Marshall Frank: Nothing but lies (June 18)

All of them have something in common more disturbing than their illicit sexploits.

Each of these elected officials demonstrated the ability to look you and me — their electors — into the eye with a straight face and utter a total falsehood.

If elected servants in positions of power can knowingly lie about their personal iniquities, they certainly can lie about anything else. Their credibility is zilch. It doesn’t matter if they talk about campaign promises, economy, national security or hookers on the side, a lie is a lie.

Proven liars in public office should never get a pass nor be allowed to continue serving in sensitive positions of trust.

“My computer was hacked,” as Weiner said, runs a close second to Clinton’s, “I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”

Not only did Weiner conduct himself in a sordid manner, not only did he violate marriage vows, he looked at us all in the camera and lied, then invented more lies until his back was against the wall.

Amazingly, some folks excuse liars who have a charismatic personality. Or, when the liar represents a cultural, ethnic block that, in itself, supercedes the bar of integrity.

Voters didn’t care that Federal Judge Alcee Hastings was impeached for bribery and perjury in Congress by a vote of 413-3, and then convicted and removed from federal bench in 1988. Yet, he ran for a seat in the very Congress that impeached him, and won.

Integrity mattered not.

Today, Hastings, a proven liar, sits on the House Committee on Intelligence, among other positions of trust.

As a 30-year cop, and someone who is related to a chronic drug addict, dealing with liars has been a lifelong journey. With so much experience, one gets pretty good at knowing liars.

A sociopathic liar has no conscience or remorse. What matters is not getting caught. Deception is everything. Liars will go to great lengths to avoid detection.

Most career cops will tell you that for every thief and burglar that is apprehended, there are 100 more out there who go undetected. If that ratio of liars is applied to elected representatives, we could be in sorry shape.

There was a time when integrity was the pillar of trust upon which voters elected representatives and executives with access to the most sensitive national security issues, or even the power to send our kids into battle. In this age of media hype, personality and charm creates a blur over questions of dishonesty.

How to Spot a Liar | with beans

Lying, for most people, isn’t something that comes naturally. The careful observer should be able to spot dishonesty from a mile away. Usually, unless dealing with a complete sociopath, people will give one of several classic signs when they’re not telling the truth. Sniffing out a lie is an art form, and once mastered, this skill becomes invaluable in business, relationships and life in general.

According to a Yale University report, written by Paul Ekman, There are two reason why lies sometimes fail: either because the liar failed to prepare or because of the interference of emotions. The main reason, Ekman believes, that lies fail is inadequate preparation. An example of this type of failure is when liars forget what they’ve already lied about. This often leads to contradicting statements that show liars for what they are.

This lack of preparation can help people determine if someone’s lying to them. Liars tend to be vague in order to avoid details that would be harder to remember. Casually asking them about numerous, specific details will throw them off their rhythm, and asking them to repeat those details later is likely to make them nervous or defensive. If they react in this way, it’s highly probable they’re not being honest.

Aside from their omission of detail, liars also exhibit behavioral signs of lying. The most common of these signs is the avoidance of eye contact during the lie. If someone maintains eye contact during a conversation but diverts their gaze when asked a question, the answer is probably false. Other behavioral signs of dishonesty could include twitching, an emotional tone or attempting to change the subject.

When trying to determine if someone’s lying, it’s best to approach the situation casually. Accusing a liar of being deceitful will undoubtedly trigger a defensive reaction. This doesn’t prove anything because accusing an honest person of lying will usually result in the same reaction. To know for sure, casually ask them to provide details and watch for behavioral indicators. Over time, most liars will be unable to remember every false detail and will be caught in one of their false statements.

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