[ExI] Justifiable Lies

[John Clark]

In 1996 a novel came out called "Primary Colors" that made a big splash, it
was a fictionalized account of Bill Clinton's 1992 election campaign and it
was written anonymously. Nobody knew who the author was but whoever it was
must have been deeply involved with the Clinton campaign and had a lot of
inside knowledge, and one of the suspects was a man named "Joe Klein". He
was asked if he had written it and he flat out said "No, I did not write
Primary Colors". A few years later it came out that Joe Klein had indeed
written Primary Colors. Klein received a lot of criticism not for writing
the book but for, horror of horrors,
​l​
ying. But what was the poor man supposed to do?  I believe people have the
right to say things anonymously and if he had said "I refuse to answer" it
would have been universally interpreted as a confirmation that he had
written it
​,​
so he did the only thing he could, he lied. I would have done the same
thing in his position and lied without the slightest feeling of guilt
because THE QUESTION SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ASKED
.​
Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.

Another example: A fireman hears a baby crying inside a burning building
and runs inside gets the terrified child and runs out just in time. Later
some TV reporter always asks the fireman the same dreaded question "Do you
feel like a hero?". He can't tell the truth ( look it was hot as hell there
were flames everywhere but I raced in anyway dodging falling beams and
grabbed the kid and ran out 3 seconds before the entire building collapsed,
of course I feel like a goddamn hero!) because he would sound like a
conceited asshole even to his own ears, so he must instead give the
standard lie that everybody knows is a lie but is nevertheless demanded and
say "Ah shucks Ma'am I ain't no hero, I'm just a lowly fireman doing his
job". Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.

So did Bill Clinton lie when he said "No I did not have sex with that
woman"? Yes he lied. If I was a Senator would I have voted in favor of
removing the president from office because of that lie? No because THE
QUESTION SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ASKED.  Ask me no questions and I'll tell
you no lies.

 John K Clark
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