can make you lie. And that's probably the most truthful thing I've said in this column.

Chris Jungle is awaiting trial for admitting responsibility for all the deaths which occurred before he was born. He could face millions of life sentences.

return to the Shut up, I'm talking page
return to the LIES home page
return to the A&A home page