My mother’s father was an attorney. He died when I was young and I have far more memories of him that are based on family stories than ones based on actual experience. I have also had the opportunity to read some of his journals, though he wasn’t as prolific as a journal writer as some others in our family. Like many small town professionals, he was a generalist, drawing up contracts, helping with real estate sales, preparing wills, assisting clients with civil disputes and the like. As far as I know he never served as a prosecutor. He did become a politician and was elected to the state legislature, serving during the Great Depression. He also was a staunch church member and served as a volunteer layperson on Conference and national committees of his church.

One of the things that our mother reported to us often was that he was a stickler for the truth. He believed that there is an objective truth and that we have a natural innate sense of truth and falsehood. He definitely passed on that passion for the truth to his daughter. There were lots of behaviors that got a quick reaction from our mother, but I grew up thinking that the worst thing a person could do is to lie. If she caught us in a lie, her anger was quick and the punishment was real. One of the things that she told us is that if you lie you become a slave to the lie. One lie begets another. Soon the teller of the lies is unable to keep up with the lies told to cover previous lies and cannot present a consistent image. She also taught us that if people lie, they lose the ability to know the truth. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32 KJV)

My grandfather was a Republican. He believed in the principles of the party of Lincoln. I think, however, that it is a blessing that he did not live long enough to witness contemporary politics. He would have been appalled. Lies have become the stock and trade of politicians.

The talk show comedians have been having a field day with the daily revelations of the falsehoods that have been told by George Anthony Devolder Santos, the Republican representative of New York’s 3rd congressional district. It is a bit difficult to discern his story because it has been pointed out that nearly everything in his campaign biography is fabricated from schools he claimed to attend that have no record of him being a student to details of his mother’s death to work he claims to have done to protect animals. He has lied about his personal and financial background. He claims to have loaned his own campaign money that the simply did not have. He has been accused of misusing campaign funds and fraud. His lies are obvious, but that did not stop him from being elected. It seems that he has used the technique of simply saying what others want to hear has been successful for him.

I know nothing more than what has been reported in the news and it seems nearly impossible to discern what is true and what is false about Santos, including his name. He apparently has used several different names throughout his career. It leaves me wondering whether or not he knows what is real and what is not.

Some lies seem to have more serious consequences than others. I don’t care whether or not Santos appeared as a drag queen in Brazil. I’m pretty sure his political career will be short, given the web of lies that have already been disclosed. And I’m not particularly concerned that a former President of the United States lies about his golf score, claiming to have won a tournament in which he didn’t even show up for the first days’ competition. It is worrisome, however, that a large percentage of voters believe that there was massive fraud in the 2020 election despite the total lack of evidence and the consistent rulings of court after court.

It is like my mother said, “If you repeat a lie often enough, you will lose the ability to know what is true.”

My mother and her father believed that in the end the truth would become clear. They believed in standing up for the truth especially when doing so demanded courage and taking a stand that is unpopular. And they did a good job of passing on those expectations to their children and grandchildren. I may have some frustrating lapses of memory, but I am confident that I can tell the difference between the truth and a lie. I also know that I don’t have the inclination to become a politician. Aside from church politics, which I admit can be intense at certain moments, I have no desire to engage in the politics of government. I care about policy, but you won’t see me running for office.

I have been wondering lately if all politicians lie. Is telling lies a requirement of getting elected in our society? Are there no politicians with integrity and the courage to stand with the truth? I worry that my cynicism might be exaggerated. There must be some political figures who can be trusted to tell the truth and who are willing to accept the possibility of unpopularity because of their insistence upon the truth. I know that political courage is not a common commodity in today’s world, but I still believe that there must be some who are willing to stand for the truth.

On the other hand, telling a lot of fantastic lies certainly gets a politician more press and more mention on the late night comedy shoes than telling the truth. If I am going to discover the truth and find honest politicians, I’m going to have to switch my source of information.

I’ve got some homework to do before I cast my next ballot. And that’s the truth.